13 Seleszeni 10.076 Z.C., Late Morning

“There you are!” Lilla cried, spotting her friend as they both pushed their way into the mess hall. There are way too many people in here, she thought, shoving through the crowd toward Nadine.

“Make a hole!” she shouted, doing her best to sound like an angry sergeant barging into the barracks. Her effort worked, at least a little, earning her a bit of space as people scrambled out of her way.

When she and Nadine finally pushed their way into the mess hall, Lilla pulled her friend toward an alcove, between two of the halls’ towering granite columns. Nadine studied her with one eyebrow raised. She looks a lot like her mom when she does that.

“Are you feeling better today?” Lilla asked. Nadine just laughed.

“That’s what this is about? I’m fine, just trying to check the duty postings,” she replied, standing on tiptoes to scout a path through the sea of bodies crammed into the mess.

Lilla frowned, disappointed with her best friend’s apparent apathy over her concern. “Nadine, you almost died yesterday.”

Nadine glanced at her, a hint of vulnerability showing in her shaking lips before she pursed and relaxed them. “I told you, I’m fine. Don’t make a riot out of a sideshow,” she quipped, grabbing Lilla’s arm to tug her back out into the fray.

“We were really worried about you,” Lilla growled. She shook off Nadine’s hand, upset with her deft dismissal. We’re best friends, she should talk to me and care that I care, not brush me aside. She realized her miscalculation when Nadine stopped impatiently tapping her foot, turning something over in her mind.

“We?” Nadine cued, eying the vedalken with a sense of confident conquest.

Lilla laughed, feeling nerves flutter in her stomach. Boar’s breath! I promised Mav I wouldn’t tell her… But I can’t lie to my best friend, can I?

“Yeah, Mav and I talked for a bit after we left your place last night; we were both worried about you.”

Nadine’s eyes widened, a small smile forming on her plump red lips. When Lilla paused, she motioned to continue.

Enjoying the attention, but also afraid of betraying either friend, Lilla hesitated, searching for the right words before continuing. “Yeah, we decided we were both really worried about you, so we checked the nearby streets for any sign of Rigoleto, watched your house for a bit…”

“How long was ‘a bit?’” Nadine pressed, growing impatient with the constant pauses.

“Well, we were on the streets until just before sundown.” Lilla did her best to keep a straight face, but could feel her eyes breaking contact with Nadine’s lusty stare. She looked around for an out, hoping one of the squires would start a food fight. She couldn’t cast invisibility without Nadine seeing her do it… Why do these things always happen to me?!

“And then after that, you went to Sunhome?” Nadine tested. Again, her eyes gleamed with the intuition of a mother.

How does she know?! Ughhh… I’m sorry, Mav. I tried.

Lilla drew in a deep breath before answering. “Well, I was so worried about you, I knew I couldn’t leave you there alone all night. I just thought, ‘What if Rigoleto comes back?’ You took such a big risk for all of us, and I couldn’t rest knowing harm might come to you. So I watched your window from a nearby rooftop, all night.” Judging by the considering wrinkle on Nadine’s forehead, Lilla assumed her friend bought into her fib, so far.

“And Mav?”

Lilla coughed, she’d hoped her heartfelt speech would be enough to throw Nadine off course. But she cared far more about her desire for Mav than Lilla’s friendship with her. Typical Nadine. Not even an, “Awww, thanks, that’s so sweet?” Hmph! Never thinking of anyone except herself.

“Oh, Mav was going to ditch you and go do goblin stuff with Splatz … But when I told him my plans, he suddenly changed his mind. Said something about it not being safe for me out there by myself.” Jealousy crept onto Nadine’s face, and Lilla felt quite accomplished with her ruse’s success.

Well Mav, I kinda kept my promise. At least she doesn’t think you’re interested in her now. Lilla kept her eyes wide and her posture loose, feigning innocence of Mav’s fictitious motivations.

Nadine’s eyes narrowed into thin slits by the time Lilla trailed off. Then her lips thinned too, into a sinister smile.

“That’s very sweet of you!” Nadine cajoled, her voice and eyes at odds with each other. She opened her arms to give Lilla a big hug, the one she’d been expecting the whole time. But as she leaned in, she whispered and dug her nails into the vedalken’s back.

“Just don’t forget, he’s mine.”

Lilla sighed, patting her friend on the shoulder and pulling away from the embrace. This time, she didn’t resist when her friend grabbed her arm - a little too hard - and pulled her back into the press of bodies.

Mav doesn’t even like her. That’s what he said. That’s why he made me promise not to tell Nadine we watched her house, right? Lilla thought back through the events of the previous day, and his odd behavior at Nadine’s house.

Right?

Nadine dragged Lilla while elbowing and clawing her way through to the posting boards. They both began scanning for their names.

“Here’s mine,” Nadine pointed. “Kamen regular. That’s great! Definitely one of my preferred postings.”

Lilla crept toward the list of sergeant trainees, crossing her fingers and hoping she would find her name there. Behind her, Nadine edged closer to help her look, pushing a smaller goblin out of the way.

What if I didn’t make it? I need this promotion. It’ll give me a great chance to feed intel to Boulder Tooth, and set up that rotten little freak’s downfall at the hands of the Legion…

Lilla’s heart beat loud in her ears as she read the list. She both wanted to look and didn’t. Forcing herself to look, she spotted her name near the top and shrieked. Nadine squealed along and hugged her, no fingernails this time.

“Congratulations! You got it! That’s so amazing!”

“You should have applied too, Nadine! Then we could do training together!” Lilla replied, squeezing back.

Nadine laughed, then pulled away. “No, not yet. I want to work in the forges at Kamen, like my father before me. Best way to get in there is to get to know the brass.” Something in her voice didn’t sound quite right, but Lilla didn’t want to press.

“Let’s go pack our stuff,” Lilla urged, excited to see the officer cadets’ barracks. She’d seen Allura’s room, and one of the cadets’ training halls, but none of their barracks. Compared to the cramped, uncomfortable barracks the trainees and even regular soldiers, trained and lounged in, the cadets’ were spacious, clean, and pleasantly furnished. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. I want to see for myself.

“Hang on, I wanna check one more thing,” Nadine delayed, turning back to the boards and scanning the postings. A few moments later, she squealed again.

“He got in,” she beamed, brown eyes twinkling with excitement. Lilla rolled her eyes. Geez, you’re still more excited for him than me, aren’t you? I thought we were best friends? You’re hopeless, Nadine...

“Who?” Lilla asked, playing dumb. Nadine glared back.

“Who d’ya think? Mav. Don’t be gob-brained!”

“Now can we go? I want to see the cadets’ barracks.”

Behind Nadine, the goblin she shoved snickered. “Congrats on making sergeant training. Might wanna haul ass - I heard they already started.”

19 Seleszeni 10.076 Z.C., Early Morning

After a week of hard training with the other sergeant hopefuls, Lilla needed a break.

This little outing should be exactly what I need to relax and unwind. I can finally leave Sunhome, and I get to see Mav again. I wonder, what is it that Raf guy wants anyways? She remembered him mentioning a mission at Yarik’s bar, the Mercy Killing or something. But he never gave them any more details about it.

She didn’t expect to be contacted in an official capacity, but yesterday she received orders to report to Prism University over in Precinct Five. The Simic needed some legionnaires to help on an expedition into the depths of the city, one Raf would lead, and he selected her for the job.

Glad I’m finally making a name for myself, she reflected as she approached the building. It’s nice to be recognized for my skill. And as long as I get my chance to shine today, I’ll be sure to get more special assignments in the future.

But I can’t impress them too much; I don’t want anyone thinking I’m capable of being a spy.

Entering the university, she navigated the corridors, looking for the correct meeting room. Finding it with no problems, she swaggered into the room and summed up her competition. Two elf warriors stood at the far side of the room, casually leaning against a desk. Dressed in the blue and green of the Combine, she presumed they were Simic soldiers of some kind.

Sitting at a table near the middle of the room, a pretty young elf sat at a round table, smiling with every tooth as she spoke with a human man. She looked up first, and waved at Lilla. The man looked up as well, smiling. Beyond them, she noticed Mav sitting at the table, who nodded a greeting.

Ughhh! What is he doing here? This is my special assignment! Tempted to stomp her foot on the ground, Lilla bedded her frustrations instead. I’ll just have to keep an eye on him.

“Good morning,” she greeted the room in subtle singsong. “Sergeant Arven, Lilla Arven, at your service.”

Lilla frowned at their lackluster response. The words she rehearsed on the way here sounded a lot less smooth aloud than they did in her head.

Mav patted the empty seat next to him. “Morning, sergeant. We’re just waiting for the project leader to start the briefing.”

Oh, playing the nice guy now, huh? Lilla glanced between Mav and the pretty blond. Probably trying to impress her.

She stalked across the room and sat opposite him, holding her shoulder and new rank insignia high. She outranked Mav, no way she’d let him spoil this mission for her.

“What are you doing here,” she hissed as she sat down. He flinched, then leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms behind his head and shrugged, but Lilla could read his tells by now. He only pretended to be comfortable - a facade for the sea of tension under the surface. Not so mysterious after all, are you? So easy to read.

Mav eyed her. “Raf asked for help, so I said yes. This is his mission.” His gaze flicked to the door. “Is Nadine coming?”

“What do you care if she comes?” Lilla shot back, watching Mav but reading the blond elf from the corner of her eye. He frowned again, and Lilla started to regret her snippy tone.

The other human man glanced between the two of them. Growing even more uncomfortable, Mav cleared his throat, straightening and standing as his coughing intensified, pacing to the corner of the room and keeping his back to them.

The door opened again, and Rafiel entered with another hybrid, a pale older man with tentacles on his cheeks like mutton chops. The two spoke in a hushed tone, their heads bobbing together. Lilla couldn’t help but smile. Raf, usually so awkward, seemed at home here.

Pausing their intent conversation, Raf peered around the room, waving a greeting and blushing when the young elf encouraged him to sit next to her. He did, taking the seat between she and Lilla, and the older man went to the head of the meeting room, standing between the Simic guards and clearing his throat for attention. She noticed they didn’t stand at attention when the old man called them to order - less disciplined than the Legion to be sure.

“Thank you all for answering the summons. I am Project Leader Lamlis of Hull Clade. I’ll keep this briefing… brief.” The Project Leader paused, wrinkling his nose and then clicking his lips, his tentacles jiggling slightly. Lilla suppressed a shudder.

“As some of you know, several months ago our teams, including the young Raf and Faral here,” he continued, indicating the elves, “located some odd disturbances in Zonot Seven while introducing some dyshrimp to the area. It seems a new variant of a common fungus which populates the walls of the Zonot is spreading at an alarming rate.”

Project Leader Lamlis stopped to adjust several boards on the wall, until he revealed a map of the Tenth District.

“This subspecies of polyp has spread to cover over twenty percent of the zonot’s southeastern wall. This outbreak now threatens the structural integrity of the walls themselves, and behind them, the Izzet Boilerworks.”

The room fell silent as everyone took in this information and considered the catastrophic consequences of such an event. The zonots held most of Ravnica’s water, and the flooding caused by a rupture in one of the massive underground reservoirs would border on irreparable. The Boilerworks produced most of the power for the Tenth, and although small explosions were common there, a rupture involving both a zonot and the Boilerworks...

As if echoing her thoughts, Project Leader Lamlis went on. “If the zonot is breached, there will be massive citywide flooding and power outages. Millions will die, the losses in Old Rav will be truly unfathomable. We need you to get down there to find the cause of this fungus, identify why it is spreading so quickly. Rafiel, you’ll lead the team with Faral as your second. I’m sending two of our best shock-mages with you,” he announced, nodding to the two Combine warriors standing behind him.

“This is Niels,” the Project Leader introduced, indicating the human man seated at the table with Faral. “He is an Izzet magineer, here to represent the interests of the Izzet and assist with any Boilerworks technology as needed. And Rafiel, it sounds like you recruited some Boros to help out.” Project Leader Lamlis nodded dismissively toward them, and Lilla’s heart sank as she stared at the table.

So much for this being a special mission.

Project Leader Lamlis took the map board off the wall, revealing another map behind it - this time a depth map showing the underwater elevation of the zonot. Lilla studied it. I knew they were big, but not that big. Lamlis pointed to a section bordering the eastern edge.

“There is an Izzet service elevator shaft here. We need you to go 800 meters down, that is where the most polyps have been detected, the greatest danger is. The elevator is slow, but reliable. Please use caution, but do what is necessary to find the source of this overgrowth. Countless lives depend on you.”

When it seemed like the hybrid was finished speaking, Lilla rose to get a closer look at the maps, though Mav beat her since he was already standing. She gritted her teeth and waited for him to finish surveying the map.

Then she had a better idea. She crowded in next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, her face mere inches from his. Sure enough, he sidestepped away from her, and the map. So predictable.

Feeling better, Lilla memorized the few key details the map provided, taking note of an alternate elevator they could use in case of trouble. Raf, Niels, and Faral joined them at the front of the room.

“Is there anything else we need to know?” Faral asked Lamlis, who shrugged.

“No, you’re both very bright. I know you’ll find the source.”

Faral avoided his gaze, blushing at his praise. “We’ve had a good teacher. We will do our best, Project Leader!” she responded with hopeful modesty.

Lilla watched Raf watch Faral. I can’t tell if Mav likes Nadine or not, but Raf definitely likes her! The young hybrid stared at the elf the way he usually focused on his notebook. For a split-second, he reminded her of Jin and the way he used to look at her.

Quickly burying the painful memory, Lilla crossed her arms and turned to Mav, who’d resumed studying the maps.

“Any gob stuff you need to do before we go?” she joked, grudgingly glad he was here. He stared back at her, eyes wide like she’d hurt and bewildered him. Crap, can we not say that? I mean, Splatz can say it right? Why can’t we?

“Sorry,” she murmured, quiet as a caracal. He shook his head without meeting her eyes, his long hair waving.

“Your feather is missing,” Lilla blurted out, trying to make up for her last comment by proving she noticed something about him. He shrugged, and she snorted.

“Well, you’re talkative,” she muttered.

“I’m good to go, have everything I need,” Mav asserted, pointing to his pack by the table.

“Good, I’m ready too.”

Silence fell on the room as everyone collected their belongings. Lilla waited for Rafiel to lead the way out the door, or at least assign marching orders. The pause stretched out, and Lilla bit back a curse as Mav realized a moment sooner than her that Rafiel didn’t know how to lead. Mav crossed the room, slinging his pack over one shoulder and nodding to move Raf. Opening the door, he waved his hand once.

“Shall we?” he inquired, holding the door open. With Mav’s prompting, Rafiel stepped up, leading the way out of the room. Lilla followed close on Raf’s heels.