Tarian stood at military ease near the door, his legs spread shoulders-width apart and his hands clasped loosely behind his back. The rim of the fedora he wore shielded his eyes from view, obscuring any thoughts that might have crossed across those glassy orbs. He kept his face pointed forward, looking neither left nor right. On the other side of the office, he could hear Lily pacing back and forth, the click of her heels on the metal floor echoing in the quiet room. The abandoned warehouse they had taken over was a sturdy, well concealed building that was built half into the ground, every room made of steel: walls, floors and ceiling. Her heels clicked loudly, bouncing off the walls and ceiling, a slight vibrato accompanying them. At first, the sound had put his teeth on edge, but he had eventually grown used to her habitual pacing. As she paced, he kept his focus on the empty space before him, acting more like a stone statue than a silent sentinel.

Today, the clicks were slower and traveled farther than the previous day, a sure sign that she was finally calming down. He had learned over the years that it was her habit: whenever she was angry or stressed, she would pace. The pacing would start out in short, quick strides that covered a small distance and were sometimes accompanied with a grinding turn of the heels. As she was closer to a solution of her problem, or just finally at the end of her tantrum, the strides would lengthen and slow down in pace. It was these final moments that Tarian had anxiously been waiting for over the course of the last few days. While she paced, he stood and waited, counting the steps and making the appropriate responses when she occasionally burst into dialogue. The source of her frustration had been the loss of the girl, a fact that Tarian could not completely accept. The girl was no one as far as he was concerned, and all of this moping and moaning was wasting valuable time.

Tarian took a tentative whiff of the air, timing it so that the turn of the heel camouflaged the sound. Floral perfume. That was a good sign. Yesterday she had worn a more chemical-based smell that burned his nose. The change meant that she was almost through being a drama queen.

All at once, the pacing stopped and silence filled the room. Tarian instinctively stiffened, ready for whatever it was she would say.

"Of all the people she had to be snagged by," Lily said through clenched teeth. "It had to be someone from the damn academy!" Tarian remained mute. She had said this several times already and would not want a response at this point. There was a long moment of silence.

"May I ask a question, Ma'am?" Tarian asked suddenly. He did not look toward Lily, but the sound of her tail swishing back and forth had suddenly stopped. It was not normal for him to ask questions during one of her little tirades.

"What is it, Tarian?" she asked in a soft and silky, too-calm voice. Anyone else would have been intimidated by that voice. Tarian, however, was unfazed.

"Why are you so obsessed over this girl?" It was true that he had asked that question earlier, but the timing had been wrong. He had asked it at a time that she would not answer, and he knew it. When asking about her motivation, the best times were when she was finished with it or when things didn't go as planned. The first was because she was proud and wanted to brag. The second was because she would want a solution immediately to fulfill her desires, and after such failures she was more willing to seek assistance.

"I suppose I should tell you," Lily gave a sigh. Tarian heard the sound of a chair being pulled out and then the sound of Lily taking her seat. He remained as he was, looking forward and relaxed, facing the empty space. "Have a seat, Tarian. I feel like I am with a jailor."

Tarian gave a small nod of his head. He took his customary seat on the other side of her desk, his back straight and hands resting lightly on his knees. He wasn't yet willing to drop his polite demeanor; at least, not until he was certain that she was finished. Patiently he waited for her to speak.

"According to the records, the girl came from the continent just north of us," Lily informed him. He merely nodded. "Not only is she out-kingdom, but she is also from outside of civilization. Of course, we can only pinpoint where the boat departed from, but it is unlikely that she was far from her original territory at the time of leaving."

"Why does this make her so important," Tarian interrupted. He cared little for reports that had no bearing on the situation and he felt this explanation superfluous. Tarian stiffened when he heard a slight growl from Lily's throat. He made a sign of apology and asked her to continue.

"Because," Lily went on impatiently. "If this report is accurate, that means that her territory is near or along a path leading to the where the artifact had been excavated." Tarian was grateful that Lily could not see the astonishment flash across his eyes. He didn't need to hear the rest, but he didn't stop her from speaking. "As you know, the artifact we are after is in a cryogenic state. It is inert but it can be activated. There is a very good chance that she may have the answer to activating that artifact." Tarian gave a small, curt nod of understanding before voicing his own doubts.

"Just because she is from around or near the excavation site doesn't mean that she knows anything about it," Tarian said.

"That is true," Lily conceded. "But at this point, we have a better chance than all those scientists at the academy. Their reports had come to an inconclusive end. Despite all their technology and brains, they couldn't figure out how to get the thing active. If this girl has any knowledge or connection, we might be able to get it working with little hassle."

"And if not?" Tarian inquired.

"Well then," the chair creaked as Lily leaned back into it. "She is still a Faunus, which means that her services would be more than welcome in the ranks. She can join us, or join the worms in the ground." Her voice suddenly dropped low and became vicious. Tarian was silent. He had always felt that Lily was a little too ready to pull the trigger, but he had said little about it. Lily didn't seem to care who was on the other end of the gun. It was her way and she had her reasons that he could never successfully argue against. All he could do was carry out orders and try to make it so that not many innocent people died.

"Would you like me to extract her from the campus?" Tarian asked.

"No," Lily let out a breath with the word. "It would not be wise. We need to keep a low profile until the operation is carried out. Not only that, but we don't want her to distrust us. It will make her uncooperative. We want to earn her trust, like white knights coming in to rescue the damsel from the dragon. An opportunity will present itself, of that I have no doubt. We will worry about her later."

"Speaking of the operation…" Tarian paused, wanting to change the subject but uncertain that it was the appropriate time to do so.

"Go on."

"We found the storm you were referring to. It is very weak and the course is sporadic. Are you sure that it will be what we need?"

Lily gave a smile that was so enigmatic, it could be felt radiating through the very air. It was a sharp, smug smile with an underlying chuckle that showed her amusement at his concern.

"Squall himself confirmed it," she said in a low tone.

"The old lion?" Tarian couldn't help but be impressed. Squall was never wrong about his predictions on the weather. It was part of his semblance.

"Yes. If you are unsure, you can talk to him yourself." Lily rose to her feet, the click of her heels taking her to the door of her office.

"If Squall says that it is so, it is so," Tarian said with finality. He rose as well.

The two parted outside the door, Lily turning to the left and Tarian to the right. His mind was busy analyzing the details of the information he had received from their talk. If the girl was truly connected to the artifact, then that meant that they wouldn't have to do too many illegal things to bring the artifact online. That suited him. He decided that he would occasionally survey the campus for signs of the girl and then see about extracting her from the premises at a convenient time. He had to agree with Lily about earning her trust, so he would have to take care with getting her away from the school. There were a couple of spies planted in the student body that he might be able to charge with creating an unwelcome experience, something to drive her from the campus. Tarian realized that he might have some difficult describing her to him, especially if they changed any of her features. Her aura had been practically empty when he had seen her, meaning that they would have taken her in to some kind of infirmary to replenish her and see to any injuries. It was highly unlikely that they would allow her to keep her tribal clothing. While he could describe her scent and her aura to a T, it would be useless to the agents. They didn't see the world as he did. Getting an image of the girl would be easier, but not from Lily. He didn't want to tip her off to what he was planning. If things went well, it would be a pleasant surprise that she would be thrilled with. If things went badly, he could sweep it under the rug easily enough.

Tarian paused at an intersection and looked down one of the tunnel-like halls. It led up to the roof where Squall was constantly sitting, staring up at the sky and "listening to the wind" as he put it. After a moment's thought, he decided to go and visit the old man.

Access to the roof was prohibited for most members. Only Tarian, Lily, and a few others were allowed up there for air travel or repairs. Squall was the exception. In his old age, his fighting skills had deteriorated. The old lion had found a way to be useful by divining the weather patterns with his semblance, expanding its usage outside of fighting. It had proven extremely useful for operations like the ones they were planning.

The old man was sitting in his usual spot near the edge of the roof, leaning against a cluster of rocks. It was a northern part of the building that met with a rock wall which plunged down hundreds of feet to the sandy bottom. The wind was warm and strong on the hot roof, blowing in sand from miles away. Squall was sitting with his back to the door, watching the sky. His hair was mostly gray with streaks of auburn still clinging desperately, as if unwilling to relinquish their hold to age. His beard was a long, wiry carpet that hung over his chest, his mustache braided down into the beard. A life-time of living in the desert had given him tough, leathery mahogany skin. The robes he wore gave him and old-world priest feel, the thick fabric draping his body and occasionally dancing in the wind.

Tarian took a seat next to the old man and stared out at the sky with him for several minutes in a slight meditation. The world was laid out before them, the sands of the desert seeming to go on eternally beyond the horizon. The solid rock wall behind them formed a shield, stopping the wind from moving forward and moving it back against them. It was the only place in the hideout that was almost peaceful, almost pure. Tarian could understand why Squall preferred this location to his room.

"Have you come to ask about the storm," Squall asked in a low, gravelly voice.

"That is one thing," Tarian replied. Instantly, Tarian's speech pattern had shifted to accommodate the old man's style, becoming extremely formal. The two continued to look out at the expanse before them. "When is it coming?"

"The storm is still a baby now, screaming at its mother," the old man replied in his thick accent. "It will grow and come within a week. The moon will be waning."

"The darkness will serve us," Tarian said.

"The darkness will betray you," Squall shot back.

"The darkness has always been my friend," Tarian countered. "If the moon wanes and the storm is strong, there will be less engagement of the enemy."

"Always trying to lessen the sins of your superiors," Squall grumbled. "Don't think she doesn't know, boy. She knows. She finds it amusing."

"I know," Tarian said softly. "But I still believe in our cause, even if we have strayed from the path."

The two sat quietly, thoughts passing between them without words. It was Squall who finally broke the silence. "And the other thing?"

"I owe you much, Old Lion," Tarian began.

"You owe me nothing, Cub," Squall said.

"Even so, I must ask another favor of you. A young woman will be joining us eventually—"

"And you want me to play grandpa to her."

Tarian blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I'm old, not deaf. The rumors have been flying around the place ever since the two of you returned from your shopping trip. Most seem to think it is just another short-lived hobby of our leader, but I know better than that, and you just confirmed my suspicions."

"You know too much, old man," Tarian murmured. "It's just as well that you also keep a good head on your shoulders."

"Aye, and I plan to keep it there." The old man gave a small smile, lifting up the whiskers around his face as his skin crinkled. It was a heart-warming sight that Tarian never saw. He had risen to his feet, his face still turned out towards the desert.

"I owe you much," he repeated with finality. "Anything you need, you just ask. I will get it for you or see it done." Tarian turned and started walking back towards the door to the warehouse.

"You are far too serious for one so young," Squall said softly into the wind. Tarian paused and gave a small smile. Perhaps the old man had known that he would hear him. Lifting a hand in farewell, he continued on towards the door and back into the hideout below.