"Don't you think your choice of wardrobe could be any less subtle"?

A droll male voice rang out as a pair of mismatched teenagers approached an old, decrepit warehouse, the owner of the voice glancing over to the female with a cool cerulean gaze. "We're not exactly going on a picnic here."

The female let out a lighthearted laugh in response, meeting his pointed stare with a sweet, if slightly mocking grin. "Please, Tyler. Everyone and their cat knows me around here. If I wasn't wearing my usual style, that would be *more* suspicious", she explained with a roll of her eyes. Truth be told, their choice of clothing clashed quite dramatically. Whilst her companion was merely wearing a slightly worn and tattered Galbadian uniform with some of the armoured plates missing, she herself was wearing a pale pink dress with cute hair adornments, splitting her long brown hair into twintails.

The stark contrast between the two was undeniable. 

"You know, I think you just like being awkward sometimes," the male growled, folding his arms crossly. "Especially after the stunt you pulled yesterday. We were supposed to meet up with that Corvo guy together, and instead you run off on your own." He looked up to the skies despairingly. "Mum wouldn't let me hear the end of it." 

"Yeah, well I handled it just fine, didn't I?" The girl pouted sullenly. "So I didn't want my big brother to dog me around like a shadow. I can take care of myself," she announced proudly, hands placed firmly on her hips. "I found Corvo, and dealt with it. I want everyone to take me more seriously, and that's not gonna happen unless I take a little initiative." 

"Yeah, well try telling Mum that after yesterday. I swear my ears are still ringing." The male known as Tyler rubbed his head gingerly. "Protecting you is a pretty rough deal, you kno-Ow!"

He yelped when the girl rewarded him with a sharp jab in the ribs, the scowl on his face becoming more prominent as they edged around to an inconspicuous side door to the warehouse, two pairs of eyes glancing around for any sign of Galbadian soldiers lurking nearby. "I swear Mei, when we're done here, I-"

"Shh." Mei Song silenced him with a finger to his lips, her eyes sparking briefly with amusement at his annoyance before turning her attention to the intercom. Sources had informed her that SeeD had arrived at Timber, and should have settled in the old warehouse now, but they had settled on a security measure, just in case. Pressing the button on the intercom, Mei spoke in a clear and playful tone towards her brother. "Hey, do you think this warehouse is still abandoned? Maybe there's like, people inside. Or maybe monsters! It could be infested with **bitebugs!**"