"I just don't quite understand it…"
A blonde dress-clad lady sitting on her desk muttered, swirling her glass of blood red wine around her palm. She was leaning on her arm, her eyes switching focus between the report and another woman sitting in front of her, sitting provocatively while inspecting her nails.
"Hm~ I think the report's pretty clear, Squall." The red-haired woman drawled out in a hungry manner, sneaking glances and changing her sexy poses for her leader, hoping to catch Squall's attention.
"Tsk… How could M fail her mission? We gave her specific instructions, and she's one of our best operatives for stealth, so…" Frustrated, she slammed the report down, angered about both the mission failure and the prospect that she doesn't know why it was a failure. Madoka still hasn't returned… it can't be out of fear or shame, could it? Squall may be ruthless, but she wasn't going to kill or maim Madoka. At worst, maybe sheer disappointment and a dock in pay, but that's it.
Autumn then saw the apple of her eye huff in frustration, then smiled. It was a good time to make her move. "Then why not just relax~? M is MIA and most likely dead, so why not just let it go? The night is still young, you know~..." She breathed out from her mouth in a sultry whisper, closing in on the back. Truth be told, Autumn didn't really listen to anything other than 'M is certainly dead, so let's just do it without interruption', and took the chance she did. The scarlet-haired woman pressed her breasts on Squall's arm, like an animal going into heat, but the blonde woman shook Autumn off.
"Nuh uh, Autumn. Not now." Squall repelled her back. "I need to finish reading this report…"
"But why~?" Autumn groaned out, but Squall cut her off with a harsh glare.
"Because we have to know for certain whether or not she is dead or alive!" The blonde barked back, making Autumn's eyes droop. "I don't want to believe she is dead! Not yet…!"
"B-But I'm here for you! Isn't that good enough? Am I not good enough?" Autumn muttered with faux-sadness, fake tears streaming down her eyes, but Squall isn't having that.
"This isn't about you or her, Autumn!" Squall yelled, which shut the crimson-haired woman up. Silence reigned the room, with Squall almost regretting saying that to her lover, but Autumn was acting very flippant about the issue. "This is about Phantom Task as a whole."
"...You mean-." Autumn began with a guilty tone.
"Yes. We need every single bit of effort we can get if we want to win and achieve our goals, right?"
"Y-Yeah…"
Squall stood up and cupped Autumn's face. The blonde looked at the redhead with pleading eyes. "That's why I need you to have faith in Madoka, because she's the best chance we got."
"..." Autumn didn't respond, but gave a silent nod in return. Squall smiled at her compliance and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll make it up to you once we go rest, okay?"
"A-Alright." Autumn's flushed face didn't go away, as she most likely wet herself from that. She did like to be dominated by her blonde lover almost all the time, especially when the leader of Phantom Task demonstrated the amount of deadly prowess a long time ago with her IS, while Autumn impressed her with her fighting capabilities. However, Squall and Autumn were then deemed liabilities to the new generation and, with timely yet unexpected assistance, they would have been surely killed. At that point, both of them fell into each other's arms for comfort while founding Phantom Task as a rebellious faction against their old organization. Autumn didn't say it, but she was blessed and happy that both of them left, for the pair wouldn't have professed their love together.
Speaking of 'timely yet unexpected assistance'...
"Reading the report, I see?"
A voice echoed in the head office room, making Autumn's hairs almost stand. Squall also froze a little, startled at the voice… but then relaxed at who it belonged to.
"You again!?" Autumn barked at the mysterious voice.
"Yep! Me again!" It replied, taking shape.
A black shadow spoke in an empty yet almost suave manner as it materialized; the space in front of the two women rippling until a black cloaked figure with an orange swirl mask swirled into existence. However, while his mysterious presence was daunting, it was heavily overshadowed with the attitude that came next.
"Your 'saviour' has arrived!"
"Quit joking around about this!" Squall snapped at the masked man, who didn't show a reaction. "What are you doing here?!"
"Who~? Little ol' me?" The right-eyed Tobi exaggeratingly points to himself with his sleeves too long to even reveal his hands, much like a dopey child. "I didn't know you thought that way, Squally~."
That stopped the two of them widen their eyes. Squall because of how this mysterious person talked to her in such a way that would make a doofus green with envy, and Autumn because of how he was acting so casual to her, the leader of the Phantom Task, and how it was making her a little jealous.
"But if you wanna know, then let's say I was doing a… teensy weensy wittle favour for you!" Tobi reassured, using his fingers to just show how teensy weensy it was.
"And what was that favour? I never remembered asking for a favour." Squall kept her composed look towards the goofy-acting shadow. Autumn, however, didn't share the same sentiment, completely annoyed by how he was acting towards Squall.
"What could be so damn important that you had to interrupt our time together?!" Autumn snapped at the mysterious man, her hands slamming on the desk. Squall wanted to reprimand her, but she felt the smirk of Tobi aimed at her partner.
"Who know? Maybe~..." Tobi adopted a thinking position, with his hand on his chin. "...it's to tell you that your lil' Leafbed here…" Autumn raised her eyebrows at the nickname as Tobi pointed to her. "...raided your panty closet yesterday night?"
"EEK!" Autumn's face blew up in shades of crimson, but her next accidental words of "How did you know?!" made her skin crawl as Squall glared at her.
"Oh, and the best part? She took them and raked her coochie something fierce~!" Tobi continued, paying no attention to the blushing woman, her face the same colour as her hair.
"Autumn…" The blonde woman muttered at the crimson-haired woman sweating buckets out of fear. "Why did you take them yesterday…? I was looking ALL over for them…" A dark killer intent seeped out of her body, making Autumn pale as a ghost. But before any of the unsaid threats were followed up, a cough interrupted the duo.
"Sorry…" Tobi uncharacteristically murmured, still coughing. *Cough* "There's something lodged *cough* in the throat." The mysterious man doubled over and hacked and coughed whatever was 'lodged' in his throat…
"BLAUGHCK~!"
...and it came out of a spinning vortex from his mask, in the form of Madoka Orimura.
"What the…?!" Autumn literally lost her marbles when she saw the body of a limp Madoka come out of nowhere, out of the hole of Tobi's mask. Squall did not say anything but she was also just as bewildered. It was like the time the pair of women discovered that Tobi was a man, and that he saved the both of them from death's door. But this is the first time she has been seeing his power firsthand.
"M?! How did you find her?" Squall asked, nearly gawking at the sight, unbelieving on what she was seeing. The blonde woman got up and then went around to check on her, only revealing the Orimura to be only unconscious. Autumn craned her head towards Tobi to hear his suspenseful answer.
"Me? I'unno! Lawl~!" Tobi shrugged comically, causing Autumn to facefault, Squall's eyebrow to twitch.
"Seriously?" Autumn snapped at him for giving such a half-hearted answer. Squall was mostly focused on M, but even she was curious on how she was rescued and unconscious despite the reports saying she has died.
"Alright alright fine geeeeez~!" Tobi dramatically gestured his hand at them. "If that's what you wanna know, then lemme say my piece~. Gaaaawd…" Autumn was this close to blowing the man to bits. "Well~, it all started after a trip to McDonald's…"
.o0o.
"...Kuikurosu."
...
He has done it. Finally. Ichika's sanguine eyes of hatred looked at the singed grass, where the burning corpse of his sister laid still, unmoving. Her eyes have rolled to the back of her head, much like a haunting corpse, and the smell of burning flesh was welcomed into his nose.
And yet why…? Why does it feel like it wasn't satisfying or elating to him? There should be a satisfying feeling welling up from the kill. Was it because he just killed his own sister by blood without remorse? Does it make him a monster? No, it can't be. SHE was the monster. SHE was the enemy! It had to be done. His SISTER has to be done…
And yet… something was wrong… The nanite information of Madoka he has ripped out…
Suddenly, his head began to pulse with pain, his unfailing Sharingan eyes blurring his vision. His hearing began to buzz, all sorts of white noises blaring in his head. 'Wh-what the…?' He wanted to say, but his voice refused to come out of his throat.
All around him, the environment began to swirl, like a blender of syrupy tar beneath his feet. And just like tar, it began to cover Ichika's feet, and began to make him sink.
His eyes widening, he pulled his feet out of the tar, as it reached his knees, but it was in vain. All the trees have disappeared, and only the moon was in view. Or rather, it looked like the moon, except it had three tomoes, and it was blood red…
...and it began to fall like a meteorite.
The light was blinding, the heat unbearable for the first time. He would never scream in fear, but his insides were, unable to bear it all. And when it collided, the last thing he saw was a black sun… and everything faded to black.
Ichika felt the cool air… He felt the grass touching his feet. His arm was outstretched, trying to grip something, but only met air. It felt like he was also about to finish the words of Zenrei Kuikurosu, but it felt like it hitched at the last second. He opened his eyes yet again, and noticed that he was back at the forest clearing. It was as if nothing has happened.
And to top it all off, Madoka was missing. No sign of burnt grass or singed flesh. Did she escape his grasp by trapping him in a horrid illusion in his head? Or maybe it was more like… she was never there in the grip of his arm. Ichika, for the first time, was horribly mystified. What was happening? Who-...
"…!"
Could it be…?
He snapped his head around, and looked at the big stump. There she was, the unconscious Chifuyu Orimura, placed on the clean sawdusty stump less haphazardly than Madoka, like a sleeping beauty. In a split second, a very tiny yet very noticeable ripple in space disappeared into nothingness just above Chifuyu's midsection. That same rippling power could only belong to two people, and two people only.
.o0o.
"Tobi..."
A tired and sweaty Ichika muttered, winded after an intense training session in the middle of the IS arena. His breaths were ragged and his hands holding a heavily weighted rod shook like tremors in the earth. His muscles bulged, visible veins popping out to get the blood pumping. The young man barely slept after what has happened last night, but he didn't feel the least bit tired. He was used to sleepless nights before his forced arrival to the ISA.
"Even with these eyes, I do not know everything…"
The male IS pilot pondered to himself about last night, specifically to the two Tobis. It seemed as if those two know more than what was going on. Why were both of the Tobis so strong? Who did they work for? And if it was for the Loyalists, why would they work for them? Why does that name sound familiar? What was their agenda? What was their final goal?
Dropping the weight down, making some cracks on the ground, Ichika turned to the change rooms, his thoughts only having one thing in mind...
'What is it that you truly know that I do not…?'
.o0o.
How many times was it that she was spying on him? Five? Ten? How long was it? There was no way she could tell. Houki had trouble averting her gaze, gripping the wall she was hiding behind, watching her once childhood friend leave the arena, all caked in swelling muscle and sweat. And yet, she still was afraid.
After everything that has happened, how could she not be afraid? Being labeled as the sister of the one who has had a major hand in causing the Purge of Society has not helped. Granted, almost nobody in the school neither knows about the blood relation or, if they do know, talked about it and/or belittled her. However, that 'almost nobody' analogy included Ichika, the apple of her eye.
"Ichika…" Houki muttered, with a touch of longing in her voice. While her determined side was set on the path in hopes of winning Ichika's heart, her fear began to see another side. She began to look at herself: hair was messy, eyes were a little baggy, she had a gloomy atmosphere around her, and she hasn't practiced kendo in a while. If that kept up, she would look really butt ugly and repulsive. "I can't look like this in front of him…" She told herself, gripping her hands, and then leaving the arena, resolute on changing herself for the better. 'He always avoids me… Maybe this is for the best…' Her logical side concluded with a sigh, but that didn't mean it was the last time she'll be with Ichika. She'll have to prepare to stand beside him, instead of hiding behind him.
However, somewhere in the back of her mind, her fear of Ichika leaving her for good right at that moment, began to fester. Her question on whether he would leave her or not, was the seed that will unknowingly eat her own soul away…
.o0o.
"WHADDYA MEAN I'M NOT SHARING A ROOM WITH ICHIKA?"
The morning ended and the afternoon began with a shout from Lingyin towards one of the dormitory staff, who had a deadpan face for a small moment, before transitioning to an apologetic one.
"I'm sorry, but your room and roommate were already chosen. I cannot do anything about it." Of course the staff member knew about Lingyin's status, but what could she do? Only the headmaster can change the room setup, yet the Chinese girl would hear none of it. She tugged on her skirt on her uniform, and pressed her fists downward.
"RRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH! WHY I OUGHTA-!" Huang almost looked like she was going to strangle somebody…
"Ahem!"
...but someone cleared their throat before she had a chance. Both heads turned at the guest, with one widening to unexpecting surprise, and the other bowing, almost like she was waiting.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Yo-!" Lingyin kept stuttering at the sight of the new familiar face in front of her.
.o0o.
"WHADDYA MEAN I'M NOT PART OF CLASS 1-1?"
"I'm sorry, Lingyin-san, but you're listed for 1-2. Our class is full and we can't change that." Yamada's polite voice tried to ease the catty girl, but her indignant attitude kept going.
"Couldn't we just trade classmates from 1-1 and 1-2?"
"Ano, we don't have the authority to-..."
"Who's going to take care of Ichika while I'm gone?!
"Tha-...!"
"Oh god, I can't imagine this going on! Please-!"
"HUANG LINGYIN!"
With a small 'Eep!', Huang shut herself up. She, or anybody else for that matter, has never seen Yamada looking so irritated and furious. Sure, she was a pacifist and hated conflict, but today and last night hasn't been going well for the mint-haired teacher. She has gotten no sleep since the rescue mission went stressfully, has learned in horrific shock that Chifuyu has transformed into a woman having the mind of a child, and (worst of all) now her ear was being yelled off at, by a teenage girl, no less.
So, in a manner that was completely non-Yamada-like, she picked up the scared Lingyin by the scruff of her uniform at the back of her neck, and dragged her struggling body out the classroom. The schoolgirl screamed bloody murder as, like a rag doll, she was tossed into class 1-2, with the door slamming shut.
"Owwie…" She moaned in pain, then looked up. Another teacher in a suit was looking down at her in surprise, yet the authority was still present. Immediately, she stood up straight. "Eep! I-I'm so very sorr- Gack!" Lingyin politely bowed her head, and was about to take her leave, until she was put into a surprising headlock.
"Oh sweet, another new student! Today's my lucky day!" The female instructor of 1-2 cheered, before turning her body and Rin's body in tow. "Everyone, I would like to introduce our new student for this class!"
Rin, despite her predicament at being a little choked up, eyed at the murmuring class in front of her. They didn't look like the more excitable girls from 1-1, but they had the same sociable air around them. They eyes her back curiously, wondering what was interesting about her other than her catty personality, her twin-tailed brown hair, and her maid apron draped over her uniform.
"Go on! Tell us your name!" The instructor urged, unknowingly tightening her chokehold on Lingyin. She gasped and began to struggle for air.
"Gack! Let… go… first….!"
"Oh! Sorry about that." She said sheepishly, releasing her hold on the girl. Her face clear of the blue on her face, she straightened herself up. At this point, Huang didn't really have a choice in saying no, considering what sort of headlocking strength she had, and introduced herself.
"Well, my name is Huang Lingyin! Representative Cadet of China! Hope we can get along." The girl said her piece, showing less enthusiasm at the end. Nobody really noticed, as they were more in awe of a representative being in their class.
"Whoa! That means she has her own IS, right?"
"Maybe it's to compensate for her small stature…"
"She did seem friendly, maybe she can have lunch with us."
"Chinese? I thought she would be against using an IS…"
"I wonder what the maid apron is for…"
"Yanagasawa-sensei seems to really like her, so maybe that's a plus."
Well, now that Lingyin listened in, it was more like they all had mixed opinions about her. Yanagasawa then put her back in a chokehold, almost in a playful manner.
"They really seem to like you, Ling-chan!" She didn't notice Lingyin bristling at that nickname. It was always Rin! Not just Ling! "Alright! Finally, a step closer in defeating that pesky Chifuyu and one-upping her class 1-1!" Yanagasawa pumped her other fist in competitive joy. Lingyin couldn't help but be lost in the context. Did this crazy woman have something against Chifuyu Orimura? However, all the cheering halted when the classroom door opened up.
"I'm truly sorry, but am I interrupting something?"
All eyes turned towards the door. Some of the other girls' reactions were more in awe than they were with Lingyin, while Yanagasawa felt like she won the lottery.
The new voice belonged to a new face, a blonde foreigner girl in her uniform. Her hair was long and in a low ponytail, having a red ribbon tied into a neat bow. Her eyes were a mix of violet and auburn, shining just like her smile. While everything looked innocent about this girl, there was just something that both irritated Lingyin, and rubbed her the wrong way.
"More fresh meat?! Oh, this day can't get any better~!" Yanagasawa couldn't stretch her smile any wider. "Come on in, and introduce yourself!"
The foreign girl daintily walked up to face the students, and bowed to them.
.o0o.
"YOU!" Lingyin angrily pointed to the new face that entered the scene. Indeed, the person in front of her was indeed Charlotte Dunois, the Representative Cadet of France.
The staff worker spoke in a polite tone and bowed her head. "There you are, Miss Dunois. I hope you didn't get lost in the dormitories."
"Non, but thank you very much for your concern." Charlotte responded in a kind and polite tone. "Is my luggage in there too?"
"Yes, your new room and roommate are right here. We hope you enjoy your stay."
"Wait a minute, why am I being ignored here…?" Lingyin began to bark, but trailed off at the new information. "I'M HER NEW ROOMMATE?!" She screamed at the staff, who was now nowhere to be seen.
"You make it sound like that's a bad thing, Lingyin." Charlotte remarked, unfazed by her irate now-roommate, still smiling at… maybe the thought of being polite? It was kind of creepy, Huang thought but that did not deter her from her frustration.
"It is! So don't get comfortable with me!" Huang shot back.
"I don't find you a bad person, Lingyin." Charlotte replied, still in her happy tone, the irritation now reaching its peak for Lingyin. Now completely ticked off, she grabbed the blonde's collar and her other forearm glowed with data before transforming. Magenta metal formed a gauntlet, sharp metallic fingers and all, and threatened to strike Charlotte's stupid smiling face. "Ah, nice Partial Deployment." She complimented.
"Hmph! Just so you know, this personal IS is special!" Lingyin snapped at Charlotte… and it only succeeded in making the Dunois girl look back in surprise.
"How so? And why bring it out at all?" The French girl asked, almost in a robotic tone, before shifting back to her smile. Lingyin stuttered a little at the logic, and was about to answer, however, in another flash of light, an orange armored IS gauntlet was partially summoned in reply. It gripped Lingyin's hand on her collar and moved it away, lifting her entire body in the process.
"Gah!" The Chinese girl was yanked off. "Let go of me!" She struggled to get the metallic hand off of her, yet she froze at the sight of Charlotte's face. It was still that creepy smile… but her eyes… it was like a blank stare...
"Okay!" Charlotte suddenly replied, and dropped her body in the process, making a clumsy resounding THUD on the floor.
"Owwie…" Lingyin groaned in pain again, having been dropped twice on the floor. This was going to be a painful nightmare…
.o0o.
A painful nightmare it indeed was, Ichika thought to himself.
He has just finished his grueling workout at the arena, with nobody watching him. Combat, weights, speed, anything just to get stronger… Last night was a painful reminder on just how weak he was compared to any sort of opposition. Despite the pair of shadowed assassins used the Sharingan, Ichika's eyes were nothing compared to theirs. 'Will I become powerful to surpass them? Will my eyes evolve to their levels?' Those were the questions that burned into his mind, and thus began his goal to train physically and mentally to defeat them, along with the Loyalists. They were the enemy.
That burning resolve added fuel to the dark ambition in where he would stand at nothing but to see everyone and everything that would wrong him, burn by his blade.
However, there was one thing he had to deal with. And that one 'thing' rushed to him right when he opened the door.
"ICHIKA-NII-!"
SHOVE
Chifuyu Orimura… or at least, what was left of her. Completely naked as a newborn babe, the woman, once she was resuscitated by Ichika through the use of reactivating her nanomachines, did not act the same as she did prior. He thought back as she, instead of immediately falling unconscious and unharmed like it usually did, she slowly fell to a coma-like state, slowly shutting and killing her brain off. That would not happen unless her nanomachines would be of an older generation and Ichika did not take the time to examine older-generation nanomachines from the 1st Generation IS models.
And now he had to live with his mistake, having to deal with a woman, with the strength of a hundred, and a mind of a lust-filled child who did not know the meaning of personal space.
"LET ME HUG YOU, ICHIKA-NII-CHAN~!"
"GET OFF OF ME, YOU GODDAMNED FIEND!"
Speaking of personal space, Ichika could not, for the life of him, understand how Chifuyu got into his room. Last night, Yamada brought her in her unconscious state into her own dorm, which was a few buildings over from the west. 'How in the ever-living hell did she get here?! I'll kill that mint-haired whore!' Ichika exhaustedly raged inside his mind in his own spiral of desperation as Chifuyu kept trying to push herself towards her brother, completely forgetting the fact that she was fully naked, and smelled of sweat and masturbation.
"RAAAAUGH!" Having no choice in the matter, he roared a battle cry, unconsciously activating his Sharingan, and pushed her away with his Fukisuna, yet he was still shocked at how powerful she was, matching her strength with his IS. The hand lifted Chifuyu up and slammed her body into the bed, restraining her there, before Ichika ran up and, with slight hesitation, karate chopped her at the back of her neck before she recovered. And with a flop, the love-crazed woman fell asleep, almost with a perverted dream-like smile on her face.
"Niiiiiii… shamaaaaaaaa…" The child-like Chifuyu drawled out, going back to her perverted dreams.
Breathing an exhausted sigh of relief, Ichika really wished he didn't have to deal with this crap. Hell, his years being on the streets were better than this… babysitting shit. His adrenaline lowering, the young man walked towards the kitchen, intent on making some-.
NUDGE…
"Mm…?" Ichika's foot was caught underneath something soft. It felt like a person… yet… for some reason...
"Huh?" The voice of Takatsuki Shizune spoke up, like she woke up from deep slumber. Ichika then deactivated his Sharingan and, at the sight, stepped backwards, his face in mild surprise. "Oh, I-Ichika-san, sorry, I just- I didn't mean- I-." Takatsuki apologized in fear, yet Ichika stopped her with a straight-up: "Hey."
"Y-Yes, Ichika-sa-."
"Why?"
"Eh? W-what?"
"Why do you have no nanomachines in your body?"
Takatsuki froze. Why would he say such a thing? She wouldn't be here if she didn't have them in her body… yet for some reason, the cold calculating way he asked the questioning accusation made her uneasy.
"W-What makes you say that? What do you mean I don't have them?!" Shizune stuttered angrily for the first time towards Ichika, yet he was undeterred. The next line Ichika said, however, stopped her anger completely.
"You need nanomachines to even pilot an IS properly, and yet… your body, I don't see any sort of nanomachines inside of you."
A long silence followed after. Nothing was said or even shown by Ichika, but Shizune however… emotions ran high, as the immense fear began to set in. The more Shizune connected the dots, the more she began to realize the cold truth from the words that were spoken to her yesterday…
'Your grade for IS Compatibility is at an all-time low. I'm honestly surprised about this; the only thing that's keeping you afloat is your knowledge grades. Yet we both know that isn't going to raise your grade to meet the quota… I'm sorry, Takatsuki Shizune, but... perhaps there is always another way…'
That did it. Fresh new tears broke out of Takatsuki's eyes, and the feelings of failure broke her heart. She always did wonder why her IS never responded as well as the others; why some other students isolated her; why she didn't react to things as fast as her other IS pilot peers. Now she knew why, and she wished she did not.
Shizune didn't know what to do. All she remembered was running out the door and out of the dormitories, missing the unreadable gaze Ichika had.
.o0o.
"Greetings! I hope you did not have to wait long for us to arrive."
"Well met, ladies! I'm more worried about the private flight. How was that?"
"It was fine! Like any other first class, except with actual beds.
"Heehee, anyway, enough chatting like old friends. Do you wish to have a cup of tea before we start?"
"Sorry, but no."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The moon watches over your every move."
"..."
"Now that we are settled, what say you, Headmaster? Will you listen to our request?"
"...Ugh. Don't talk, like we're longtime friends, you damn frau. What do you want?"
I'm going to keep this short. This one did take a while, but it was due to my computer hard drive blowing up on my face. It sucks when the repairman goes away, so yeah.
So let's get the elephant out of the picture: Takatsuki has no nanomachines to pilot an IS. What am I gonna do with her? What is bigger role in the story? What does Ichika think of her? What do YOU guys think of this? She WILL get a bigger role in the story, trust me, but this is only one part of her story.
Also, Headmaster-chan has been introduced (kinda).
So next time, hope for more! Read, favourite and review! Reviews are how this story gets chuggin! Leave PMs too! I get lonely!
"You said you lived with him right? What was he like?"
"A grudge match! Between your class and mine! How about that?!"
"No jokes this time, Ichika. I'm being dead serious with you."
"I knew it! Why would you do this?!"
"You, talking about what my allegiances should be?! Don't make me laugh!"