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["What's really pitiful is people like you dying to the likes of me."]
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3rd POV

Dexter was known for many things by his "friends", superiors, and peers. Being a sarcastic, broody, and lazy slacker who was heavily sleep-deprived to the extent that he couldn't tell what day it was, is one of them. A hard-worker, let alone someone who could pull his own weight off the bed, was not something they would associate with the man named "Dexter".

But that was from their point of view.

An outsider's perspective.

If they took the time to actually ask or investigate for the reason for his behavior within the working environment, they would find that he was far from any of those descriptions. All things have a different side to them, whether it be of circumstances or simply how they are presented. Life isn't just black and white or right and wrong, there is always an in-between or explanation.

"Not everything is as it seems."

A phrase people tend to glance over when they live their lives without putting much thought into what is around them. It applies to everything that we consider a part of our life and more. It most definitely applies to this entire facility that seemed too good to be true, and yet Dexter still took the offer to work here. Money was money after all, even if you had to do some dirty work to earn it.

Which resulted in the situation now, for Dexter was far from the lazy and sarcastic slacker he was painted as by everyone. His desk was littered in paperwork and notebooks that were filled to the brim with notes and observations he's made from his time here. His countless and consecutive all-nighters trying to understand everything there was to know about working here was abysmal yet beneficial. The side effects of being sleep-deprived probably made him an insomniac with how much he struggled to sleep.

That probably explained the situation with him now.

At the moment of waking up, Dexter hissed as his back and neck ached along with his fingers and palm. The scattered papers on the desk he was sleeping on slipped to the floor as he stretched. The lamp that shined brightly on the wall had flash banged him the moment he opened his eyes, causing him to quickly divert his head away. Slowly, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and the lone light source, he noticed that he once again passed out mid-working.

"Oh fuck. Can't believe it happened again...." he muttered as he stood up, albeit reluctantly, leaving an imprint of his rear-end on the chair. "Stupid Vinera......stupid Bella.......stupid Sephirah..... stupid killing machines......stupid paperwork ......stupid money........"

Mumbling incoherent complaints about the workload and other things that made him have a headache, he made his way to the bathroom to freshen himself up. The cold water that he splashed onto his face did little to rejuvenate his lack of energy for the day. With half-lidded eyes, he untied his hair and let it flow naturally down his shoulders before undressing for a morning shower.

Though the shower helped him with calming his tense muscles and sore shoulders, it did little to calm his mental strain. As he was getting dressed in a fresh new suit, he remembered the words that his Sephirah spoke when they first met during the shift yesterday.

"If I had any say regarding your placement in my Department, I would've decommissioned you for the lack of professionalism you have shown."

Dexter clenched his fists that held the fabric of his vest as he reluctantly started to straighten his suit. His anger was aimed at many things, from Vinera's personality to Bella's lack of care regarding anything and everything, there were many things that he had to deal with that he couldn't control. With his dress shirt fully buttoned up and a necktie cleanly wrapped around his neck, Dexter made his way out of his bathroom.

His anger and frustration only increased when he noticed the scattered papers on the ground. A majority of which weren't even his as he was currently carrying the workload of Vinera's and Bella's since the first was too lazy and the second was too carefree. Picking them up from the ground, he made sure to reorganize them into their respective piles so he could turn them in later.

Once done with everything, Dexter released a heavy sigh before checking the time. Seeing that it was barely past seven, he decided to get an early start with his work for today and headed out of his room. But just as he opened the door and walked out, he nearly face planted onto the ground after tripping over a box just outside his door. Hissing and tensing his toes from being stubbed against the box, Dexter gave it a glare before reading the note attached to it.

"Your competence will be determined and tested with this. Do not disappoint me. —Yesod, Sephirah of the Information Team"

With a small grunt, Dexter lazily ripped open the box in the middle of the hallway. Inside was a suit of a black and purple material that irked him when he saw it. Upon a moment of realizing what it was, Dexter nearly yelled in frustration before stopping himself when he found no energy to do so.

Standing up with the E.G.O. equipment in hand, he finally noticed a black spear with weird colors and what seemed to be chalk on it right by his door. The spearhead was oddly shaped in a stretched heart with just exactly that drawn on it. He eyed the thing with suspicion as he could feel something odd about it, but soon he simply grabbed it.

"I'm too tired to deal with this shit." He said through gritted teeth before kicking the now empty box out of his way and walking back into his room. "Forget about being professional."

Not caring about how he was presented anymore due to wasting all that effort earlier, Dexter undressed before sloppily putting on the purple and black suit without a care anymore. No sooner did he do so, he immediately left the room with the spear in hand all while struggling to push through the day with an empty stomach.

He forgot to eat breakfast.

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A crimson haired woman woke up with deep gasps and a hand over her chest where her heart was. It's fast rhythmic thumping and the shaking of her hands showed just how scared she was.

"G-Godammit not again...." Vinera nearly croaked to herself in a shaky voice as she tried to calm herself. Her other hand gripped the blanket on top of her as if she would die if she didn't. "I'm okay.....I'm okay.....I'm okay....I'm okay.....I'm okay...."

She repeatedly told herself while rocking back and forth with her knees tucked into her chest. Her eyes glanced all around the dark room as if she were trying to find something that only she knew was there. Even when she found nothing she still kept her guard up as she slowly got out of bed.

Making her way to the bathroom, she immediately turned on the lights and locked the door. Taking a step back and quickly scanning the small room, she slowly started to relax once she noticed that she really was alone. After that, she started the shower before stepping in a moment later. A quick wake-up rinse was all she needed to finally be aware of her surroundings and be fully relaxed.

With her wet hair draped over her shoulders, she looked at herself in the mirror stark naked. The scared look she had before was now replaced with a frown of disappointment and anger, all directed at herself for having a moment of weakness.

"Grrr! Get a hold of yourself, damn it!" She yelled before she punched the mirror with her fist. The force behind it was enough to cause it to crack across the glass under the pressure. Her hand stung from the small shards cutting into her knuckles and fingers, but she ignored the pain. "Smile,Vinera! Smile!"

Slowly she retracted her arm before using her two index fingers to force a smile onto her face. The many reflections caused by the cracks showed just how fake it looked on her, and yet she continued to make the smile. Once she was satisfied with the way it looked, she removed her fingers and her smile stayed put where it was.

"Smile......Just smile......"

Vinera slowly told herself in a whisper before changing into her suit for work. The constant smile plastered onto her face was slowly starting to become more natural and less stiff. Just as she finished dressing up and drying her hair into curls, the smile she had on was turned into one that could trick almost anyone into thinking it was genuine.

Almost anyone.

For those who observe and can notice the tiniest of details, they will find that under that exterior of false joy was a bundle of anger. And under that bundle of anger, was a pit of fear and loneliness that only intensified as the days go by.

With her baton and radio attached to her hip, Vinera grabbed a quick bite of rations before making her way out of her room. Even though she disliked most of the people she had for company, she would rather have terrible company than no company at all.

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Angela didn't really enjoy the silence that much. In fact, it could be said that she hated the silence for what it brought to the forefront of her mind. It is why she keeps herself occupied at all times with whatever she can find herself to be doing, even if it was outlandish or unexpected of her.

............Like holding hands with Y/n..........

.........even if she couldn't feel his warmth......

..........Or maybe like having a nightly drink........

.........She enjoyed that...quite a lot actually......

..........even if she couldn't taste the wine.........

There are very, very, very, very limited things that she was allowed to do in her free time. There are also many things expected of her to accomplish and administrate within the doctrines of the script she was given. With so little freedom and so much to do, the moments where she actually could afford to slip in some time for herself were few and far in between.

She considered them blessings that not even a god or Devil could give and offer when she did get them.

'Ah, I drifted into my thoughts once again it would seem.' She thought to herself as she stood completely motionless by the desk of the office. Snapping out of her inner turmoil to focus on getting ready, she prepared herself for another day.

Time continued on and on. Yet, for Angela, it seemed as if it never moved at all. Stagnant was it, for she engraved every single moment, every single millisecond, into her mind for all eternity. It was her job, her role, her purpose to do so until the very end. The complexity of her situation was similar to what her mind was currently in. A complete jumbled, disoriented mess of logical answers and irrational questions that she come to her.

It was all a mess......an organized mess.

Standing still, like she was, made her feel as if she too were stagnant in the world that continuously continues to change. She, being the machine with a purpose that no other had, felt meaningless in her actions and efforts.The sad and frustrating part was that it wasn't far from the truth.

Usually, though mostly, it was a tortuous experience that made her wish to end it all. But of course, she couldn't. Nay she wouldn't. There was much to do and much more she wished to do.

So she waits here patiently as a spectator to it all, stagnant in amidst the ever changing and coursing world that surrounds her.

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The Manager wondered more and more about the situation he was in. A week ago he was all but worried and confused regarding how and why he was here. Now he's sitting on his chair like he's been here his entire life. The actions and routines have become almost second nature to him to the point he almost didn't question it.

Almost.

A headache was making its way to him the more he thought about it. And he wasn't having a good time with it at the moment with the way he couldn't remember anything past his first day here. He glanced at the side of his office and took a sneak peak at Angela who stood by his desk like she always did at the beginning of the day.

Neither had said a word aside from the usual emotionless greetings they had given to each other. Whether it was because of the awkward atmosphere or the lack of motivation, it was hard to tell what was preventing them from conversing with one another. He tried to make the effort from time to time, but the words would get stuck in his throat as his lungs froze.

He didn't know why he couldn't, and he didn't know why he disliked her as much as he did. The Manager just simply couldn't bring himself to bring forth the effort to understand his assistant. Her cryptic words laced with hidden meanings and intentions didn't help with trying to dissolve his dilemma.

The digital clock on his desk blinked before changing. 7:29 showed on its screen and no sooner did it change to the next minute did the ritual initiate. The ritual being Angela speaking and asking questions that only made X more stressed or nervous than he already was. With what seemed to be practiced movement, she turned her body to directly face him in one fluid motion.

That was all, however.

She didn't speak and neither did he.

For a moment, she simply 'stared' at him as he stared back. Angela simply faced him with her arms crossed and her fingers laced together in front of her. X didn't know why, but for some reason a random thought came to him.

'Was this because she was waiting for something? Or was she simply lost in thought?' X questioned himself as he tried to see something, anything, that could clue him into what the AI was thinking. Sadly, he was no psychic so his questions were left unanswered within his mind.

When he didn't speak, a slight change occurred in Angela's features. Her shoulders hunched just a tad bit. Her posture slackened for a moment that seemed nearly indistinguishable from a second ago. And......was that a look of disappointment? Or was it a face of being downtrodden? Maybe it was simply of sign of her irritation of having to continue this routine.....X didn't know once again.

As quick as the change came over her features, she straightened herself out and spoke blankly to him.

"Allow me ask you a question, Manager." Of course, X was already ready for this as it was now becoming an everyday thing. Though he still couldn't possibly know what she would ask as sometimes it would be completely random or irrelevant to the situation. "What would you do if one of your subordinates....."

Just as she continued, she suddenly stopped, almost as if she was struggling to continue. Her calm and cool expression seemed to tense just a tad bit, but X couldn't see it as he was mentally preparing himself for the question.

"....who is harvesting energy from an Abnormality to meet the quota is guaranteed to face certain death in doing so?" X swallowed the saliva in his throat as he weighed his options. "This is a very basic question, so I am certain you know the right answer."

That last statement only made him feel more pressured and put on the spot. Answering it incorrectly would make him seem incompetent in doing his work and since she said it was a 'basic' question, then it must mean that the answer is obvious. Of course, thinking about the questions from the days before and the way he answered them, X already knew the type of answer he needed to provide.

"Let the employee die and harvest the energy."

"Or save the employee and risk failing the extraction."

Most certainly the AI before him was seeking for the most logical and most profitable of the two choices. It was his job after all and hers as well, so he shouldn't be surprised if that it is what she was looking for. Though with that said, the options he was supposed to provide were having a tug of war in his mind.

His morality was currently having issues with him speaking the words that he needs to say, while his instincts forced him away from the answer he wants to say. Choosing between the life of an employee and the energy that they were needed to provide was not something he could brush off.

Because the likeliness of that exact situation occurring was not zero.

In fact, X would likely bet that the situation could occur even today or tomorrow if he wasn't careful or aware of the events in the facility. All of this just made him more aware of how things need to be done.......and just how much he lacks experience.

Seeing that he had yet to respond to the question, X chose to ignore his morals and simply give the answer that would satisfy the AI. However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, the words from a certain Sephirah rang in his mind.

"Instead we should focus on minimizing such things from occurring in the first place."

That was when it finally clicked. Just like he assumed from the beginning, this question had a simple answer that spoke of common sense. There wouldn't be a need to choose between the life of an employee or the energy they were expected to produce if such a situation was prevented in the first place.

The way to do that was just as simple as the answer. Simply extract the energy quota for the day before such a thing can happen. Which was exactly what he said next.

"Nothing." The answer caught Angela off-guard as she had a small look of shock on her. "No such situation would occur if I was doing my job properly. If I reached the energy quota beforehand then the employee wouldn't be in danger in the first place."

Seeing the look of shock on Angela's face made X feel slightly proud of himself for answering the way he did. He felt like for once he got the upper hand on her regarding their morning routine. X felt like maybe he was letting it get to his head, but at the moment he was too engrossed into his "victory" to care.

Angela opened her eyes and gazed at him as she finally returned her expression back to neutral. Coming back from her thoughts, there were many questions and speculations that suddenly came to her mind. Who could blame her, this was different from what the previous Managers answered the question with. The ones before him always answered with one of the two answers:

Save the employee or continue the extraction.

There was no in between, no alternatives that they provided or even considered to offer. Until now that is. But despite the shock she had, the day must continue on even if she had questions that needed to be answered for her own curiosity.

"How peculiar..." A small grin barely made its way to X's face that almost made Angela freeze in her words. But she pushed through and ignored that. "No Manager before you has ever provided an answer such as that. Though, that is not to say that it isn't the most correct one."

"Then it would seem I'm the first wouldn't it?" He had an almost cheeky tone in his words. Lacing his fingers in front of him with his elbows on the desk, X hid the small smile he had. At the moment, he didn't realize that he was staring directly into her eyes without feeling uncomfortable or frightened.

"So it would seem....." Angela, however, did take notice of it and was the first to break eye contact as she closed her eyes and turned to her desk. She didn't know if her next words were regarding herself or the entire faculty, but nonetheless she spoke them. "It would be beneficial if you were to keep the same attitude from now on as well."

Sensing that she was ending the talk, X's smile turned flat as he snapped back to his business-only persona. With nothing else to do, he decided to look over some documents from yesterday to see if he missed something.

The only sounds left were the noises from the keyboard Angela was using and the occasional sound of pages being flipped.

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3rd POV               

Information Department

 

"Announcement in progress:
To all personnel, the start of the day has been initiated.
Please report to your designated area."

 

Dexter made his way to the main room of his assigned Department. There was no reason to delay and he most certainly wasn't going to stand or walk around when he could sit down and take a nap. And that was exactly what he did when he arrived.

Taking a seat on the nearest chair and table, Dexter immediately closed his eyes and slept a dreamless sleep. The clerks there that had also arrived early today just like him gave him sympathetic looks before going about their business.

A few minutes passed and soon Vinera made her way into the room while greeting the passing employees with a innocent smile. Inwardly, she was having trouble with pushing through the day as it was tiring her out already, but her mood brightened when she saw Dexter's sleeping figure in the other side of the room.

Not paying any mind anymore to the other people who greeted her, she made her way to his table with a determined stride. Although she didn't like his attitude and disinterest regarding her, Vinera quite enjoyed his presence.

At least it was better than Bella's.

Bringing a chair from the side and taking a seat next to him, she idly twirled her lone curly hair bang with her finger as she stared at his sleeping face. She found it quite cute and adorable when he wasn't pouting or sending a tired glared her way, though she won't lie and say it didn't make her feel fluttery inside.

What started as her being lazy and pushing her workload onto him during their training, had turned to something she did simply to see his retorts and reactions. Was this considered teasing? Not to her it didn't since she didn't put much effort into it. If she really put her mind to it, she was sure that she could make him furious.

Something she actually wanted to see now that she thought of it.

But putting that aside for now, she laid her head down onto the table and looked at Dexter so they were face to face. With nothing else to do, she simply watched him to pass the time. She finally noticed the new clothing that he was wearing, and it made her smile even more as she liked the new look, though she was quite upset that she didn't get one.

For a few minutes, she enjoyed the view since no assignments had came in yet. Watching his shoulders rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern along with his breathing. For what seemed to be a peaceful moment that she was beginning to engrave into her mind, was suddenly interrupted when someone slammed one of the doors open with a squeal.

"I have a toy!! I have a toy!!" Bella screamed as she ran in while wearing a white and gray set of armor pads and chest plate. In her hands was a revolver that she was waving around while making shooting noises with her mouth. "PEW! PEW! PEW!"

Dexter suddenly jolted up from his seat from the sudden loud noise. The abruptness of it caused him to completely miss Vinera's presence as he flailed his arm resulting in him hitting her right in the face.

"Holy shit! I'm sorry, Vinny!" He quickly put some distance between them and awkwardly looked at her to see if she was injured. When he saw her breathing heavily and sat still in her seat with her head aimed up not looking at him, he knew she was going to give him hell. So instead he made his way to the perpetrator who was still squealing while showing a clerk her gun. "I-I-I'll leave you alone, now!"

Quickly taking his leave so he didn't face Vinera's wrath, he missed the way she looked. Her face was red, but not because of the hit of anger, it was of something entirely different. Her breathing was deep and slow as it began to pick up speed while her heart began to race.

Vinera was a tough person who always made sure to return any favor ten-fold, both good and bad. So usually she disliked having someone stand up to her or even get physical. But with her piqued interest in Dexter and the mental imagine of his spine-chilling glares, the smack to the face was simply the final straw.

Slowly her head tilted itself down as she gazed at the man who hit her, even if accidentally. A shiver went down her spine when she saw him yelling and glaring harshly at Bella who didn't seem to care. When she randomly imagined herself in her position, her heart nearly soared out of her ribs with how fast it kicked up.

It seemed her interest in him had turned into something more in a matter of seconds. In the back of her mind she questioned her own sanity.

A clerk who was near her looked at her with a concerning look as they wondered if she had asthma or something. They debated whether of not to see if she was alright, but in the end they simply sighed before turning around. They quickly walked away while muttering something along the lines of "Not my problem.".

Back with Dexter and Bella, currently he was struggling to take the weapon from her hands. She was putting up a harder fight than Dexter thought she could give, making it all the more frustrating.

"Damn it, Bella! Just give me the gun!" He pulled harder only for her to pull back with twice the amount of force.

"It's mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" She whined childishly causing others to look on in annoyance.

Seeing the looks they were getting, Dexter decided to simply let go and calm himself before he did anything he was going to regret. Bell didn't even stumble when he suddenly let go as she was already running around the run waving it again. He sighed stressfully before rubbing his barely open eyes.

"There goes all my energy for the day....."

After being mentally exhausted, he simply walked his way back to Vinera, forgetting that she could possibly kill him for what he did. Taking his seat right next to her, he slumped onto the table with a groan. Vinera simply cooled herself by giving her attention to Bella and her antics.

It seemed to do the trick as just staring at the girl made her blood boil in anger and frustration. She was the reason they had stayed in the Training Department longer than they should have after all. With her mind calmed from the sudden arousal from the man next to her, she was about to forgive him for hitting her when she noticed that he was already fast asleep.

With a sigh she slouched into her seat before being alerted by the buzzing on her wrist of a new assignment. Checking it, she saw that it was one of numbers and letters, meaning it was likely a new Abnormality.

"Insight with......T-01-54? Huh....."  She muttered under her breath while straitening her suit.Reluctantly standing up, she put a smile on before leaving the room. "Let's do this..."

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Making her way down several levels via the stairs, Vinera arrived at the correct hallway and found the containment room. Taking some cleaning supplies from the nearby closet, she made her way inside before coming to a full stop upon seeing what she was working with.

At the other opposite end of the room, an almost bald man with abnormally grey skin. Although that was concerning in its own right, the fact he was nearly more than twice her size and was completely restrained and covered in a straight-jacket. The Abnormality was on his knees with his head hung low, but even then it had its eyes gazing directly at her the moment she walked in.

A chill went down her spines that made her freeze in place even after the door closed behind her. When she moved ever so slightly, the Abnormality's eyes stared even more intently at her. Not wanting to show any more fear than she already had, Vinera gave herself a mental shove before violently dropping the bucket and dunking the mop into it.

*Heavy Breathing*

She tried to ignore the constant breathing of the Abnormality as she vigorously slid the mop across the metallic floor before sinking it back into the bucket.

*Heavy Breathing Continues*

"Remain calm! Remain calm!" She mentally told herself as she then turned to check the temperature and humidity of the room. As she was checking and clicking the buttons on the screen, she heard something shuffling a distance behind her causing her to freeze. "Fuck.....it must've been the wind.....yeah right! What goddamn wind in this enclosed room?!"

She felt her sanity be continuously sapped from her as she stood still. When the rustling finally stopped, she calmly went back to working on the panel but with a much faster pace. She mentally prayed for the intercom to announce her task being complete, but when it didn't, she fought the urge to curse and yell.

Once finished checking the pointless conditions of the room, she was about to turn when suddenly she finally realized the small gust of air hitting the back of her head. The first time she felt it, she merely brushed it off. But when the second and third came, she already knew what was behind her.

*HEAVY BREATHING*

Right behind her head, just above her was the source of her terror and annoyance. The sound of breathing finally registered in her ears as she slowly turned around. Even before she competed the rotation, she had already seen the Abnormality's piercing gaze and up close face.

For a minute, they both stared at each other. One feeling like her life would end in the next few seconds, while the other merely stared at her with a look of indifference. After the moment of terror left, Vinera slowly started to get more confidence and pushed through her fear.

If she was going to die, she was going to give a hell of a fight before she hit the dirt.

With as much confidence she could put into her words, she stared at the Abnormality while taking a step back.

"Get the fuck out of my face."

When she said that, the Abnormality stopped breathing making her worry for her safety. Despite the tough act and planning of putting up a fight, Vinera knew nothing of what this Abnormality was capable of. This only caused her knees to shake more than they already were as she took more steps back.

Despite not breathing, the Abnormality continued to stare her down. This time, however, there was a predatory glint in its eyes. Almost like he was eyeing his next prey, or most likely, his next victim.

It was at this moment that Vinera knew........she fucked up.

 

"3 PE-Boxes acquired."

 

No sooner did the intercom inform her of that did Vinera make a dash towards the door.

 

"Notifying all personnel!
Agent Vinera's Mental Corruption has reached 100%!
Suppression is advised!"

 

She didn't pay any mind fo whatever was said next by the intercom as she sprinted for her life. Just behind her, she could hear the sound of frantic shuffling of the straight-jacket and the sound of metal scraping before something interlocked with itself.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
T-01-54 has breached Containment!
Suppression is advised"

 

Not looking back, Vinera ran down the hall towards the stairs.
She could barely hear the sound of the Abnormality right behind her as the alarms blared out. The sound of clerks screaming from down the stairwell didn't help her at the moment.

"How is it so fast?!" She questioned as she could hear it gaining on her, even though they were now taking the stairs and it was constrained in a straight-jacket. Taking a peak behind her to see how it was moving so quickly, she nearly tripped over the next steps when she saw it. "There's no way I'm fighting that!"

On its head was a metal casing that was over four times her size and weight. She would no doubt be crushed under it and be pulverized if the thing were to swing it down on her. Getting more desperate in her attempts to flee, Vinera all but pushed an unsuspecting clerk down the stairs to somehow stop it.

"Hey!! What the—*SPLAT*!"

Instead, the action only resulted in the person being immediately crushed by the awaiting Abnormality that sprung its head down on them. A sickening wet crunch was all she needed to know that she most definitely would've died if that was her. Just as quickly as the crunch occurred, so did the shuffling of its knees as it continued its ascent after her.

Subconsciously, Vinera stopped and ran into the hallway that led to the Information Team's main room. The clerks in the hallway either immediately ran the other way or began shooting at the thing chasing her. Vinera didn't care as she was beginning to feel winded from the sprint and needed to come up with a way to actually combat this thing.

The baton on her hip was long forgotten by her jumbled and disorganized mind that was full of fear and the urge to live. Just as she was going to make it into the room, the door suddenly opened and Bella came out aiming the revolver in her hands at her.

"Oh sweet Jesus, am I actually for once glad to see yo—!!"

*BANG* *BANG*

The two gunshots sounded out as smoke came out of the gun. Vinera's sprint and joyful smile of hope came to a sudden stop as she stood rooted in place due to shock. Bella stared directly into her eyes with a look that gave nothing away. Vinera, however, had a look of pure rage and almost fear as she rubbed her abdomen where she was shot. Just as she was about to sputter and rip the olive haired girl's head off, another two shots from the revolver sounded out once more.

 

"Attention to all personnel:
Agent Vinera has been suppressed!"

 

Just as suddenly as the shots rang out, Vinera felt her mind suddenly clear. She could finally think properly and realize that she didn't actually feel pain at all where the bullets hit. In fact, even though the bullets hit true, there was no sign of it actually piercing her body or clothes. All the fear she felt previously was now gone as well, and with a proper conscious to think, she finally realized something else.

"Why the hell was I running away?!" She asked no one in particular while equipping her baton in her hand. She didn't know what those bullets that Bella fired at her did, but she knew that it helped her come back to her senses. "I don't need a real weapon to fight!"

She turned and charged at the Abnormality that slammed its metal appendage on top of a clerk on the ground. Not minding the guts she was stepping on or the blood that filled the air, Vinera closed the distance before swinging her baton upward. The baton hit its target causing the Abnormality's head to slightly move upward from the force.

Regaining its posture, it swung its head down with more force but only for Vinera to dodge to the side and give another swing that dented the metal helmet. Bella and a few clerks continued their onslaught of bullets from the sides as to not hurt Vinera. Although the clerks weren't doing much, Bella's gun seemed to cause it to stumble a bit when she hit her shots.

Making some distance to catch her breath, Vinera was about to continue beating the thing until the intercom came to life.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Foreign Entities detected within the Facility!
Suppression is advised!"

 

A sound came above them as purple slime began to accumulate and morph into blobs of unshapely figures. Vinera dodged when one suddenly dropped itself from the ceiling and nearly on her.

Some unfortunate clerks were taken by surprise and the effects were instantaneous as their clothes and skin began to slowly bubble and tear from within the slime. Their screams were not heard as the slime muffled their dying sounds as well as suffocating them when given the opportunity.

At this point, a majority of the clerks had either died or left in a hurry. Surprisingly, for Vinera, Bella stood her ground with a serious expression while gunning down the blobs as soon as they got close to her. Though with the lack of cover and supporting fire, Vinera had to back away while gritting her teeth.

One noticeable thing was that the Abnormality was also struggling and aggressive towards the slimes. Something that Vinera took into account as she focused on clearing the ones near her first before ganging up on it.

Rushing past the running clerks, Dexter arrived at the scene with his spear held tightly in his hands. Seeing his fellow agents struggling against the Foreign Entities, he grabbed his weapon in both hands before swinging it at one that was about to launch itself at Bella.

"Dex! You made it!" Vinera spoke with a fiery grin that irked him a bit. He wasn't one for physical labor after all. "Back us up will you?"

"Yeah, yeah! Hurry up and let's get this over with already!"

He covered their backs as Bella continued firing with increasing accuracy. Vinera brute forced most of her plans as she squashed and caved in any of the left over slimes. Dexter took note of Bella's silence and how she hadn't spoken a word ever since they started the suppression.

Putting that thought for later, he sloppily dodged out of the way of the Abnormality's slam. He nearly didn't feel its presence and only was able to get out of the way by noticing its towering shadow.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Dex!!" Vinera scolded as she brutally swung her baton across its back. The Abnormality groaned painfully while arching it's back. Some slimes were still on its head and metal casing that slowly began to disintegrate showing his grey skin and dilated eyes.

Twirling his spear, Dexter put more effort into focusing on the situation at hand as he rolled away from another slam. Blood and the smell of death coated his suit as it became drenched in blood from the floor. Just as he stood back up, the Abnormality was already slamming its head down upon him again. With little time to block or dodge, Dexter aimed his spear at one of he cracked portions of its helmet.

The spear easily ripped through the weakened spot with slime and pierced the Abnormality's head as it slammed down on him. With the bottom end of his spear against the floor, Dexter held it with all his might to prevent it from slipping and letting the entire Abnormality crush him with its weight.

The Abnormality slowly slid down the spear as Vinera repeatedly slammed her baton on it making it continue to lower due to its weight and the sharpness of the blade before stopping midway. Dexter and Vinera sighed in relief as they realized it was dead and he wasn't going to die from being crushed.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
T-01-54 has been suppressed!"

 

Despite being informed that the hostile entities were done for, the alarms continued to sound through the hallway. Though none of them paid it any mind at the moment as Vinera helped Dexter from under the Abnormality.

"It's breath stinks!" He groaned out as the stench of death and rot came from the Abnormality's open mouth. Blood completely covered his suit and clothing as Vinera slid him out from underneath the corpse. "And someone turn that shit off!"

Mentioning the alarm, Vinera also looked annoyed all the while cleaning the remaining slime off of him.

"Aside from almost dying, I gotta say I didn't know you had it in you Dex!" Vinera was all happy smiles as she almost gushed at how cool she thought he looked during the fight. "I mean, besides smelling like the guts of our colleagues, I think you're pretty hardcore!"

Dexter scrunched his face in disgust and confusion before shaking his head.

"I'm done for the day. Nearly collapsed in the middle of that fight."

Making his way past her, Dexter headed straight back to the main room of their Department with Vinera following behind him. Both of them had left Bella alone who silently stared at the corpse of the Abnormality. With a blank look, she coldly stared down at it before slowly raising her revolver and aiming.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

She continuously fired at it until the head was almost unrecognizable from what it used to be. When the final shot rang throughout the hall, her hand went limp with it dropping to her side. She slowly pocketed the revolver into her holster before turning around with a deranged smile that one wouldn't think she could make.

"I like this toy."

——————————————————————————
3rd POV

Control Team: Western Hallway

The Control Team was currently wrapping things up with the purple slimes in their Department. Captain Dana was making her rounds to look for any remnants that were left behind while Roxie followed behind her. The cannon from Scorched Girl was armed and ready as Roxie listened for anything suspicious amidst the sound of the alarms.

Mike had ventured to the other side under the Manager's orders and was currently helping the clerks deal with some of them. Though Dana didn't feel like it was a good move to separate them, she understood the intent of covering more ground and preventing any more clerks from dying.

Having the position of Captain of the Control Team made her realize the tough choices that needed to be made despite personal opinions. So even though she didn't like it, she didn't see any reason to not do it.

Seeing something from the corner of her eyes caused her to stop in her footsteps. Roxie noticed and stopped as well before charging her weapon up. A purple slime lunged at her but was caught by Dana's spear. She thrusted forward which sent it a good feet away from them as it landed loudly on the metal floor.

Sensing its location, Roxie aimed and fired at it before burning it to a crisp in one shot. Dana wiped her forehead from the sweat that accumulated from the intense heat before she smiled at her.

"Good job! It looked like the last one but let's check to make sure."

Roxie nodded her head before continuing their walk. Just as they passed by the stairwell, they heard the sounds of footsteps coming from down below. There was no screaming and most noticeably the footsteps weren't that frantic or panicky. Seeing no reason to mind it any longer, both agents turned around before heading back. That was until they heard a gasp of excitement along with a squeal.

"Oh WOW! That's a BIG toy!!"

The voice echoed through the hall making them turn their heads to see an agent wearing a similar armor set to Mike, but it was white and gray instead of red and gray. Of course, this was Bella but neither of the two knew that. Roxie confusingly rose her eyebrow at her since she wasn't sure who Bella was addressing.

Judging by the lack of males in the hallway they were in, Roxie made the deduction that she wasn't flirting or making sexual innuendos. So the only conclusion would be that she was talking to her and her E.G.O. weapon.

Dana had a friendly smile as she waved at the excited olive-haired woman. "Oh, hello! Wasn't expecting another agent to come by here." She chuckled a bit before leaning on one leg and placing a hand on her hip, giving her an almost mom-vibe with a scolding aura. "My name's Dana and she's Roxie. What's your name and what are you doing here?"

Bella completely ignored her in favor of running up to Roxie and taking a closer inspection of her weapon.

"Oh wow! With a 25 inch diameter muzzle like that, I bet you can do a LOT of damage!!" She said while all but pressing herself against the weapon. Roxie had to use all of her strength to hold back from punching the girl, her ears were hurting with how excited she was. "Can I borrow it?! Can I borrow it?!"

Just as Roxie was going to knock the teeth out of her, Dana stepped in and pulled Bella by the back of her suit.

"Hey! You're bothering her, give her some space." Bella simply pouted cutely before regaining her smile. "And you haven't introduced yourself either."

"Oh! Well! My name is Bella!" She did a small salute that almost made Dana laugh from the cuteness. "But you can call me Bell, or B, or El, or Ella, or A, or L, or La, or Bella, or Bel, or Ba, or—"

Noticing that she repeated a few nicknames and was still continuing, Roxie slapped her hand onto her mouth silencing her. Her eye twitching as she was already annoyed.

"Riiiighht...so Bella? What are you doing here?"

With her mouth still covered, she tried speaking but it only came out as muffled noises. Slightly causing some saliva to stick to Roxie's hand, she finally released the woman with a look of disgust.

"Like I was saying! I'm Bella from the Information Team!" She said while showing them her armband. "The Manager sent us here to clean up any strangling slimes!"

Nodding her head, Dana lost her scolding aura and went back to her normal friendly self.

"Oh! We appreciate the help, but we already dealt with it on this side. Where's the rest of your team?"

"They're helping the Eastern Hallway.....maybe I should've gone too. It's boring here."

Bella said that last part in a whisper that only Roxie heard. Roxie would've gave her the stink eye if she had her eyes open for that comment but chose to ignore it. Dana smiled and nodded her head before an idea came to her.

"Hey, since you're here. How about we go fetch your team together. That way we can all get together and have some team to team bonding!"

Bella excitingly nodded her head in agreement while Roxie shrugged her shoulders. There was something odd about the olive-haired woman, but Roxie couldn't put her finger on it at the moment. As they walked towards the other side of the facility, Roxie could feel a gaze be fixated on her the whole time.

Actually, it wasn't even on her. It was on her weapon.

Without even needing to look, she knew who it was as she tightened her grip on the handle. She didn't want any problems or funny business with this woman but it seemed like it was coming to her regardless.

Their trip was mostly Dana explaining and talking about Mike and work. Something that seemed to be uninteresting to Bella, but she continued to respond and keep the Captain of the Control Team entertained. On the way they passed by several clerks who gave Bella an odd look of wonder before going about their business. Malkuth also acknowledged their presence by informing them that their workload was going to increase, something both Dana and Roxie struggled to hold back their complaints against.

Upon reaching the Eastern Hallway, the alarms suddenly turned off and the intercom informed them of the extermination of the monsters.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Foreign Entities have been suppressed!"

 

The corridor was a complete mess as purple substances and blood covered the floor and wall. Neither of the three were affected as Dana and Roxie were already used to it and Bella didn't seem to care. Mike could be seen discussing something with another agent wearing purple and black, likely another agent. A crimson haired woman was checking up on some clerks who were kneeling on the ground while trying to catch their breaths.

"Mike!"

Hearing his captain's voice, he turned his head before smiling and waving at her. Sensing more company, Dexter sighed tiredly before motioning Vinera to stand by his side. She did so without a word as she internally started to feel weird around him. Those bullets Bella shot at her did more than just get rid of her fear, it made her more aware of how unusual she was acting earlier. Not wanting to bring it up at all, Vinera simply kept her silence while offering the other agents a smile.

Dana offered one back before sticking her hand out for a handshake.

"The name's Dana! Captain of the Control Team!"

Dexter groaned under his breath due to being tired, something everyone noticed as the bags under his eyes seemed to worsen. But nevertheless, he still shook the outstretched hand and smiled what he could offer.

"Dexter........"

When that was the only thing he said, Dana released his hand and chuckled awkwardly. Seeing that it was going to become weird, Mike decided to step in.

"They don't have a Captain yet since they're pretty new. But judging by their teamwork, I'm pretty sure the Manager's gonna have a tough time deciding."

Dexter smirked a little before it fell flat as he saw Bella trying to sneak up on Roxie. Taking no amusement from doing so, he stepped and grabbed her suit and pulled her to his side.

"This little piece of shit is called Bella."

Despite the rude insult, Bella saluted playfully while grinning at everyone. Dana worryingly looked at them as she wasn't sure if she should scold him for such words to a fellow agent. Roxie and Vinera smirked, something that they both knew would let them get along, while Mike smiled awkwardly at the side.

"Hello!" Bella spoke despite the atmosphere. "It's a mighty big toy you got there, Roxie."

The green haired petite woman rose an eyebrow unamused. Vinera's watch buzzed as she got another assignment, causing her to nod at Dexter and sending a glare at Bella. Her glare quickly turned to a innocent smile as she waved at the Control Team.

"And I'm Vinera."

Taking her leave, Vinera started to walk away.

"This is Roxie by the way!" Mike shouted at her earning a nod right before she fully left through the stairwell. "Well, with introductions outta the way. What now?"

Dexter and Roxie shrugged their shoulders in unison while Bella was talking to Dana about something that they couldn't hear. Mike sighed as he struggled to come up with a way to connect with the agents.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Scorched Girl has breached Containment!
Suppression is advised"

 

"Well, that's one way to form a close bond....."

Mike muttered before making a dash down the stairs. Roxie and Dana were already right behind him ready to support in the suppression. Dexter and Bella didn't know if they should follow or not, but chose the former after seeing no reason not to.

——————————————————————————
T-01-54's Containment

 

"What......the.......fuck......"

Were the first three words that Vinera spoke upon reaching the containment. It was completely understandable too, because anyone would be stumped if the thing they killed was suddenly back as if nothing happened.

The Abnormality was in the same spot as it was when she first came here. Breathing heavily while staring at her, this time without the dangerous glint. Though that didn't help with Vinera's confusion and immediate response of arming herself with her baton.

The clipboard she brought with her for instinct work was on the ground along with the tray of food she was ordered to bring. She was already confused by the sudden assignment of working in its containment since they already killed it, but she was even more disturbed by the food she had to bring.

It consisted of some gray mush that you would associate with prison food. The liquid that was leaking from the mush had splattered along the floor when she dropped it and even had gotten some on her paperwork.

But not paying any mind to that for now, Vinera eyed the Abnormality with a glare with her baton in front of her. She wanted to hurry and help with the suppression of Scorched Girl but the door behind her was already locked until the end of her assignment.

Seeing that it wasn't moving, Vinera slowly bent down to pick up the stuff she dropped. With the tray in one hand and her paperwork under her arm, she slowly walked up to the Abnormality. No reaction from it, even as she brought a spoon out and fed it.

Well, it wasn't exactly feeding if the food spilled back out from its open mouth. Still confused and now becoming annoyed, Vinera simply scooped a big spoon of slop before shoving it into its gaping mouth that breathed it in.

Not caring whether it consumed it or not, Vinera then pulled a pen out as she started to fill out whatever came to mind on the sheet.

 

??????????????????
————————————————

Classification: TETH

Observations/Tips:

"Big fucker.

Constantly breathes loud as hell.

Moves fast for someone his size in a straight-jacket.

Stares a lot........and I mean a lot.

Apparently likes the sloppy shit I gave it."
——————————————————

 

She wrote the last portion after noticing that the sloppy food in its mouth and flood had seemingly disappeared. Vinera didn't question it as she finished filling out whatever came to mind.

 

"11 PE-Boxes acquired."

 

Keeping an eye on the Abnormality at all times, she walked out of the containment room along with the empty tray and her paperwork. Dumping the tray away and passing the paperwork to a nearby clerk, Vinera made her way towards the hallway that was under suppression due to Scorched Girl.

Taking the flight of stairs, Vinera noticed the temperature increasing and the smell of smoke becoming apparent. Hearing the sounds of gunshots and noises coming from a specific door, she opened it and made her way in. Finding herself only to be faced with both Teams of agents disposing of Scorched Girl.

Her body crumbled after being shot and hit with the blunt end of Mike's weapon. Soon only ash remained as the fire dwindled down to nothing.

 

"Attention to all Personnel!
Scorched Girl has been suppressed!"

 

Seeing that she wasn't needed, Vinera calmly put her baton away while walking towards them.

 

"Announcement in Progress:
The day shift has ended,
thank you for your hard work."

 

With the day over, the six of them looked at each other before walking as a group to the nearest lounge to talk and get to know each other. Though Dexter was VERY reluctant to do so.

——————————————————————————

Shina's POV

 

Today was the day!

I wasn't going to wait any longer.

He might've avoided me yesterday and he might also do so today, but I was for sure going to find him and claim the reward I earned earnestly. I couldn't stop the giddy smile from forming its way onto my face, there wasn't anything that could make this day any better. Aside from actually finding him of course.

Quickly making my way around the facility, I searched nearly every Department in hopes of finding the man I was looking for. After a quick round or two, I finally found him, surprisingly in the Safety Department, sitting at a table while having a drink with the green-haired Sephirah of the Safety Team: Netzach.

Y/n was slightly red in the face from the intoxication that he was experiencing. Judging by the number of bottles on the table and floor, I would say that he's been at it for a while. With a drink in their hands, they clicked them together before merrily downing them. I debated whether or not to wait for him to further intoxicate himself so I could easily get my reward~, but in the end I decided against it.

After all, I want him to be with me of his own free will and not use cheap tricks like some of these whores tend to do.

Flinching slightly from the sharp pain from my finger, I realized that I subconsciously brought out my knife again. Oopsie me!~ I tend to get real stabby when getting lost in my thoughts. Putting my knife back, I made my way over to them with a clear pathway. I sent a "grateful" smile to the clerks who got out of my way, making them glance away quickly and leave.

I pouted a bit since they weren't showing any fun reactions, but my mood made a complete 180 when Y/n turned to face me. Netzach was the one who pointed me out to him, which I will kindly appreciate by giving him some Enkephalin later.

"Shina!~ Should've known you were here, it got real quick all of a sudden." Despite the amount he clearly drunk, it seemed he was still sober. "What brings you here?"

"What do you think?" Netzach groggily commented to his question as he eyed me with a deadpan look. "She's planning on taking my drinking partner."

I grinned at him which only earned me a scoff of annoyance as he downed another the rest of his drink. Seeing that Y/n was going to open another drink, I put my hand on his arm and slept brought it down. He eyed me confusingly while I stared back at him. For a moment, I nearly forgot what I was here to do as I got lost in his eyes. But I was able to resist, even if I didn't necessarily want to.

"Drink later, recompense now." The effect was immediate as any form of drowsiness from the alcohol was gone.

"Oh yeah......forgot about that....." I ignored how reluctant he sounded and merely pulled him up to his feet. He rolled his eyes as he started to collect the bottles from the table and floor. "Alright, alight, I won't run anymore. Let me just clean up our mess."

I didn't need to see a mirror to know that my smile got even wider than before. As Y/n walked away with bottles in both arms towards the trash, I noticed Netzach standing up with a less than amused look. For a man who constantly drank himself to the ground, it was rare to see him as sober as he was now. With both hands in his pockets, he leaned on the table while looking at me from the corner of his eyes filled with disapproval.

"So? What brings the insecure sadistic bitch here?"

I grinned at him for trying to get under my skin.

"Nothing much, nothing much, just came to fetch the Captain."

He didn't believe me, not like he ever did. Drunkards and their trust issues. Taking my knife out, I idly played with it by tossing it around or giving it a twirl. Netzach watched, warily taking long glances at the blade whenever it's sharp end moves too quickly.

"Hope you didn't think I came to check up on you~"

"Pfft, as if. The last thing I need is someone like you roaming around here." He frowned while taking his iconic flask out from his suit pocket. Giving it a swirl, he gauged the amount of liquid inside before taking a gulp. ".......it's pointless you know."

I tossed my knife into the air one last time before looking at him with a raised brow. Without looking, I flawlessly caught the handle before placing my hand on my hip.

"Oh please, this again?"

He didn't respond at first as he stared at the ground with his drink in hand.

"Don't know why you're even trying. Not just you, I'm talking about everyone in this damn place." His voice was emotionless as he spoke, something that always happened whenever he was sober. Drinking kept his mind off stuff, so seeing him like this meant that he was either putting off on the drinking waiting for Y/n, or he was running low. "How many times have you tried already?"

"........."

The grin I had was long gone as it turned flat. He chuckled dryly at my silence. I didn't need to say anything, he knew the answer to that question no matter how many times he's asked it.

"Lost count? Because I sure have. Now tell me, how many times have you succeeded?"

"........"

I clenched my teeth as I stared at him. He knew I was, but of course, he didn't feel like meeting me eye to eye. The truth hurt more than I could imagine and no doubt he knew that as well. It was probably why he was bringing it up in the first place.

"I'm going to ask you once again.....what brings you here?"

"........."

In truth, the thing I actually wanted was simple and yet not so simple. Easy to give, hard to obtain. There aren't many things that I want, let alone things I actively chase for. Being in this hellhole didn't help with any of it as I've long gone insane, that much I already know. I knew the moment the few things I wanted became the things I needed to live and continue living.

"........."

".....Just came for my compensation for all of this....."

My words came out, but even I wasn't sure whether or not I was convinced by them. Hah! If even I didn't believe my own words, then what makes me think that it could convince him.

"Keep telling yourself that. Let's see how far that gets you this time. No doubt as far as the last."

That hit a nerve within me as memories flashed in my head. Flickering lights. Complete darkness surrounding me. Screams filling the silence in my ears. The stench of rotting corpses covering every breath I took. The feeling of something slithering and crawling around and within me. Sending a glare at him, I clenched my hand ready to rip him apart, but before I could he sent a glare back at me.

"You know I'm right. You're doomed to fail. All of us are."

"Speak for yourself, Netzach. I'll keep trying for as long as my body and mind continues to exist."

"What did I expect from a defect, let alone a monster, such as yourself."

"I'd rather be a monster than a pitiful drunkard like you who can't even drink himself to death properly."

That caused him to freeze as he turned his head and looked away. I clenched my fist harder, the frustration made me say something I didn't mean to. Apologizing wouldn't do much either because it was the truth regardless. I turned my head away, ashamed and stubbornly not wishing to see what I did.

After a moment of silence, we both noticed Y/n coming back empty handed. Netzach got off the table he was leaning on as he turned away from me.

"Whatever.....we'll see just how hungry you get this time, monster." He started to walk away before stopping. "By the way, if you ever get the chance, tell Angela to hurry it up with the Enkephalin."

With that last request, he walked away and disappeared out into the hallway. Just as Y/n reached me, I grabbed his wrist and walked right out with him behind me. He asked me something that I couldn't hear as the sounds of my thoughts drowned out any noise.

"Just love me. I'm a monster. Just love me. I'm a defect. Just love me. I'm nothing without you. Just love me. Don't leave me. Just love me. When will it end? Just love me. How will it end? Just love me. Can you love me? Just love me. Because who else will? Just love me. When I don't even love myself. Just love me. It's hurting to start again. Just love me. And again. Just love me. And again. Just love me. And again. Just love me. And again."

Taking a glance at the man who's hand I was holding. My eyes met his as he offered a weak smile that made all those thoughts cease and be silenced. For just a moment, the world around us stopped existing in my mind as my vision was only filled with his features.

In this small world in my head with just the two of us that I knew would last for only a moment, I prayed to whatever God, Devil, Entity, or Abnormality to make it true.

"Just love me........please......"

——————————————————————————

Y/n's POV

<Time-Skip>

Staring at the little flame in front of me, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by its slow dancing in the dark. It's dim embers that showed its liveliness was entertaining to me as I patiently sat here while waiting for my guest to show up. Though waiting for them wasn't so bad as this free time allowed me to wind down a bit from the frustrations of the disorganized mess that we had in Hod's Department yesterday and today.

It was kind of baffling how badly they did on the tests that she gave out, no wonder Hod was stressed out so much. She's probably constantly dealing with people like them on a daily basis. I mean, come on, from one of the tests that I checked they answered with "I'll negotiate with them". The question was asking whether or not you should report to your superior that your colleague was slacking off or not. Deals being done between employees wasn't new, but why would you admit to possibly doing it?

Nothing like a nice drinking session with Netzach couldn't help take my mind off the stressing matter. The break was relaxing, and it was nice of him to invite me since my work has been getting to me.

Sitting back in my chair, I decided to momentarily forget about it in favor of looking at the small radio on the side of the table. A slow soothing melody was being played that set the mood along with the candles and silverware. If it wasn't taking place in a metallic empty room within a facility full of monstrosities and death, this would've made for a nice romantic setting.

Sadly, this was supposed to be a romantic dinner.

From the candles to the table cloth, that was actually a bedsheet, to the table and glassware, this was all roughly organized and put together last minute to be a heart-felt dinner for two. I wasn't usually one for such things like fancy food or utensils, but the fact that this was done as a "reward" for my right-hand woman made me put up with it.

Though this was better than the alternative in my opinion. When she came to me about continuing what she had started a few days back, I had tried to play it off. Which didn't do much except make her frustrated as she struggled to drag me around with her. Deciding to tease her a bit, I joked about at least getting me dinner first before anything serious happened.

"At least buy me dinner!" I joked while expecting her to joke back. "Really?! Then I'll get started right away!" She nearly squeaked out before leaving me in my room. Running back in and out, she all but brought the stuff that was before me now, including the radio.

The last thing I expected was for her to take my words literally and be far more exhilarated with it than I thought. The fact that she did a complete one-eighty in her mood caused me to question just how much she wanted this. But in all honesty, I didn't understand how she considered a dinner with me as a "reward" that was equivalent to whatever she wanted from me. After all, I could've prepared something like this in advance if she just asked, though I doubt she would want BongBong or Renold to be there.

But this is what she wanted, so entertaining her is the least I could do.

Seeing that Shina had yet to comeback with whatever she was going to bring, I decided to play with the small radio for a bit in hopes of finding some music to listen to. Making sure to remember the original frequency for when she came back, I stopped and tuned in on a jazz performance. The saxophone was playing a solo while the low strings strung in the back in a steady beat.

I find myself tapping my fingers on the table in beat with it. The music was melodic and meaningful, causing me to close my eyes  and somehow feel nostalgic for some reason

'Have I heard this before?' I couldn't help but question when I nodded my head on beat with the soloist. 'Maybe.....Either way it's fantastic.'

Deciding to enjoy the music at the moment, I spent the next few minutes in complete bliss. The moment was put to an end when the door to my room abruptly opened with Shina walking in. Her face had a giddy and contagious smile that only widened when her eyes met mine. Seeing that only caused me to smile back, but I froze when I saw the things in her hand.

In one hand, she held bottles.

Bottles of wine to be precise.

Oh boy, this could go two ways.

"Uuuhhh, Shina? Where did you get those bottles?"

Upon inspecting them more thoroughly, they looked to be expensive and WAY out of our paycheck.....not that we got one.

"Oh these?~ I found them lying around~" That was just another way of saying she stole them. "So I decided to take them since I did interrupt your drinking session earlier~ So as sorry I'll pour you a few glasses~"

I was having a difficult mental debate. On one hand, she most likely stole those from the Manager's office since I remember seeing that brand on his wine cabinet. On the other hand, the bottles were very, very, convincing with the way it swirled in its containers.

"Are you trying to entice me by twirling the bottles?"

"Maaaayyybeee~"

"Well it's working."

"Good~"

We both chuckled before I turned back to the table.

"You know, when I said to invite me to dinner first, you know I was joking right?"

When I didn't get a response, I inwardly laughed because she was probably embarrassed. Enjoying the jazz music for a little longer, I became curious as to why she wasn't talking or why she hadn't come to the table when I heard something click.

*CLICK*

*Jazz Music Stops*

My hand accidentally fumbled and turned the radio off as I turned my head to look back at Shina. The clicking sound was very distinct and anyone would know the sound. Because it was the sound of the door being locked to be precise.

"S-Shina? You, uuhhh, kinda locked the door...."

Still not receiving a response, I gave her a look of concern. She had her back turned to me before she slowly turned around. Her usual ponytail was gone as her hair was now down and draped over her shoulders and back. Her bang that usually hid her eye was not combed to the side and kept in place with a hairpin. It was also now that I got a real good look at her since due to the dark I couldn't fully see. But she wasn't wearing her usual suit, instead she wore a maroon dress that matched her eye color.

All in all, I wasn't expecting her to be wearing something like this, especially when the question of how and where she got it from came to mind. The longer I took to find the words to speak, the more and more she looked nervous and slightly embarrassed. Her eyes glanced anywhere but in my direction as she fidgeted in place.Deciding to save her from an awkward moment, I cleared my throat before standing up.

"If I knew we were dressing up for the occasion, I would've gotten something nicer to wear."

She finally looked me in the eye before pouting her cheeks cutely.

"Don't say that. You look good in your 'uniform'. Besides, it's already a suit so I don't know what else you would wear~"

"Hehe, I guess it is, isn't it. You look good by the way." Her face turned slightly red as she smiled. "I'm not even going to question where you got it."

"Good, because I don't remember how either. Now with that out of the way, can I have my dinner with you please~"

I rolled my eyes before nodding my head.

The rest of the night was a simple dinner with Shina as we spoke of whatever came to mind. The wine was exquisite while the food was the best of what we had for rations. Though I didn't mind, I wasn't expecting a steak or even meat anyways, Shina's satisfied smile and look of content throughout the entire night was enough for me.

If all my dinners were like this, I wouldn't mind having them. Though it I bet it would have been better if BongBong and Renold were here to fill in the space at the table.

In the end, Shina's reward was a simple wholesome dinner.

And that was enough........for the both of us......

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