“So? How do you think the whole thing went?”

“…I…found it beneficial. And a good learning opportunity.”

“I guess that’s all we can hope for. And that you consider us for employment after graduation.”

“…yes, you will be considered.”

Charles showed a toothy grin. “You sound like I have a gun to your head. Relax, we won’t be offended if you don’t.”

“Dal.” Essex agreed, before briefly side glancing Nevando and averting her eyes, focusing back on Charles at his desk.

“And hey, do us a favour.” Charles prefaced, before reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out a card. Essex grabbed it and noticed it was a business card.

Essex stared back at him, as he stood up. “I heard you might know that Cyrus kid personally.” Charles explained, as Essex pocketed the card. “Figured if you pass the offer, you could show that to him. As a favour.”

Essex nodded back, as Charles stuck his hand out and Essex quickly shook it. “Well, I wish you the best of luck heading home, and with the rest of your studies.”

“Thank you. Grelo Sevali.” Essex let out, bowing to him, before leaving the office into the main entrance, with Nevando trailing behind.

“Hey, there’s the star. Ready for the trek back?” Riley asked, leaning on the front counter, as Essex went to grab her bags by the door.

“Dal. I appreciate your hospitality in these last few weeks.” Essex replied, grabbing her bags, before going to leave.

“Hey, wait up!” Riley called out, as Essex turned around and found him spinning his keys on his finger. “I was offering a ride back. You trudged through the tundra the first time, it’d be cruel to do it to you again.”

Essex was a bit surprised by the offer, before taking it in and giving a placid thumbs up, as Riley hopped up and headed outside too.

Essex found herself making eye contact with Nevando again, before averting her gaze, as Nevando massaged his forehead.

“…Essex.” He started, as she finally faced him.

He leaned down. “I just wanna give some advice, cause I can see where this is heading.” Nevando said, trying to look warm. “I know we aren’t your team, but you can’t just rely on your own personal compass, okay?”

Nevando put a hand to his chest. “We’re pretty forgiving. But you pull that shit with your own team, that’s when trust starts to crumble, right?”

Essex quietly nodded, still berating herself in her head, as Nevando rubbed his neck and looked away.

“I don’t…talk about it a lot, but Avalanche wasn’t my first team.” Nevando admitted, before resting his hands on his hips. “But they have been my most reliable. And that’s only cause I was reliable to them.”

“…I…will do my best to practice that.” Essex insisted, quickly going to head out the door, as Nevando grabbed her shoulder.

“Essex, I mean it. Going off on your own and thinking you can handle whatever tries to kill you is a great way for a Venator to die.” Nevando insisted, as he tightened his grip. “If you care about your team, you won’t risk yourself like that. Be smart, pick your battles.”

Nevando stood back up, before stretching out his back. “Geez, I shouldn’t do that at my age.”

He shook it off, as he headed to the kitchen and waved. “Hope to see ya again, you scamp!”

“…ditto!” Essex called back, unsure if she used that right, before closing the door behind her and walking to Riley’s car, still stuck in her own head.

“Alright, before we go, what’s the first thing you wanna do when you get home?” Riley asked, as he hopped into the driver’s seat.

“…hug my girlfriends.” Essex admitted, as Riley let out a laugh.

“Oh, you’re a lucky one.” He remarked, before driving back in the direction of Mykonori. “Don’t forget that.”

———

“Do do dodo…bada bow…” Rosalind sung to herself, drumming her hands on the wheel, as she looked back at Florey, then the Gelatinous Wailing behind them, crammed inside the containment device that had now been filled to the brim with water, due to the Wailing’s ever-leaking spout on its back.

Idly noticing Florey’s apprehension, she hit his arm. “Hey, smile. We got your guinea pig.”

“…a-are we taking this right into Detu City?” Florey asked, as Rosalind was about to hit the city limits. “Don’t we h-have a research facility that’s…NOT…here?”

“What do you mean? EHM’s got all your lab shit.” Rosalind pointed out, before heading onto a side road and circling around the city suburbs.

“Rosalind, I-I don’t feel comfortable bringing a Wailing into Detu City.” Florey complained, constantly adjusting in his seat. “We’re also responsible for building the barrier around the city to keep them out. This feels like a conflict of interest.”

Rosalind mostly ignored him and focused on driving, before she came to a realisation. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t know about it, do you?”

Florey just stared at her with a mix of annoyance and anguish, as she made her way around the circumference of Detu City, before splitting off down a road to the Central Forest, heading offroad to a secluded part of the woods.

Before Florey had much time to question where they were going, they came across the entrance to a tunnel, as Rosalind started driving down.

Florey’s jaw dropped as he tried to register the fact a massive tunnel led all the way from the Central Forest into Detu City, staring around them as they drove down the massive, featureless underground passage.

After a good solid while, they hit a gate leading into the lower level of the EHM carpark, as Rosalind hopped out of the car and pressed a button to the side of it to open it up. She jumped back in and kept driving, wordlessly showing Florey everything he needed to know.

She drove up to the next level, before pulling the car over to the side of the wall, hooking up the containment device to a port built into it.

She waited about a minute, before a large vacuum sound emanated from the device, as Florey turned to find the Wailing had been sucked away somewhere.

“What the…” Florey let out, as Rosalind kept driving up to the next level, before she entered the part of the carpark Florey was more familiar with, parking back in her usual spot.

“Come on. I might as well be the first to show you.” Rosalind offered, getting out of the car and heading to the entryway beside the elevator up into EHM proper. Florey cautiously followed behind, as she scanned her ID card to open it up.

Rosalind efficiently took a step in, with Florey copying her, only to notice she stopped.

“I don’t know how much you’re allowed to know, so for now, stick to me, don’t split off, and don’t wander.” Rosalind stated, before staring right into his face. “Just don’t be stupid.”

“…I think I can manage that.” Florey replied, as Rosalind started walking again, giving Florey a great view of the series of hallways and offices running underneath the building, with very little lighting or ventilation. “So…what’s this floor for?”

“Stuff.” Rosalind said, swinging her head back. “Stuff that’s not on the main floors.”

“Like?” Florey followed up, as Rosalind grabbed her nose.

“Spare shit, what we’re doing. Stop being so nosy.” Rosalind insisted, as they rounded a corner, before Rosalind ducked into a smaller room off to the side.

Once Florey followed her in there, he was greeted to a mostly empty, but still pretty cramped room that was about as dingy as the rest of the floor, with the sole point of difference being the Gelatinous Wailing taking up half of it, held behind a sheet of reinforced glass in what looked to be a holding cell.

“This is how we keep it on site without causing a fuss.” Rosalind explained, indicating to the Wailing, as it pushed desperately against its confines, shaking the walls. “Don’t worry, there’s no way it’s getting out.”

The Wailing kept putting up an effort, as Florey noticed a small drain in the corner of the cell, which the Wailing’s waterspout was leaking into.

“We’re lucky the drain was already there. I don’t feel like getting blamed for flooding this place.” Rosalind said, resting her hands on her hips, as Florey took a look around the space.

“…so this was just sitting here, waiting to be used?”

Rosalind scratched her cheek. “Apparently, the boss man built this so he could study Gelatinous Wailing. But he hasn’t done much of that yet, so now we get to use it.”

Rosalind pointed to a desk in the corner. “You can bring your research shit down here.”

Florey looked around awkwardly. “Does that mean you’re no longe-“

“No, now I get the privilege of making sure you don’t lose this thing.” Rosalind said, before pulling up a chair and placing it in front of the cell. “Cause that could still happen.”

“…thanks for having faith in me.” Florey let out, as he stared back at the Wailing, unsure of its new environment, before it looked back at him.

…alright, Florey, time to prove yourself…

———

…alright, Harley, time to prove yourself…

Harley held the controller up, already sweating on it a bit, as Percy held hers too, both taking up couch space while surrounded by the others.

“Harley, are you sur-“

“Yep, I’m winning this time!” Harley insisted, as Julia backed off.

“…you wanna pick someone other than Scor-“

“Scorch is fucking cool!” Harley declared, as Sola backed her up.

“Yeah! He shoots fire out of his hands, and he hits like a truck!” Sola insisted, as Harley kissed her cheek.

“Hell yeah, Scorch!”

Julia looked to Percy, who was noticeably less fired up. “You good with Teletron?”

Percy rolled her eyes, before giving a very slow and very confident nod back to Julia.

“You lot have fun with your game.” Wess remarked, casually reading while lying in the armchair. “Just keep the noise down.”

“No promises, Wess! We’ve got a balcony for a reason!” Harley stated, as Wess glared back at her, before properly sitting up in her chair.

“Percy, win again.” Wess demanded, as Percy put down the controller to sign.

[That was already the plan.] She insisted, as the timer started counting down on the screen.

The moment it hit zero, Harley and Percy hunched over before spamming button presses, watching their characters fling each other around the screen.

Harley was putting in precision combos, focused entirely on the game.

Meanwhile, Percy smugly stared at Harley as she mashed buttons aimlessly, with Harley’s frustration growing at how even the match still was.

“Come on, babe, you’ve got this!” Sola cheered, right as Harley’s moves started getting more frantic.

“Do the freakin…do the combo!!!” Harley yelled, only for Percy to get in a lucky hit. “For gods sake, Scorch, hit the fucking thing!!!”

Percy kept knocking her health down, right as it all ended with a cinematic showing Teletron throwing Scorch off their building-top area, before he sailed down and crashed into the ground, with Teletron reigning supreme.

“COME ON!!!” Harley let out, throwing the controller down.

Percy started pumping her fists, before getting up and deliberately dancing in Harley’s face.

Harley crossed her arms. “You were just mashing buttons! How’s that a fair strategy?!”

[Try sucking less.] Percy replied, as Wess started cackling and Julia choked on her drink.

“Percy!” Julia let out, smiling despite herself. “Come on, she was nice enough to verse you again.”

Percy just shrugged while dancing, as Wess struggled to catch her breath.

“Oh my god…that was golden…” Wess let out, as Percy found herself grinning, before sitting back down and facing Harley again.

Percy stared at her.

Harley stared back.

Percy smiled. [Another round?]

“…oh, you’re so on.” Harley let out, picking the controller back up, as Sola pulled on her arm.

“Babe, aren’t you gonna give it a break?” Sola asked, as Harley selected Scorch again. “Or at least pick someone differ-“

“No way! I’m winning with him!” Harley demanded, as Sola stood up.

“Teletron’s a hard counter for him and you know it!”

“I know that, but I wanna anyway!” Harley admitted, right as Julia stood up and pulled her tablet out of her pocket.

“Guess what?” Julia prefaced, before showing off her alarm going off. “Essex is about to hit the academy.”

“She’s back already?” Wess asked, sitting up, as Harley and Sola got excited.

“I’m running to the station right away!” Sola declared, jumping out of her seat, only for Harley to run right after.

“You’re not kissing her before I do!” Harley insisted, leaving Julia, Wess and Percy alone.

“…children.” Wess groaned, before heading out as well. “Let’s walk like adults.”

“I’ll be a second.” Julia said once Wess left, before turning back to address Percy. “You wanna come with us?”

[…I’m fine to wait here.] Percy decided, before facing Julia properly. [Does she know I’m staying here?]

“Not yet. We don’t really know how she’s gonna react.” Julia admitted, scratching her head. “Don’t worry, she’s really awesome. You’re gonna love her once you get to know her.”

Julia grabbed her bag and went to head out. “We’ll let her know on the way back, though you might have to move to the couch for the time being.”

[So it goes.] Percy remarked, getting a chuckle from Julia, before she left, leaving Percy to stare at the ceiling.

…I wonder how much longer they’ll let me stay…

“Come on, come on, come on. It should be here…” Harley muttered, as Sola jumped around restlessly.

“Show up already!” Sola let out, just as Julia and Wess arrived.

“Guys, relax. She’s already showing up earlier than int-“ Julia explained, right as a Flash-Rail came into view in the distance. “Oh, that should be her.”

Wess let out a relieved sigh, as it hurried down the rail toward them. “It’s good to have the whole team back.”

Julia nodded in the direction of the dorms. “Plus one.”

“I suppose. For the time being.” Wess insisted, as Harley and Sola almost scrabbled over themselves once the Flash-Rail pulled in.

Right as the doors opened, the team were surprised to find Essex wasn’t there, before Julia noticed her standing the next door down and running up to her.

“You’re back!” Julia exclaimed, hugging her immediately. “How was the trip?”

“…eventful?” Essex said, only for Harley and Sola to push Julia out of the way.

“Dammit, Julia beat us!” Harley complained, picking Essex up in a hug, as Sola joined in as well.

“We’ll hug you ten times as good to make up for it!” Sola insisted, as Essex found herself smiling, before hugging them back as well.

“…I have really missed you.” Essex admitted, as they broke the hug, before Harley eyed Essex up.

“Aaand?”

Essex looked confused, until Harley started pushing her chest out, clearing things up.

“…and those…sweet knockers of yours.”

“Hehehe…” Harley let out with a proud smirk, as Wess popped her head up behind them.

“No hugs from me, but we dearly missed you, darling.” Wess said, reaching her hand over as a consolation, as Essex squeezed it, before stepping off the Flash-Rail properly.

Suddenly, Essex’s eyes lit up, as she faced Wess again.

“I…I marketed!”

Wess looked a bit caught off guard. “Really?”

“With Avalanche! I attempted networking.” Essex admitted, nodding emphatically, as Harley wrapped her arm around her.

“Way to go. Thanks for putting yourself out of the way like that.” Harley said, kissing her cheek.

“Did you get a contact with them?” Julia popped in, joining Wess’ side.

“…somewhat. I…may have…been reckless.” Essex stated, darting her eyes around. “In a less than pleasing way.”

“Is that the polite way of saying they didn’t quite gel with you?” Wess asked, as Essex nodded.

“They were loud and impulsive.” Essex confessed, getting chuckles from Harley and Sola. “…it is very nice to be home.”

Julia found herself welling up a little, before waving her hand and shying away.

“C-Come on, let’s go back already! Essex is probably exhausted!” Julia insisted, trying not to explode from happiness, as the team started making their way up to the dorms.

“So, what have…I missed…during…my trip?” Essex asked through Harley and Sola’s numerous kisses.

“Baron nearly found out about Wicker!” Sola exclaimed, only to remember they were in public. “Dammit!”

“Luckily…” Wess said, holding her hands out to calm Sola. “These three took care of that.”

“Also, there’s…the big one.” Julia prefaced, as Essex tilted her head. “…there’s…been a new roommate staying with us.”

Essex blinked a few times as she took that in. “…who?”

“Percy.” Harley answered, as they closed in on the dorms. “Oh, wait, that’s her new nam-“

“It’s Jules, from EHM!” Sola followed up, as Essex’s eyes widened. “She got out after w-“

In a swift movement, Essex bolted ahead, leaving her bags and the others behind, as she sprinted directly to the dorms.

The team immediately followed after her, Harley grabbing the bags, as Essex closed in on the team’s dorm and scanned her card, bursting into the room.

She found Percy sitting on the couch, patiently waiting, before lifting her head and spotting a furious Essex, getting her scythe ready.

Before Essex could act, the others flooded into the room, holding Essex back, as Percy realised her intentions and jumped up in fear.

“Essex, stop! She’s with us!” Julia demanded, putting herself in between them. “She escaped from Wicker. He was controlling her. She didn’t want to be there.”

Harley had grabbed onto Essex’s arm, slowly lowering it, as Essex let out a steady breath, refusing to break eye contact with Percy.

“…why is she here?” Essex let out, being very careful with her words.

“She didn’t feel safe anywhere else.” Wess filled in, comforting Percy.

“Wicker’s goons were hunting her down, so she’s laying low here!” Sola insisted, grabbing Essex’s other arm.

Essex breathed in again, as Percy went to sign to Wess.

Essex stared in confusion. “What is she saying?”

Wess nodded to Percy, before turning to Essex. “That you scare her.”

Essex felt a pang of guilt, as she finally let go of her scythe and stepped back, even as she still showed caution toward Percy.

Awkwardly, she quickly darted into the kitchen, insisting the others follow behind, as everyone expect Percy went to join her, leaving Percy standing in the lounge area, trying to calm her heart.

Great, she’s worse than Rosalind… Percy thought, before quickly going back on that. No, that’s too harsh…so much for getting along with the whole team…

“Essex, what the hell was that?” Harley complained, resting her hands on her hips. “You can’t just do that.”

“…relias.” Essex quickly apologised, before making sure they were all huddled. “But I do not trust her.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Julia pouted. “You haven’t gotten to know her yet.”

“That is not the issue.” Essex insisted, sighing out. “…during my internship, I came across Rosalind again.”

Wess blinked. “What?”

“At Aurora?” Sola asked, as Essex nodded back.

“In the Aishanara Forest. She…” Essex started, before quickly sharing a glance with Julia. “…she was accompanying Florey on a trip there.”

Julia felt her breath catch, as Harley held her up, giving her a second to take it in.

“They were working together?” Sola suggested, as Wess shook her head.

“Now hold on. We know Rosalind’s working for Wicker, but that still doesn’t mean Florey’s in on their ploy. Rosalind could’ve lied to him about her intentions, or this is a second job for her. We don’t know the context.” Wess posited, before resting her hand on Julia’s back. “Alright?”

Julia nodded weakly, as Harley leaned into Wess. “That’s another EHM connection, though.”

“…why were they out in the forest?” Julia asked, as all eyes were on her, before moving to Essex.

“…I believe Rosalind was there to eliminate me.” Essex stated, before pointing back in Percy’s direction. “And Jules must have led her to me.”

“Percy.” Sola corrected, as Essex glanced at her.

“Regardless, how else would she have located me is not with…Percy’s aid? No one was aware that I was at the agency aside from us, Faller and Ferris.” Essex reasoned. “She knew I would be alone, far from the academy without backup, and was bragging about getting a chance to ‘fight properly.’ How often did you discuss my trip?”

“…all the time.” Julia admitted, rubbing her neck. “We meant it when we said we missed you…”

“I guess she could also avoid witnesses too.” Harley agreed, scratching her chin. “Save for Team Avalanche.”

“Maybe they were doing research for EHM?” Sola suggested. “It’s pretty far from Detu City, so it might’ve been accidental.”

“If Rosalind is out there trying to kill me, I would not want to take that risk.” Essex reasoned.

“So you’re sure they were there to kill you?” Wess said. “Then why was Florey there? Just to accompany?”

Essex shrugged. “Experience?”

“I-I-I’m sorry, I-I can’t…” Julia stuttered, leaving the huddle while rubbing her arms nervously, as Wess and Sola quickly went to her sides. “…th-that’s not the reason why.”

In a huff, Essex closed in again. “If Percy truly wished to aid us, Rosalind would not be around anymore.” Essex argued, clenching her fist. “Delaying a conflict is not the same as ending it…”

Percy could tell the tension over the other side of the room was boiling, as she silently stood back up from the couch, getting another glare from Essex as she got up.

She thought about ducking into the study, only for Essex to move herself into there, closing the door behind her, leaving Percy awkwardly standing in the lounge area, unsure how to act.

As Wess and Sola comforted Julia, Harley stepped forward to try and fill the air.

“Uhh…” Harley started, before putting her fist to her chest. [Sorry.]

[…why is she upset with me?] Percy asked, as Harley breathed in through her teeth.

“Apparently, when she was out on her trip, Rosalind managed to find her.”

Percy’s eyes widened, as she looked to the study again.

“She thinks you might’ve tipped Rosalind off to her whereabouts.” Harley posited, kicking her leg. “Look, I know I said you weren’t trustworthy when you showed up here, but you wouldn’t do that.”

“Essex just needs some time.” Wess insisted, as Julia got her composure back. “She’s got walls.”

“Big walls.” Sola agreed. “But she’s so sweet once you break them down!”

“…don’t worry, we’ll keep looking after you.” Julia assured, stepping forward and resting her hands on Percy’s shoulder. “With that said, I think you’re sleeping on the couch now.”

Percy sighed out, as Julia handed Percy her tablet.

“Essex doesn’t know sign language, so if you two are alone, you can just use the notes app to write things out.” Julia offered. “Or you can text one of us and we’ll bail you out of there.”

Percy smiled a bit, before signing again.

[Thank you.]

———

“Cassidy! Hey!”

Cassidy lifted her head, as she idly spritzed some of her potted plants. “Florey, what’s up?”

Florey ran up to her desk, before taking a second to breathe. “…you can tell Cecil…that we got our Wailing for study.”

Cassidy was visibly impressed. “Really? Well, good job! That must’ve been a nightmare to wrangle.”

“Well, not really.” Florey admitted, looking sheepish. “It sorta just…jumped into the container of its own volition.”

Cassidy blinked. “Gods, I wish all work was that easy.”

Florey laughed as well, as Cassidy typed out a few things on her computer. “So, when’s the autopsy taking place?”

Florey froze stiff, before trying to stumble onto an answer. “…a-any…any day now, I just…”

Suddenly, he came up with an idea. “The autopsy room! It…still needs to be prepped. Dissecting something like this could end up very messy if I don’t plan properly. I also want to study its behaviour and a couple theories of mine while it’s still alive, so it…actually might be a while.”

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything else for prep.” Cassidy offered, giving Florey some relief. “Ryan and Marcus are pretty busy, so best not to bother them directly.”

“R-Right, makes sense.” Florey said, before ducking away into his personal office. “Thanks again!”

“You’re welcome!” Cassidy called back, before getting her spritz bottle again. “Aww, you guys are looking so neglected. Are you not getting enough sun?”

Florey quickly grabbed a couple personal journals and studies from his office, raking up as much as he could, before heading straight to the elevator with it. He rode it down to the carpark level, before heading off to the side, using Rosalind’s ID card to swipe in and beelining for the storage room, checking a small note he made with the directions.

“A couple signs wouldn’t hurt…” He mumbled, right before coming across it, as he stepped inside to find Rosalind sitting on the floor, sword at the ready and her gaze focused on the Wailing behind the glass.

“Any difference in behaviour?” Florey asked, dumping his material onto the nearby desk, along with the stuff he already grabbed from his lab.

“Nope. It’s just sittin’ there.” Rosalind let out. “Not much of a performer.”

“Alright. Let me know if there’s anything worth observing.” Florey said, before sitting down and pouring over his journals, only for Rosalind to turn around to him.

“So…remind me, what’s the plan again?”

Florey stopped and spun in his chair. “Well, we’ve got the Wailing. Now I just need to finish my formula that allows me to perform an autopsy without it dissipating after it dies, and one that doesn’t interfere with my research results. And I’ve got to do it down here so I can keep an eye on the Wailing, and cause no one knows I haven’t done it yet.”

Florey focused on his work again. “And I was just reminded that I need to prep the autopsy room too.”

“Okay, gotcha.” Rosalind said, facing the Wailing again. “And I just make sure this thing doesn’t try anything fishy?”

“That’s the idea.” Florey replied, before looking to her again. “Sorry for the boring job.”

“Kid, I’ve truly got nothing better to do.” Rosalind confessed, holding her sword out at the Wailing. “And if this thing wants to give me the excuse, I’ll happily dispose of it.”

“Let’s…avoid that, if we can.” Florey insisted, as the Wailing tried stretching out, only to keep hitting the walls of the cell, frustrating it.

It tried pushing on the glass, only to slip on its own water trail and fall ‘face’ first into it, as Rosalind started cackling with laughter.

“It’s like a clown! Nevermind, this is good.” Rosalind exclaimed, as Florey started tinkering with his lab equipment, quietly sweating bullets.

“You’ve still got time, Florey…you know the science, you’ve just gotta use it…”

———

…

…Percy was having trouble sleeping.

Which was pretty normal, but usually, she didn’t have an audience.

Essex had decided to sit across from her makeshift bed on the couch, perched on a seat, watching over her as she attempted to sleep.

Percy stared forward, trying to ignore she was there, before shifting her gaze to Essex.

Out of annoyance, she reached for Julia’s tablet on the coffee table, as Essex cautiously sat up, before Percy pulled up the notes app and started typing.

She turned it around to Essex.

[Do you have to watch me sleep?]

“…yes.” Essex replied immediately, as Percy started typing again.

[Do you really not trust me?]

“Yes.” Essex also replied, folding her arms. “I have no good reason to.”

Percy breathed out, before typing more frantically.

[The rest of the team trust me]

Essex leaned forward to read it easier.

“…they are more forgiving than me.” Essex admitted, sitting back up. “And they are why I’m giving you the benefit of doubt. I do not forget previous transgressions.”

Before Percy could type again, Essex leaned forward once more.

“I do not forget that you worked for who was responsible for the attacks on the academy. Or that you accompanied Rosalind while escaping campus grounds.” Essex explained. “I do not forget the danger my team was put through at the hands of your accomplices, or the Wailing you sent here. You may have convinced them to let you stay, but now you know our living residence, our routines, personal information, and where Wicker could potentially attack next.”

Essex got in closer.

“I do not care that you saved Harley and I once, it will take more than one kind deed to begin trusting you. Rosalind pressed a sword to Julia’s neck. I cannot let my team be put through that danger again.”

Percy stared wide-eyed at Essex as she got comfortable again, still determined to sit there all night, leaving Percy to hold Julia’s tablet.

Finally, she went to type one last message, before placing the tablet back on the coffee table and turning to face the back of the couch in hopes of forgetting Essex was there.

Essex glanced down at the message.

[I’ll make you trust me]

Percy quietly ate her breakfast, not really taking the time to appreciate the flavours or texture, as all she could focus on was Essex across the room, still keeping tabs on her as she prepared for her day.

Percy rubbed at her eyes, still feeling her sleep deprivation, as Julia stepped out of the bathroom, before noticing the tension between the two and grimacing.

She stepped over to Percy and joined her at the kitchen table. “Sorry about her.”

[Does she blink?] Percy asked, as Julia let out a guilty laugh.

She quieted herself, before looking back at Essex, who was now cleaning up her scythe’s blade.

“Ayo, we got study stuff!” Harley announced, walking into the dorm alongside Sola, before dropping the books on the couch. “We need breakfast.”

“Breakfast!” Sola called out, jumping to the fridge, as Wess emerged from the study, fluffing up her hair.

“Sola, could you throw me something? I’ve a class in twenty minutes.” Wess asked, as Sola chucked her a container of shepherd’s pie. “Thank you, dear.”

Briefly locking eyes with Julia, Wess also noticed the tension between Percy and Essex, before making a subtle indication to the door.

Julia gave a positive nod, as Wess grabbed her handbag.

“Essex, would you mind accompanying me to my class? I want to hear more about your trip.” Wess offered, as Essex nodded back politely.

“Of course.” Essex replied, joining her as she left, finally giving Percy some form of relief.

She let out a breath, as Harley and Sola joined her at the table too. [She didn’t stop watching me all night.]

“Geez…” Harley let out, leaning back in her seat. “Stamina machine, that one.”

“We can try talking to her again.” Sola offered, nervously scratching her neck. “I don’t think it’ll do much, though.”

“Essex has her mind made up. There’s not much that’ll convince her you’re worth trusting.” Julia admitted, as the others privately agreed with her, only for Percy to duck her head.

It was clear she was biting her tongue, as she went to raise her hands, before stopping, before going back to raising them.

[…that’s not true. I’ve been staying here for a while, with the intention that I would give you information on Wicker.] Percy noted, finishing swallowing her food. [And I’ve yet to really do that. I wish to rectify that. If I need to leave soon to avoid causing anymore tension…then it’s only fair I answer your questions.]

Percy sat up.

[What do you want to know?]

The trio blinked suddenly, as the out of nowhere generous offer threw them off guard, before Sola jumped forward.

“WHO’S WICKER?!” Sola started with, as Percy was thrown off a bit, before sitting back down.

[…I don’t know his real identity, unfortunately.] Percy admitted, deflating the room. [That information was reserved for his close inner circle, like Rosalind and Salaire. I tried looking into it myself a few times, but…]

Percy started wincing at the memory, before shaking her head. [I know he works out of EHM’s building, but I couldn’t even tell you what his position was there.]

Percy crossed her legs. [I was kept out of most of that and only knew about parts of the Organisation. I mean it when I say I worked for Wicker and Wicker alone.]

Suddenly, Harley got an idea, grabbing out her tablet, before thinking twice and leaning over to whisper to Julia.

“Hey, Julia?”

“Yeah?”

“You reckon I should show her a picture of Cecil? She might recognise his face.” Harley whispered.

“…let’s save that for later…if he really is Wicker, Percy might disappear again if she knows he’s working here.” Julia confessed. “Remember what Faller said, it’s not just about getting him, but his whole operation.”

“…alright.” Harley said, sitting back in her chair, before snapping her fingers. “Oh, here’s an easy one. How’d you get out of there after we left?”

Percy ducked her head, before sighing.

[…the same way you guys did.] Percy stated. [I heard you guys drove out of that transport tunnel, and since every other way was locked…I ran.]

Sola gasped. “The whole way?!”

“That tunnel stretches all the way to the Central Forest.” Julia realised, before resting her arm on Percy tenderly. “You would’ve been running for hours.”

[…it was almost a whole day until I got back to Detu City.] Percy confessed. [After that, I had nowhere else to go…part of me was still hoping Wicker would forgive me, even after I attacked Rosalind. So I stayed in the city for the next few months, just barely scraping by…]

“You poor thing…” Julia let out, rubbing her arm, as Harley leaned forward.

“Okay, that clears that up…” Harley noted. “But we still don’t know the big one. What’s Wicker’s plan? What’s he tryna do?”

“Yeah, how’s he messing with the Wailing Conflict? We know he did the attacks, but we don’t know why.” Sola followed up, as Percy twiddled her fingers.

[…it’s hard to describe.] Percy clarified. [Again, his real intentions were never made clear, but everyone at the Organisation had one stated goal we were working towards…]

The trio leaned in.

[…to end the Wailing Conflict, once and for all.]

Silence washed over the room, as Harley and Sola couldn’t process what that meant, and Julia blinked profusely.

“Wait, that’s Wicker’s plan?” Harley let out, now leaning on the table. “What the fuck…”

“I’m with you, what the fuck?” Sola agreed.

“Th-That…doesn’t make any sense.” Julia pointed out, getting closer to Percy. “End it how? What’s the process behind that?”

Percy shrugged. […from what I saw, it didn’t make much sense to me either. My job was to stun Wailing alongside Rosalind and bring them to a place called RC. Then we would get tasked to send those Wailing back out to places to attack them periodically, without much rhyme or reason.]

Percy shook her hands a bit. [Signing everything really strains the fingers…]

“So you were causing Wailing to attack places?” Harley asked, as Percy threw her hands up.

[I-I didn’t want to. I got dragged along in case they acted up too much.] Percy confessed. [That wasn’t my department, so my involvement was rare.]

Cautiously, Percy reached into her pocket, before pulling out a slightly empty vial of teal gel and putting it on the table.

[I stole some of the tranquiliser to hold Rosalind off when you guys left.] Percy admitted. [And then kept it for…you know, protection.]

“And evidence!” Sola said, before going to pick it up. “Boom! One more piece of the puzzle!”

“…were you behind the Wailing that attacked the HyperMall?” Julia asked, as Percy briefly freaked out.

[H-How’d you figure that out?]

“…that one always felt pretty weird to me.” Julia pointed out. “No Wailing’s ever made it that far into Detu City, and this one came in with no detection at all.”

“So Wicker wanted us to fight it?” Harley wondered, before standing up to wander. “Or he wanted it to attack the mall for some reason?”

“If he’s working for EHM, maybe he wanted to help reconstruct the mall and get them more business.” Sola noted while handing Percy back the tranquiliser, only for Julia to shake her head.

“…or maybe he needed a reason to have EHM build a barrier around the city.” Julia pointed out, right as Sola freaked out and Harley jumped onto her.

“That’s the…that’s the thing! The barrier!” Harley exclaimed. “EHM’s building it! They did it for business!”

[I never made that connection.] Percy admitted, looking a bit terrified. [That’s why he did it.]

“Maybe they’re attacking places deliberately so Wailing tear them up, and then they get to come in and ‘fix’ everything for a price.” Julia elaborated, as Harley hugged her side. “Is it really just for money?”

“Julia, you’re a beautiful genius!” Harley cheered, kissing her cheek, as Julia started to get embarrassed.

“O-Okay, okay, one of us was gonna reach that conclusion anyway…” Julia insisted, backing off. “…this is really good stuff, Percy. Thank you.”

[…if you want, I can tell you some embarrassing stuff about Rosalind.] Percy offered, as Harley beelined for her seat again.

“Absolutely.” Harley said, as Julia stood up to think.

“Does she have a weird birthmark?” Sola asked, as Percy shook her head.

[She has a scar in the shape of a banana though.] Percy noted, as Harley and Sola chuckled.

“We’ve gotta point that out to her next time we see her.” Harley insisted, while Julia muttered to herself.

…this confirms it’s Cecil, right? Julia wondered, stroking her chin. Or that Marcus guy…then again, it could be anyone from EHM…

Julia shook her head. You don’t get away with an operation this massive without the boss knowing, especially with a company like EHM. They have to be involved.

Julia looked back at Percy enjoying herself with Harley and Sola, all laughing it up now that the malaise of the morning had lifted.

…we get Essex on her side, then we show her Cecil’s picture. Julia reasoned. If Essex scares her off and she doesn’t think we can protect her from Wicker, then I can’t trust her to stay.

Julia sighed out. When did life get so complicated?

———

“…oh…oh god, stay open, you stupid eyes.”

Rosalind grabbed her eye lids, trying to keep herself awake, before a loud yawn took over her body.

Florey glanced over from his work, before checking the time. “How long have you been awake?”

“…uhh, since…five in the morning, I think.” Rosalind guessed.

“It’s eleven pm.” Florey pointed out, as Rosalind swung around to him.

“Really? Fuck me.” Rosalind let out, getting up and stretching her back. “There’s no…window’s down here! I can’t tell what time it is.”

Rosalind tried shaking herself awake again, slapping herself in the face, as Florey took a break from his experiments and leaned back.

“I can take watch of it, if you need to rest up.”

Rosalind stared at him, before nodding. “Uhuh.”

“You’ve been awake for twenty hours. You might as well be intoxicated.” Florey explained, as Rosalind raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not a thing.”

“It’s a thing.” Florey insisted, before nodding to the door. “Come on, bosses orders.”

Rosalind scoffed and repeated what he said under her breath as she went to leave, before popping her head back in. “You’re startin’ to get real comfortable in those big boy pants, aren’t ya?”

Florey didn’t say anything as she left again, leaving him alone in the room with the Wailing, with it lying back against the wall in an attempt to get some sleep.

The virtually non-existent lighting in the room and lack of any noise, save for the Wailing’s waterspout trickling into the drain, made Florey feel like he was in some kind of sensory deprivation chamber, as he turned his attention to the Wailing, who popped its head up and moved its eye to follow Florey.

Florey pulled down his desk clock, keeping it beside him as he sat on the floor, staring intently at the Wailing in an effort to emulate Rosalind’s role.

Only a minute in, he started to feel his legs get restless, as he tried to keep them still, before readjusting in his seat.

The Wailing merely watched as it looked like Florey was trying to get comfortable as well, with about as much success.

Finally, Florey found a position he was somewhat content with, before staring at the clock again and getting frustrated at how little time had passed.

He sighed, bobbing his legs again, before looking off to the side.

“…you know…”

The Wailing shifted its eye to him again.

“…you…terrify me.” Florey admitted, his leg still shaking. “My whole life…I’ve been afraid of you. Everyone tells me I’m afraid of you, and I’ve yet to find a reason not to be.”

Florey refused to make eye contact with it, before he pulled down his shirt collar and showed off the large scar running down his neck.

“…when I was a kid…my parents took me to an amusement park, just outside Gebate. It was like the first time it had come through to Central Point, so it was a big deal when it did.” Florey explained. “I was having the time of my life. Me and mum went on a bunch of rides, but dad didn’t really want to join. He was fine waiting outside with a churro. Then, a Wailing showed up and started to tear the place apart.”

Florey threw his hands up. “Me and mum were still on the teacups, so we had to wait for the ride to slow down before we could leave. Mum bolted the moment she could, but I noticed someone next to us whose belt wasn’t unbuckling. So I quickly undid mine and climbed over to help them with theirs.”

The Wailing got closer to the glass. “Mum eventually noticed I wasn’t behind her and ran to try and grab me, just as the Wailing was starting the get closer. The person got out and instead of following my mum, I…tried to throw a punch at it.”

Florey let out a weak laugh. “I don’t know what got into me. I always saw myself as flight, not fight, but…maybe part of me was just trying to make sure the person got away with enough time. Or I wanted to finally show this thing what was what. After years of terror, all I could think to do was finally make it pay…”

Florey shifted around in his seat again. “Anyway, it didn’t work out, and it…managed to claw right into my neck. I got thrown off to the side, but the adrenaline still pumping through my body made sure I didn’t pass out. Fortunately, there was a Venator team stationed nearby that happened to be going to the park as well, and right after I was thrown away, they came in and swiftly took care of it.”

The Wailing lowered itself to the floor, almost looking like it was listening. “Mum and dad found me right after and went to check if I was alright. I lied and said I was okay, while making sure to cover up my neck so they wouldn’t worry about me…only…for the Venator team to come over.”

Florey pressed his hands to his chest. “I wanted to thank them for saving us…but then the team leader got in my face and yelled at me. She called me out for trying to fight the Wailing and nearly getting myself killed, said I shouldn’t endanger people like my mum by doing that.”

Florey laughed again. “I was gonna tell her about the person I’d helped, but right after that, dad joined in and started yelling at me too, telling me I had no chance of taking on a Wailing and that someone as weak as me shouldn’t have even tried. Mum didn’t say anything, and I just stood there trying not to cry, even as my neck kept bleeding out.”

Florey waved his hand. “The Venator team left after that, and my parents went to take me home. On the way to the car, though, I caught the team doing interviews and promoting their merch on the news, not even acknowledging all the people they’d saved that day. They probably left out the part where they yelled at a kid, too.”

Florey lay out his hands flat, as the Wailing followed his action with its gaze. “And right in the middle of the parking lot, I finally passed out from blood loss. My parents took me to the hospital while I got better, but dad didn’t talk to me much after that happened. He just sat there, looking disappointed…”

Florey left a moment of silence, even letting himself take in his own story, right as the Wailing pulled itself back up.

“…it was always his dream to become a Venator.” Florey admitted. “He couldn’t do it cause he had a bad knee, but after the whole fiasco, he insisted I become one in his stead. And…”

Florey rubbed his neck, looking almost ashamed.

“…I kind of agreed. After that Venator team yelled at me, I…yeah, I saw what they meant. I was weak, I couldn’t do anything in that situation. The Wailing nearly killed me because I couldn’t fight back.”

Florey smiled a bit as he spoke. “And then I found out about Scientific Venators. I’d always been interested in biology, and here was a type of Venator that did that. They weren’t those pushy hunting jerks, they were people like me. But of course, dad said I wouldn’t be anything less than a ‘real Venator’ and the conversation stopped soon after that. I worked really hard to get into the Venator Academy, just like he wanted, and wouldn’t you know it…I dropped out a year later.”

Florey held his hands out. “And…now I’m here. Doing what I actually wanted. I’m not that weak little kid that got pushed around by everyone, I’m actually…doing shit!”

Florey stood up, before slapping his chest. “Cecil’s proud of me! He wants me to help people! He wants me to help end the Wailing Conflict! Not through brawn, through brains. Through a strategy that’ll actually work instead of throwing Venator after Venator at the problem.”

Florey stepped forward, as the Wailing lifted up too. “I don’t have to be scared of you anymore. I can fight back, in my own way.”

Florey grinned. “You’re stuck behind some glass! Just look at that, outthought, and outmanoeuv-“

Right as Florey said that, the Wailing reared its back up, using as much room as it could take in its cramped cell, before shaping its head into a massive spike and driving itself forward, swinging right into the glass.

The glass shuddered, as Florey fell back onto the ground, breathing heavily as he prepared for the glass to shatter, only…

…for it to stay shuddering, remaining unbroken, as the Wailing reformed its body, still staring down Florey intently, knowing full well it managed to threaten him.

Once he realised he was safe, Florey quickly scrambled to his feet again, before slowing his breathing and pointing back at the Wailing.

“W-What did I say? You’re not getting through that!” Florey insisted, hyping himself up again. “Outthought and outmanoeuvred! Maybe let me finish next time!”

The Wailing gazed directly into his eyes, unblinking, making its intent perfectly clear, as Florey kept teasing it, before sitting back down for work.

“You better get comfortable. Because you…” Florey said, before happily pointing back at the Wailing. “…are my meal ticket for a great scientific discovery.”

———

“…wait, end it? How…how does that make any sense?”

“That’s what I’m saying.” Julia clarified, as Wess and Essex stared back at her, all standing around each other in the kitchen. “Why would he attack the academy if not to make the barrier seem more necessary?”

“And to get headlines.” Wess reasoned, throwing her hands up. “Wailing attacks academy on orientation day: is this the beginning of a trend?”

“…do we know who Wicker is now?” Essex asked, as Julia started shaking her head.

“…we know they’re a higherup in EHM. Cecil’s our best guess, but it could be his business partner Marcus too.” Julia reasoned, before shrugging. “Or it’s both of them, or it’s someone else. We won’t know until we confront him.”

“Has she not told you?” Essex followed up, glancing back at Harley, Sola and Percy at the couch together, setting up Percy’s bed.

“…she couldn’t confirm it. She only knows him as Wicker.” Julia pointed out, keeping her voice down.

“Could we not ask her if it’s Cecil?” Essex argued.

“Well, she might disappear if it turns out Wicker’s on campus.” Wess explained. “And we couldn’t guarantee her safety then.”

“If we know who he is, then we can better guarantee it.” Essex stated. “She is being deliberately evasive with her information for a reason.”

Julia looked annoyed. “We’re lucky she gave us even this much. It’s clearly pretty traumatic for her to recall. She came to us for help, I’m not putting conditions on that.”

“Julia, I know you trust her…” Essex said, before leaning in. “…but putting your faith in a stranger like her is a great way to die.”

“Essex!” Wess complained, stepping forward. “We’ve all come to this conclusion of our own volition! Harley had her doubts, so did I, and even Julia to an extent, but you’re pushing it with this attitude.”

“She worked for Wicker! She is dangerous!” Essex declared, not even trying to be quiet anymore while drawing the room’s attention. “She has only given up information when under pressure! She’s worried about being found out for her ruse!”

“She gave that information up so we could trust her!” Wess argued. “What does she need to do?! Personally kill Wicker and bring us his head?!”

“It would be a start!” Essex demanded, as Harley and Sola put down their sheets, and Percy felt her lip quivering.

“P-Please, stop fighting you two!” Julia demanded, pushing them away from each other. “We don’t fight like this, okay?! That’s not what we do!”

Essex huffed out, before turning to stare daggers at Percy and storming into the study again, angrily slamming the door behind her.

Harley sat there in silence, unsure who to console first, as Sola went to grab Percy’s hand and make sure she was okay.

Before she could, however, Percy pulled away and headed for the door, ignoring everyone as she left.

Wess wrapped her arms around Julia to comfort her, only for Julia to leave them once she saw Percy heading out.

“Percy!” Julia called out, following her out into the hall, as she found Percy pacing.

Percy grabbed at her head, before signing back to Julia.

[What do I have to do? She’s never going to trust me.] Percy let out, stamping her foot, as Julia shook her head.

[…she’s really protective, and she won’t let this go.] Julia signed back. [We can tr-]

[I know!] Percy slammed, glaring at Julia. [I know she’s protective! Stop saying that!]

Percy quickly turned and trudged down the hall, desperate to get some air, as Julia tried to follow her.

“Percy! Wait up! I’m sorry, okay? I don’t want to fight!” Julia called out, as Percy shook her head. “She just got back! She was scared about what might have happened to us!”

[I’m scared too!] Percy spun around to reply, before hurrying her pace, as Julia debated whether to just give her the space she needed.

Once Percy had made some distance, she let herself breathe, before resting her head on the wall, ignoring the passing students.

Why can’t she see I’m doing my best…I’m not the bad guy here…

Percy was struggling to calm herself down.

…it’s not her fault…I put them all in danger again and again…

Percy shook her head, trying not to get mad.

I’m the one who helped Wicker. And it’s the only reason they even took me in…

Percy kept charging through the academy halls without much purpose, doing her best to ignore Julia, who she knew was still trailing behind her.

I’ve already taken up so much space…I’m just being selfish at this point…

She continued hurrying without looking, still mostly in her own head, before almost running directly into someone just exiting a classroom.

Finally taking shelter from her own thoughts, she looked up to apologise to who she might’ve hit, as Cecil stared down at her, his pupils shrinking suddenly at her presence.

Percy backed up, and despite his own instincts, his mouth started to move.

“Ju…”

Right as he said that, Julia rounded the corner, as Cecil quickly switched his attention.

“…Julia.” Cecil said, turning to address her. “Apologies, I nearly ran into your friend here. More accurately, she nearly ran into me.”

Julia took in what he said, before quickly registering what the situation meant and what bad timing this all was.

“You really must be careful. These hallways aren’t meant for running around.” Cecil remarked, as Julia’s attention kept shifting between them.

She turned back to Percy, only to watch her face turn to abject horror, as she subconsciously stepped back, not even registering Julia was there.

Before Julia could check in with her, Percy ran off, bolting back down the hall again, seemingly like she had before, leaving Julia and Cecil alone.

“…is she alright?” Cecil asked, as Julia glanced back at him. “You should check up on her. Make sure she’s doing okay.”

Julia struggled to make eye contact, her suspicion of Cecil’s intentions immediately becoming evident, as she couldn’t really hide it anymore. Cecil seemed to notice but refused to waver in his demeanour.

Despite not wanting to leave him to his own devices, Julia reasoned it was better to find Percy and turning to leave, as Cecil grabbed out his tablet.

“Hold on, I nearly forgot something.” Cecil said, dialling in a number, before turning to Julia. “You really should keep an eye on her.”

Julia felt the need to run, quickly following the direction Percy had bolted off into, as Cecil casually went about his call, wandering in the hall.

“Hello, dear? I just had an idea for a dessert we could try…I’m at the academy…later today, ideally. Could you bring the ingredients with you?...apricot pie, I was thinking. Maybe…three apricots? Something like that…we might also need some more hands in the kitchen. Ask the kids if they want to come help us…I say we let them have their fun this time…that’d be lovely, thank you…”

Julia’s anxiety started to grip her. Alarm bells blared in her mind, as her search for Percy became frantic and disorganised. Her breathing got heavier, as she had to sit against the wall to calm herself, gripping her head and focusing her breath.

As she gave herself a moment to think, her attention shifted from aimlessly searching for Percy to heading back to the team.

If what she feared was true…

…if what she worried might happen…

…then no one was safe.