Gaspar would never have expected anything warm and fuzzy from Delphine, but her declared intention to have a (possibly fake) romantic cover story did not result in any different treatment whatsoever that he could detect. They were not spending more time together or talking more or changing what they talked about.

Romances were rare on the SOLDIER floor (they were watched too closely by the fanclubs, it was not feasible), so he could not claim to be experienced in these things. But he was fairly sure this was unusual. But then, how likely were the Tsviets to have any idea what a romantic relationship looked llike? Shelke was half nine year old, half machine, Azul lived only for battle, Rosso had difficulty not killing everyone she met. Very oblique enquiries discovered that close bonds at all were uncommon.

At the whim of the scientists, anyone could be set against someone else they had a bond with, to the death, until recently. Everyone had a gang, because it was difficult to impossible to survive alone, but bonds? Those were trickier. Before the Tsviet rebellion, they would need to be hidden to survive at all, and when the overseers could be looking out of your helmet at any given time (or all the time, it was unclear), evidence of any kind of closeness outside the privacy of your own brain (and down here, even that was relative, mind hacking was rumoured to exist, though not confirmed) was a risk.

1714 and 2419's relationship, while undeniably close, was similarly unobtrusive. There were no particular gestures, words, or actions between them (and given SOLDIER's enhanced hearing and the close confines of their shopfront den, he would be aware of any whether he wanted to or not. They were always physically close when given the choice, both in full armour and thus with no warmth to share. Other than that, they were not treating each other differently, that he could tell, but he had no idea how long the crew had been together, and on asking, neither were any of them.

One other aspect of it was that they were both invested in preventing her from being shot again, and once Gaspar shared that he had new information on the location of the sniper, they were all on board with dealing with that. As the crew's best stalker, it was Gaspar that crept up the side of the building and found the sniper in her nest.

It was a long, slow stalk, but after Wells had helpfully pointed out the nest, it was not difficult to plan a route that did not put him in any crosshairs. Climbing the outside of the wrecked apartment building was the most taxing part, but he was able to pull himself over the gutters undetected. Why there were gutters in a sealed underground cave was to remain a mystery, whether the house had been aboveground in a bygone age or sheer force of habit from the builders, but he was able to narrowly avoid pulling said gutter loose and climb up to the roof undetected to find a sniper lying prone, scanning the surrounding buildings through her scope to no particular pattern. On watch, then.

"Hi there," he said, and was very nearly shot for his foray into melodrama, because the sniper turned and fired without pausing for thought, and she was quick. He barely managed to shove the barrel aside from his face in time for the shot, and cracked his elbow across the side of her head, knocking her away from the gun. The gunshot had the rest of the sniper's crew surging up the stairs with guns in hand, forcing him to use the now disarmed sniper as a human shield in front of his body. The arrogance had almost cost him. It was easy to forget that while the DG rank and file didn't have SOLDIER speed, they were not humans either.

He had his new hostage taken before he remembered that he was in Deepground, where hostages were of no use. Then he realised they hadn't fired through her, despite the opportunity his hesitation had afforded them, and looked at them.

They were all expressionless, of course, the faceless DG helmets seldom helpful in determining intent. But they had not fired. Four drones were on the roof now, the lowest level grunts DG had barely above humans in mako strength, but their guns were all levelled. He could kill them all and leave.

"You fired at my crew during the Hound attack," he said instead, quiet but carrying enough to everyone on the rooftop. There were plenty of snipers in DG, no need to draw attention. His hostage did not answer.

"Stand aside," someone said from below, and the four drones stepped sharply back from where they had been clustered in the stairwell –protecting someone, Gaspar realised too late.

The woman that stepped past them was no drone, decked out in the glittering gear of a Commander. The 'kill them all and book it' maths changed abruptly, because while he could possibly win a fight, the odds of doing so without a crippling wound were much lower, and it was now more possible that he would lose.

From the voice, it was not a commander he had previously met, which was a small mercy. She was not a Tsviet or one of the Reactor's Elite Guard, but no one could take and hold a district commander position in DG without being deadly in battle.

But what was she doing here? District commanders had dedicated lodgings, their positions required them to occupy specific command posts. Gaspar knew the commander assigned to this area, having been assigned to the sparring by her. There was no reason for this one to be here, no reason... except sentiment. Acquaintances from before her promotion?

...Friends? Family? DG were raised communally, all children born had to be handed over to the scientists and were never seen again under any recognisable name. But this commander knew these people and cared about them.

"Answer him," the Commander said now softly, and Gaspar's human shield raised her head.

"...Habit. Instinct. It's how I was taught. See a vulnerable target, take the shot."

No fear or hesitation in her voice. Simple truth.

"Don't do it again." Gaspar said, and let her go. The guns come up, but the Commander snaps up a hand. "Hold!"

She was also visored, but he had spent enough time around full visored helmets by now to sense her regard.

"Get the hell out of here. It's best we don't cross paths again."

Gaspar resisted the urge to salute.

An impact hit the wall near the stairwell, followed by the crack of the shot. The drones jumped, the commander did not visibly react. She had understood the message, though. 2419 was good enough to kill someone with that same shot, and had chosen not to, with an impressive grasp of diplomacy. But he was watching.

Gaspar took the opportunity to flee, and was not shot on his way back.

Del was waiting for them, of course, and opened with "What nonsense have you done now?"

It was hard to argue, to be honest, but Gaspar made an attempt anyway. " I found the sniper that shot 1714."

Pause. Del cocked her head. "And?"

"We... persuaded them not to try again." I hope.

Another pause, another long suffering sigh. "Next time you potentially pick a fight with the neighbours, tell me first, you idiots. Now get the fuck to work."

It could have gone worse, really. Everyone was alive, they weren't at war with any other gang for stupid reasons...and DG had more bonds than they liked to admit. Good to know.