User blog:Roinelll/Solace 5-03

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Sea Breeze

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"Doc, we need to talk." He looked at me slightly amused, but I wasn't in the mood for that. "Now!" I growled darkly and his expression turned more serious. "Alone..." I turned to the rest of the team present who looked at me surprised. "Please... Just for now, trust me." My plea was met with silence for a few minutes, but then they started to leave without any question.

"You better fill us in Captain." Kota called as he left the room, the two girls in tow.

"I'm hungry!" Chirped the cheery little girl in front of me as she looked up at me. "Food!" The girl shaped Aragami squealed and I chuckled at her.

"Well, let's talk after I get her something to eat, I'll be right back." Called to me the researcher and he left the room before I could even protest.

"Hungry?" Asked the pale girl as she tugged on my legs, requesting my attention. I leaned down and patted her head lightly to what she giggled like an innocent child. "I'm hungry!" She declared happily and I had to chuckle.

"Damn fox, saying that she won't eat humans." I couldn't help, but grumble as the girl started to play with her feet once more. "Did you forget that God Eaters aren't quite human either? What would you do if this little monster went on a rampage?"

The elder used this moment to step into the room, apparently having heard the end of my sentence. "Didn't I reassure you that she won't do that as long we keep her sated?" He placed a small pile in front of the Aragami girl. "Both her appetite and curiosity, that is." We watched as the girl practically threw herself on the items and gorged them up fast.

While the pale humanoid was busy removing the assembled cores from existence, I turned back to the scientist. "Did Licca notify you, Doc about Izanami's behaviour?" He nodded to me and that made me frown. "So Doc, was it something you expected?"

"I had no idea something like this could happen to be honest." He started and that made me growl. "However, It is quite intriguing. My guess would be that your Symbiote is enhancing the capabilities of your body, which is in the process of turning into Izanagi." The researcher mused for a few moments. "Come to think of it, there were random power outages while you were running Berserk."

"Great... Well, at least we know that I'm right now immune to spark." The small girl tugged on my legs once more and I looked down to see her having finished the pile of cores. "What is it?" I knelt down to get near her eye level, but she just tilted her head and stare at me. "Sigh, Doc. I'm going to get some rest if that is okay with you. Keep... her safe."

"Safe!" Chirped the little girl and I chuckled when leaving the room.

My sleep was uneasy, as I met the 'others' once more. It was a weirded out staring match, occasionally spiced with the cackling of Neistovyy, like a crazed demon. "Well at least I require less than two hours of sleep..." I looked at the time and it was still showing less than 2 AM. "I'll go and see the girl, I think she also needs lot less sleep than the others."

When I arrived, at the lab there were signs of scuffle and the elder was pretty beaten up as he leaned back in his chair. "Oh?" He looked up at me with tired, but still those ever closed eyes. "What can I help you with?" He asked and I chuckled.

"You aren't used to look after children, are you Doc?" I smiled as I got only a powerless smile from him in return. "I guess you get this if curiosity and appetite are sated at the same time." All around the room there were literally at random spots bite marks, it was quite scary imagining how the hell did such a petite girl like her jump up to the ceiling to take a bite out of it. I wonder how will he excuse himself when the repair crew comes to fix the damage.

"I'll manage." Came the answer in a sullen voice. "So, Sierra. Is there a problem?"

"I'm bored, still not used to sleep so little even when being that tired like I was yesterday." I mused half to myself. "Shall we take Izanami out for a spin and get data so I will know just what is she capable of?"

However the elder only laughed at me weakly. "I've yet to catch any rest myself and here you are demanding more?"

"Old snake, aren't you the one who can't shake his gaze off the Singularity?" His breath skipped slightly to what I chuckled. "I can put two and two together easily, thank you. So, tell me Doc. How did you manage to convince the Director to miss her?"

Dr. Sakaki looked at me with a wry smile on his face. "What I told Johann was true. There was an Aragami found with a core supposedly unprecedented in power." His expression turned grave. "When it was first spotted, it claimed the life of a God Eater testing the Prototype New-Type God Arc. We dubbed the Aragami, Rufus Caligula."

"Unprecedented power." I repeated it after him. "As in, an Irregular power?" At the question only a dry chuckle came as a response. "Doc, that is not funny. I don't know what the Director is after, but it's clear that you two are in some sort of a competition! What if that core gets in his hands?"

"I highly doubt that, as even veteran God Eaters were only able to chase away the Rufus Caligula. They were unable to inflict lasting wounds on its body." Hearing that chilled me, but at the same time meant that it was safe to assume the director won't be able to gather it either. "Tell me, when the Director will request to hunt down the Singularity, what will you do?"

"Try to get her as far from the Directors hand as possible." I frowned momentarily lost in my thoughts. "Just what exactly is the goal of your competition?" I've not gotten an answer, instead the door on the right side of the lab opened up and from inside the cheerfully squealing girl bounced out and tackled me. I managed to peak into the room and saw absolute chaos inside, which made me laugh lightly.

"SIRA!" Came her cheer and I chuckled as she looked up at me. "SIRA!" Well, at least she tries conversation unlike a certain grumpster... The girl was way too energetic and I turned towards the elder. "Saki!" She said and let go of me to go over to the doctor. "Hungry!" She called, plopping down on the ground excitedly.

His response way a defeated sigh. "It seems even she isn't taking a long time to rest up, just like you." With a frown the elder called. "Why don't you take her out?"

"Two birds with one stone?" I asked and he couldn't help, but nod in response. "Feed her and test my Izanami. Got it." But then it occurred to me, just how am I supposed to do that, can't bring her through the base, someone might notice her. "Come to think of it, Doc. How did you sneak her aboard?"

Realizing that he has no choice, but to reveal to me the Doctor calmly stated. "At the back of the other room, is a hidden elevator. That brings you on a passage that leads to the outside." I whistled lightly. "Since you don't have to get your God Arc, it's much safer to sneak out with the child, isn't it?"

"So, where is our destination?" I called to the Doc, who was searching around for something. "I can't just take her willy-nilly with me, can I?"

"Here, take this. You... can ride a motorcycle, right?" In my hand a key chain was pushed and I nodded slightly, I wasn't quite confident in my riding skills either way. "You... will go with Sierra, to have an early breakfast?" Questioned the elder the girl focusing her attention at us momentarily.

"I'm hungry!" Chirped delightfully the small girl and sprawled out on the ground. We looked at her and I couldn't stop chuckling at all. "I'm ready to eat!" She called and I shook my head at the antics of the Aragami child.

"Then let's go and feed you, gal." I called and hoped not to regret it.

I never would have thought that I'll be praising the very moment I stepped back into the room through that very same door. "Doc, I don't know how you managed, but..." I started as I stepped into the room and looking around, not to find the sought after person, but rather a very furious God Eater sitting with crossed arms and wielding a menacing glare. "Hey Soma?" I greeted him, despite the unwelcome stare.

"Where. The. Fuck. You. Been?" He demanded with a dangerous scowl and I had to start laughing nervously. "Do you even realize what you had done?!" Snapped the dark skinned male and in an instant crossed the distance between me and him, even from a sitting position. "DO YOU DUMBASS?!"

"Well, at least you're not calling me a Dead Beat." His fists were wrenched into a tight grip right in front of me as I said that. "Doc called me to take her out to feed." I pointed behind me, where the Aragami girl was staring at the two of us. In return Soma was staring at her for a few second before turning around muttering something about a bloody sociopath and massacre.

That is when an originally white, but now riddled with uncountable specks of blood zipped past me and like some magnet stuck onto the unwary God Eater. "SOMA!!" Cheered the monstrous girl and I had to chuckle as said person even froze as a result of this action. "Soma?" Asked the girl and I heard him grit his teeth hard enough that it made mines hurt.

Well, it wasn't quite surprising. After all, the sort of innocent little Aragami, even with the form of a human girl is still a ravenous monster. I can attest to that, I saw her literally rip Ogretails to shreds with her bare hands. Not just a few, but a whole swarm, including Vajratails and some sort of variants of those, because there were a few who were spark based and not blaze. All in all, lil glutton massacred over five dozen 'small fry' and proceeded to eat them. All by herself!

The result was quite astonishing. She practically swam in blood, gore and Oracle Cells as the bodies were decomposing, not to mention as she literally ripped them apart. What really boggled my mind, was no matter how much she consumed, the girl wasn't showing any signs of it. Which, when considering she took in over twenty times her mass at least... has to be a sign of something.

As for me, I barely could upkeep with spectating and collecting the pieces of my jaws from the ground every few minutes when she pulled her random childish stunts. Things like, trying to ride one, or catching the bone projectiles of the Ogretails with her teeth in mid-air, and many other that would take too long to list. She was just literally doing whatever popped into her mind.

Combine this fact with that she managed to freak me out quite fast by not being able to sit in one place for longer than five seconds, making both trips to and from the designated area a whole nightmare for me. Because she couldn't wait, her attention wandered over the place, she constantly either tried to taste the bike, or jumped off and ran circles around me... While, I kept a steady 70 kmp/h speed. '''She is freaking dangerous... An unstoppable beast, with the mind of a child.'''

Oh and the best part, she freaking made a Quadriga surrender to her. As in drop down, open the chest carapace and she just waltzed up to it, ripped the core out with her teeth and ate the damn whole Aragami! At that point, I was so mind blown it took me moments to realize that my 'pet' decided to join me in the staring contest as she... ate. And she freaking at the whole thing faster it could disintegrate... After seemingly getting bored of that, it simply left us alone.

"Get this leech off me." Snarled the male and attempted to remove the mess, that the girl represented from his back. "You hear me, Dumbass?!" I was actually trying to burn that image into my mind, instead of considering the demand. However, before he could have done anything about it, Kota opened the room and practically froze on sight what was inside. It was pretty comical as Soma was trying to rip said girl off his back.

"I... seem to have came at a wrong time." He hightailed out faster than we could ask and I simply ran after him, barely catching the boy inside the elevator as it closed behind me. "I didn't see anything!" Kota stated and apparently was shivering. "I swear it! I didn't see a thing, just please don't tell anything to Alisa!"

At his plea I was at first surprised, then frowned. "What the hell did you do to her again?" Although, the sentence came out much more threatening than I hoped, it was still annoying me that he messed up once more. "Well?!"

"I just wanted to make her feel better about the change of clothes..." Kota started, with a blush and hanged his head as he played with his fingers. "I... sort of dropped that she looks sexier with the turtleneck, than before..." Oi... "Now she is madder at me than ever!"

"Why did you do that even?" I sighed and shook my head. "Look, I'll try to help you, however I need to know the source of the problem..."

Fidgeting around the boy nodded and took a deep breath. "Those jerks were badmouthing her again, criticizing her choice of clothes." Kota clenched his feet and fists in anger and growled very much like a certain God of Death does so often. "I couldn't just leave that be and walk away, could I?" He looked up into my face and the determination I saw in his eyes surprised me. "You understand why I stood up to her, right?"

"Sure. I would have done the same." I patted the gunners shoulder as the elevator stopped on the floor of the lobby. "However, you tend to get mixed up with words every time Alisa is involved, that does result in backfiring upon you every single time, no?" His expression darkened with sadness. "Chin up, oh right before I forget. Why did you come to the lab again?"

"I called for you." Tsubaki spoke up as she walked in from a side corridor. "All Captains are to attend the meeting that will occur in a half hour. Kota, this also includes you. Until then, dismissed." We looked after the mature woman to walk away with the tablet in her hand and the boy turned to me.

"I'm doomed..." He whined pathetically. "I'm so very doomed..."

Kota hid behind me as soon as we entered the Majors office, which was kinda... pathetic if you would ask me. "We're here, Major!" I called out to the superior and noticed that beside us there was also Tatsumi, Karel, King and three other God Eaters present, presumably leaders of their own respective squads.But if you were to ask me, they were quite... unimposing, as if their existence was meaningless... "So, why is this meeting held again?"

"Didn't Kota tell you?" Tatsumi called to me and I shook my head as a response. "Seriously it's a very important role we'll have to complete in."

"Uh... I'm lost now completely." I turned to the boy beside me, who looked even as surprised as me. "Let me guess, you were so nervous because the Major called for you two, that you forgot it?" He nodded reluctantly to what I couldn't help, but sigh. "Some help here guys?" Well, aside from the Major, I had been the only female present.

Scoffing, King turned towards me. "What a great example our finest God Eaters are." Arms crossed he glared at me. "I'm impressed you managed to stay alive so far, with that head of yours. Dead Weight!" I was surprised as he used the damn moniker Soma always chose for the boy, but he was getting cut off by our Instructor.

"That's enough, King!" She called, to what the male gave a 'hmpf'. "This meeting is in order for the following, the R&D gave the OK, for the design sharing of the new Oracle Bullet modules. Also, they requested the following, those who had used them can now apply simple modifications or request a new type of bullet. Both cases mean that they will follow the longer period of testing phase."

"Neat." Karel spoke with a fire lit in his eyes. "This means easier missions, which translates into more rewards." '''Uhh, right. C called this guy greedy as hell...'''

"Hmm, so we'll have to relay this to the gunners in our teams." I nodded and looked at the boy beside me. "So, why was Kota summoned then?" It was obvious he was also curious, but at the same time terrified to ask it himself.

"We're going to have our God Arcs upgraded." Tatsumi said and I turned to him surprised. "As in King, Kota, Canon and me." He scratched his head. "Canon is out on a sweeping mission, so she'll be notified when she gets back."

"Upgraded?" Parroted the young gunner. "But mines is not yet suitable for an upgrade, isn't it?" Kota wondered and started to think hard on it. "I... don't know, but I recall that mines is not due for an upgrade yet."

"The God Arcs were chosen since they were compatible for the God Arc Reconstruction." King spoke with disdain in his voice. "That means, they will not get a complete upgrade, but a minor rehaul. Making them stronger, see?" The male grunted and tightened his crossed arms. "That also means we'll be out of commission until the damn tech-heads finish their playtime with our gear..."

"Still better than wading into combat with a God Arc not responding or outright trying to devour you." Said Tatsumi cheerfully and I failed to grasp just how could that be interpreted in such a way. "I'm up for it, our God Arcs are essentially the oldest ones still in service at the Branch. It is a reasonable thing to get ours up to date just like the ones used by the newbies."

"So, does that mean... I'm not getting punished?" Kota blurted and I had to resist the urge to face palm. "Ah, I mean... I didn't mean..." '''Way to go... Mastery of getting into trouble... Just where the hell did he pick up such a useless skill?'''

"Sierra, is there something?" Asked from me the Major and I had to shake my head. "Then?"

"Just a little misunderstanding between my team. I'll get it sorted very soon." I looked at the boy, then grinned under my helmet. "However, I want the Captain to step forward whose team members are thinking it's fun to pick on Alisa." I called with determination and I got some weird stares.

"Alisa?" Repeated King, then he understood. "Ah, the New-Type." He grinned turning to the others. "Wasn't mines, I can assure that."

"While we had a rough start, along with a few differences in our views. We don't have a problem with her." Tatsumi spoke lightly. "However, Sierra. Why did you bring this matter up in such a way, it's as if you're looking for revenge."

"Which as a Captain isn't a really rewarding way of thinking." Karel continued the trail of thought. "Still, that girl did change for somewhat, but at the core remained the haughty little brat." He then looked at the remaining three God Eaters. "Still, I believe someone from your group has the culprits."

"So what?!" One of them blurted and I couldn't help, but laugh at his idiocy. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you were the fool to badmouth Soma also." I grinned as he paled. "He isn't the only one with 'hell-ears' around, mind you." His mouth went agape. "I could have figured that you were behind the dissing of Alisa also."

"Just who do you think you are?!" The Leader pointed at me accusingly. "Spouting such crap, also since when can someone like you think you'll get away with this?"

"Since Sierra has done much more to contribute to the Branch, in such a short time ever since you were enrolled Mark." Tsubaki spoke and the male paled even further. "Not only does the 1st Unit take the highest difficulty missions as a general rule, she even goes out for her team as you could see it right now." She then eyed Kota behind me. "Did you get into trouble by defending Alisa?"

"Uhm, well..." Kota said nervously. "Not quite, I did argue with those guys, but... The problem is that I said something stupid to Alisa and now she is so mad at me, she won't accept my apology."

"Which is something you'll be working on while you're off duty, I presume." I called and the boy nodded fast. "Major, is something else on the agenda?"

"The R&D are doing their best to get the Predator Styles controlled, however it will still take time. In the meanwhile I was issued to hand out the current missions for the leaders." She walked around and gave each of us a stack of papers, except the leader of the 2nd Unit. "Tatsumi, since you and Canon will have to sit out the assignments, Brendan is to be temporarily assigned to Karel's group."

"Yes, ma'am!" He called with a smile. "I'll have more than enough time to get through Hibari now!" He cheered himself on and I frowned. '''Geez, he can be... persistent, even when being constantly refused.'''

I looked down on my stack of papers and noticed that it was fairly thicker than the others. Swampside Heron and Grouse of the Mist... Just who the hell comes up with these names and... "Fallen Chi-You?!" I raised my voice in surprise. "The hell?!"

End of Chapter 2017, 05, 12

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