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Naiiko and William both took Shelby up on her offer and indulged in the crackers that were set out for her. The ranger was intrigued by the salty taste while the ninja ate a couple with a few sips of her hot tea.

When Shelby asked their opinion of the next move the Union was going make, they both exchanged looks before answering her question.

"Well, I think Ryder's idea is the best move we can make currently." Naiiko said, "Cover our tracks and recheck our aliases before going back out in the field. While I hate the fact we had a front row seat to the execution of comrades, we needn't forget that Russel isn't the only person the Kepi has taken from us."

Her eyes went from that of her comrade's to the tea in front of her.

"Taking the battlefield....in the name of vengeance....won't undo the damage that has already been done. It just makes the process of grieving even worse."

William looked at the ninja. The way she phrased her answer made is sound like she was speaking more from experience than anything else. He started to realize just how much of Naiiko's story he really knew.

"I agree with Naiiko." William said, "But more importantly, we should wait until our leader's condition is at least stabilized before heading back out. I heard that enemy tried to poison her during the last field operation. The Kepi has been doing a lot to our side as of late, but we shouldn't taint ourselves with revenge. Lest we wish to give the Kepi the last laugh in the end."

Sami looked up while James spoke and watched as he took the picture off the desk. She then carefully placed the photo of her mother back where she found it.

“You didn’t know and at least you weren’t a punk to them all.”

Hearing the names brought it all back to Sami. All the times she played with her parents, the secret messages she used to leave for her friends and how quickly it all changed. The girl gently touched her mom’s face, remembering how angry she was when her mother remarried so quickly after her father died. It all made sense now. Her step-dad was also a Noe, but that was all the assassin knew about him.

“He, his sister and I used to write little notes all in code to see if we could decipher it. Daniel used to make his so hard that it took me and Jade days to figure them out. His handwriting didn’t help either.”
She gave a soft, bittersweet chuckle before something James had said made her curious. Sami then looked over at the soldier.

“4?”

The armored man look over to the young girl. It then hit him that her one of those people he named might have went by something else on the outside. He then walked towards her, being the picture of his old squad with him. He handed it to her, pointing out the third man in the picture.
James - The fourth being 'Thomas' but you may know him as your step-dad. He as well was part of my squad.
After Jason, Maria and Daniel were killed on the one mission, he ordered Scarlet to retire so she could take care of Sami. He didn't want the poor girl to loose both of her parents. Thomas then took it upon himself to not only take the place of Sami's father, but to that the place of Scarlet as James' right hand field assassin. They went on many mission together and because of that became really close.
James - I need to go a speak with Inanna, I have a very important mission to discuss with her.
James then walked by Sami, putting his hand on her head lightly.
James - I am sorry I put you in danger.
The armored man than reached in his back pouch and pulled on an old key card and put it in Sami's hand
James - Here, feel free to come here any time you want. This was our base of operations. You might even be able to find more answers to your questions. Chin up Champ.
With that the man left. What was odd was the last thing he said. It wasn't something that James would normally say. It was almost as if he had picked it up from somebody.

As he walked through the base, the content of Ryder's letter was bugging him to no end. It was all the more reason he needed to act. Sure he could talk to Regi and Colleen, but for the content of this mission and how dangerous it was, he would have to get it cleared by Inanna, and he had a feeling see was NOT going to like it at all. He finally reached her room, not even sure if she was awake. Some time had passed so maybe she was able to get some sleep. Well that is what he hoped at least. The man then knocked on her door.
James - Chief, it's James. I have an urgent mission request of the upmost importance.

The conversation between William, Naiko, and Shelby continued on in a more general direction after the two operatives answered her question. It was a lovely conversation, one that showed how much they enjoyed each other's company.

After having his fill of a sandwich and Shelby's rice crackers, Will was stuffed. He leaned back in his chair and sighed contently before looking over at the piano again. The ivory keys were urging him to return and fill the lounge with music once more.

"I'll be back in a few, guys," he said to his companions before leaving the table and placing himself at the piano once again. Just like before, the general noise of the lounge seemed to die down as its occupants awaited eagerly for the boy's hands to work their magic. After a moment of silence, he began to play again.

The music was calming, almost as if William had constructed the perfect song that captured the essence of the room and the mood. His chestnut brown eyes drifted closed as he let the music possess him, taking him away from the negative energies of the war to a place much more secure. It wasn't a bad thing to have an escape from violent day-to-day tasks, just as long as his mind remained sharpened when it was time to work.

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPWKl183X_0&list=WL&index=27&t=0s )

William's fingers continued to glide across the keys as the melody danced around them in the lounge. It was evident by the boy's amount of skill at the instrument that he had very different aspirations for his career path before getting drafted into the secret war two years ago.

As he finished, the other patrons of the lounge once again applauded him for his talents. William smiled and gave a slight bow before accidentally locking eyes with Sami, who happened to be watching from the entrance.

S-Sami?! When did she get here?! he thought to himself as he felt his cheeks reddening from embarrassment. Naiko caught his behavior and followed his line of sight to see Sami as well. She gave a cute little smirk before giving William a small gesture to go over and talk to her.

The ranger in question managed to see the gesture and sighed before looking back at Sami. He may have been nervous to talk to his crush, but he knew that he only really had one shot to make an impression on her. The two had known each other for a while and while they may indeed be friends, this was William's first attempt at trying to communicate his desire to be more than that.

Naiko's right, William, he thought to himself once more. All of us are grounded and she's standing right there. When am I ever going to get this chance again? I just gotta play it cool; act natural and everything will be fine.

With his pep-talk feeding him courage, William rose up from the piano and crossed the room to where Sami was standing. It was obvious by the rosy blush on his face that he was nervous, but the young man knew he had to try.

"Um....H-H-Hey, Sami," William said as he fidgeted with the tie hanging around his neck before ultimately quitting and resuming his conversation. "How are you doing?"

*It had been a little while since Regi and Colleen left. They had stayed in the room for a bit whilst she slept making sure she got at least a little bit of rest. The poison was not going to give her a smooth recovery. Even though her other commanders tried when they left it had woken her up a tad. It was enough to where Nebula had curled up right next to her and rumbled a bit to try and get her to relax and fall back to sleep. Which would have happened if...someone hadn't knocked on the door.
For a moment Nebula was annoyed. Until he heard words that he deemed were important. Then he couldn't blame his human for waking up fully. It took her a moment to come to enough to give the order to go have the door opened. All it was a hand sign, in the form of a wave but it was enough for the leopard to act. As Inanna tried to right herself, Nebula opened the door enough for the other human to get in before making his way back over to the redhead.
She was rubbing her eyes and looking in the direction of the light. Not that she could really see who it was or even the reason he had woken her up, James was the only one who ran around in armor all the time. So the hard lines of the silhouette was what gave him away to her.*
Inanna - James? What's wrong?

William lightly scratched his cheek as he waited for Sami's response to his question. Her red eyes seemed lost in an endless gaze and while the young man was tempted to stare into them, he didn't want to come off as weird or creepy. Suddenly, he found himself in the embrace of the assassin as her face was buried in his shoulder. William's face flushed bright red as he was taken aback by the sudden action.

"S-S-S-Sami?! A-Are you alright?!" he managed to get out before the woman took a step back and released him. Upon her next phrase, William felt his heart skip a beat as a shiver raced down his spine.

"Sami, I....you.....Um.....T-This is moving pretty fast, don't you think?" he said while she also seemed to be stammering over her words. Before the situation grew too awkward, Sami took the young man's hand and led him out of the lounge to another location. Naiko watched the scene unfold and chuckled before resting her elbows on the table.

"Well Will's a lucky dog," she commented. "What do you think, Shelby? Can a couple of girls like us also be romanced like that?"

--------------------

William looked around the dusty room that Sami had taken him to while also mulling over the details she gave him. He examined the old shelves and books before eyeing the same pictures that the assassin was. He went over to a more recently-cleaned photo and picked it up while listening to Sami's comment.

"Well from what you told me, you had a loving relationship with your father and he died when you were pretty young," he said. "I'm....sure that period of your life wasn't easy to get through. Given your relationship and situation, I'd say that....your reaction to your step-father was pretty normal."

He put the photo down and turned to her.

"Back in those days, you were just a child who wasn't expected the bear the responsibility that you have now. Having to live with losing your father was already a pretty tall order for someone your age. I...I don't think you need to be this hard on yourself. Especially for things that you did as a kid."

Shelby demurely sipped the last of her tea as William's encounter unfolded. As she watched them leave together, Shelby narrowed her eyes slightly for a brief moment and then glanced back at Naiko without a further thought. "Ah, romance.." She sighed wistfully at the idea of such a fantasy. "Alas such a thing simply isn't in the cards for the likes of me. I'm too much of a cynic.” She softly giggled before turning the conversation away from herself.

She set down the porcelain cup on its saucer and rested both elbows on the table. Interlocking her fingers together, Shelby rested her chin on her hands and grinned. “So, Ms. Naiko, just between us girls, is there anyone around this little ole place that tickles your fancy?” Shelby spoke with a rather exaggerated southern belle accent and batted her eyelashes to accent the absurdity. Despite all her methodical thought and internal caution, Shelby was a spy at heart. Nosiness was simply part of her DNA. It was probably why she chose her second profession after the collapse of the first. It was far easier to try and extract information, no matter how innocuous, then give it.

Shelby had no agenda nor malicious intent in her actions, simply spending time with comrades she could trust was a pure delight. Besides what’s wrong with having a little fun now and then?