Far East Branch Headquarters - Mess Hall

The Den was abuzz with excitement once again as news of Alisa's arrival spread throughout the branch. She had proved move than capable in simulation after simulation, and her test scores were off the charts. It hadn't taken more than a few days for rumors to begin to spread.

"She's badass! And cute too."

"Yeah, way better than that Reaper chick. Maybe all New Types aren't so bad."

"Tell me about it, she gives me the creeps. You couldn't pay me enough to be on her squad."

"Well, we might not have to worry about her much longer. From what I heard; this new recruit was brought in to replace the old one."

"No way, for real? I can't say I'll miss her too much. It's bad enough having one -"

The God Eater stopped in his tracks as they rounded the corner leaving the Mess Hall. Standing just outside the entrance way was Soma, who had been preparing to enter himself. His words caught as a lump in his throat at the sight of him. His face wore a scowl, as it usually did, and his arms were arms were crossed over his chest. He looked pissed.

Without a word, the pair exited as quickly as possible and disappeared down another hallway. The last thing anyone in the Den wanted to do was incur the Death God's wrath… besides working with Reaper, of course. Stomping into the room, Soma made a beeline for a table near the back where Sakuya was sitting. Beside her was the Russian New Type, chatting casually over their meal.

He groaned inwardly at the sight and considered turning around. He didn't have anything against Alisa in particular, he was just aggravated and in no mood to socialize. He was used to people whispering behind his back, and it no longer bothered him. But for some reason, those same whispers irritated him tremendously when they were regarding his teammate. Before he could make a decision, Sakuya made it for him.

"Soma, over here!" Great. Now, he was trapped. Dawning his most irritated expression, he grudgingly made his way over to the table. When he reached them, Sakuya beamed at him and gestured to her companion. "You haven't said two words to our new recruit since she arrived. Say hi."

"Hi."

Alisa blinked at his snappy reply and remained silent as he sat across from them. "Hello. I look forward to working with you."

"Just don't get in my way."

Sakuya frowned at him and gave Alisa an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about him. He's always like that. Don't take it too personally."

With a nod, Alisa returned her attention to him and gave the politest smile she could muster, given the situation. "Don't plan on it."

Lunch from that moment continued in mild discussion… excluding Soma. He was sitting with his arms crossed, fixated on a fascinating spot on the table. Alisa and Sakuya didn't mind too much, chatting amongst themselves and trying to drag him into their conversation at every given opportunity.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Oh, hey Lindow!" Sakuya beamed at their commander who had made his way to the table. Soma had been so distracted he hadn't even noticed his arrival. "Alisa and I were just discussing your mission together."

Lindow smiled awkwardly at the two of them, scratching his head nervously. "Yeah, looking forward to it. I've got to admit, I'm a little nervous about taking two New Types into the field together." Soma's eyes suddenly raised at the mention of the other New Type.

"Reaper's returning to the field?"

"Yup. Just got the order from the brass. We're heading out sometime next week or so. They said they need some time to reacclimated her."

"Ah, Reaper. I have heard about that one." Alisa interjected. "I hear she was suspended for… violent tendencies. Doesn't it seem a little reckless to pair her with a new member so soon?"

"As long as you don't wear a lab coat, you'll be fine." Lindow winked at her and chuckled quietly. While he said it in a joking matter, everyone at the table knew the seriousness of his of warning.

"A lab coat…? What are you -"

"What up, guys?"

The four of them turned at the sound of Kota's excitable voice. He was heading towards their table with a spring in his step and a tray in his hand. Behind him was their very topic of discussion, holding a sandwich. How was it that she always managed to show up whenever they were talking about her?

"Reaper, come on. Let's go sit with everyone!"

Soma watched as Kota approached the group, with Reaper trailing close behind. It was weird to see Reaper without Ichiro. It was even weirder to see her with Kota, of all people.

When they reached their table, Kota took a seat next to Lindow. "Reaper, come on. Aren't you going to join us?" The New Type only stared, still holding her lunch. Her eyes were dull again today. They weren't quite as lifeless as the last time Soma had seen her, but they didn't have much light behind them. "Uh… Reaper?" Kota tilted his head slightly at her sudden change in demeanor. She had been responding to him only moments ago. What had changed?

Lindow put on his most inviting smile and joked at the display. "Don't leave us hanging, rook. Take a seat."

Without a word, Reaper sprung into motion again. Kota deflated slightly as she silently took a seat next to Soma. Alisa looked slowly between the three of them with an eyebrow raised. Her behavioral patterns were strange to say the least. Was she always like this? Deciding that it would be best to start off on the right foot, Alisa offered a friendly smile.

"I don't believe we've had the chance to meet. My name is Alisa Ilinichina Amiella, and I look forward to working with you. It's refreshing to meet another New Type."

Reaper's eye slowly drifted towards the blonde, but she offered no further interaction. She was listening at least, but apparently had nothing to say. Sakuya noticed the awkward tension rising in the air as Alisa fiddled with her fork, uncertain what to make of the situation. After a few moments had passed with no response, she decided to help move the conversation along.

"Reaper, come on. Say hello. The two of you are going to be working together soon. Don't be shy."

At her order, Reaper placed her sandwich on a napkin. She quickly signed a greeting to her new teammate before returning to her lunch. Alisa stared blankly at her, uncertain how to respond. "Sign language?"

At that moment, Soma realized that their new member had no way to actually communicate with her teammate. With Ichiro unavailable, the responsibility fell to him to translate. Fantastic.

"She said, 'I'm Reaper, nice to meet you too.'"

At his response, Alisa's attention turned to Soma. "You know sign language?"

"Yeah."

Recognizing this as an opportunity, Alisa attempted to make conversation. "You speak sign language, yet you're not deaf. Can you not speak?"

Reaper signed her response in between bites of her sandwich, leaving Soma to be the intermediary between the two them.

"I don't." Soma paused for a moment after translating for her. That was an unusual response. When they had encountered her for the first time, he recalled the tense interaction between Ichiro and Shun.

Reaper cannot speak.

Those had been his words that day in the Mess Hall. Yet Reaper herself had responded I don't. It was a subtle, but significant difference.

"I see. Well, that is your choice. Reaper is an interesting name. Why do they call you that?" Another sign, another translation.

"My God Arc."

"Ah, so Reaper is your codename. Do you mind if I ask your real name?" At this, everyone at the table leaned slightly closer. Alisa had voiced the unspoken question that been on everyone's minds, though they dare not ask it.

Soma froze for a moment as Reaper signed her response. The revelation surprised even him, and he was hesitant to say the words out loud.

"I don't know."

At this, the entire table stared at her in disbelief. She didn't know her own name? How was that even possible? Perhaps she didn't have one. Of course, that raised more questions than it answered. Soma felt his sympathy renew as he realized that this woman probably didn't have any parents. And if she did, they hadn't gotten the chance to give her a name. What confused him was the fact that no one had thought to since. What exactly had her life been like at the previous branch? His mouth twitched as the image of burn marks along her neck returned to his mind.

"…I see."

Alisa was at a loss. What could she possibly say? Everything about her comrade raised red flags in her mind. Originating from the Russia branch, she had seen many different methods used to treat their soldiers. It was the leading branch in psychotherapy, and many of the therapists and psychiatric doctors originated from that division. But her condition disturbed her. This wasn't the result of garden variety mental treatment.

She had noticed the way that her dull eye observed her surroundings. The way that her posture was rigid as she moved mechanically to her destination. The way that she only seemed to act in response to suggestion rather than through any will of her own. Alisa had also noticed the immediate change when Reaper had arrived at the table. Upon entering their range, she had disregarded Kota's requests in favor of Lindow's. She had also responded to Sakuya, his right-hand. This suggested a well-conditioned, complex form of obedience, following a chain of command. She would only respond to the highest ranking members in her current social group.

She had read stories about such a phenomenon before, but she had never seen it in actual practice. A method of brainwashing so potent, its use was strictly forbidden in the Russia Branch. The reason being obvious human rights concerns. Whoever had treated her had done it exceptionally well, but the question was why. Did it have anything to do with her 'violent tendencies'?

Having run out things to say, Alisa returned to her meal in silence. Sensing that the discussion was over, Soma breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the woman sitting next to him. Despite all of her time here, he had never gotten a chance to get a really good look at her. Their every interaction had involved some form of conflict, whether directed towards him or other nearby targets. Now that he got a closer look at her, he realized that she was rather fairly attractive.

Her brown skin contrasted very well with her violet strands and her one blue eye was deep and reflective. Her other eye remained hidden, leading him to believe that it was damaged in some way. Her blue scarf concealed her scarred neck and her loose fitting outfits fell gently along her resplendent curves. Her lips were soft and pink, locked permanently in a straight line. She was cute, in an odd sort of way.

The longer he watched her, the more familiar her features became. Up close, she was nearly the mirror image of his lost friend. At first, he thought they shared nothing in common, but now he was starting to see some similarities. Her eyes and hair were vastly different colors but the structure of her face was roughly the same, just older and more mature. As he examined every corner of her face, his gaze drifted downward to her permanently affixed accessory. As his eyes took in the fine ridges of the fabric, his mind started to wander.

"Hey, why don't you wear it like a scarf?"

"A… scarf? What's that?"

The memory was so vivid, it felt like were alive. He could almost her voice, filled with wonder. He could see the curiosity in her eyes as she eagerly watched his demonstration. He could see her gentle smile, so full of joy and life. He could see her, tilting her head to the side in the adorable way that she did…

Wait…

Soma could actually see the image right in front of him. Reaper had finished her sandwich and was now staring directly at him, her head tilted slightly to the side. In that moment, she looked like a carbon copy.

Alarmed, Soma blinked a few times and returned from his thoughts. How long had she been watching him? Unsure of what to do, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Her piercing gaze was making him uneasy. After a few moments of silently watching him, Reaper slowly lifted her hands and did something she had never done before: she spoke first.

"What is it?"

Stunned, Soma stared at her for a few moments. He had never seen her speak to anyone without prompting, not even Hamasaki. In fact, she often refused to even answer questions without a direct order. He didn't think she could. Apparently, he had been wrong. For the first time during her stay, she had finally spoken to someone else… and it was to him.

Slowly, he raised his hands… and signed back. They moved in swift, fluid motions as he responded in the way that he had been so accustomed long ago. He hadn't spoken sign language in years, but the memories flooded back to him, spurred on by the woman sitting in front of him.

"You okay?"

"Fine. Why do you ask?"

"You seem off."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm alright."

"Liar."

The words slipped out as the two went back and forth. His déjà vu had been so intense that he had forgotten who he was speaking to. At his response, he saw a flash of emotion across her face. Her eye widened in shock and her mouth fell open. First, she looked surprised. Then she looked pained. The corner of her eye twitched and her lip trembled. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Uh… you know we're still here, right?"

Both God Eaters started at the sound of Kota's voice. Soma turned his head to see the entire table staring at them. He hadn't realized that the two of them had drawn so much attention. When he looked back at Reaper, her face had returned to its neutral expression. With their eye contact broken and the moment gone, she sat silently in her dull state as though nothing had happened.