As they made their way back to the compound, they were all laughing or grinning. Even Four, Cody and Declan were smiling along – their queasy expressions gone.

The next day Issy mostly stays in her apartment during the morning cleaning. It wasn't that she fancied doing it, Issy was bored and it was the first thing that she thought of. That's why when Declan messaged her about meeting up for lunch, she was excited. Her brother told Issy that he had a meeting with Max and Eric about some of the reports from Erudite before lunch.

There was a good hour until lunch when Issy found herself walking towards the Leadership offices. Dressed in her usual of a hoodie, jeans and trainers, Issy didn't guessed she didn't look like anything special, but she was meeting her brother, not the council members after all.

The lift doors pinged open and Issy was greeted with the sight of Jason sat on a wheelie office chair as he tried chatting up the secretary at her desk. It seemed to be working. She was blushing while she tried to do her work.

"Jason leave the poor lass alone." Issy said as she walked up to them. "She's probably got work to be doing."

The assistant smiles at Issy. "Your brother is in Eric's office with Max." She pointed in the direction with a pen. "They should be finished in half an hour or so."

"Thank you." Issy walks up to the desk and sits down on one of the spare wheelie chair. She spins around in the chair before looking over at Jason.

"Me and Kira go way back, just saying."

Issy glances at the assistant, Kira. "My condolences."

Kira laughs as Jason pushes Issy's shoulder and sends her rolling away. Issy waddles back, her butt not leaving the chair. Jason opens his mouth but is quickly interrupted.

"ISSY!" Declan shouts from down the corridor and Issy rolls her eyes.

Then, her eyes find Jason.

Issy smirks at Jason as she waddles over to the hallway that leads to Eric's office. She tucks her legs underneath her. "Hey Jason, fancy giving me a push?" He grinned as he pushed on the back of the chair hard and sent Issy rolling down the hallway. She almost rolled past Eric's office but she managed to catch a hold of the doorway and pull herself back. His door was already open and the inhabitants stared at her weirdly. "Yes?" She grinned.

They stared at her for a moment longer before Dec cleared his throat. "What were you and Jason –" He was interrupted by the man himself, rolling quickly into Issy, causing her to roll away and slam into the wall by Max's door.

"OUCH!" She shouted as she rubbed her shoulder but Jason ignored her, grinning to the others. Issy growled lightly before shifting herself and the chair around so the back of the chair was facing the side towards Jason. She shuffled as close to the wall as she could and used her feet to push herself away, slamming directly into Jason. He yelped as she sent him rolling back down the corridor as she pulled herself to a stop in front of the doorway again. "SUCK ON THOSE APPLES BIATCH!" She flipped him the bird before she turned back to her brother with a sickly-sweet smile as Jason muttered to himself somewhere down the corridor. "What were you saying?"

"Um –" Declan started but stopped when Issy held up a finger before pushing herself back. Jason rolled past them, and had Issy stayed where she was, she'd be slamming into the wall again, much like what Jason had just done. She cackled as he fell off of his chair, groaning.

"Bitch!" He hissed from the floor.

"Problem?" She snarked back.

"How old actually are you both?" Max interrupted incredulously.

Issy grinned at the eldest Leader "I'm nine, plus like ten years in brackets." She shrugged, setting her brother off in a fit of laughter. Eric smiled at her fondly as Max shook his head. "Hey Dec!" Issy called out as she swivelled on the chair. "Do ya remember that time we tied compressed gas tanks to the back of a couple of these chairs and had a race?"

Dec laughed brightly at the memory. "We raced down the leaders office corridor and managed to hide before Jeanine's meeting with Abnegation ended."

"What is it that you wanted?" Issy asked.

"I just –" Declan started once he had finished laughing. He pointed to Eric's laptop. "We can see the CCTV and I saw Jason push you on the chair."

"Oh!" Issy started laughing. "Apparently him and Kira go way back so I offer Kira my condolences."

Jason rolls onto his back. His head is level with the doorframe. "You're cruel."

Issy tilts her head to the side, her finger on her chin. "Yes, I have noticed that." She grins down at Jason. "Got a problem with that?"

Jason doesn't answer Issy but turns to look at the Leaders and Dec. "Why is she allowed to be in the Faction?"

"Um, maybe because I passed initiation?" Issy snorts. "Ranking higher than you did if I remember correctly…"

There's a muffled laugh from within the office that's swiftly morphed into a cough. Jason slowly turns to look at Issy and she smirks back. After a while his narrows his eyes at her and Issy grins. Within an instant, Jason surges to his feet and Issy jumps off the chair, kicking it in his direction. The chair hits his stomach, effectively winding him, and he doubles over. Without waiting for Jason to recover, she pushes him back and he falls into the chair. Dancing around and out of his reach Issy moves so that she's now behind him and with a forceful kick to the edge of the chair, Issy sends him rolling back down the corridor again with Jason swearing after her.

Issy brushes her hair away from her face as she turns to lean on the doorframe. "So," Issy nods to Declan, who's mouth is open wide, similarly to Max. Eric just smirks at her. "Lunch?"

xXx

They go to the same café that Declan took her to after her initiation.

The interior is the same galaxy colours, the stars on the ceiling glinting now and then. Declan led her to a window seat, waving to the staff as they passed the counter. The window seat had dark cushions to pad the walls and Issy burrowed into a corner, sighing contently. Declan settled into the other corner, pulling the table closer towards them and passed his sister a menu. A waiter soon came to their table. Declan ordered a cheese toasty and a lemonade while Issy ordered a southern fried chicken wrap and a mocha. As the waiter walked away Declan glanced over to Issy silently. Issy can tell that something is bugging Dec, but she'll leave him to ask her about it in his own time.

"So, how's life?" Issy starts. "I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

Declan nodded slowly. "It's good… Outside of work at least. Hugo and I are creating a lad's night every week so it's just us guys. We're getting overrun by women and we need a breather from all the drama." Dec grins, snorting as Issy punches him in the shoulder.

"Drama? Are you serious?" Issy laughs. "Between Uriah, Zeke and yourself that's more drama than us women can create… Though Christina could probably give you guys a run for your money." Declan laughs loudly. There are rare moments when either of the Vince siblings are tracked down by the former Candor and each time had been the cause of some rumor floating around the compound and then proceeds to have their ear talked off. "You guys just want a night to get any with shit you know for a fact that Bree would string you all for."

"Bree's fucking terrifying that's why." Bree had made a name for herself as someone not to be messed with. It actually seemed rather funny having this small women that looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly make guys like Eric and Dec and Jason back down because honestly they don't know what she's capable of. It was hilarious and Issy's so proud of her sister. Declan shakes his head with eyes wide and cautious. "She's really came out of her shell since initiation."

"That's good though."

"Yeah and sometimes it's scary as fuck and I fear for my life." Issy snorts again. She and Dec thank the waiter when they come back with their drinks, saying that their food will be soon.

"How's work?" Issy tries to act like she's innocently interested in his life – which she is – but she's burning with curiosity for the information that nobody seems to want to give her.

Declan stares at her for a moment, absent twirling the straw around in his glass. "Work is getting stressy. Erudite thinks that we're keeping information from them, so their ambassador keeps hounding me for information that I don't have." Permission to give, Issy adds silently. She knows the shit with Erudite is true as that's what Max and Eric went to Erudite for but it's the last part that Issy doesn't believe… The thoughts must be clear on her face as Declan frowns. "I know what you want to know Issy and I'm sorry, but you don't have the authorization to know about it."

"I'm starting to get sick of needing authorization to know shit."

"You wouldn't need authorization if you were a leader" Declan adds softly.

Issy's shoulders slump and she sighs. "I know."

Their food is set down on the table in front of them before Issy tries to make her brother talk more about the subject and it diverts her line of thought for now. They eat in silence mostly, glancing around the room and out the window.

"So," Declan starts slowly, not meeting her eyes for very long. "You and Eric are going well?" He trails off, sounding unsure.

Her eyes narrow slightly. "I dunno, I guess? I don't really see much of him since I've moved out of the infirmary…" Issy takes a bite and chews slowly.

"You gotta admit that being in the infirmary changed something between you guys though."

"Well, yeah. I've noticed that but Eric hasn't said anything, and I don't know what to say so…" Issy shrugs.

"Have you ever thought that Eric doesn't know what to say either?"

"Um no?"

Declan shakes his head almost ruefully. "Now I understand why Bree wants to strangle you both… Eric doesn't want to push what he wants onto you and force you away so he's waiting for you to say something. You're unsure of what this is now and are currently waiting for Eric to say something. This shit never stops going in circles – no offence.." Declan throws up his hands. "It's like you're both waiting for something – what could you possibly be waiting for?"

Issy fiddles with a loose thread, her eyes falling from Dec's. She hadn't vocalized it yet, but it was always there in the back of her mind. "For the other shoe to drop." Issy whispers and her eyes start to burn.

Declan doesn't say anything. They both know that war is impending, no matter if its many small battles or one large ongoing one. They were Dauntless after all. They'd have to fight, and Eric would be leading a part of it with his squadron backing him. This is what they signed up for, what they trained for. It wasn't something they could escape.

"So," Issy started once again. Her voice wasn't as strong as she'd like but their conversation had gone from one deep extreme to the next. They need to talk about something lighter. "Has anyone caught your eye around here?" All her other siblings had relationships or future relationships… Issy thought of Hugo – he and josh were probably just as frustrating for Declan as her and Eric. Declan shakes his head but Issy still notices the blush that rises from his neck. She pauses, her mouth agape. "There was somebody though!" His blush deepens and Issy laughs. "Who?"

"She was, uh, from my initiation class."

Issy waits, practically leaning forward into his face as she waits for him to go on. "That can't be it! She was from your initiation class and that's it?" Declan doesn't meet her gaze. "Who was she? What happened, if anything happened? Does she feel the same way? Do I know her? Do –"

Declan clapped his hand over her mouth, stopping her inquisition. "She is none of your business and you will leave it at that." Issy appear to have hit a sore spot for Declan so she does leave it… For now, at least… Issy's gonna ask Eric the next time she sees him.

"Okay." She returns to her meal and Declan relaxes. It's not long before they're laughing with each other at all the crazy shit that Declan's been making the other ambassadors suffer with.