Finally the simulation completed, leaving the group without the commander, instead replacing her with a sweeping night sky—shining stars scattered above a full moon that bathed the pavement in silver. In front of them stood a dozen police officers and their vehicles, their flashing red and blue lights pulsing like a distant lighthouse signal warning of danger ahead. Behind the gathered officers loomed a single warehouse, its façade drowned in shadow; only the moonlight and the rhythmic blinks of the cruisers dared illuminate its edges. One particular officer—pepper-gray hair, a clean mustache, posture like a man who’d put in thirty years and still wasn’t done—waved the group forward as if he had expected their arrival. Illusion or not, the simulation’s constructs were shockingly solid. Real enough that the air even smelled faintly of warm asphalt and engine oil.

Of all the recruits, the young man named Elias seemed the most nervous, fidgeting quietly with his hands and glancing toward the others in search of something—guidance, confidence, permission. His attention gravitated toward Andrew more than once before he nearly jumped out of his skin at Clive’s introduction. Unlike several of the others, he didn’t conjure his weapon immediately; instead he edged subtly closer to Speak Easy, almost unconsciously treating him like the natural anchor point of the group. Juniper seemed to follow suit, though with far more serenity than nerves. She held her tongue for the moment, but her movements were deliberate as she summoned her eerie silver lantern, its soft glow mirroring the moon overhead.

[color=#32a852][b]"Heh."[/b][/color] Rashad—older than the youngest recruits but still in his prime, early thirties maybe, brown hair, strong jaw, shoulders built from actual work rather than gym mirrors—stepped up and gave Andrew a light pat with the back of his hand.
[color=#32a852][b]"Looks like some of the others are already looking to you, Speak Easy,"[/b][/color] he remarked with an easy, casual wink.
[color=#32a852][b]"That's Elias and Juniper—‘June’—back there. Nervous lad’s got Hrunting. The lass has some… game lantern that heals."[/b][/color]
He gestured broadly, introducing the pair to the rest of the group with the confidence of someone used to taking charge when no one else had decided to.

[color=#9bbec7][b]"Tonberry lantern,"[/b][/color] June corrected gently, offering a warm, kind smile.
[color=#9bbec7][b]"Though Tonberries are known for death, my lantern is… an inverse of that."[/b][/color]
She gave a tiny shrug, shoulders rising and falling as if she herself wasn’t entirely sure how one inverted a mythos of doom. Beside her, Elias managed a small, timid wave.

[color=#32a852][b]"Then this is—"[/b][/color]

[color=#c43d14][b]"I'm Kira,"[/b][/color] the woman cut in, stepping forward with sharp confidence, her twin blades already flashing into existence with an eager shimmer. She smirked at the group—giving Clive the quickest wink before settling into a relaxed but unmistakably combative stance.
[color=#c43d14][b]"Ready and willing to fight and see what this simulation is made of!"[/b][/color]
She shifted her weight to one hip, posture loose but predatory, then tipped her chin toward Andrew with a small, knowing nod.

The only recruit who had yet to return to the group was, unsurprisingly, already mingling with the projected police officers—circling them like exhibits in a museum, poking at uniforms and clipboards until the constructs began gently herding her back toward the others. Rashad groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose before resigning himself to the inevitable.
[color=#32a852][b]"The distracted one over there is Sarah. Besides being a total space-case, all we know is she refuses to summon her weapon—says it’s too dangerous to draw. So…"[/b][/color]
He let the words trail off with meaning as his gaze drifted back toward Andrew.
[color=#32a852][b]"Someone’s gonna have to keep an eye on her. Whenever you’re ready, big guy."[/b][/color]