It was a chilly Wednesday morning in Grandebelle, but the cafeteria on the second floor of the Tower of the Chosen was nice and warm. The hearty smell of sausage patties sizzling in grease and the sickly sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls intermingled with the bitter scent of coffee, creating a kind of cozy bouquet. The Chosen Ones' tiny general manager Miss Planner had just finished her morning rounds. She sat with her assistant Black Smoke at a table for two by a window overlooking the city, enjoying the view while she tore apart a pile of buttermilk pancakes.
"Cough. I like your... new look," croaked Black Smoke.
Miss Planner went shopping with Erica the night before and picked up a couple of new items from Veronica Yes. Nothing too flashy, though. She was currently wearing a new skirt with a subdued checkerboard pattern and a new black blazer which was almost identical to the one she normally wore, except tighter fitting. It felt good wearing something new, but she didn't think anyone would notice the difference. Being proven wrong was a pleasant surprise.
"Oh, thank you! You like it? I thought the skirt was a little much, but Erica said it was cute."
"Haha... she was... right. Cough. It really pops."
"Do you want to go out shopping with me sometime? I saw some cute outfits at the mall that I thought would look really great on you! Let's get some matching ones!"
"Grrrgh. Sounds like... a date."
Black Smoke's wardrobe was pretty limited. Most days he stuck to a simple pair of slacks and a rotation of three blue dress shirts in various states of disrepair which hung loosely on his skinny frame. It was probably about time for a change. He needed a haircut, too. And maybe some accessories to give him some flair. Ooh, he'd look so cute with a nice gold wristwatch and necklace!
"How do you feel about wearing a tie? I like red ones, but... I feel like yellow would look good on you!"
"I don't know how... to... tie one. Hahaha. Cough. But, uhm, I guess if you taught me, then sure..."
"It's not as hard as it looks. Here, I'll show you!"
Miss Planner loosened the knot on her tie, then pulled it off entirely and scooted her chair around the table like a little girl eager to show off a trick to a friend. She leaned her neck towards him and looping the ends of her tie through two fingers and pulled them tight into a simple knot, effortlessly and casually. She was a little too close. Black Smoke could smell her hair, and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in that glorious blonde waterfall and just drink her in.
"There. See? No big deal. I promise you'll be able to pull it off in no time."
Black Smoke cleared his throat awkwardly. Miss Planner giggled, making a few final adjustments to the collar of her shirt before pulling her tray of food over to her new spot and getting back to the business of breakfast. Black Smoke pulled away a little, but disguised his movement as much as possible by reaching for his coffee at the same time.
"I had something I wanted to ask you about. It's work-related."
"Whatever... whatever you want me to do. I'm here to serve. Hahaha."
"I wanted to know if you'd be interested in being a trainer for my new experimental combat team. You know. The test subjects for the Soul Shell."
"Cough. You mean... those boys that were eating like pigs the other day?"
"We're still not sure about them, but yes. Those boys, potentially, and another group of four. We're going to send them out to fight pretty soon, and I need them to be ready. The better they do out there, the bigger the research budget gets."
"Hmmm. Well, I wouldn't exactly call myself an expert when it comes to fighting or anything. Cough. I generally just... rely on... my raw power."
"No, I know that, but I figured you'd be a good choice to help get them started. Since you used to be a lieutenant in the Animal Brotherhood and all."
"Hmmm..."
Black Smoke was a natural choice for the role of trainer. He knew how to get people motivated, he had experience commanding groups of fighters, and perhaps most importantly, he was highly intelligent and observant. The only problem was that he didn't want to do it. He really didn't like Garth and his friends. They were obnoxious. Rude. Disrespectful.
"So. Uhmm. I... cough."
"It's a really important job, Black Smoke, so I was hoping you'd say yes."
"Haha. I don't think I'm ready to be a leader again. I can help you out... a little bit, maybe, but... in all honesty, there's someone who could do this better than me."
"You think so? Who do you have in mind? Someone I know?"
"No. But I think you'll like him. His name is Replica. Cough. He was a squad leader... in the Brotherhood. Very reliable. He has kind of an... honor student personality, hahaha. He'd be perfect for this sort of thing."
"Hmf. If you think he's a good fit, then I'm willing to give him a shot..."
"Hahaha! He's never... let me down before. Cough! Cough! Let's finish eating, and I'll... give him a call."
Black Smoke took a sip from his coffee cup, trying not to sound too eager. But he couldn't stop a sinister grin from creeping across his face. It was nice having some dummies around to do the heavy lifting.
"What are you smiling about? Hehe!"
"Nothing. Cough. Hahaha. Hey, you could use some more testers too, right? The boys from the Brotherhood are... combat ready... cough. I could put a team together by the end of the day... let's say, Cursed Needle, Happy, Guilty Shadow, and... Turmoil. We could skip the training, save a lot of time... and money."
"It's not a bad idea, but... they're your Brothers, right? The Soul Shell isn't exactly safe yet, you know, and if something happened to them... I'd feel horrible! For now, I want to stick with people who are a little more expendable."
"Hahaha! You're surprisingly considerate sometimes... in a sick kind of way..."
"Well, I know they’re special to you. It’s not like I expect all of the members of my little team to die on their first mission or anything, but... it's a realistic possibility. So if someone has to do it, I'd feel better if it was someone who's not a huge part of your life."
"Heheh... cough. Hahaha!"
"Hehehe!"
