[hr][hr][i][h1][color=#BCD6A2]Aislin Rose[/color], [color=salmon]Haruka Takashiro[/color], & Daphne "Holly" Hope.[/h1]
[sub](collaboration between [@Estylwen] and [@tsukune])[/sub][/i][hr][hider=The Secession Studios - Augmented Investigation][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pJOpSV5dp4[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]Lower South Royer Town, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

After a good night's rest, a glass of scotch and a mug of Kona coffee to clear her head, Aislin pressed a phone to her ear. She stood facing the full window of her suite, gazing out at the city sprawled below.

"Well, well. Drinking on the job?" Hallmark spoke in a not-so-amused tone.

"I won't bother to ask how you know," Aislin said, rolling her eyes. "It was, however, for a good cause."

She explained her happenstance with Haruka, the man sitting in the corner of the security tape they 'acquired'. What happened with Rhea, the bits and pieces Aislin managed to glean about her mysterious friend - the African meta. Aislin also, with a strange lack of gusto, informed Hallmark on the two groups Haruka mentioned.

"These seem like the uh, dangerous type of organizations. At least, that's my hunch. If Rhea's in trouble with them, this is something we need spy intel on," Aislin said.

"And I imagine you already extended a 'helping hand'?"

"You know me so well," Aislin said with a chuckle. "Haruka was incredibly cooperative, so I offered him a discount on investigating 'Polaris'."

"That's not in our policy," Hallmark said flatly.

"It's not?" Aislin said, looking off to the side. "Hmm, my bad~ Deal's already been set, boss. I'll charge full price next time, promise."

A subtle facepalm could be heard over the phone line. "Aislin... I'll let it go this time. Your information has proven quite eye-opening. It may even relate to Rhea's case."

As Aislin was about the reply, another call came in through the line. She pulled the phone away, watching a new contact light up her screen. Haruka.

"Sorry, boss. I have another call coming in. Was there anything else?" she asked quickly.

"No. Keep in touch," Hallmark said, and hung up.

Aislin swiped at her screen, bringing up the new call. With a sly grin, she brought the cell to her ear. "Hi Haruka. How you feeling?"

"I'm... better now, I guess," Haruka's quiet voice came out from the receiver. "Uh, I know this is a little sudden and all, since we only just met each other last night... but can I arrange to meet you one more time?" There was a pause and some shuffling noises in the background before he continued, "...It's better for me to show it to you than to talk about it over the line."

"Show, eh?" Aislin paused, brow raised. "The way you say it sounds mildly unnerving. But yeah, I can meet with you. Just name the place and time."

"Well..." There was an awkward scratching sound as Haruka suggested something that Aislin had least expected. "...How about we go out for a drive around Baybridge together? I can pick you up if you want."

"Hm, you must be pretty serious," Aislin said, spinning to flop on her leather couch. "They say 'no place' is safer than 'some place'. I can meet you in an hour in front of the Fire & Ice restaurant. It's in Lower South Royer Town."

There was a soft - barely audible - sigh of relief from the other end. "Sure, I'll see you later." With that, the line was cut off.

Aislin stared with a mute expression at her phone. [i]What an odd request...[/i] She tossed the phone to the side as she stood, heading to the master bathroom for a shower. If she could manage her time, this upcoming encounter could use a good meditation. Gather her thoughts and whatnot.

[hr]
Exactly on time, Aislin sat nonchalant on a bench to the left of a rather sleek building. She was dressed in her usual leather jacket, aviators hiding her eyes. Briefly, she pulled a phone from her purse, checking the clock. Haruka was running a little late.

Just then, a black sedan finally pulled up before her, and the slim figure of Haruka stepped out from the back passenger seat. He was in a gray hoodie with a pair of skinny jeans and dark-colored sneakers, which made him look even younger than his facial age. "Sorry - took us a bit of time to prepare the food." Then he held out the door and gestured to Aislin. "After you."

"[i]Us?[/i]" Aislin said, a surprised note in her voice.

The tinted window of the driver's seat then rolled down to reveal the person behind the steering wheel - who was none other than Holly, in a figure-hugging dark-green turtleneck that went well with her auburn hair, which also brought out the green in her eyes. "Hi," she greeted Aislin with a warm smile. "I'll be your chauffeur for today. Hop on in!"

"Um," Haruka chimed in hurriedly to explain. "Holly is like, uh, my sister---"

"---Even though we look nothing alike," Holly completed Haruka's stuttering line with a chuckle. "I've been taking care of him and his brother long enough that we're just as close as any blood-related siblings."

"Yeah, so..." Haruka scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You can trust her... is what I'm trying to say."

Aislin nodded. "Family is family. Holly, the pleasure is mine," she said, nudging Haruka. "Though, a heads up would be preferred."

Slipping into the back seat, Aislin buckled herself in and tucked her shades away. "I believe we discussed your brother the other night, Haruka. Was he, in fact, home to give you a hard time?" she asked teasingly.

Haruka shook his head in response as the car drove off. "I guess it's a good thing that it was Holly instead of Shizu - I think his presence would only make my hangover even worse." He shrugged, sheepish.

"Shizuka did inform me that he had a party to attend today," Holly said from the front. "He was worried about you, so he got me to look after you instead."

Haruka couldn't believe what he had just heard. "...'Party'? Wha---"

"It's not what you think it is; you should know him better than me," Holly laughed. "Well, I'm not too sure either - all he said was that he might be able to get a lead or clue if he went for it." Then she glanced up at the rearview mirror, looking at Aislin's reflection. "So... Aislin, right? How long have you been staying here in Baybridge?"

"Right..." Aislin winked. "Roughly four months, I'd say. Still haven't seen all the tourist spots, but I like Baybridge. It reminds me of New Orleans."

"Mhmm~" Holly's smile widened and she turned her head briefly to give a knowing look to Haruka. "Then you probably don't know about a place near the outskirts of Baybridge that can give you a great view of the city and the lake. It's also quiet - other than a few odd hikers, there's barely anyone around. What do you say?"

[i]The perfect murder.[/i] Aislin glanced away, a mischievous expression crossing her face. "Sure," she said, grinning. "Is this where the uh, food takes place? What's that... a, hm, picnic?"

She couldn't remember the last time she had attended a picnic, at least in a social sense. Eating alone in the bush didn't quite count. It was the not-so-glamorous side of a spy life. Tailing targets, crossing borders on foot... the usual.

"It'll be a picnic you will never forget," Holly snickered good-naturedly. "You get to try Haruka's cooking while enjoying a beautiful sight of this city!"

Haruka knew where exactly Holly was taking them to - the area near the Ever Reaching Mountain range. Not only was it a great spot to overlook the cityscape that surrounded the lake Baybridge was well-known for... it could also allow both Haruka and Holly to make good use of their own powers to set up a lookout. A perfect place for secretive talks and no one could come anywhere close to overhear what they were saying without alerting them.

His face turned pink at the mention of food (what's more, made by him in a rush within the one hour), and he decided to change the topic. "That aside... this is the reason why I called to meet you." He took out the same balled-up napkin he used to show Aislin his air power last night from his hoodie pocket, and passed it to her.

"I'm surprised you're holding on to this," Aislin said, giving him a curious look as she pulled at the ball. A series of characters were found on the reverse side, making what seemed to be a cell number.

"Your new girlfriend's cell?" she said, chuckling. "Didn't know you needed my dating advice." It was a tease to ease her nerves. The writing, strangely, gave her the creeps. But she couldn't figure why. By all intents, it appeared normal.

"No." Haruka's expression darkened at the innocent joke. "...I was approached by someone from Polaris before I bumped into you. She claimed to be a 'Fire Spirit' in that cult, and gave me this number before she left." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Her last words were along the lines of me and my family could never escape from our fate, no matter how hard we tried."

Aislin sighed, shifting in her seat as she brought the napkin up for a closer inspection. "Well, that's about as blatant as you can get with a threat. Not that I know any more than what you've told me, but cults have a tendency toward absoluteness. As in, you're on my side, or you're the enemy."

She offered the napkin back to Haruka. "I take it you haven't contacted this 'Fire Spirit'?"

Haruka lowered his head at Aislin's question, playing with the napkin in his hands absently. "I... don't know if I should. I know they are trying to threaten me and my brother, and I fear for Shizu's life... but I don't want to succumb to them without a chance to fight back. There's no guarantee they won't continue to hurt us after we go with them..."

"Hmm..." Aislin brushed her palms together. "Fortunately, if she hasn't contacted you yet, there's still some grace period we can work with. I am going to mention, however, that my company offers a security service that may be useful to you."

Haruka simply kept quiet; he was a little disappointed that she didn't seem to get his hint, but there was plenty of opportunity later for him to try and get his point across. He couldn't say it out loud - not with Holly here. She might be more easygoing than his overprotective brother or worrisome aunt, but that didn't mean she would agree with whatever he had in mind so readily.

Aislin glanced out the window, watching the trees and open sky flash by. "This doesn't quite sound like an intel job, like we agreed. But I understand this 'Polaris' shit is serious. We'll still need more information before..."

[i]Before what?[/i] Aislin paused. [i]You're no hero. This may be beyond what a[/i] spy [i]can do.[/i]

Holly, who had been concentrating on the road while listening to their conversation quietly the whole time, finally spoke up, "About this 'company' that you work for... I'm curious about what it truly is, and what [i]exactly[/i] you do."

"Everyone is," Aislin said, folding her hands in her lap. "Since Haruka's on the client list, I'm allowed to divulge a little more. I work for Civilian Intelligence and Delivery, or CID. We essentially discover and courier secrets."

Holly raised an eyebrow - the RAVEN intelligence department would use the CID's services from time to time, but she would have never dreamed that Haruka, a mere civilian with a record so clean that could easily earn himself a good citizen medal from the mayor, to get himself caught up with this gray area, the 'secret business'. Well... at least this would make the [i]real[/i] conversation later to go even smoother than expected. It seemed like Aislin wasn't aware of her true identity as a RAVEN agent yet, so she might as well play along for now.

"Whoa..." Holly let out a low whistle. "So you guys are like, superspies? Like [i]Totally Spies[/i]? Ah, here we are."

"'Spy' is such a strong word..." Aislin said coolly as her hands moved to her seatbelt.

Holly pulled to a stop - the road ended here, and the trail ahead was too narrow for cars to drive through. "We'll have to go on foot to reach the 'secret' spot," Holly explained as she got out of the car. "It's a short walk, and it's totally worth it." Haruka had followed after her and helped with carrying the picnic box, then went down the trail first to lead the way.

For people who were too used to walking on flat city pavements or those who weren't a fan of mountain hiking, the trail would be quite a challenge to climb - the road became narrower and steeper as they strolled up further. Haruka ignored the first rest-point and continued to walk on, until he reached a fork that overlooked a small waterfall, where he picked the rockier path rather than sticking to the main trail. They finally reached an open ledge halfway up the mountain slope, complete with a stone bench... and it was just like Holly had said, they had an unobstructed view of the Baybridge districts that surrounded a huge lake with a long, suspended bridge that cut across the water. While all around them was a rhapsody of autumn colors - red, orange and yellow among the greens in the trees and grasses; even the rocks had different shades of brown and gray.

Haruka set down the box on the bench before he turned to Aislin, and he couldn't help but grin at her. "So... what do you think?" He raised a hand to brush his tousled hair out of his eyes as the mountain breeze hit him.

Aislin's face held a wide smile as she took in the view. "In full honesty, this---" She raised her arms at the vista laid out below. "---Is the most beautiful thing I've seen in years. What a view..."

She turned toward Haruka, rubbing her hands in anticipation. "I think the trail made me sufficiently hungry, though."

"Uh, right." Haruka's face colored as he bent down and lift up the box cover. "It's nothing much..."

"You're being too modest - you're amazing to make so much in just an hour." Holly walked over and ruffled his hair before she turned her attention to Aislin. "There are sandwiches and sushi rolls, so take your pick. Both go well with hot tea." She winked at her.

"Mmm." Aislin gave the container a sniff, chuckling. "This kind of food goes straight to my heart."

Scooping up a sandwich, Aislin added quickly, "As in, I love food. And I appreciate the effort that's clearly gone into it." That made Haruka grabbed a few for himself and turned away in a hurry, to hide the embarrassed but pleased look on his face.

Taking a seat near the box that allowed her to see the view of Baybridge, Aislin spoke, "It's..." She listened. "Quiet. Very quiet. Ideal for any kind of discussion, which I imagine comes with a meal such as this."

Holly nodded, brushing her hand across some of the lower-hanging leaves near her before she spoke again, but this time dropping the friendly tone for a more professional one, "There's no one within a kilometer around us, so we should be fine... to skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point."

"Perfect. You have my full attention," Aislin said, eyes keenly set on Holly as she stole a bite of her sandwich. The flavor was full, fresh - and was followed with a second mouthful.

[hr][hider=The Garden of Sinners 5 OST - 01-M01][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EySzk0t-qMY[/youtube][/hider][hr]
Holly stared at Aislin straight in the eye. "I appreciate your gracious offer to Haruka regarding the price he has to pay for your service, which I will be paying for him - but not with money."

She paused for a second before continuing, "Since you've been honest with us, and you have earn our trust in you... I shall do the same: I am a RAVEN agent, and I do know about CID. We're business partners, in a way." Then she smiled. "I've heard from Haruka that you're looking for someone, a friend of yours, who went missing after encountering an African man that you're trying to identify... and I can give you more information on them than what you can get out of Haruka, or any of those witnesses at the cafe you can get hold of. How about we pay intel - with [i]intel[/i]?" She went for more rolls while waiting for Aislin's reply.

"Ah, RAVENs..." Aislin leaned back, chuckling. "Although I do believe they would have files on, heck, any Meta - would they approve of you selling this data to CID?"

Holly swallowed her food before she replied slowly, "At this point, that is probably the least of RAVEN's worries - or [i]anyone's[/i] worries - with the whole of Europe and North America now under the Family's control, even in cahoots with Polaris to expand their influence to the East... I'm aware of CID's stand to remain neutral and independent regardless of the people or parties you're dealing with, but how long can you continue to stay at the sidelines and ignore the things that have been happening around you?"

[i]Well...[/i] Aislin's eyes glinted. [i]She knows more than what she's letting on. To think these cults have that amount of control? This intel[/i] may [i]be worth it after all. CID, though...[/i]

Holly gave Aislin a piercing look. "Even your friend - 'Rhea' is her name, if I remember correctly - understood the huge risk she's taking when she got herself involved with the Family, with that African man. It's likely that she went into hiding to protect you, but it won't take long for the Family to trace her to you and let all her efforts go to waste."

"Well, I'll applaud the RAVEN's spy force. Rhea's reason for her disappearance was left rather vague," Aislin said, glancing to the side. [i]She's always been so damn reckless...[/i]

"And before we go further, I feel I should make it clear I'm more of a... contractor. I can't speak for CID. At least, not now," Aislin said, a loose grin forming on her lips. "From what I've heard, not only do you have intel I'm interested in, you also have an insight on these cults."

Aislin took another few bites, chewing thoughtfully. Haruka seemed awful quiet throughout their discussion. And Holly definitely wanted something. Either Aislin's full assistance, or a call to action from CID. Maybe both, maybe more. She considered her options, swallowing the last of her sandwich.

"I"m willing to go ahead with your proposal. Intel for intel. I get the impression, however, that there's more at play here. If there's some additional thing you require, I'll need to attach a value to it. This is, well, dangerous shit, after all."

Holly's hard look softened - the response she got was satisfactory, for now. She had heard rumors that the boss of CID wasn't the kind of person that would be easy to deal with, but she hoped that they could see the grim situation shepherded by the Family (and Polaris, if they were starting to put their foot into Baybridge) and work with RAVEN to bring them down, if they truly wanted to protect their best interests. "You're right - I do have some insights to these cults that would greatly interest you and CID, and I believe that they are [i]more than enough[/i] to cover the cost of our partnership."

Aislin nodded. "There we go, 'partnership'. That's what I was waiting for.

"Now, hold on. Let's put a pin in that thought." Aislin held up her hands, palms out. "Essentially, a 'partnership' like this would involve - and this is just an estimate - hundreds of hours of planning, preparing and executing several operations. Some of it spy work, some of it more [i]direct[/i]. And once the ball started rolling, all of us, including me, would have to lay low. And your intel, you say, is enough to cover what, exactly? The dismantling of two [i]very[/i] influential parties?"

Holly was starting to like this lady, someone who would be a great comrade to have on their side. "Unfortunately, it's not as simple and straightforward as just 'dismantling' those two organizations. We're talking about two very influential, very [i]dangerous[/i] cults that have the power to destroy not just RAVEN, or CID, or any other groups out there - but the [i]entire world[/i]." She paused, and thought about elaborating a little more. "...They have been trying to gather the top scientists around the world to work on a certain 'Machine'... The Verthaven disaster and the Prague incident probably won't be the last catastrophe-level events that have befallen on us."

"Wait. These two tragedies - you have evidence Polaris and the Founding Family were involved?" Aislin said quickly, giving Holly a side glance. [i]If that's true...[/i]

"It's highly possible," Holly replied, closing her eyes briefly. "After all, instilling and spreading fear and distrust among the people to divide them, whether they are normal humans or Metas, regardless of nations... are what they have been doing, and what they do best. They can easily rule the whole world with the Machine, and anyone who has the slightest thought of daring to go against them will get a taste of their wrath, along with thousands of innocent lives sacrificed for their betrayal, as a hard warning to others who would want to try to defy them."

She took a sip of her tea before she went on, "Just like you've said yourself in the car just now: 'these cults have the tendency towards absoluteness - it's either you're on their side, or you're the enemy'. No one, no groups or organizations, can escape from their hands, can be spared from them. I'm sure you're aware of series of political assassinations in UK - needless to say, the Family already has the MISW under their absolute control. It won't be long before they get DOVE and RAVEN - even CID too."

Aislin pressed her face in her hands, blowing out a stream of exasperated air. Her eyes wandered back to the expansive view of Baybridge - the lake and sprawling concrete. It all seemed rather small from the mountains. Yet somewhere in there... supposedly, at least, was a great evil. Neither CID nor her spy associates had caught a whiff of [i]anything[/i] like it. Like a black mold brewing behind the plaster. Was it her place to burn away the mold?

[i]Rhea didn't hesitate. She never does[/i], Aislin thought with a tinge of envy.

She sighed, tearing her eyes from the vista. "Haruka, can you confirm what Holly's saying?"

Haruka had been silent as he listened to the two women negotiating about information exchange. He could guess that Holly was probably trying to 'buy' Aislin's - and eventually, her company's - alliance in their battle against the Founding Family and Polaris. That it was time for people to put whatever petty differences they might have aside and join hands to fight against the growing evil forces, not just in Baybridge... but around the world.

He finally raised his head and looked into Aislin's eyes. "Shizu and Holly mostly kept the RAVEN secrets among themselves... but I can confirm what she said about Dr. Cross and the Mannequin is true: the Black Hound set up the hostage incident to threaten DOVE and RAVEN, to exchange hundreds of innocent lives for those two Verthaven criminals. [i]I was at the mall when that happened.[/i]" He clenched his fists - the Hound even used [i]him[/i] to try tricking his twin to meet his suicidal end. "...As for the assassination of political figures who were against the MISW in UK, they had been all over the news, done by the Hound," he added as an afterthought.

Aislin slowly nodded, a pained look twisting her face. "...Awful. It amazes me that a handful of people are behind so much terror." She raised her chin. "I see this is bigger than a simple contract. Until some amount of peace has been restored, I believe teaming up would be for the best. This job's already in the millions, but if there's no world tomorrow, what does it matter?"

[i]Aw, Rhea would be so proud.[/i] Aislin grinned to herself. [i]Still scary shit, though.[/i]

Holly's face broke out a smile, pleased that the negotiation was a success. She held out a hand to Aislin, her tone back to the friendliness as before, "A pleasure to work with you, Aislin."

Aislin gave her hand a firm shake. "I'll do my best. First things first, we need intel. Lots of it!"

Haruka was glad that both of them had come to some form of agreement with each other - now that the first obstacle had been cleared, it was time for the next one.

He wolfed down the last sushi roll before he spoke up, "Anyway... I have an idea for us to get more information about Polaris." His hand went into his hoodie pocket, and touched the napkin (this time, folded rather than crumpled) with Xing Huo's number. "...I can be the bait."

Holly's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Haruka, I---"

"It's just like you've said: I'm [i]done[/i] staying at the sidelines and not doing anything, leaving all the work for you and Shizu - the 'trained soldiers' - to handle those cults," Haruka cut her off in a firm voice. "I want to be able to do something for my family too; even if I'm just a civilian, I want these cults to be brought to justice as much as anyone else who is aware of the evil deeds they have done."

Aislin studied Haruka, fingers pressed in pondering to her lips. [i]Hmm. Is it loyalty? Heroism?[/i] If anyone understood how dangerous Polaris was, she imagined their first reaction would be fear, not altruism. Including the fact Haruka had first-hand experience of meeting the Fire Spirit face-to-face, she found his 'plan', well, reckless. Haruka didn't have the training for it, either. But... it was also the most practical idea they had so far.

"I can admire passion, but I don't think you've thought this one through." Aislin said.

Agreeing with Aislin, Holly shook her head at him. "I know how you feel, but this is not a game you can take so lightly - we are dealing with deranged cults here, and using you to trap this Xing Huo woman is as good as sending you to your death---"

"I didn't gain a superpower for [i]nothing[/i], even if this power wasn't mine but given to me by that [i]damned[/i] Polaris," Haruka said as he stood up and turned to face Holly, glaring at her with a stern look. "I know that I'm not much of a fighter like you and Shizu, and I know that both of you don't want me to dirty my hands with blood, but how long are you two going to keep me sheltered like this? I know it's risky, but I have already made up my mind." He looked off to one side, to the Baybridge scenery below. "Just like Shizu always says, that in order to protect someone, I have to hurt other people. I know that as well as you and him!"

He took in a deep breath to regain his composure. "I am the best bet we have now - there must be a reason why Xing Huo chose to contact me first instead of Shizu." Probably using him to pressurize Shizuka, just like what the Black Hound did back then at the mall. "...I've had enough of being Shizu's Achilles heel. It's time to make use of their ignorance to our advantage - I'll show them not to underestimate me, and never to threaten anyone in my family, [i]ever again[/i]."

Holly pursed her lips. No matter how much she tried to think of a way to stop Haruka, his argument was solid, incontestable. This boy had truly grown over the seven years she had been with the twins. Letting out a long sigh of resignation, she glanced at Aislin. "...You're in this madness as much as us now; what's your opinion about Haruka's idea?"

Aislin pursed her lips, taking a long pause before speaking. "From what I know, it's a logical step. Haruka has an 'in', as it goes. He would be the one best suited to draw out our [i]guest[/i]. However..."

She gave Haruka a look. "You, uh, don't really have the background for this, and that fact does have me worried. A number of things could go awry, despite our best preparations. Ultimately, I'm going to leave the decision up to you."

Aislin stood to stretch, managing to pop a joint in her spine. "Whew, talk about serious~ If we're gonna do this, we'll need the location, the script and the follow-up.

"Ideally, I would like us to be in a place of minimal risk - somewhere in the public eye. We also need to plan your conversation, Haruka. You can't agree to anything, but we have to give her a false notion she's in control. Then, Holly and I require a map of the area so we can follow effectively. Hopefully the Fire Spirit leads us to answers."

"Aislin is right," Holly said, crossing her arms before her. "There's only so much we can do... and you'll have to be prepared for the worst, in case the whole plan falls apart." She regarded Haruka sternly. "Are you [i]very sure[/i] you still want to do this?"

Haruka glanced from Holly to Aislin. "I am aware of the stakes here," he replied, a quiet yet determined look in his dark eyes. "Also, other than me, there isn't anyone else available to talk to her directly - is either of you fluent in Mandarin?"

"Touche," Aislin said, scrunching her eyes with amusement.

Holly stared at Haruka for a moment, before she finally let out a defeated sigh. "...Well, I'm still worried about this rash idea coming from you of all people, but I guess you might be able to pull this off." Then her face broke out a small smile. Maybe she just need to have more faith in him...

Haruka's face brightened up, glad that his idea had finally received approval from the more-experienced ladies. "I guess we can go back and start drafting out a plan, and set up the meeting as soon as possible." He paused, raising a hand to his chin. "...How about I meet her tomorrow?" The earlier they could do this, the better; the wind might feel as cool as any other time to most people, but for Haruka, he just had a bad feeling about it, a dread he couldn't put into words...

"That soon, eh?" Aislin said, fiddling with the buttons on her jacket. "Jeez. I mean, sure - I don't know if the Fire Spirit is the anxious type or what. But we have a great deal of preparing to do in the meantime."

She eyed the near empty picnic box. "Mm, that was a lovely meal, Haruka. I'm positive, though, that this mountainside isn't the place to hash out smaller details. Besides, I think we should make a stop at RAVEN." Aislin gave Holly a sly grin. "We made need to borrow a few items for this."

"Sure." Holly returned Aislin with a slight smirk. "I may not look like it, but I have ways to get my hands on them. We do need everything we can have at our disposal to be able to counter the Family and Polaris, after all."

The spy's hand pumped the air enthusiastically. "Awesome! You make my job easy, Holly."

Haruka nodded at the girls. "We can discuss the details at my aunt's - that's in Little Seapond, Roseview," he added, for Aislin's sake.

Aislin grinned. [i]Cool, that's really close to work if I need anything else.[/i]

She snapped the lid back on the picnic box, scooping it up. Her eyes quickly scanned their little hideout. "I've got this, and I don't think we brought anything else... Shall we head to your aunt's? I've never seen Little Seapond - should be fun."

"If we manage to get over this crisis in one piece, you can have Haruka to show you around Baybridge at your own leisure," Holly laughed, nudging the blushing young man playfully before they all walked to the trail, to retrace their steps back to the car.

[hr][hr][i][h1][color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka Takashiro[/color], and...[/h1][/i][hr][hider=The Secession Studios - Stasis Mind][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVx6u1tWqvo[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]Waterbridge Airport, Roseview_[/code][/b]

Shizuka could only let out an exhausted sigh as he reclined back on a chair in the waiting area of the arrival terminal hall, trying hard to ignore the attention he was unwillingly getting from the people around him. He had come here straight from the fucked-up party - he was still in the expensive suit he had loaned from the Lius, but at least he left the blazer jacket and bow tie back in the car. He even rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to make himself look more casual in order to blend in better, but he still received curious stares; best of all, was actually asked by two doe-eyed nerd girls - with their smartphone cameras directed at his face - if he was a [i]cosplayer[/i].

He glanced at the display screen that showed the status of arriving flights; he raised an eyebrow at the green label 'landed' flashing next to the flight number he had been watching out for, and smirked. [i]Finally.[/i]

It wasn't long before the person he was waiting for walked towards him, calling out to him in his native language. "[i]Shizu-chan! It's been a long time![/i]" The man grinned at Shizuka's clothes with a playful wink. "[i]I can never understand why all those rich girls would fall for a heartless man like you...[/i]"

Shizuka cringed. "[i]...Forget about my dumb suit. Also, how many times must I tell you to stop calling me that?[/i]" Then he stood up and shook the gloved hand of Ryu Koizumi. "[i]And yeah, it's been some time since I last paid the Suzaku Butai a visit. So... how are the trips?[/i]"

Ryu nodded, adjusting the scarf around his neck - that hid the suppressant collar. While the collar couldn't completely negate his erratic power (it even had to be custom-made to be able to withstand the shock), it had helped Ryu to have better control over his electrical abilities.

"[i]Tiring, but manageable,[/i]" he replied, walking next to Shizuka to an elevator that would take them to the parking area in the basement. "[i]I was surprised when Uncle - I mean,[/i] Inoue-san [i]- suddenly summoned me to his office and forced a long vacation leave on me, even scolded me for being the most useless member in front of everyone in the squad to hear... but it turned out that it was another one of your weird ideas.[/i]" Kazunari Inoue was the commander of the Japanese Metahuman special force, and was blood-related to Ryu - but no one except for very few individuals were aware of this fact.

"[i]Well, sorry about that,[/i]" Shizuka mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "[i]But that's the only way to prevent their annoying spies from marking you.[/i]"

"[i]I know, don't fret over it,[/i]" Ryu let out a laugh. "[i]Thanks to that, I was able to get the things that you've requested without much trouble.[/i]"

"[i]Perfect, we can discuss more in the car later.[/i]" There was a short pause. "[i]...How's Pops?[/i]"

"[i]Don't worry, he's alright under Inoue-san's protection. But, there's something else I wanted to ask you about...[/i]" Ryu trailed off as the elevator stopped on the basement level, and they stepped out of the elevator. "[i]The reason why you wanted me to come to Baybridge---[/i]"

"[i]---Your power,[/i]" was Shizuka's curt answer. "[i]You'll understand... soon enough.[/i]"