[color=#68BAA7][center][h1][sub][b]Caiden McKay
[sup][sup][i]Crosspoint[/i][/sup][/sup][/b][/sub][/h1][/center]

[sub][b]Date/Time:[/b] [i]November 11th, 2022; 5:45 PM → 6:05 PM[/i]
[b]Location(s):[/b] [i]Redline, near HQ → [u]Redline, PRT Headquarters[/u].[/i][/sub][/color]
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Laying in his room on his back, three swords spun lazily through the air several feet above him. With unfocused eyes and a habitual half-grin, he watched them as power, like beads on an abacus, was distributed behind his eyes.

A gentle knock on his door caused the turning blades to pause for barely an instant. Caiden didn’t respond, yet the door tried to open, only to catch on another set of blades that had manifested a moment before. [color=#68BAA7][b]“It’s locked,”[/b][/color] he called out without energy, hearing a huff from beyond the sealed gateway. He chuckled. [color=#68BAA7][b]“Oh hold on, I’m coming,”[/b][/color] he said, dismissing the three blades overhead with a flick of his wrist as he pushed into a seated position. Fixing his hair, the young man glanced across the room at the closet door and the mirror on it. Turning from it he looked at the door and then gestured–all while knowing full well that his mom knew he didn’t [i]have[/i] a lock. He wasn’t allowed to actually, not anymore. Granted, that didn’t really stop him from barring her entrance anymore, something she tolerated only because she had no choice.

Pushing the door open, his mother gave him a look that might flay someone else alive, before she managed to collect herself with a few practiced breaths. She always had been into that kind of thing, eastern mambo jumbo or whatever.

Giving his mother a small wave before she could begin, Caiden used the motion to check his wristwatch, noting the time, before he pushed to his feet in a swift motion and took her into a hug. Caught entirely off guard by the display of apparent affection, she was entirely unprepared when he easily spun her around 180 degrees so his back was to the door, and hers to the far wall. He pulled away, gave her a peck on the cheek, snatched his backpack from beside the door, and then in a single motion was out the door of his room.

By the time he was three-fourths of the way down the stairs, she’d fully recovered and was stalking after him. He knew those heavy footfalls, now she had her hackles up. Claws out, she started to speak. [u]“Now, wait just a min–”[/u]

[color=#68BAA7][b]“Love you mom!”[/b][/color] He interrupted, flashing her a brilliant smile, before he whisked his way out the door, coat falling into place. [color=#68BAA7][b]“See you at dinner!~”[/b][/color]

Then he was running, the action taking the breath that he otherwise would have used to laugh. Sure, there’d be hell to pay later when he got home, but his mother’s temper had always been a fickle thing, cooling faster than she’d like. Besides, this way he’d gotten what he wanted: He was late to the Wards meeting.

Rolling his eyes as he turned the corner, just barely hearing the muffled sound of his home’s front door crunching open against the snow, Caiden slowed down. Chuckling to himself, not even winded from the short run, he began making his way towards the PRT headquarters. After all, he [i]was[/i] interested in the program, he just resented the fact that he’d been forced to participate.

Now the only problem was the fact that he didn’t exactly have a car to arrive all the faster, granted it wasn’t as if being extra late was much worse than being a little late. [color=#68BAA7][b]“Pfft,”[/b][/color] he laughed slightly, shaking his head as he broke into a slow jog, he lived close to the building anyway. It had been convenient, and as a natural consequence, the surrounding neighborhoods were exceptionally safe. Frequent patrols made for a low crime rate it seemed. Go figure. So it was that after about fifteen minutes of his pace he found himself a few blocks from the building.

Slowing down, Caiden removed his gloves and shoved them–and his hands–in his pockets. With a roll of his eyes he mouthed the passphrase he’d been told to use to verify himself at the front desk. After he was satisfied with the accuracy of his performance and recollection, he picked up his pace slightly, though not so much that he might be perceived as particularly [i]eager[/i] to get somewhere.

Still, in spite of his efforts there was a purposeful–if relaxed–manner to him as he moved. Passing through the threshold without issue, Caiden gave the receptionist a half-wave in greeting, his grin reaching his eyes as she addressed him.

[u]“How can I help you, young man?”[/u] The woman said, giving him a brief once over, her posture shifting subtly as she did. He couldn’t quite tell if she was more relaxed or less so. It didn’t really matter, but it would be nice to know. Leaning forward and bringing his left arm up to rest against the high front desk, Caiden glanced once to the side and then back to her, with a conspiratorial look about him. [color=#68BAA7][b]“Would you believe me if I said that you’d caught my eye through the window and I just had to come in?”[/b][/color]

Caiden’s gaze didn’t even dart down as he caught the memory of her name tag in his mind’s eye. She pursed her lips and a stern politeness [i]pulled[/i] at the edges of her eyes slightly upwards. One corner of her lips twitched downwards, but she smiled performatively instead. [u]“While that’s very flattering–”[/u] she lied, [u]“–I’m afraid I can’t help you unless you have some business with the PRT…Mr…”[/u] She trailed off with an implied question and Caiden could tell that she was used to dealing with flirtation and unwanted attention.

[color=#68BAA7][b]“Caiden Mckay,”[/b][/color] he offered with a winning smile, straightening slightly, giving her more space, as if he were backing off. Still, looking not the least bit put off or chastised, he pressed on. [color=#68BAA7][b]“My apologies, I should have led with my name Ms. Rodriguez,”[/b][/color] her shoulders relaxed slightly, [color=#68BAA7][b]“...and please excuse my forwardness, I only meant that you looked like you could use a pick me up. Morning shifts are always so tiring, no matter the job.”[/b][/color] Her hands shifted, head tilting slightly and an almost unreadable look flickered across her face. A series of barely noticeable microexpressions.

Caiden rose back to his full height, removing his arm from the desk in the process and returning it to his pocket. At the same time, his right hand emerged. He placed his palm flat against the desk. Caiden noticed her eyes dart down, then meet his again. There was curiosity there, and perhaps a seed of interest. Still, that could just as easily become annoyance instead. He laughed slightly, it just felt right even though he wasn’t quite sure why he’d done it. Sliding his hand away, he revealed a piece of card paper, roughly the size of a business card. Facedown as it was, it would be impossible to tell if there was anything written on it. [color=#68BAA7][b]“Of course, I’d hate to waste your time, so I do have [i]some[/i] business with your organization.”[/b][/color]

Ms. Rodriguez gave him another appraising look before she reached out, her lips twitching upwards slightly from the pleasant–if largely unreadable mask she’d affected. Her fingers, splayed, gained purchase on the small card, then Caiden’s hand–reflex-fast, was on the paper too, two fingers pressing it down so she couldn’t take it fully.

[color=#68BAA7][b]“Naturally, I do expect the utmost discretion in these matters, if you please, miss.”[/b][/color]

There it was, a flash of suspicion, intrigue, then as he quirked one side of his lips upwards he saw her smile finally touch her eyes. Could that be…amusement?

[u]“Naturally,”[/u] she drawled out, the faintest of accents slipping into her voice as she relaxed fully. Nodding, he withdrew his fingers, letting his hand come to rest once more palm down on the desk in a relaxed position.

[color=#68BAA7][b]“Besides, it’s only best that such matters be handled by the most [i]cut-throat, high influence observers[/i] in the field.”[/b][/color]

Finally, she flashed him a small, if genuine, smile as she flipped the card and read the other half of his passphrase. Eying him once more she typed in a code on her phone, before lifting the phone for two seconds, and then hanging up.

[u]“Of course Mr. McKay. We wouldn’t want this sort of thing getting out, now would we”[/u] It wasn’t really a question, but as an official-looking man in uniform approached, he answered anyways.

[color=#68BAA7][b]“Certainly not, Ms. Rodriguez.”[/b][/color]

She gave him a smile and for an instant he saw her catch herself as he gave her a slight wink and followed the gentlemen towards the elevator. In a tone that registered to Caiden as forced-casual, she replied. “Be careful in the field Mr. McKay.”

He didn’t miss a beat though, quipping back in an instant, [color=#68BAA7][b]“...careful of the hounds at your heals, Miss. Do give me a call if you ever need someone to handle them. I’m great with animals.”[/b][/color] He waited a three count and then glanced back her way with a smile.

She was looking, but caught herself, gave him a courteous–too-polite–smile, before quickly turning away. [i]‘Filthy cougar’[/i] he thought to himself, affectionately as the elevator doors closed behind them.

A few moments of silence passed in the elevator as they descended. Caiden took no mind of the floors, not particularly caring how deep they were going into the complex. However, the officer didn’t seem satisfied with just silence, as Caiden noticed the man eyeing him with an almost hostile glare. As they exited the elevator on the prison floor–Caiden glancing around idly–the man decided to break what had, for him, likely been a tense moment. [u]“You better not be giving Camile any trouble, boy,”[/u] the officer said in his gravely voice.

Caiden found the surprisingly honest hostility in the threat rather refreshing, but he didn’t respond, only giving the man a lazy smile. The man bristled slightly, narrowing his eyes before turning his gaze to the oncoming wall, where they stopped. Tilting his head curiously, Caiden watched as a scanner went over the officer’s eye. A moment later the wall folded away to reveal a second elevator. He had to admit that was pretty cool, still he didn’t show much of a reaction, merely stepping into the chamber before turning back to the officer before the doors closed.

“Don’t give me a reason to, [i]sir[/i],” he replied. The officer’s eyes widened fractionally before an expression bordering on a sneer began to form. The man almost stepped into the elevator before the doors shut, but a large 3-foot-long blade flashed into being from a shimmering haze of prismatic light, stopping his advance. While it was harmless–its flat facing the man–it still served well enough, before vanishing the moment the elevator was closed.

Caiden chuckled to himself lightly and turned again, facing the elevator’s other door. People were so fun, hopefully, his team would be at least half as amusing as the receptionist and her would-be [i]man[/i].

When the door opened to reveal what were presumably all the other Wards–and the Director, naturally–already present and accounted for, Caiden just cleared his throat slightly and gave a wave as he entered the control room fully.

[color=#68BAA7][b]“Nice digs, Team, Director. Sorry I’m late, had some trouble with the family.”[/b][/color] Sitting down directly across from Mr. Fukuda, Caiden noted the headphones everyone was wearing and gestured. [color=#68BAA7][b]“Mind sliding me a pair, boss,”[/b][/color] he said, the word ‘boss’ somehow coming off as mocking despite the fact that he’d hardly put any emphasis or particular inflection on it. When the Director complied–as he surely would–Caiden would put the devices in his ears with practiced ease, the motions as relaxed and fluid as the rest of his mannerisms. Shrugging off his poofy coat in the warmth of the room, Caiden revealed the colorfully stylish hoodie beneath, which served to further accent his white hair and blue eyes.

[color=#68BAA7][b]“I’m Caiden McKay by the by,”[/b][/color] he said in introduction once he was situated, his every word coming easily. It was clear immediately that he was someone used to talking, but not someone who talked [i]too much[/i]. Similarly, there was a general air of ease about him, as if he could be utterly relaxed in any situation or in any group of people, like it was all the same to him. He smiled slightly, the expression lighting up his eyes with a subtle playfulness as he regarded his fellow Wards.

[color=#68BAA7][b]“I’ll be Crosspoint, in costume, but Caiden is fine otherwise. I hope we can get along.”[/b][/color]

He left it at that, not even seeming to mind the not-inconsiderable amount of confetti that now occupied the room or the girl with the hodgepodge mechanical arm. Instead, he remained quiet and relaxed, just soaking up the atmosphere; reading the room.

Just on looks alone, it seemed the Wards might just turn out to be an interesting lot after all.

[i]Perfect~[/i]