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Pheonix was not a very talkative person. In fact, he's also not very sociable, which is amazing considering everyone around him in Paradox HQ was an undeniably sweet person. Standing in Leila's office for the third time since he had formerly joined Paradox, he felt as if he were being a bit too distant from his co workers, and it didn't help that they all seemed indefinitely patient with him.

"You have gone without a partner for 3 months now, Pheonix." Leila said, sitting in her brown mahogany desk. Pheonix couldn't quite meet her eye this time, and he wondered why but knew the answer immediately. Her eyes were an unsettling shade of jade. He kept his head down, eyes pointed to the elegant moth carved into the side of the desk. His feet, bare like always, rubbed against the dark green carpet. "Pheonix, is everything going alright? The missions haven't been too hard, have they?" She asked, a kind and worried tone to her voice. 

Pheonix looked up, almost ashamed when he spoke softly. [color=maroon]"I am doing fine, ma'am."[/color] Leila chuckled.

"Ma'am? I look about as old as you do." She said. "Well, I'm glad the missions are going well. It's just..." She sighed, and a slight green moth flew from across the room to land serenly on her shoulder, blending in perfectly with the suit Leila wore. She played with the moth's wings, brushing one lightly. "Charlotte has been worrying about you." Pheonix's eyes landed on the moth.

Charlotte was by far the strangest thing the future had to offer to Pheonix. He didn't quite understand what she did, or how she worked exactly. All anyone could tell him about the curious moth and her powers was that she never left Leila's side, and she always knew more than anyone in the room. Of course the moth would worry about him, really, he should have seen it coming. He tried to apologize, but the words got stuck in his throat.

"Charlotte says it's fine, you don't need to apologize for anything." Leila relayed to him. "She thinks...well, we both think, that you need to partner up." Pheonix dreaded the idea of partnering up. He gulped, slightly uncomfortable with the conversation ahead.

[color=maroon]"I...I work better.[/color] [color=maroon]By self.[/color] [color=maroon]Alone."[/color] He said. Leila nodded, resolutely.

"I understand. But doing missions by yourself is dangerous, especially as you get stronger. We wouldn't want you getting hurt with no backup." She said. "You're getting to that stage in training Pheonix, and we're both proud of you, honestly. But," She paused. "Greater power means greater responsibility. And that responsibilty requires two people, I'm afraid." She smiled, sadly. 

Pheonix breathed in deep. [color=maroon]"Yes.[/color] [color=maroon]I understand.[/color] [color=maroon]I can find partner."[/color] He said, giving in. Leila shook her head.

"Now hold on, you don't have to do the picking at all." She said. "Charlotte picks all of the Agents partners, and she's never been wrong!" Leila beamed at the moth, the latter fluttering disapprovingly. "Now, once she picks someone, you two don't have to start doing missions together right away. We give you one weeks worth of wait time, and then we hand you your first assignment." She said. "As you know, Agents have a full month, depending on the scope of the situation, to solve their mission. Their Paradox so to say. Failure is not an option, and if it comes to that, I'm afraid we can't trust you to do bigger missions anymore."

Pheonix didn't particularly like the sound of no more Paradox cases. He liked the missions he was getting now; the Bermuda was the first big case he ever got. Getting small cases wouldn't be quite as fun. [color=maroon]"I will not fail you."[/color] He said, determined. 

"Good. And now, Charlotte is done looking for a partner." She said. Pheonix blinked. The Moth had not moved at all, save for a flutter of her wings. "Oh! What a curious pair you two'll make!" She excaimed. "I hope you're fond of Elvis, Pheonix. Miss Goodoire is especially kind to the rockabilly sort!"
...............................

The first time Pheonix saw Eris Goodoire, he couldn't believe someone who wore such outrageous colors would be matched with him. They dressed in horrendous pastels, and Pheonix found it insulting to the eyes. He decided to focus on their face instead. The house behind him, the one he had burned to the ground, was instantly being repaired with the help of Charlotte. Leila wasn't really expecting Eris to show up, but she made up for it by lying. It was the first time he saw her lie. They all sat down, and for an hour, Pheonix sat on the couch being watched like a hawk by Max Heighnsworth, the man who owned the house. Pheonix glared at him, still angry at what he had said to him. "He's not even from our time, and you're letting him stay in? Dude can barely speak english as is!" Back then, Pheonix knew he would regret setting the house ablaze later, but he hadn't cared. Now that the house was back to normal, and Max Heighnsworth was thoroughly traumatized, he felt a little better. 

It still didn't stop him from wanting to punch the man in the face repeatedly, but it would do for now. MIndy, the brilliant scientist that came along with Eris and the butler, went upstairs in search of her friend. Leila cleared her throat. Pheonix got up from the couch, and went to the table, taking a stand right next to Leila's seat. Darius and Charlton both got up, and stretched sleepily. "Well, we'll see you around then. Goodnight, Leila." Darius said. Mindy and Eris came back downstairs, and soon the house was just as it was an hour and a half ago. Leila finally put her cup down.

"I'd reprimand Pheonix for his borish behaviour, but what you said hurt even my feelings." She said. "Apologize." Her voice grew cold. Max shuffled his feet, embarrassed.

"Look, it's not like that. I'm not a-" He began.

  "Pheonix is a valued member." She said simply. "I will not tolerate you insulting him like that, especially not in his company."

Max scoffed, and looked directly at Pheonix. "You're my replacement, huh?" He asked. Pheonix blinked, suddenly hyperaware of a stray blonde strand in his face. He didn't want to look at Max Heighnsworth anymore.

"Pheonix is-" Leila began.

[color=maroon]"I am no replacement."[/color] Pheonix spoke for himself. He gulped nervous, but he soldiered on keeping both his fear and anger in check. [color=maroon]"I am my own Agent."[/color] He looked up at Max, determined.

"Hush about replacements. Ex-Agents aren't supposed to discuss such matters." Leila said. She sighed. "Eris has found your pin, it seems." She said, tired suddenly. Max's eyes lit up. 

"You...you took my pin away years ago..." He began. "You wiped everything I ever did for you away, how could there be a-"

A slight flare of green could be seen in Leila's eyes, as she petted the soft wings of the moth on the table. "We have eyes on our Agents, Max. And we especially have eyes on you." She tapped the side of her face, right next to her eye. "Traitors, I'm afraid, don't get privacy after their actions."

Max was seething. Pheonix grabbed the back of Leila's chair protectively. "You are a real piece of work, Mayner." Max hissed. Pheonix could feel the air in the house getting warmer, and he knew it wasn't him this time. "People don't even know about my powers now. Charlton definitely knows and yet-"

"The butler has agreed to stay silent, for your own good." Leila said. "What you did was despicable, Max. You don't get to be a hero after doing something like that." She stood up, gently placing a hand on the table. "I didn't come here to discuss your punishments, though. I have come to discuss your partner. Former partner."

Max huffed, and sat down. "How's he doing anyway? I didn't think sellouts were still welcomed."

Leila ignored his quip. "He's gone, Max. Shou left in the middle of the night, and no one can find him. His parents are very worried." Max scoffed, leaning heavily on his arms, his head in his hands.

"I don't know where the kid went. He ain't here if that's what you're asking." He said. "Just a minute ago you said you had eyes all over, so what's this got to-"

"Shou is using his own power, I think. Charlotte hasn't been able to see him." Leila explained. "We've decided to look around now. We started with you because Shou was very close-"

"We weren't close. Not by a long shot." Max said, stonily. Leila's brow furrowed.

"But....you seemed so-"

" 'Seems', and 'Auctually like', are too different things Mayner." He said. "He hated me."

Leila swallowed nervously. This was the first time Pheonix saw her nervous. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I appear to have made a greivous mistake." She said, quietly. She got up, suddenly. Max didn't look up at her. 

"Money is important, you know." Max said. Leila froze.

"Yes." Her voice was like the waves, then. "Money is important in this world, that I cannot deny. But stealing it, and jeopardizing a mission for it..." Pheonix looked away, feeling as if he were intruding on a private conversation. He was somewhat knowledegable of Max's actions. Stealing money he was supposed to use for his mission, and using his powers to fight back against other Agents, was enough to get him permanantely banned from being an agent of Paradox. He remembered Crow warning him one morning about what could really happen if you botched a mission badly.

"Do you still have that stupid shop?" He asked, referring to a record store all the way in Atlanta.

"Yes, we're turning it into a hub for Agents. People will be able to ask for our help all the way in Atlanta now." She said. "At least some good came out of punishing you."  
.................................

That night, in his room at Paradox HQ, Pheonix couldn't go to sleep. He was up thinking about Max Heighnsworth, and his shop in Atlanta. Pheonix had never heard of such a city until that night, at his house. He wondered how a man who like things as simple as music could let greed control him so much like that. Was he really that...desparate for money? Pheonix would never know the feeling of having too much money. The voice whispered to him, [i]"Neither do I, Pheonix.[/i] [i]We have more in common than you think."[/i] His voice was stronger now. Louder. It had grown slightly over the last two missions.

He raised his arm, tucked under covers, and studied the scar that had begun to etch itself into his skin. The Orange Jewel was not gone it seemed. It was scattered, broken into a million pieces. [i]"Do you want to know how many shards you hold, Pheonix?"[/i] The voice asked. 

[color=maroon]"Xa..."[/color] He said, aloud to himself in his darkened room.

[i]"23."[/i] The voice responded to Pheonix only.

He laid his head back. No one knew about the voice, or the jewel. Or the voice of the God in the Sea in his head. He had tried to explain, but everytime he tried the words would gett stuck in his throat. He felt as if he were afraid of telling people about the voice in his head. He had thought that the moth would know at least of The God, but she didn't say a word about him. [i]"People can't know about me yet, Pheonix.[/i] [i]In due time."[/i] The Voice said. 

Pheonix closed his eyes. But much like the flames from his wings, sleep did not catch him.
..............

[color=thistle]yay i got his first post up, and i got to set up the world of Paradox a little, which is something i've always wanted to do![/color] [color=thistle]also half of you probably won't even actually remember max or who he is, and to that i say go read the origin story posts, lol.[/color] 

[hider=tonight's atmosphere][url]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bkWyn75F8B4[/url][/hider]