Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of The Lioness and the Wolf. Enjoy the 1500-Word chapter. I don't own AGK, Takahiro, Square Enix and a few others do.

(Empire)

Jace looked around the barren room, devoid of most equipment besides maps and papers. A large circular wooden table sat in the middle of it. This was a military planning room, no doubt about that.

"I'm surprised to see you came back after having retired," Najenda said as she turned and started to walk across the room. "I do have to say, I don't know your unit. I know your father…" Najenda stated as she sighed, unsure what to say when she thought about it.

It was fine in his books. The last thing he needed was playing history lessons with parts of history that were better forgotten.

"He did what he had to do for the war, general," Jace said, cracking his fingers as he did so. "I am glad to have someone helping me through this, however. It's not so easy to deal with this problem alone." Jace added, pausing as he did so.

Najenda was silent, unsure of what to say or do. She hadn't seen Leone in years, and now she was here.

She turned to look at the feline girl, curious as to what she was doing here.

"Leone, how did the colonel manage to locate you, anyway?" Najenda said as Leone shrugged before Jace spoke up.

"Through a series of contacts. It was the last of the favors I was owed from the war." Jace said as Leone giggled to which Jace could only roll his eyes. "She scares me, I've barely seen Esdeath… And she scares me more than her." Jace said as he was pulled aside.

Leone giggled, pulling the shrugging man into her stomach as he grunted and sighed.

"Hence the point…" Jace muttered as he shook his head, unsure of what to say or do at the moment. "We've never managed to locate the general. Matia's fleet was the most damage we did to our forces." Jace added to which he was curious what came next.

"Someone's just shy~," Leone said with a purr as Jace pushed away, making sure to push her away slightly. "Case in point~" Leone added as Jace shook his head.

"Leone, I thought you were dead…." Najenda said as Leone shrugged. "I suppose I should thank you, Colonel. I've lost plenty of friends during the war. Losing another just adds to that burden." Najenda added as Jace hummed.

"Well. It was the least I could do considering Night Raid is the reason we even won the war at all…" Jace said as he shook his head and started to sigh. "But I need help. Matias was scum before the war, but he was a fly compared to Esdeath and Honest. Without them to keep him and the others in line? He's decided maybe he can step up, be the new king of the grounds. I don't know what he's been plotting." Jace stated to which Leone was silent as well.

"Do you know what he's been plotting at all?" Jace heard from Najenda nodded to which he clicked his fingers together as he did so. "Matias was not high on the level of threats we've been experiencing, but I am curious how he has this number of resources. Then again? Without the rest of the empire holding him back? I suppose someone would want to pick up the slack." Najenda said as Leone giggled to herself.

"You are going to be the death of me, aren't you?" Jace questioned while he brushed off his jacket. "But yes, I suppose that is the best way to say. I do NOT know how powerful Matias had gotten by now… All I do know? He was curious, he's ruthless, cunning, quite strategic" Jace stated as he shook his head, pain beginning to surge through him.

'Damn this stupid headache, I HATE drinks. I should have just given her my drink at the end of the day.' Jace thought before he hummed to himself.

"You can't hide from me." Leone said, snuggling into his side. "Besides. We're partners. You said so. We still have to make sure to protect the other. If you were so focused on the mission? Why would you help get me a drink? It doesn't give off the vibes of someone focused on the mission." Leone stated as she hummed, letting a giggle slip through her lips.

Jace sighed as he nodded. She had a point; he hadn't done anything to put the mission over her. Jace valued her company, even if she wanted to drive him up a wall. Jace leaned back in his seat.

"I see you and Leone are a good pair." Najenda joked as Jace shook his head. "We've not dealt with General Matias before then. There's plenty of work in life, we've been backed up with people who are constantly causing issues." Najenda stated before she crossed her arms.

"Well, he's a bigger issue than he sounds," Jace stated as he shook his head. "He waited, wanted Esdeath and them out of the way. There are plenty of soldiers in the army, wasn't hard to make himself seem like more of a loser than he is. It was just harder to trick Honest and them." Jace added, shrugging to himself as he did so.

"If it was that easy? We'd have a hundred soldiers all trying to kill him." Najenda stated as Jace nodded. "One bug isn't easier to kill than another. Trust me, Leone ripped Honest up and he STILL didn't die until we tore him to blood pieces." Najenda put in as she hummed, unsure of how to deal with this issue.

"There's only so much we can do to put this guy in the ground," Jace stated before she turned to look around. "I and Leone cut him; it won't stop him. Matias is smart, he knows what he's doing…. If there was more pain put in this world? I'm going to scream. I didn't fight through this war just to watch it all burn to ash." Jace added before he shook his head.

"There's plenty of danger in this world, Colonel," Najenda stated before she sighed. "We can handle the enemy, just not now. I think I have a lead on what to do next." Najenda added as she took a drag of her cigarette.

"It sounds like you have another mission," Jace stated as he hummed, unsure of what to say. "What exactly does it have to do with us?" Jace stated as she turned to look around.

"I'm going to take a wild guess when it came down to it," Najenda stated as he turned to look. "Do you know the docks? Where the old resistance cell used to be?" Najenda questioned as she turned to the map.

"No, my group has done more work to deal with it," Jace stated as he leaned upwards. "There's plenty of work in here. You want me to work something to do when it comes down to it… Matias set up camp there, didn't he?" Jace questioned as Najenda nodded to herself.

Jace cursed, unsure of what to say or do. If there was a place to run through? They'd be cut down entirely. However? They still had an army to fight through. Such an army would be insurmountable odds for 2 people.

"We can't burn a base down with just 2 people," Jace stated as he frowned. "They can and will cut through us. If we run down? They can and will kill us. I planned to cripple his fleet, stage an assassination of him. I can't rip through armies as Night Raid did. I'd need reinforcements, I'd make sure to cut them down, but I will get killed doing it." Jace added before he sighed.

Leone hummed as Jace, and she looked at the map. If it was so easy? They could fight through it. She knew they could handle it…. But he still worried about the shots she had gotten from before. A small measure of peace had fallen over them.

"I'll send some backup if I can, but I can't promise anything, ok?" Leone heard from Najenda stated before she turned to look around. "Leone? You take care of him. He gave you a second chance that you needed. We fought for peace for a good reason. If it was crazy, then? Then we now have something insane to deal with. The empire CANNOT come back from this. It will make everything we fought for nothing at all." Najenda put in.

"I'm pretty sure we know the stakes for this, ma'am," Jace stated before he rubbed at his nose, curious as to their next move.

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be a bit delayed or such at the moment. The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show more of Jace and Leone's planning and their bonding and such. It will be 900-6500 words. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!