#CW: food. implication that an object is sharp

[thewhumpstuff]

You and I, Me and You [34]

[CW: Vague references to human trafficking]

[Teaser and Master List] [Archives of our Own] (Lost and Found: Chapter 9)

Moving Forward.

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Akira’s walk had been shorter than she had anticipated. It was warmer inside than outside. She liked it, but as she neared her room and noticed the figure slumped by her door in the distance and he made everything feel a little stifling and sticky. Her black track pants rustled as she crouched and then sat against the wall by the threshold to her room. Two silicone ziplock bags lay in her lap. Jared sat on the other side of the sleek frame. Like a guard dog. The two occupied the stark, long hallway, lined with doors. They did not look at each other. And they could only speak in whispers, lest some rankled trainee BioHacker stuck their head out of their room to try and find out what all the racket in the hallway was about. She opened one of the bags. The aroma of spiced fried rice filled the air. “Sorry, I forgot about the food...” Perhaps it was easier to break a silence with a whisper, for Jared, maybe he was just hungry. He apologized for something Akira did not think warranted one, while avoiding the things she did need explanations for. “It’s fine… Here…” She sighed and passed the other bag over to him and a disposable pair of recyclable chopsticks along with it.

He did apologize for something, because the air hung so thickly between them, he felt like he needed to. He could sense that the lack of food was not really the appropriate reason. At the same time, everything else felt like something he expected Akira to understand... Things got out of hand and he was duty-bound to help in any way he could. She sniffed at the food, there was something comforting about it. Akira closed her eyes. She had not seen what Tariq and Jared had. Akira only knew of Zizi’s suffering through Novara’s accounts. Zizi remained a mystery. A victim who had suffered, yes, but still a mystery. “What do we know about her? About Zizi?” She asked softly, after swallowing her first bite. Food did help blunt the sharpness with which she had been approaching everything. “Not enough… But I intend to find out.” He admitted. He sounded driven and cryptic. Akira was too exhausted to push for more. A part of her craved her bed, but anything she considered asking for, felt like a privilege. I could just sneak in and use my couch… Everything sounded selfish. The corridor was eerie. It was probably past midnight, she checked her SmartEye. It was. She gave up. “I’m going to Tariq’s. I’m… I’m tired.” Akira finally announced. Jared could not find a reason to contest this. He did not hold it against her either. And she was not seeking his permission, neither did she have to. “... Do you think they’re asleep and it’s safe for you to come along?” “I’ll stay here.” Akira could not find a reason to contest either and stifled the mulish protest. -  The chopsticks were stowed in the empty ziplock packet. It lay beside Jared, who was dozing, upright with his head against the wall. Finally, the door clicked behind him. Nova’s eyes were still puffy, dark circles were stark against her pale skin.

“Jared… I think… I think Zizi comes from some sort of an organized system...” She scooched by him. They had conversed with the bare minimums enough times for him to instantly understand the implication. He would need to know a little more, but the corridor was certainly not the right place for it. Nova was trained enough to be trusted with her instinct, plus, she certainly knew details that Jared did not, given her shared past with Zizi. He allegedly had his own past with her too, it left him feeling as involved and responsible as Nova did. The purpose gave him a new direction. “Do you know enough? Can we find out more from her?” “Not from her, Jared please… She is not ready. She needs to heal, like really heal.” He nodded. He knew Nova struggled to not get involved and attached. He understood her need and want to protect Zizi, he wanted to respect it. This was a special circumstance after all. There had to be other ways. But they would require a certain clearance. Jared made up his mind. “Stay with her, Nova. I need to speak to someone.” Nova’s eyes didn’t betray any fear of consequence, she was already at the door, ready to go back inside. But he reassured her anyway, “And no, you won’t be going down for anything.” - “But I need clearance and you will have to trust me through my absolute discretion, will you?” Cepheus hummed as he considered Jared’s demands. “That is all you want, to be able to assemble your team and tackle some crime activity you have come across? Nothing else…?” He left the implication of his previous offer in his loaded question. “I want nothing to do with Ezekiel, Look, he’ll get his justice within the judiciary system, right? I just want permission to run this one operation on my terms without interference from you or anyone else. Can I have that, or not?” He repeated his terms, there was a stubborn edge to his voice, that Cepheus admired, that and the younger man’s moral stand. “Is there anything else?” “Till I’m not done with my mission, can we keep this transition under wraps?” Jared was uncertain that this request would be granted. He sensed that they wanted to replace Ezekiel as a person as much as they would want to boast of a new figure head. This showed in the way he asked. Cepheus felt generous and he assumed that it was a way for the Knight to feel like he had earned the spot. “Done. Send the list of your desired members for the team to Celaeno. Welcome to Q.B. I wish you success in your mission, and soon, so that I finally get to give Scarlett a call! ” The Commander replied with a childish guffaw, before Jared could respond, he heard a tone that signified the disconnect. Within moments, he received certain credentials within his CommCube and SmartEye. He sent his list.

Secondary Clearance for: Tariq Meissa Novara Ricci Vivianne Delacroix Tertiary Clearance: TBD. As per requirement.

He was surprised at the efficiency with which he received Celaeno’s confirmation. - Tariq spit out the cloth he’d been biting to muffle his groans. Please Nova, just make this a little more painless… He whisked the empty  syringe and  ‘advanced-shealing-serum’ vial under the couch. He wasn’t sure if he had injected his hand with it correctly. But it looked and felt much better than before. The swelling and bruising was almost gone. Internally though, things still hurt, as he realised when he gripped the pillow, he winced and then grumbled. Tariq’s legs hung out awkwardly on the other side of the couch. He rolled onto his back uncomfortably and then sat up. He tossed the cushion onto his bed, aiming for the person curled in the middle, largely disrespecting the vastness of the mattress. “You’re smaller and you should have taken the damn couch.” Akira chucked the pillow back and spoke into the one over her head. “Don’t let chivalry die… fool, besides I really… Just wanted space to roll around.” Rest always made her feel better. It was a pity that sleep rarely visited her. A notification broke his thoughts that he was stringing into an appropriate repartee. He had received a rather official looking correspondence from Jared Knight. He sat up. “Hey, Kira… I have the morning off and-” “Good for you. Shut up and let me-” She sounded drowsy, but already awake. “-And I think your man is my new boss.” He sounded just a tad crestfallen, but only momentarily. It was not too surprising for Q.B. to whisk Jared up while they had the chance. She sat up like a springboard, then relaxed into the bedpost dully. “Yeah… he told me Cepheus offered him SiC. He didn’t seem so ready to take it when we talked about it though…” She said ruefully. He let Akira brood when she needed to, and it did not stop him from carrying on. “He got a small team together to crack Zizi’s case, I think. He’s been sparing with the details, but we’re meeting later today.” Her eyes brightened momentarily. “Oh! Am I on-” She cut herself off. Of course not. That would need qualification, license and credentials… Her gaze met Tariq’s. “All you gotta do is finish your damn thesis and the few screening tests.” He did not mean to diminish the work that would take in general but did want to let her know he thought it would not be a big deal for someone like her. She huffed softly. “Well… You’ll keep me in the loop right…?” She barely managed to sound hopeful. He got off the couch to go sit on the corner of his bed. “Only if you can make contact when we spar next…” “Pfft. Low bar. Get ready...” She was about to leap at him playfully, just to try catch him off guard and tackle him off the bed. But a notification of her own made her stop. This was a small mercy, at least Jared didn’t leave her entirely out of the loop. I’m a little low on the priorities there, though. That did make sense… Objectively.

Red: Took SiC. Got a team together to investigate Zizi’s situation. You have the next week off. Asked for a suite… Nothing too fancy, but can you and Nova move in there with Zizi? Can’t hand her off yet. I’ll check in periodically.

It was too curt for her liking. He already sounded busy. It is fine. He is busy and this is a good thing. You wanted this for him too, right? She wanted all of that to be true and could not understand why it did not feel that way. Akira was not sure if this was some sort of a consolation prize or if he really needed her help. Either way, she could not see herself denying the request. She knew would miss living with him… Her mind had jumped to a very different reality when she heard he had taken SiC.

To Red: Congrats… I guess and sure, I’ll move in with Nova and Zizi.

She replied and sighed, willing herself to grin again. “I’ll be living on the floor above yours now, Reeek… So, you better be ready all the time.” She tried to sound light and teased Tariq with a nickname she knew he hated. “Don’t call me that!” -

Moving from one room to another was no grand task. She left most of her things in her own quarters and only took the essentials to Jared’s suite, the one he would not be occupying. Just a small bag. Her training uniform, some clothes, her BioHacker equipment… Her bare feet enjoyed the texture and warmth of the wood-panelled floor as she ambled within the house. The kitchen was stocked, and it was set up a little like a bar. The rectangular dining table was considerably bigger than her tiny circular one. A liquor cabinet graced one side of the living room and a small fireplace sat on the other. Armchairs facing it made a comforting nook of their own. It had three rooms and two, better equipped, bathrooms. She peered into one in the master bedroom and twittered softly. “I always did want a hot-tub…” Trainees were only afforded shower cabinets. She spoke mostly to herself, but Nova and Zizi were within earshot. Zizi was bundled up on her automated wheelchair, looking much brighter than she had last night. The controls were simple enough and allowed her to navigate the house at her own pace.   Akira could glean joy from the small upgrades, but Jared’s absence was palpable. Especially, because he would not have noticed any of these things. Nova was exploring too, but slower and quietly. She followed Akira and tried not to let her tiredness show. When she noticed the crisp bedcovers on the large bed in the master bedroom, she could not help but flop onto it. It was starkly different in design than Ezekiel’s waterbed. And she thought she just wanted to know what it felt like. But within moments, she was lost in a dreamless sleep. Akira threw a duvet onto her, before slinking into the other room. It was the smaller guest room. “I guess I’m taking this one,” she announced and left her bag by the single bed, staking claim. She stepped out to face the woman in the wheelchair. “You… you’re okay sharing the room with Nova, right?” “Yep.” She had spent too much time alone in that tiny cell. The bustle of sharing a room… a comfortable room, sparked a certain excitement. Plus, Nova was familiar and without Eze’s shadow looming behind her, she was helpful but not intrusively so. She did have this protective air around her, Zizi did not mind it so much, it was a welcome change to have someone feel that way about her. It reminded her a little of Jeremy. In fact, she could not bring herself to admit how nice it was to have someone take care of her, out of fear that it may not last. Been me against the world for too long… Akira sauntered into the third and final room with a mild intrigue. It had a padded floor and housed some training equipment… Including the mu ren zhuang. Zizi pulled up at the threshold, not wanting to roll onto the padded floor. “All this is-” “Jared’s or for him any way…” Akira responded to the question she assumed Zizi was going to ask with the answer that was already in her thoughts and so, on her lips. Zizi gave her space to leave the room, she appraised Akira with weary interest. They spent most of the day in silence.   Nova had gotten up just in time for the meeting Jared had called. Akira tried not to pout about not being included she knew it was her own fault. - Vivi sat in one chair and had her feet up on another. Conference tables were so… long. Her eyes traced it from end to end. There were just three other people in the room. The space between them felt like a waste. T sat across her, and Nova sat at the head. Jared paced behind Nova and sometimes around the whole table, it was driving Vivi crazy. Her eyes were soon following him like a target, and he moved too unpredictably. “We have to work within certain constraints.” “Yeah… We’re not dragging Zizi into this extensively.” Nova interrupted Jared. He did not mind. Both he and Tariq agreed with Nova’s suggestions. “We can just ask Eze for more…” Vivi’s voice was a sweet trill. “That’s the other thing, we’re not using Ezekiel either, because I do not want any of us…” He looked at Tariq pointedly, who did not contest the accusation in the SiC’s gaze. “...Going too far, because let’s face it, it would be or could get, very personal.” “Not exactly.” Vivi insisted but did not really make it a point of contention, as Jared went on. This was a matter of principle for him. “Irrespective, we are better off piecing things together on our own than relying on that scheming s.o.b. It can’t be that hard to track…” Plans were made, and responsibilities were delegated. Tariq took up the mantle of being the man on the ground. While his militaristic experience trumped his time as an Enforcer, all Q.B. agents were essentially PeaceKeepers, by default. (a.k.a piecers or peekers, depending on their reputation) He did still know the lay of the land and offered to scout known gang infested locations to see if he could wheedle information about the human trade. Vivi had enough experience finding her way into the deeper, darker, well-encrypted depths of The Network. She offered to start there. There was bound to be something related to this... and more. Nova helped them by trying to put together a loose timeline based on what Zizi had shared and what she knew. She also offered some intel on the kind of company Ezekiel kept. People amidst his high-profile posse that could potentially be involved in an amoral trade such as this one. At least being paraded around in those parties feels meaningful now. And she could only wish she had been less blank through them and more attentive. Nova’s information reminded Jared that he too may be able to piece together Zizi’s life, if what she had shared today was true. Additionally, he knew some rotten folks who had garnered enough wealth during The Supremacy’s reign. People who did not stop till they got what they wanted, whatever it might be. So many of them had escaped culpability in this transitory period... Jared would need to rifle through his past. And he knew that would not be easy. Once the brief meeting concluded, he quickly excused himself to attend to other matters. Vivi merely walked away, without feeling the need to state her intent. Nova and Tariq headed back to Jared’s suite to check in on Zizi. … And Akira. Tags: @lettuceknighted​ and @quirkykayleetam​

#captive rescue #Plot focused #you and i me and you #tempered grace