Serah puffed up her cheeks when Mai mentioned Jake's recon work, placing her elbows on the table in front of her. She also leaned forward to rest her chin on top of the folded arms. [color=00aeef]"Oh, c'mon Mai! Quit talking about the boring stuff, I wanted some juicy details!"[/color] Serah complained and let her head fall to her left side, staring at Mai with half open eyes. Serah's eyebrows also sunk, giving Mai a nice frowny face to look at.

Even as the girl started talking about her condition, Serah's head shot back up to shake wildly left-to-right. [color=00aeef]"No, no! Mai's Mai and that's that! I couldn't stand seeing you lying there in the hospital, I don't want to know what else is wrong with you after the battle!"[/color] Serah nearly yelled all that at Mai, letting it sink in for a few seconds before flinching in shock.

[color=00aeef]"Oh...! Mai, I'm so sorry!"[/color] Serah stood up to make a bow in apology, frantically looking back at the counter. Jake seemed to have bought some icecream already and was on his way back. The blue-haired girl mumbled [color=00aeef]"Sorry,"[/color] a few more times before excusing herself and leaving the two of them to finish the rest of their day.

The rest of the week went by pretty happily for Serah. She was having fun with her newfound friend, Jason, and managed to keep her worries at bay for now. She'd spend a lot of time with him, mainly because the boy was incredibly interesting to her. Serah had grown a little more distant to Sigma after their fallout in the hospital, unable to look the other in the eye for a while now. Iota, on the other hand, was caught a few times tailing Serah. Why, the girl didn't know. She just knew it... happened.

When she was called in for briefing, Serah was among the first to arrive in the room. Diligent and hardworking, Serah took her spot and prepared to wait for the new sergeant to arrive. In the corner of her eye, though, she saw someone else already standing there. A tall, lank man with golden hair going all the way down his back and a rather shaggy choice of clothes. He had his right eye covered by a black bandana, with a nasty burn creeping out from under it, but that wasn't the part that caught Serah's attention. It was the fact the man had been staring at [i]her[/i] with his remaining, golden eye. There was a goofy smile on their face, and Serah reeled because of it. She quickly averted her gaze, not wanting to know exactly [i]what[/i] the man was looking at.

The others arrived soon after, filling the room. A quick glance back at the man showed him waving at everyone, but Serah was having none of it. She patiently waited for the sergeant to arrive before hearing a woman's voice from the hall... alongside that of a small child's. Maybe the child hadn't hit puberty yet, like Sigma, and was another addition to the crew? Serah began conjuring up all sorts of expectations in her head, a smile of her own starting to form on her face.

All those expectations were smashed when she saw the duo, however. Serah's eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the little girl's medals, noting the sergeant's crest resting on her shoulder. The teenager couldn't believe this was their new commander, even when they made it clear. She wanted to speak up, but cut herself off before she could get a word out. Good call, because Serah didn't feel like getting into trouble for disobedience or questioning her superiors.

Serah flinched at the salute from Sgt. Steinhart, mimicking it swiftly. Then Zim asked a question that sent chills down Serah's spine. She wanted to cover his mouth quickly, but by the time she realized it, it was already too late. The most experienced and oldest pilot, making a basic blunder like questioning his superiors... What is he thinking?![hr]Devors felt like whistling when a small girl with blue hair walked in through the door, but he missed one front tooth too many to be able to. Still, that girl was [i]incredibly[/i] cute. He knew all the pilots here were going to be pretty young, but if they were all as pretty as the lass before him, he'd be enjoying his stay a whole lot more. He noticed her staring back, a bit fearful. He smiled to make her feel comfortable, which was met with a flinch and quick turn of the head. Bummer...

He loosened his already loose dark green tie a bit further when he saw more of the females pour in. A pink chick, pretty mature for her age. A cute little girl with white hair was next, but she was nothing he'd chase unless he felt like getting arrested. The final one, who came in a bit late, was a stunning black-haired beauty... but the badges she wore also demonstrated her authority. Aw, shoot. The best chick was also the one who could punish him for being... well, him. Devors sighed, resigning himself to his fate. He remembered reading that one of the young girls was missing, which was the entire reason he signed up for this crew. Rescuing a fair maiden, bridal carrying her out of danger...

Devors' fantasies were interrupted be a short, bald guy who spoke up. His tone was rude, and that pleased Devors. This guy was sticking it to the man! [color=Gold]"Hey, hey! Not bad, shorty! You got a good set o' brains in that skull a' yours."[/color] The man gave a thumbs up to Zim Hero, showing off the fingerless gloves he wore. The man then took on a bit more of a serious posture by folding his arms, resting just under the exposed part of his chest. It looked like his shirt was missing its first two buttons.

[color=Gold]"Ever heard of a stealth bomber? Drop the stealth part, an' ya got me. Far 's I'm aware, you guys don't really have anyone quite like yours truly. Honestly, though, some of the orders I get would make y'think I was a suicide bomber instead!"[/color] The guy laughed at his own joke, then stopped when he noticed nobody joining in on the fun. Man, did nobody have a sense of humor these days?

[color=Gold]"...Anyway, I'm not the briefing dude. 's Elise, as ya figured out already. I been told to keep my mouth shut, but I'm no good with that. I'll leave the rest to her now though,"[/color] he chuckled and nudged to the small girl. He fully expected to be punished for that behavior or... something, but the guy didn't look like he cared at all.