"A.C. works, my ass. It hasn't worked since we left Chicago." Princess Peach complained from the back of the bus as she fanned herself with a book. "I'm going to kill Koopa Kid next time I see him!"`
"Hey! That's my book! Where did you get it from?" Nagisa exclaimed.
"Your suitcase, obviously," Princess Peach replied. "By the way, nice boxers. I really liked the Sonic Ninja ones."
"You went through my suitcase!" Nagisa exclaimed as he turned red.
Karma smirked. "You know it's just as rude to go through a girl's suitcase as to go through her purse~."
"It's been seven years since then! Drop it already!" Nagisa protested.
Princess Peach smirked, "Yours were nice too, Karma." She turned towards the other girls in the car, "Did you know they have matching Sonic Ninja boxers?"
A low growl could be heard rumbling from the passenger's seat and the three people in the middle row looked at the raging redhead with worried expressions. Suddenly, the aura began to dissipate and Karma sighed. "You know, you keep going on about how you can't trust us, but how do you expect us to trust you when you go through our belongings, antagonize us constantly, and refuse to reveal your name? I'm just saying, man, you aren't making this easier for yourself either." The redhead turned gold orbs to the window.
Feeling the silence settled solemnly throughout the vehicle, Noriko adjusted the rearview mirror and cleared her throat. "We have precisely 3 hours and 47 minutes left until we reach our destination lest we stop for food, gas, restrooms."
"Speak now or forever hold your pee," Fia laughed dryly, acknowledging Noriko's eagerness to arrive.
The VW bus pulled up to a large hotel, a DoubleOak to be exact. Noriko hopped out of the car and made a beeline for the check-in counter, leaving Fia to park the car while Nagisa and Karma loaded a cart with their luggage. Haven followed after them while Princess Peach trudged after her up to the tenth floor suite once the six had regrouped. It was a three bedroom, two bath, one kitchen suite that overlooked the southern city.
"Akabane, Shiota, you both will take that room over there," Noriko directed, "and Classified will join you later. Jelavic and Karasuma have that room, and we girls have this room. Now move your things so we can begin debriefing. Due to Classified's… leisurely attitude, it seems like his group will arrive late," she spat the word out with disdain.
The Italian girl sighed. "They probably took a few pit stops on the way," Fia offered.
"Um, Noriko, Have you seen the room yet? There's only three single beds." Princess Peach pointed out.
"Also, you're bossing us around again," Haven added.
"Very well," Noriko said hesitantly, "I suppose the briefing can wait until the others arrive, but I stand by the room arrangements."
"Then I'm sleeping on the couch," Princess Peach retorted.
"I will sleep on the couch. That way, I can make sure none of you make any attempts at late-night visitation," Noriko said sternly.
The others sighed and made their ways to their rooms.
A short while later, Princess Peach walked out of her room and towards the door of the suite.
"And where do you think you're going?" Noriko demanded.
"You can find me at the pool," Peach muttered as she left the suite.
With that, Noriko pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number, so familiar that those numbers had completely faded from her slide phone.
"Come on, Classified, pick up," Noriko mumble as the other line rang. Once, twice…
Haven and Nagisa exited their respective rooms first and caught each other's gazes. Very naturally, they moved to sit next to each other on the living room couch with their computers, even as the ginger paced in across the room in front of them.
"Hello, Noriko!"
"Ah, you actually picked up this time," Noriko greeted, pleasantly surprised. "Now, what's your ETA?"
"I can't pick up right now!" the cheerful voicemail continued. "Call back later! If you must leave a message, you know the drill, after the beep!"
"Classified!" Noriko closed her eyes pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Why aren't you picking up the phone? When are you going to get to the hotel? I'm waiting for you before debriefing them."
Karma shut the door to his shared room with Nagisa as Fia scurried out of her room and rushed the door like college students to free food. The redhead quirked an eyebrow.
"Hey, Fia, wait up. I'll go with you," the redhead called as he hurriedly followed her out.
Noriko slid her phone shut and turned towards the entryway. "Wait, you two!" she yelled at the already closed door. She turned around with a huff to find Nagisa and Haven leaning over the same computer. "What are you two up to?" she asked irritably.
Karma strolled after the girl bouncing on the heels of her strappy sandals. "So what has you so excited, Fia?"
Smiling, Fia clasped her hands behind her back and slowed her step. "Well, Karma, I was looking out my room window and saw a cute little patisserie! It has little cakes and tarts and chocolates, and I think I saw a little kid walk out with gelato!"
Karma smiled, pushing open the frosted glass door for Fia. The two approached the refrigerated displays and Fia pressed her face up against the cool surface. As she exhaled excitedly, her breath left a ghostly trace of condensation by her lips.
"Look, look! What a beautiful opera cake! Chocolate and coffee? Mm… Mille-feuille! So fluffy! Oh, I want the Recette du fraisier!" Fia said, pointing at a glazed strawberry cake topped off with white and pink strawberries. She squinted at the tags carefully. "Oh…" She sighed with remorse. "I didn't bring that much money with me… Noriko has been starving us of fun foods for so long that I forgot how much they usually cost," she huffed.
"Hello, young lady," a man greeted from behind the counter as he piped peach-colored macaron batter onto a crisp baking sheet in tiny circles. He smiled and clapped together powdered hands. "That's our special Kiss of Cupid. If it strikes your fancy, we have a half-price deal for couples."
"Oh, um… We're not…" Karma shifted his gaze hesitantly to his companion, whose peridot eyes stared pleadingly up at him. "Sure, how much will that be?"
The man chuckled. "That will be $15… and a kiss~." He crossed his arms expectantly, eyebrows wiggling.
"Pausing, the redhead looked back towards Fia as his cheeks flushed to match the macarons behind them and was surprised to find her at ease with the idea. He shook his head to himself; of course, this was for the cake… Wasn't it?
"Karma, please?"
Hesitantly, Karma brushed Fia's bangs back and placed a light kiss on the girl's forehead. Smiling, he pulled himself back and gazed down at her.
"That doesn't count," Fia said flatly, her voice a stagnant desert plateau. Karma answered her with a look of surprise.
"I agree with the little lady~," the man behind the counter readily agreed. "It's called the Kiss of Cupid for a reason." He chuckled. "You think I have the couples' special because it brings in business?" He didn't wait a second for an answer. "Nah, I love to see love!"
As if on cue, Karma grabbed Fia by the waist and pulled her flush against him. He entwined his fingers through her roseate auburn hair and tilted her chin up as if admiring a fine assassin's blade. Somewhere between smiling sweetly and smirking dauntlessly, devilishly entrancing, he firmly pressed his lips against hers until he felt her sigh and relax against him. Blushing, Fia ducked her head quickly and, gripping his shoulders, hid her face in the crook of his neck. The redhead laughed, a mixture of relief and surprise, and pushed her back slightly; he wanted to see the expression on her face, her incarnadine cheeks and pouting lip. Malachite eyes met their aureate counterparts and Fia jumped to her tiptoes in order to place another kiss on Karma's lips.
"WONDERFUL!"
Fia faltered, falling against Karma just before her lips could meet his.
"That was a wonderful display~. Will that be just the cake or-"
"Just the cake," Karma answered curtly as the two young agents stepped quickly away from each other. His cheeks burned as he smiled, but Fia had her bashful smile fixated on the glass window outside, anywhere but him.
"That will be…" The man skillfully boxed the cake and opened the register as Karma pulled his leather wallet from his pocket.
"Karma, you don't have to-" Fia began, but was cut off by the cashier.
"And a chocolate strawberry on the house- for your adorable boyfriend," the man replied, placing the box and coated fruit in Fia's hands.
"Th-Thank you!" Fia smiled sweetly between the baker and Karma.
Flustered, Karma placed his hand on Fia's back and herded her out of the castle of confections, mostly to escape the slyly smiling man making macarons. As they walked off, Fia held the chocolate strawberry up to Karma. "For you," her giggle said. He indulged her wishes, taking a bite, and wrapped his arm lazily around her shoulders.
"Where were you two?" Noriko exclaimed as Fia and Karma walked in, holding a cake box. "It's been hours!"
The two exchanged glances and sighed together. "We went on a walk," Fia offered.
"What made you think that was a good idea?" the stubborn woman demanded to know. "We are not here on a vacation, Akabane, Timo. At least these two were researching the city," Noriko pointed to Nagisa and Haven, both sweat-dropping, who were sitting on the couch.
"Calm down," Karma sighed, "We were researching the city too, just on the ground."
"Oh, really?" she responded with skepticism. "Then why did you two go together? It appears to me as if you went on a date," she spat the word.
Fia pouted, protectively pulling her box closer to her body. "There is safety in numbers, with all due respect, especially in an unfamiliar location," she explained quietly. "We got ourselves familiar with the area and caught wind of a big event tomorrow, though we couldn't gather much else on our time limit."
"Well, then, you could have at least told me!" Noriko replied indignantly.
"You were on the phone, Noriko," Fia finally sighed, exasperated, "Trying to keep tabs on everyone like you always do."
Karma glanced between the women. "Noriko, try to remember, we're all adults here. If you try to control us the way you do, you'll have a coup d'etat on your hands. I respect your abilities and your authority and all, but we don't take lightly to being pushed around like this."
"You're being a little bit controlling," Fia explained softly. "We'll tell you when we go out next time as a matter of safety, but I know I would appreciate a break now and then."
Noriko peered carefully at them. "I understand." The other two sighed in relief and moved to put the cake in the fridge when Noriko's hand shot out and grabbed Karma by the arm. "What's that on your lips?" she asked accusatorily. "Is that lipstick?" Noriko pointed to a stain of pink glossing the corner of Karma's mouth and he blushed slightly.
"Fragole, well, fraise, rather," Fia answered, a touch of color cascading over smooth cheeks. "We got a strawberry with the cake." The ginger shot Fia a skeptical look, to which she sighed. "I don't wear lipstick, Noriko," she gently reminded the older woman.
Slowly, Noriko released her grip on Karma, who exchanged relieved looks with Fia, and escaped to the kitchen. Noriko begrudgingly moved to the couches and read through Nagisa's notes until, soon enough, the door beeped and its metal handle turned. In came Jelavic in a daze, radiating a prismatic aura as she held a pristine white box to her chest. Karasuma followed her and sighed, but Classified entered with a particularly casual swagger that sent Noriko into a fury.
"Classified! Did you even try to get here on time?" She charged him at the door.
Jelavic caught a glimpse of a box on the kitchen island, a replica of the one held in her hands. She gasped astonishingly audibly and threw her hands onto the marbled surface of the island. With a coy glance thrown between Fia and Karma, she asked, "Does this," she paused to seductively slide her fingers across the box, "belong to you?"
Pouting, Fia grabbed her cake container from Jelavic and pulled it towards her defensively. "Maybe it is…"
"Alright!" Jelavic cheered as she threw her arm around Karma's neck. "Now I know that all our hard training paid off~. Taking your brats' first kisses was all too worth it." The bewitching blonde ran her finger along Karma's lips as she spoke, causing him to flinch. "You really could have been your class's best kisser if Nagisa hadn't pulled ahead at the very end."
"Don't remind me," Karma muttered, cheeks tinted. "But she asked for it."
"Eh?" Jelavic found herself staring blankly into the eyes of the Italian. "REALLY? You instigated?" Fia was pulled into a hug and subjected to a long string of "You get 'em, girl! Did you use my special technique?"
Karma shot a longways glance at Karasuma. "I take it you got roped into the special too?" he asked, carefully electing his words lest Noriko catch on to the "couple" part.
A black eyebrow twitched. "If by that, you mean she got on the floor, grabbed my legs, and practically begged me for it, then yes. She's nuts for these… opportunities."
The redhead laughed, throwing his hands behind his head. "What can I say, Chief? You're the real stud-muffin here."
"Then she tried to seduce me with whipped cream and the hotel key card."
"How do you even-" Fia began before Jelavic tackled her again.
"Ha, I would have paid to see that."
"Alright, everyone!" Noriko clapped her hands together but attention fell to the bump on Classified's head. "Let's begin the briefing." She waited for everyone to gather around. "On the agenda tomorrow is-" she began, unfolding her itinerary and shooting Classified an unamused expression. He whistled innocently as she turned the paper to show a schedule scribbled out beyond legibility and written in the bottom of the sheet in large all cap red was, "FUN!"
"Tomorrow evening we will be attending a charity event held by a nearby historical society!" the man exclaimed. "Everyone will be dressed in historical garb from the civil war!"
"We are not going just for fun," Noriko interjected."We are looking for anyone with ties to Corp X, it is a shell company the organization we're after administrates."
"Corp X? That's such a shady name," Nagisa commented. "Who in their right mind would do business with them?"
"Exactly!" Princess Peach said, "I think Hathaway and Co. would have been so much better."
"Regardless, we have costume fittings in half an hour," Noriko continued. "The men's and women's costume shops are right next to each other and very close to the hotel, so let's get moving."
The eight people followed Noriko out of the room and onto the bustling street below.
"It's definitely summer," Classified lazily commented as the warm night air swept over them.
"Summer nights remind me of sunsets and starry skies in Italy with my brother and sister, Mami and Papi. It's a safe feeling." Fia hummed and twirled as she walked.
"Really? For me it's the temperature. I realize I don't need a jacket and then I realize it's dark," Haven shrugged, "must be summer."
"Wow, those are two really different ways of describing the same thing…" Nagisa observed with a smile.
"Then what's summer for you, Nagisa?" Karma asked, walking so that the shorter male could keep pace with him.
"Hm… I'm not really sure. Summer vacation is always a plus. Remember the island resort? How about the test of courage? Oh, and the summer festivals!"
"Man, that really brings me back. Koro-sensei really made sure we made the best of our experiences. I really miss the old octopus from time to time."
"Haha, yeah, me too." They exchanged glances with smiles, and broke into a fit of laughter.
Four of the five women were standing outside their respective changing rooms in stockings and corsets.
"Oh come on, Fia! I know you can cinch it tighter than that!" Jelavic exclaimed as she walked over to the girl and removed the little slack left in the laces.
"Ms. Jelavic, I'm not sure I can breathe," Fia wheezed out.
"Just grin and bear it," Princess Peach sighed as Jelavic tackled her corset in a similar fashion before turning on the smallest girl.
Haven winced. "I once read that rich people like the least practical clothing because it's a way to flaunt how little work they have to do."
Suddenly, Noriko walked out in a simple floor length salmon colored dress from the era.
"Why are all of you in corsets?" Noriko asked, shocked. "Take them off."
"It's historical garb! Besides, it makes you look so much curvier," Jelavic protested.
"Haven, try to touch your toes," Noriko instructed.
Haven leaned forward, but was stopped by the corset after she had reached a 45 degree angle. She kept trying, bouncing a few times before attempting to touch her toes by leaning to the side. Again, no success. Finally, she bent her knees and sat down, touching her toes. The entire time, her face wore the most deadpan expression.
Noriko sighed, "That doesn't count."
"How else was I supposed to touch them?" Haven protested.
"I'm sorry. I set you up for failure." Noriko apologized. "As you can see," Noriko looked to Jelavic, "The girls can't move properly in these corsets. You can leave yours on, but I must insist the girls take them off. The hoop skirts will be enough of a hinderance. Please be quick. Most of the boys are already done."
Noriko walked out of the changing room to meet Classified, Karma, and Karasuma. A short while later, the four other women stepped out in their dresses.
Princess Peach looked down and sighed at her pale red satin dress. It had an off the shoulder neckline that was covered in a lacy black ruffle. The satin had a faint floral pattern and the sleeves were short, barely reaching halfway to her elbow. The skirts were much too large in her opinion, but at least it wasn't as fancy as Jelavic or Fia's.
"That fits very well," Noriko nodded her approval.
"Noriko, why couldn't you have dressed up more?" Classified pouted slightly. Noriko rewarded him with another bump to the head.
Fia spun out in pale green. The top of her dress resembled Princess Peach's, but her skirt was much fancier. Around the waist was a short apron of the same satin trimmed with a paler green lace that matched the lace around the neckline. Below that, the three levels of pleated satin created a full skirt that gracefully fell to the floor.
Karma turned away to hide a reddening face. "You look nice, Fia."
The Italian curtsied to her complementor. "Thank you!" she replied brightly.
Jelavic strutted out in an azure dress with huge puffy sleeves. Although the bodice was rather modest, besides the huge gold ruffle around an off the shoulder neckline, the skirt was truly gaudy. It started as the same azure blue satin in the bodice. However, about halfway down, the blue satin was pulled up by two large gold bows, causing the top of the skirt to be covered in ruffles. Underneath that, the skirt was comprised of three layers of golden pleats.
Jelavic looked at Karasuma, a curious glint in her eyes.
"No." He answered automatically.
"Ah, come on, I didn't even say anything yet!" she protested.
"No, you are not keeping the dress!" the man replied, exhausted. "When would you ever wear it again?"
She tugged at the neckline of her dress and held a handkerchief to a teary eye. "Oh, come now. You're away from home now so often, General Karasuma. Of course your oh-so dedicated wife will be waiting anxiously for your return, to reward you," her hand trailed down his chest, "for all," across his abdomen, "your hard… work." She tried to dip her hand lower but was assaulted by a sudden onslaught of red blood cells falling from her nose.
Classified wolf whistled while Noriko rushed over, clamped Jelavic's nose shut with the handkerchief, and bowled Karasuma over. "NOT ON THE DRESS!"
The man's eyebrow twitched slightly as he steadied himself. "Well if YOU want to work overtime to pay for the dress, be my guest," he grumbled. "But it won't be my credit card you use to buy THAT."
Haven walked out with a murderous look on her face. She was wearing a pale pink dress with puffy sleeves. Although the six layers of ruffles that made the skirts ended at her knees, it about three times Haven's width. A white sash was tied into a large bow in the front of the dress. Matching, slightly smaller bows were attached to each sleeve and the off the shoulder neckline was trimmed with the same ribbon.
"They only had a child's dress in my size," Haven fumed as many of the people around her commented on her cute outfit.
Karma whipped out his phone faster than a sadistic grin could erupt on his face.
"DON'T YOU DARE, AKABANE!" the short girl shrieked.
"Too late~. Should I forward this to the journalism club? I'm sure Rebecca would eat this up!"
"You are so dead!" The girl began trying to chase Karma around the store. He laughed maniacally as he evaded her, launching himself over mannequins, under tables, and off of walls, much to the store keep's dismay. All, of course, while continuously snapping photos of her.
"NO FAIR! I can't chase you like that in this dress!" Haven screamed. "Your uniform is made for this type of movement!"
In the midst of the cat and mouse chase, one would observe Jelavic sulking, Fia spinning absentmindedly, Karasuma contemplating quitting altogether, Classified laughing hysterically, Noriko berating him, and Princess Peach just standing in the corner, hating everyone and everything. Where was Nagisa? Still in the changing room.
He walked out in a simple grey confederate uniform with yellow trim and golden buttons. "What is wrong with the rest of you?" he asked as he watched the chaos unfolding in front of him. "You guys are all crazy!" he yelled.
"You look so cute, Nagisa!" Fia chirped as she grabbed his hand and spun him once around.
Noriko glanced at the bluenette. "What took you so long?"
Nagisa fiddled with his curled ponytail. "Well, you see, they thought I was a girl, so I had to wrestle my way out of a corset and talk them into giving me this instead," he sighed. "Actually… It looked exactly like yours, Haven, just in yellow. Yours suits you," Nagisa offered with a smile.
Haven, stopping mid-step in her chase, blushed embarrassedly, her bloodlust pacified for the time being.
Karma stopped too, sighing. "Damn, and here I was hoping for a cosplay photoshoot, Nagisa, to send to our buddies back home! I promised them a heck of a hoop skirt!"
"WOULD YOU LET IT GO ALREADY?!"
"ATTENTION!" Classified hollered and the room fell quiet. "Now, we can't all go to the event tomorrow in a single group. It would attract way too much att-" the man was interrupted by a hand being clamped over his mouth.
"Not in public, Winfred! We don't know who's listening," Noriko seethed.
Classified removed her hand. "Winfred? That's way too posh to be the right answer. As for security, we know the people who work the shop. It'll be fine. Back to what I was saying- to decide our groups, let's change it up!"
Princess Peach scoffed. "Why don't you guys do what you normally do? I can work alone," she insisted.
Karma looked down his nose at the raven-haired girl. "As much as we would all love for you to get what you want and stop harassing the rest of us, I agree with captain condescending over there. It would be good to change up how we approach people on these missions."
"I agree with Karma," Noriko said, surprising herself. "If we change how our group interacts, the target would have less of a chance of noticing us."
"Okay, so," Nagisa contemplated aloud, "how are we picking our aliases?"
"I assume that is for each group to decide," Karasuma said.
"So, is everyone ok with this?" Noriko asked. Everyone's eyes turned to Princess Peach in response. The raven haired girl sighed loudly and shrugged in agreement.
"All righty!" Classified began with gusto. Many of the people in the room groaned as the man with green hair began writing names on slips of paper and tossing them into a nearby top hat. He put nine slips of paper in it then put his hand into the hat and pulled out two scraps. "Our first team will be Karasuma and Haven."
Haven shrugged nonchalantly as Karasuma nodded his head, sending a furtive glance at his wife as Classified shouted out the next pair.
"The next team is Jelavic and me! Woo-hoo, I'm a lucky man!"
Jelavic crossed her arms with a scowl. "Yeah, you better count your lucky stars before I have you seeing them. How did I get stuck with this boisterous, bumbling idiot?"
"And here I thought you liked me," Classified feigned a hurt expression. "Anyways, the next team is…" He felt around the hat and pulled out two slips. He flipped open one between his thumb and index finger. "Karma and…" He opened the other between his middle and ring fingers. "Oh, you're in for a treat. Noriko, you're with Karma!"
Pink lips accelerated faster than a colored thought. "I have to work with him?" Noriko demanded. "I'm not here to babysit, so you better behave yourself, Karma," she immediately clarified.
Irises smelted from sheets of golden ore met kunzite eyes, sharp and clear. "No offense, but I don't think I want to work with her either," he began to Classified, "if she can't acknowledge how seriously I take our work."
Classified waved his hand dismissively. "You'll figure it out, I'm sure," he said before quickly moving on. "Now we have Princess Peach and Fia, which leaves Nagisa as our solo soldier, our double-o seven, our pigtailed pioneer of assassination tactics!"
Nagisa tilted his head ever so slightly. "Um, I'm not really sure what to make of that, Sir," he answered, interrupted by Princess Peach.
"Ah HELL no!" Princess Peach exclaimed, "I refuse to work with that little ball of overflowing optimism and sunshine!"
"Little ball…" Nagisa started, startled.
"Of overflowing optimism," Haven continued hesitantly.
"And sunshine?" Karma finished incredulously.
"Excuse me?" Fia asked, a polite smile plastered on pretty pink lips. "I-I must have misheard you."
"Exactly what I'm talking about!" Princess Peach fumed. "You and your view of the world through rose-colored lenses."
Fia quirked an auburn eyebrow. "Are you shitting me right now?"
"Impressive, she finally cursed." Princess Peach spat.
As Fia stared blankly down at the raven-haired rebel, the other agents exchanged glances that read "what now?"
"I swear a lot," Fia said slowly, albeit confusedly. "What makes you think I don't? I fucking swear at that shithead all the time!" she chirped. "I use fuck, shit, crap…" She counted on her fingers.
"Don't forget cazzo," Karma added with a smirk.
Green eyes flickered in his direction and Fia added her middle finger to the count. "Right, bastardo."
"That's not the point I'm trying to make here," Princess Peach sweatdropped. "Even so, she's such a ditz!"
Fia pouted. "You know, I'm really trying to be patient with you but…"
"It's a miracle that you can get anything done around here. Jelavic would have done better taking on just about any one of us! How does she put up with your annoying personality? Better yet, how'd you manage to seduce the redhead? He must have some really low standards; or are ginormous breasts all it takes?"
Nagisa, becoming concerned, looked to Karma. "Shouldn't you stop them?"
Karma rubbed the back of his neck and hesitantly glanced away from the girls. "I think Fia can handle herself, but I'll step in if it gets bad," he added reassuringly.
Fia tensed up, withdrawing slightly. "Is that all you have to say? What gives you the right to -"
"I bet you'd be optimistic even if one of your family members died!" Princess Peach taunted. Earthly olive eyes flashed a poignant, frigid chartreuse. "I bet you'd say that this is all part of God's shitty plan!" the ruby-eyed girl continued.
"Is Fia even religious?" Jelavic whispered. "Her sister wasn't."
Fia scowled as the her face took on the color of her pounding heart, serrated and sawed apart by every stream of searing words Princess Peach spouted at her. "What do you know about me? About fate? About God's wrath?"
"Not much," Haven replied, "but she still prays every once in awhile."
"It's probably Princess Peach's view," Noriko concluded.
"What do you know about me?! You couldn't possibly understand me or how I operate!" the girl cried. "You're just a spoiled, pampered princess who -"
Fia stepped forward and hooked her leg around Princess Peach's ankle. Grabbing the younger girl's shoulder and pushing her back while sliding her hooked leg around, Fia knocked Princess Peach onto her back on the floor. Princess Peach moved to jump up but came face to face with a glinting dagger, its point perfectly poised between her melanoid pupils.
"Yes, I am a princess, and I know that all too well. It marks me, it haunts me, it is me," Fia whispered, quieter than the rush of a breeze through the verdant splendor of a willow tree. "I have pride, because it is my heritage, because being a so-called 'princess' is what defines my family but, that title brings me shame too. I have…" Fia pinned down the struggling younger girl with all of her weight. "Lost my brother, lost my home, lost my dignity in my own last name. I am marked, forever, by a traitorous legacy." Face stoic but elegantly framed by her hair cascading like liquid amber, Fia rose gracefully from Princess Peach's collapsed form. "I have long given up on crying myself to sleep every night; no one will wipe your tears for you but yourself at the end of the day." She slid the smooth blade of the dagger back into its sheath, stealthily tucked beneath her satin sleeve. "You think I won't understand you, then try me. Chiedete, e vi sarà dato. Ask, and it shall be given to you."
"Matthew 7:7" Princess Peach murmured. She jumped up quickly. "I might have underestimated you, but that doesn't mean I want to work with you." Princess Peach stormed off back into a changing room.
The agents exchanged glances that read "She's being such a teenager…"
"I still didn't expect Fia to do that," Jelavic said, surprised but pleasantly surprised.
Classified whistled, ignoring Karasuma's blatantly unamused stare.
Karasuma's groomed eyebrow twitched."Still, that was quite the impressive takedown," he complimented, much to Fia's embarrassment. She quickly hid her face in her hair and slid herself into his arms.
"See that agility? That flexibility? This is why we don't wear corsets!" Noriko announced confidently. Needless to say, everyone else in the room groaned.
After breakfast the next morning, the nine agents got into their costumes.
"It's only natural for Jelavic and I to go as a married couple," Classifed said once everyone had gathered. "Has everyone else decided their cover stories?"
"Just a bachelor," Nagisa shrugged.
"Two friends," Fia reported, casting a sidelong glance at Princess Peach, who was indifferently inspecting her watch.
"Um… Uncle and niece?" Haven said wearily.
"We'll go as siblings." Noriko declared.
"I don't think that'll fly." her partner replied with a quirked eyebrow.
"Don't make things difficult!"
"Have you looked in a mirror recently? We may both have reddish hair," Karma pointed at her, "but we look completely different. You look white, and I am very much Japanese."
"Then what do you suggest?" the ginger woman returned.
"As much as I hate it, as fiances."
"I guess that'll do as well," Noriko huffed.
"If you like, it can be an arranged thing," he offered.
Karma shot a glance between Noriko and the two girls silently sitting at a table together across the room. "You know, dearest fiance, those two don't look like they're getting along. Perhaps if another friend had tagged along with them, they might get to talking."
"You have a point. Also, stop trying to woo me. This is an arranged union," Noriko protested.
The redhead rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to woo you; that was sarcasm, but at least my acting is better than those two over there." Karma muttered under his breath, gesturing to where Haven was sitting next to Karasuma, both eating their food mechanically and in sync. "I take that back."
"Well, those two seem to be cooperating better than Mr. and Mrs. Farrell," Noriko commented as she pointed to the couple sitting across from them, bickering like the married couple they were pretending to be.
Jelavic turned to the two, "Don't ever get married. All you end up doing is fighting," she advised. "Then again, maybe the problem's just my lecherous old Joseph," she jabbed her thumb at Classified.
"Fear not, ma'am. I plan to do nothing of the sort any time soon," Noriko replied.
Karma turned towards Noriko with a hurt expression. "What? How could you call our love arranged? I'm quite hurt, Natalie. Are you not my beloved fiance?" he asked, his voice tender, pleasant. "I wouldn't have proposed to you if I didn't love you." Karma's nimble fingers danced across Noriko's. "Won't you tell me what's wrong, sweetie? Why are you treating me so coldly?" He trailed off, saddened eyes dropping to the floor only to find their way back to Noriko's, searching in earnest for the slightest spark of feeling.
"I am deeply disturbed by this…" Noriko began scooting away.
"Now, now, Honey, it's ok. I know you're just a bit embarrassed." Karma smiled as he put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, causing the woman to blush slightly.
"Our marriage is arranged if you don't recall… regardless of your feelings, there is a financial reason our parents set us up," Noriko replied, slightly flustered.
Before Karma could respond, a certain bluenette walked by, holding his cellphone to his ear. He brushed against Karma's chair and said, "Yes, at three o'clock, your time."
Karma turned to Noriko. "I understand your hesitation, my dear. Perhaps we should walk around and talk this out. Hmm?" he suggested as he got up and offered her a hand. She hesitantly accepted it and took his arm as he led her directly towards a businessman to their right.
A short distance away, a white haired child snickered at the couple.
"What's so funny, Yuki?" the man next to her asked.
"Oh nothing, Uncle Mori," the girl whistled innocently.
"Has anything in particular happened to you recently?" Karasuma asked carefully.
Haven stopped whistling. "Now what would give you that idea, dearest Uncle?"
"You've been secretive with your computer as of late, or so your 'mother' says. She was hoping I could talk to you about it," he replied.
"Oh, I see. That's why you brought me here," Haven sweatdropped and began pushing her food around her plate with her fork. "Nothing's going on," she muttered. A coal gaze eyed the younger female suspiciously before turning back to the food in front of him.
"And…" Noriko trailed off, her eyes planted on the desserts table they were passing.
"And?" Karma asked, following her line of sight.
Noriko snapped to attention. "And… " she failed to continued, her eyes returning to a tray of macarons.
"Those look pretty good, didn't they," Karma noted.
"Y-" Noriko stopped. "Nothing special about them. Not like I like macarons anyways."
"I realize you're on a diet, dearest, but I'm sure one won't hurt. I know they're your favorite," Karma smiled as he watched their target over her shoulder.
"They're really good," Princess Peach whispered as she passed, munching on an orange one.
"WHAT? I thought you were dating that girl!" the man in a chef's hat behind the dessert table exclaimed, pointing to Fia who was standing only a few feet away, nibbling on a mousse like a mouse.
"What?!" shouted Noriko, turning to Karma.
"What?" asked Karma, turning to Fia.
"What?" said Fia, only just now noticing the baker. "Oh, hi!"
"And here I thought that passionate kiss was real. I feel so deceived!" the baker lammented.
"YOU LIAR!" Noriko slapped the stunned Karma across the face. "You said it was only a walk!"
"Ow!" Karma flinched. "We were on a walk! We ended up at a dessert store and kissed for the special! Ms. Bitch and Karasuma did the same thing and you're not on their cases for it!"
"As if it matters anyways," Noriko huffed. "We are an arranged couple. Go have a mistress for all I care."
Fia stared blankly between the two. "Um… Did I miss something here?"
"I see how it is," the baker sighed. "So complicated. Alas, this is what happens when you do not marry for love."
"Tell me about it" Fia muttered, cheeks reddening. "That's how you start a civil war, I tell you."
"Young lady!" the baker cried as he took Noriko's hands. "You cannot not marry for love! It is a crime against your very own heart! I know not what your parents have said, but break off this engagement and free your very spirit! Your soul screams, soaring like an eagle in search of passion! May that be your purpose or love…!"
A crowd had gathered around the commotion. As Noriko looked away from the baker, her eyes landed on a green hair man barely containing his laughter.
"Oh! Is that the man you love?" the baker asked, taking notice.
Classified immediately rushed over and literally swept Noriko off of her feet. "Oh, my lovely sweet, I had no idea that you felt that way about me!"
"YOU ARE A MARRIED MAN, SIR!" Noriko reminded her holder.
"I don't care. I like that man over there," Jelavic piped up, pointing to Karasuma with a smug expression.
"Oh, no…" Karasuma sighed. He hadn't wanted to get roped up into this mess.
"Will you be my auntie?" Haven said robotically as she tugged at Jelavic's sleeve.
"OH YOU POOR SOUL!" The baker ran to Haven's side. "I know it's difficult without your mother around, but I think this lovely lady will be a wonderful mother for you."
Jelavic, sweat-dropping, pulled Haven into her chest. "Oh, you're so cute! I could just smother you!"
Karasuma separated the two with a sigh. "Would you calm down?"
Irina's eyes glinted and she ditched Haven to lunge for Karasuma's pants. She yanked a pair of rings out from his pocket, shoved them on their ring fingers, and jumped into his arms, bridal style, all while laughing confidently.
"Are you doing ok?" Nagisa asked a somewhat dead Haven.
"I couldn't breathe through her enormous tatas…" Haven murmured, looking mentally-scarred for life.
"I completely understand," Nagisa gave her a reassuring hug.
"Oh! Are you two in love as well?" the baker asked.
Nagisa smiled shyly under bright blue eyes. "Well, I do love her a lot…"
Half the crowd swooned and sighed with an audible "D'awww" at the little couple but the other half was chanting, cult-like, "Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!" at the tiger lilly pair. Classified had his lips extended towards Noriko as she assaulted him with several blows.
"NO WAY!" Noriko broke free from the man's grasp and marched up to the baker. "GIVE ME 10 MACARONS!"
"But why? There was no love in that statement," he explained tearfully. "Not for your love, not even for my love-filled creations."
"MY TRUE LOVE IS MACARONS!" the woman declared.
"NOW THAT'S AN ANSWER I CAN STAND BY!" The baker cheered.
Classified dropped to his knees. "How could you leave me?! I LOVE YOU! MY… MY… MY MACARONS!" Classified rushed over the plate of macarons and snatched them.
"JOSEPH, NO SWIPING!" Fia declared, hands on her hips. "JOSEPH, NO SWIPING!"
Noriko hiked up her skirt and kicked off her short heels. "YOU!" she roared as she tackled the green-haired man to the floor and made off with the macaron plate.
"Aw, man…" Classified said with a laugh and a snap of his fingers before jumping to his feet to try and win back his "wife."
Fia huffed and stared up at Karma. "I could feel her pain, just imagining losing my favorite treat…"
Karma snickered. "Maybe I should take that stash of gelato you hid in the microfridge under your bed then~."
"How did you know?! That's not funny!"
"What? You wouldn't chase me down to every corner of the world?" the redhead asked with a smirk.
"I would, b-but for the gelato!" Fia protested hotly. "And… maybe for you. Cherry has grown on me."
"Then it would still be worth it," Karma laughed as he ruffled her hair.
Princess Peach scoffed as she passed by the couple and tried to remove herself from the vicinity.
Citric eyes scanned the crowd meticulously. "Although, I think we should take advantage of a crowd."
"Divide and conquer? What am I looking for?" The Italian asked, relaxing her shoulders, her presence.
"Go left, I'll go right. Look for anything or anyone who seems out of place, or isn't paying attention to this crowd." With that, they dispersed, two maple seeds caught up in the whispering winds of suspicion and rumor.
The baker's eye for color led him to the ghost of garnet. He flocked to Princess Peach. "Excuse me, little lady, are you not here with anyone tonight?"
"Like I be with any of those idiots," the girl retorted.
"I saw you with the lovely lady in green earlier. Aren't you two friends?" the large man asked with a small smile.
"It's not like I spent time with her because I wanted to," Princess Peach scoffed.
"That's a cold answer; I could get frostbite!" he shivered.
"I wouldn't say she's my friend," Princess Peach clarified, as a haze of memories flooded her head. "She reminds me of one I used to have though," the girl said with a surprisingly soft voice.
"Why the past tense?"
"Because we aren't anymore. I'm not sure if that person was my friend to begin with though…" the girl trailed off. "I admired and despised that friend," Princess Peach continued, forgetting about the baker standing next to her. "They acted so cheerful and naive all the time, yet they'd suffered so much. I've gone through a fraction of that suffering and I've become angry and cynical and mean," She sighed heavily.
"If you don't like it, why not change it?" the man asked. "You think a recipe starts off perfect? No, no! It evolves as it passes from experienced hands to experienced hands and it changes every time! And it does not need to be perfect for anybody else but you, my friend! Your blend, your seasoning, it is your call, no? If you don't want so much spice, add some sugar and try, try, try again."
The baker's voice brought Princess Peach back to the realm of reality, along with her bad attitude. "Tch, you make it sound so easy," Princess Peach huffed as she walked away.
She made her way outside before taking a deep breath. "He didn't deserve that… he was just trying to help. None of them should have to deal with any of my crap," She muttered bitterly.
"Alright, alright!" Classified called to the crowd with his arms around both Karasuma's and Jelavic's shoulders. "Nothing more to see here!"
Karasuma rubbed his temples. "How do we always manage to draw such attention to ourselves?"
Jelavic elbowed Classified in the ribs. "We've been really unlucky recently. Who knew the baker was going to show up here?"
Karasuma nodded. "That means we'll just have to get more careful. Next assignment, we should take care to disguise ourselves, physically and mentally."
"Ooooh, deep cover. I like it!" Classified chirped.
Noriko's phone began beeping persistently in her pocket. The woman began to fumble with balancing macarons and opening the phone when Karma slipped it out of her hand and picked the call up.
"Hello? This is Mr. President speaking," he answered.
"We've found a huge lead." Koopa Kid shouted on the other line. "Bit off more that we can chew here and need back-up! Tell Liz it's urgent!"
At this, scarlet brows knitted together. "Liz?"
"She didn't tell you her name?" Koopa Kid, swearing under his breath, realized. "Peach! Princess Peach! Just tell her to get here!"
"Alright, keep calm. I need a working location," Karma explained.
"Vegas! The Strip!"
"Yes, okay, be there soon. Direct any updates to Ice Queen or to me." Karma replied as he hung up.
Noriko swallowed the last of the macarons in her mouth and gave Karma a surprised look. "That was very professional of you."
"I am when it matters," the redhead answered before talking into his comms set. "There's an emergency situation with one of the other teams," he explained quickly. "Chief, get the car. Princess Peach and Chem, you're our fastest runners, change into street clothes and and pack up at the hotel; Take the back alley. Monroe, return the costumes - including yours. Ice Queen, hack the security and keep us covered. Notebook, finish up taking your notes and report to us in the car; Chief will come around for you. Lady Luck and I will cover to the best of our abilities." He paused, assessing the situation and each individual's strengths once more, and added, "And, No Name, just stay out of trouble."
"That's exactly what I would have said…" Noriko admitted with slight trepidation. She eyed the redhead, who bit his thumb as he counted off the number of the agents discreetly ducking out of the party. "What should I do?" she offered as a token of respect to the agent with less authority than she.
His luminous, lucid gaze descended upon her like Helios's coruscating chariot flown by the ambitious Phaethon.
"I trust your abilities. I think you should cover our Ice Queen," Karma responded as he returned Noriko's phone to her.
"And you? What are you going to do?" Noriko inquired.
Karma ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to find Classified," he muttered. "Someone has to make sure he's not just goofing off."
"I guess you do work hard. I must have missed it because I've never seen you work in person before," Noriko explained with a controlled expression.
Karma cracked a smirk. "Are you sure I didn't spike the macarons? I was at the bakery earlier. Or maybe this was all just a ploy to get the macarons to myself?" He laughed as he avoided a blow from the embarrassed woman. She let loose a small chuckle, albeit dry, and moved to fulfill her designated task.
Narrator: Sorry characters, we're taking over this comment box.
Characters: NO FAIR! WE PROTES- (silence)
Narrator: Sorry we had to mute you guys. We have lots of news. First, Left Brain will talk about some problems in the last chapter, which we hope you all enjoyed.
Left Brain: There are corrections to make! The first correction is when Princess Peach… I mean Liz… mentioned her sibling was named Lucille. The name should be Carly. There was some debate over what the name would be before the chapter was published and I forgot to change the name, but it has been fixed. If this message makes no sense to you, just ignore it. The second correction is when the Narrator said, "This is . Shippers congregate here." The end of the first sentence was supposed to be the website you are on right now. I do not believe we are allowed to reference websites, so it was cut out.
Right Brain: Sooooo, this chapter was meant to shed some new perspectives on a few of our characters. We wanted to show Karma's more responsible side and give some insight into why Princess Peach acts as crassly as she does. For Fia, we wanted to show the seriousness underlying her generally bubbly personality, and for Noriko, the quirks behind that totalitarian personality. Hope that came through~~.
Left Brain: We planned to release this more than a month ago, but I left for China before we had a chance to finished it. With China's restricted internet and a large time difference, working on this was impossible after I left. We are very sorry for the late release and will work on releasing more periodically from now on.
Right Brain: With my family visiting from other parts of the country and driving lessons, I'll be a little busy this month, but we're aiming to post at least one chapter by the beginning of August! Then hopefully we can streamline at least one or two more chapters before we start classes again in September.
Narrator: Should we unmute the characters now….?
Left Brain: Nah, they're just ranting about what we wrote in this chapter… and munching on macarons….
Narrator: Next Chapter, our favorite director makes an appearance and the housemates arrive in Sin City! ...Or not.
