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[b]Date/Time:[/b] [i]November 11th, 2022. 6:07 PM.[/i]

[b]Location(s):[/b] [i]Redline PRT Headquarters[/i]
[hr][hr]

Caiden. Damn. Some small part of Fukuda almost wished this kid hadn't shown up; his record was poor, even by the standards of the other low bars set by Jane and Wilbur, and his attitude was, well....His entrance spoke volumes to that. When asked for a pair of the earbuds, the Director obliged...Though admittedly, it seems he [i]accidentally[/i] put a little too much force into it as it slid across the table, gut-checking the boy briefly before landing on the table proper. [color=fff79a]"Ah, my bad; must've slipped a bit. Been a long day, you know? Glad to have you, Crosspoint."[/color] Straight and to the point, completely sliding off the minor incident before a brow could even be raised over it. 

Somehow, the Director doubted it was 'family trouble' that held him from being on time, though it wouldn't do him any good bringing that up now; something to talk to his [i]mother[/i] about though, certainly. Still, he actually took a seat. Better than some others...And speaking of others, the smallest of The Wards made her quiet debut as she popped from the elevator and scurried off to the side, as if trying to hide herself in the cushions of the couch. 

Can't say he was surprised; while he didn't know all the facts, just from meeting her mom Fukuda had a decent idea of her upbringing, because that woman was a certified hardass. Even by his standards. So she was probably concerned with some form of retribution for tardiness. Y'know, for people like Caiden, perhaps he [i]would[/i] humor something of that sort...But he doubted Carmen had done anything to earn it. So, giving her a sideways glance, he said nothing. Just the smallest nod, and the glint of an object hurtling through the air; her set of earbuds, of course. He wasn't certain she'd catch it, even if his angle was, as always, impeccable, but even if she didn't, the cushions would serve as a nice landing spot. 

Of course, Fukuda was keeping an ear out for other conversation; namely, the one between Wilbur and Andrew. A manipulator and a kid who seemed to be completely lacking in insight. Concerning. Yeah, he'd need to keep an eye on that development for certain. Still, that meant he caught the boy's off-handed remarks on the leadership position, which earned a roll of eyes from the Director. However, back on the topic of leadership, what Sean spoke of caught Fukuda's interest. [color=fff79a]"You raise a fair point. In an ideal world, you all could deliberate and handle things amongst yourselves. Ultimately, though..."[/color] Fukuda's gaze seemed to turn a bit darker in the moment, gazing across all those gathered. [color=fff79a]"In situations like these, we'll need someone we can trust to make the right calls in the heat of the moment."[/color] He quickly pivoted from that topic though, a small and low chuckle escaping the Director. [color=fff79a]"Still, it's a bit too early to be pointing fingers on that regards, [i]especially[/i] with people you've only just met."[/color] That last remark seemed pointed towards Andrew, as he gave the motor-mouthed youth a brief look of...Not quite anger, but perhaps irritation. 

[color=fff79a]"...And even then, once you [i]do[/i] have a proper leader, I'll still be expecting you all to collaborate properly and work things out as a team. Under good circumstances, the roll of the leader would effectively just be managing the group as best you can on-field, and [i]occasionally[/i] being the...Tiebreaker, of sorts."[/color] Of course, normally, leaders would also be expected to keep an eye on their fellow members, both moderating them and being there to extend a hand whenever necessary, but...Well, that was just unrealistic for a bunch of messed-up teens like this; he'd leave it to Fashionista. 

His attention was broken off from this interactions as -quite shockingly- Jane spoke up to him, inquiring why they in particular were chosen (with a slight assumption of the latest arrivals also being the last). Great. She asked a question where pretty much [i]any[/i] answer that had a modicum of the truth would sound bad in some regard. What, was he gonna say 'Oh, we just cast a wide net, and you're the ones who happened to get on board.'? No. And that's not even mentioning Jane herself or Wilbur, who have quite [i]specific[/i] reasons they were brought aboard, beyond, [i]of course[/i] the kindness of Fukuda's (or more accurately, Vice Director Elton's) heart. Hm...

[color=fff79a]"Without getting too into it at this juncture, you were all chosen for your own reasons, and in the case of some of you, you approached [i]us.[/i]"[/color] When making that claim, his eyes ever-so-briefly gazed over Andrew, Beverly, Aaliyah and Morgan. A strange bunch, but they were all ones who willingly got involved in this. Somewhere deep in him, a pang of...Something, hit him. The fact only four of them were here under, at least seemingly, honest pretenses stung. The others were practically press-ganged in, even if it didn't look that way for some of the circumstances.

[color=fff79a]"As for you lot being the last, well....That may be true for now. Complications might've arisen with other applicants, so they may show up in the future."[/color] That was the best he could manage without blatantly saying 'Hey, I pretty much got into contact with every Parahuman youth I could get my hands on, and you're the lot that popped up'. It would have to do. Of course, though, Gray Man had to open his damn mouth about them just happening to be the ones whose guardians were willing to sign off for this.

Hell, half the kids here barely [i]had[/i] guardians. 

[color=fff79a]"You may have a point there, Wilbur. Most people know the risks with this kind of position, and are rightfully afraid. [i]Still[/i], perhaps we can avoid digging into everyone's circumstances, mmm?"[/color] He kept his polite air, but the intention behind this was clear to Will; can it. As for why he would refer to him by his proper name? Probably spite. Sean spoke up about it too, of course using the chance to make a jab at the PRT in the process. Really? Now? [color=fff79a]"As for your opinion there, Overclock, it's understandable. And while it's true we can make no guarantee of safety, it's in our utmost interests to [i]keep[/i] you all safe. Hell,[/color] He continued on, a brief laugh escaping him. [color=fff79a]"you kids are the reason we've got our own Guardians now, here to keep an eye out for you all. And if a guy like Risen can't keep you safe, then I'll eat my tie."[/color]

A bit of deflection never hurt; it was easy to make their safety sound more ensured with the Redline Guardians being behind them, especially a guy like Risen. He was pretty much a local legend here, and even foreigners out-of-country knew a bit about the guy. Not just anyone can get cut in half and walk it off. It...Went a bit unspoken, but if a guy like Risen really [i]couldn't[/i] keep you safe, then things were pretty bad. Luckily, Fukuda couldn't think of a single thug or villain in Redline who could really, truly, get the edge on this place's resident zombie hero. 

The conversation kept flowing for a bit, and he caught the fact that Beverly and Morgan slid off to the side, with her making a small showcase of that ever-so-coveted healing trick and explaining to Workshop the other details of her ability. Annoying, for certain, especially with how not-so-subtly he'd tried to tell her that it wouldn't do anyone any good if she kept talking about it, but not unbearable. 

Then Overclock got involved. Of course. 

Fukuda, being the more aware of the two, had no need to press Morgan over details of her ability as some method of sussing some deep-seated negative traits. He had initially taken Sean to be a pretty smart kid, having managed himself for a few years on the streets, even if he never really tangled with some proper villains. Guess that called shot was a ways off, because casually asking stuff like that was quite...Pointed. And not in the positive sense. In the case of Beverly, at least she'd been rather broad about it, and in her case the thing she was after was blatantly obvious; her absurd sense of curiosity. His statements...Didn't give off the same sense, not in the slightest. 

Clearing his throat a bit in an attempt to regain some of the attention, Fukuda spoke up. [color=fff79a]"Perhaps you should trust her to disclose details like that at her own discretion. Ultimately, I'll trust her to make her own decisions and understand her own limits, and I expect everyone to do the same for your fellow members."[/color] There, clear the air a bit; shift the focus from the singular girl and onto the group as a whole. Prying where others didn't want you to pry, in a room with a bunch of volatile, powered teenagers, was a recipe for disaster. One that he doubted Sean concerned himself with much, but that wasn't an excuse for it. 

Ironically enough, the statement tied in well with what Fukuda could judge was the intent behind Overclock's long-awaited introduction; trying to seem less like the hero Overclock, and more like, well, Sean. A fellow kid. Perhaps that'd numb Andy's fan-factor a touch. They both could hope...

Abruptly, as he finished his long-winded intro to his fellow Wards, the Director's cell went off. Raising a single finger to invoke at least some level of silence, he stalked away from the table for a moment, sliding the phone out from his suit's folds and seeing who exactly was calling at a time like this.

...Crap.

No hesitation, he answered, raising the phone to his ear while his eyes remained set on the teenagers, silently enforcing their own silence, at least for now. It made each sentence and word that came from the Director seem all the louder. 

[color=fff79a]"This is Director Fukuda. To what do I owe the pleasure?"[/color] Brief chatter on the other end, going unheard by The Wards. [color=fff79a]"...You're kidding me. Right now?"[/color] For once, Atsushi seemed to make little effort to hide his irritation, a small scowl curling onto his face. [color=fff79a]"...Can I at least get a heads-up? How long do we have?"[/color] More words exchanged. Fukuda's next words were barely a whisper, certainly meant to go unheard by the kids, though perhaps those more perceptive might catch it.[color=fff79a]"An hour?...Give or [i]take[/i] an hour?!"[/color] The dialogue from the other end seemed to grow in volume slightly, and in the strictness of the tone. With a sigh of defeat, Fukuda gave one more response before hanging up. 

[color=fff79a]"...I'll see to it that our Guardians are alerted, and that The Wards...Get prepared."[/color] After the call ended, he didn't even spare the kids a glance as he immediately called up someone else. 

[color=fff79a]"Elton?"[/color] Whoever was on the other end sounded like they didn't take kindly to that. Scrunching his brow, he replied. [color=fff79a]"Okay, [i]Fashionista.[/i] Get your ass down here, with the cards. We've got a bit of an emergency."[/color] What sounded like more complaining from the other end, to which the Director replied with a clear edge in his voice, seemingly just as irritated as Fashionista on the other end was. [color=fff79a]"Yeah, I [i]know[/i] this is bad! You don't need to tell [i]me![/i] Listen, I'll..."[/color] Composing himself again, he straightened his voice up once more. [color=fff79a]"I'll make it clear to the higher-ups that this isn't tolerable. At the very least, maybe we can get some recompense for this shit..."[/color] Shouting could distinctly be heard from his cell, though with how quickly Fukuda had pulled it from his ear and cupped it in both hands, the exact words were too muffled to be made out. Eventually, when he was certain that was over, he brought it back up. 

[color=fff79a]"Of course I meant for [i]them![/i] I'm not that shallow, Rachel. Just...Get down here."[/color] With that, the call had ended, no doubt with the room's eyes now on the Director. Christ alive, this was a miserable start...Begrudgingly, he approached his seat once more. What was already a stoic, unreadable expression now had a certain edge to it; a war face. 

[color=fff79a]"Looks like things will be getting interesting today, Wards."[/color]