[color=maroon][h1][center][u]Akane Mitsuishi[/u][/center][/h1][/color]

Akane led the group to a service elevator, listening to the group. Some chatted among themselves, while others were silent.

[i]"There's a Zasshu waiting for us here too, isn't there~?"[/i]

The girl's voice was light and airy, sounding almost amused. She tried to remember the name on the file. Her real name, not the name she'd been assigned by the TDI. "Yes, there's another Zasshu in this facility. You can hear her, can't you? And I bet she can hear all of you right now."

The elevator jerked to a sudden halt. Akane let out a low string of curses in a mix of English and Japanese that would impress any sailor before clearing her throat and returning to a businesslike manner. "Food's this way." She led the group to a room that had, for the time being, been converted into a makeshift messhall. It wasn't much to look at, being the same steel and concrete as the rest of the facility. But what really stood out was who was in it.
[hr]
[center][h1][color=00008b]Shirona Sakurai[/color][/h1][/center]


She'd gotten all of the gifts she'd chosen into a little red wagon and hauled it to the new messhall. It was practically an antique, and it was a wonder the thing hadn't rusted away decades ago, but it served Shirona's purposes just fine. The song was getting closer now. Shirona's heart began beating faster. [i]They're here[/i], she thought. The girl gulped water from her canteen before tossing it aside. She fixed her outfit, stopping as the door opened.

She knew the Major. The way she walked, the way she talked, even the way she smelled. But everyone else was new.

And they were like her.

Shirona smiled, her hands shaking almost imperceptibly. "Is this them Aka-nee?" she asked. Mitsuishi scowled.

"It's 'Major', 'Mitsuishi', 'Ma'am', or some combination of those three, Miss Sakurai."

"R-Right! Sorry, Major!"

Akane sighed. "Well, I suppose everyone should get acquainted. Pull up a chair and get comfy." She locked the door behind them once everyone was inside.

[@LuckyBlackCat][@Yankee][@Metatrooper]