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The Roof of the Marriot 10:10 PM


Cities that would be considered dirty and rough during the day always seem to put on their party dress at night. Looking down from the roof of the Marriot, Velda decided that she hated cities, hated the noise and crowding, and she hated this city in particular for what was about to take place. But all the same, for this one moment...she felt a small pang of admiration for New York and the people down below, all so willing to shine brightly even with the darkness...the end...looming so closely.

From behind her, Henry murmured softly, "We're ready."

They would never be ready, but nonetheless, she turned around to face those in her charge.

As the least likely of the Division Leaders stood before the hunters gathered around her, there was a long stretch of silence as she looked at each of her Hunters, trying to memorize their faces one last time. These people were her family, some closer than others, some a bit obnoxious, a few so distant that it was hard to identify any relationship at all...but they were hers. She'd like to keep them all, if possible.

But there were dreams, and there were facts. And despite what many may think, the childish woman that led Life was constantly aware of the harsher truths of being hunter. She tried to stay optimistic, but realistically, even the optimistic view was still pretty damn depressing. Many would die tonight. If they were truly lucky, perhaps a quarter of the hunters here would survive. That was the bright side, and only thing she could hope for, a handful of survivors.

Then, taking a deep breath, she unfolded a map, and began, her soft voice carrying over the muted sounds of celebration below, "We'll be breaking into teams for better coverage and to provide multiple targets. Each team should have at least two guards and one person to pilot an Argus. The goal is to seek out high density FEAR in hopes of locating the rest of the artifact and those who seek to wield it."

She gave them a moment to take the information in, before pointing to the map, a number of locations highlighted, "The marked buildings are those within walking distance that have enough height to pilot an Argus without too much interference from below, you have ten minutes to get your team together and grab your Argus kit."

Five minutes to say goodbye.

She didn't bother to say it out loud.

"We'll be monitoring all runic channels, we expect regular status reports from each team."

There was no need.

"Velda," one of the obnoxious ones had managed to break through the crowd, probably because he was going the exact wrong way to get his affairs in order. Mark wasn't terribly big on long goodbyes, just long hellos, like the one back at the island. He hadn't meant for it to happen this way, but one couldn't exactly plan their life as a Hunter. He had hoped to deliver this gift after the mission, an irony. It didn't really feel very ironic any more.

"I know this isn't really the time," he began in advance of any dirty looks from her assistant. From the depths of one of his jacket pockets he produced a gift. As he proffered it at her, its head sagged forward a little, but not enough to obscure the two words stitched over its heart. "I just thought as long as we had a few minutes - well, you know - it's a joke-"

Usually Mark seemed to be brimming with unwanted comments, but for the first time in a long time he was just standing there in front of Velda completely tongue-tied.

If he kept talking it might turn into a long goodbye.

The Life leader stared at Mark for a long moment, a small frown forming as she glanced at the little bear. Her eyes took on a glassy sheen, and her lips began to tremble. "That is...horrible...a...horrible..." she hiccuped and and then Mark found himself wrapped in two skinny yet oddly strong arms as she latched on to him, not quite crying but definitely no longer composed either, "...joke, " she mumbled. "Worst joke ever."

And then she let go and took the bear with an audible sniff, and continued with as much quiet dignity as she could muster, which in all honesty was still quite a bit, "Thank you. I really wanted this one."

Lowe was there to catch Em as she swayed, and he released a hand from her back once she properly righted herself. "If you need me to protect you Em, I will." Lowe considered the woman a friend, a treasured title he gave next to no one. As for the title for Marsh? A work in progress. When em asked for Julio, the boy gave a half shrug, shaking his head in the process. He didn't know the runic hunter well enough, nor did he really even know who he was. If it hadn't been for their brief meeting in the Hallway and other places, it was likely that Lowe would have never even known his name and face.

He shifted Afzal from one hand to the other, swinging him down without any hitch. There was no pain to the movement, good, and he looked over at his companions. "Do you...want me to go find him first? This Julio?" Lowe didn't mind waiting, but they needed to get the mission going because the sooner they started it the sooner they could prevent something horrible from happening.

It also meant, sadly, he could be dying sooner rather than later. Why was he so suddenly afraid of death? Afzal was not happen, and he hissed inside Lowe's mind.

The promise. He would keep it.

Mark didn't fight the hug at all, just the suspicions he had at how terribly this was going from his point of view. She wasn't laughing. Neither of them were. And it was laughter he thrived on, not sorrow, or tears threatening to be shed. Probably should have waited till afterward no matter how unlikely it was. How could anyone deny they were walking up to death's door and ringing the doorbell? Still, he tried to feign humor and composure. If even a little girl could, he'd be even more pathetic if he couldn't. "How could I resist?"

And still trying to beat her assistant to the first words: "I'll bring you back a souvenir next time too, Henry. No need to be jealous of that bitchin' beanie baby."

"It's been a pleasure-" But it felt like his throat had throttled itself and he never got a chance to say exactly what had been. He gently disentangled himself from his superior officer and offered them one last signature grin before he turned away to get a grip on himself.

A crackle came up on his headset, surprising him. He paused where he was standing to take in the parting words of encouragement from a guy whose name he'd never even had a chance to find out. And in the aftermath of Velda's reaction he felt a pang of regret that had escaped its imprisonment.



And then he strode off to wherever the hell C and Selena had gotten to before he wasted the rest of that precious time.

Whoops. Em was just excited to get this mission underway. She was going to pilot the HELL out of this thing! Her cheeks tinged a soft red when Velda mentioned her little.. accident, and she grinned wide and returned the kiss with her own, on Velda's cheek. Then two fingers rose like a scout. "I promise!"

She hefted the helmet under her arm, and turned to look up at Henry, her eyes turning just a little sarcastic. She moved over and stood right in front of him, one finger pressing against his chest as the rest of her leaned into him.

"You may have everyone fooled, ~Henry~, but not me. Come here and give me a kiss for luck, or I'll tell everybody you call for your mother during sex on the headset."

He didn't. But she would.

There was nothing gentle about the man, or his kisses. Em had dealt with worse, however, and she was more than happy to return the favor with as much gusto as he'd given. When he pulled away and straightened, her lips were red and just barely swollen, the markings of a good, strong kiss. That, among other things, was why she put aside Henry's brusque, unforgiving attitude. Sometimes, it was just worth it.

"Yay, I'm a terrible creature!" Em cried out victoriously, turning away to scamper off like a child with a stolen treat, her arms waving up in the air. She stopped just behind Marsh, turned around, and leaned against his back. Her helmet remained off, for now, as she used Marsh like a wall, leaning fondly against him and watching the hunters prepare with heavy, half-lidded eyes.

She felt good. Real good. Things were looking up, for once - and that could only be a positive sign. The warmth of coziness flooded her body as she hung on to that feeling, that assurance. Her eyes flickered to Henry for a minute, wondering if he'd slipped her something to make her feel like this, but in the end she wagered it was just the way she handled situations like this.

Everything was going to be okay, because it had to be. Because, no matter how dire a situation might look, Mary Night never said goodbye.

So he was stuck trying to find a group, was he? Well, somehow, this would work out for the best. Twirling a strand of hair, he looked at the controls for the Argus, taking a small breath. This was going to be an interesting night, that was for sure. Alexi looked almost lost, in a kind of adorable way, his golden eyes kind of darkly frowning as his hand rested once again on his dagger. Who would be there? There to help him make his way through. He wasn't good with people after all, and speaking to them often lead to him feeling just plain awkward. He needed to find himself a group of three.....So who was looking for a third about now?