"Is this how it's going to be whenever I close my eyes?"
The question was asked with indignance, plain and simple, but it was received with only the utmost passivity. Lappland sat stewing in anger, having believed that dunking her bare feet in the clear river would somehow alleviate her frustrations. It did not.
Somehow, it had only made her angrier.
Despite this, however, her guest remained utterly neutral about the way of things. At least, Lappland supposed that they were neutral. Their face was still shrouded as they sat on the other side of the river, opposite the naked Lupo. The hooded specter seemed comfortable, at least.
"I'd like to help in any way that I can," said the stranger.
"Why am I naked?" Lappland asked.
"This is your dream." The stranger reached out with their left and right arms, spreading them as if reaching for something beyond the Lupo. "You tell me."
"Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?" Lappland scoffed. "This is ridiculous. I don't want to be here. I don't want this."
"Perhaps you don't want it yourself. But the mind can be stubborn. The heart even more so."
"What is your name?" Lappland asked.
"Names are given to people, and to things, to mark their significance upon the world." The specter gestured to themselves. "This is a palace of your own design, and so you may choose to call me whatever you wish."
Lappland smiled. "Can I call you Annoying Ghost?"
"If that is as you wish," said Annoying Ghost.
That didn't satisfy Lappland, however. Not really. She opted to go with just Ghost.
"The last time that I was here… you said that you were me," Lappland mumbled. Even just speaking her mind in that way, it sounded strange. "What did you mean by that?"
"I am a part of you," Ghost said. "This is all in your mind. All in your dream."
"I've never had a dream like this before," said Lappland.
"Degradation, erosion…" Ghost clenched and then unclenched their fists like they were flexing; tensing. "All that persists can only grow worse, never better."
"Suuuuper. That's great, really," Lappland replied, growing exhausted with this charade already. Or, perhaps she was just growing exhausted in general. She could only hope that after waking, she'd be well-rested and ready to tackle the day ahead. "Am I getting worse?"
"You are," Ghost replied.
"But there's something I could do about it," Lappland assumed.
Ghost nodded, before tilting their head ever so slightly while they looked at Lappland, through the hood and shroud that covered their face. "Can you feel the love?"
"I sure as hell haven't felt no love!"
"That's too bad!" Vigna remarked aloud.
"...huh?!"
Lappland blinked. Suddenly, she was in a meeting room, and she had been asleep at the table. Looking around, the Lupo could spot some familiar faces seated all around her. The faces of Liskarm and Dur-nar and even little Myrtle. The Vulpo instructor smiled sympathetically at the now-flustered Lupo, while Liskarm and Myrtle seemed more taken aback than anything else.
"You were sleeping just now," Vigna told Lappland, who could only rub her eyes and grumble with annoyance. "Hey, are you sure you're gonna be okay for this mission?"
"Mission?" Lappland blinked confusedly, prompting Elite Operator Blaze, who sat at the head of the table, to smile kindly and re-announce the briefing.
"Okay, take two!" Blaze clapped her hands together and cleared her throat. "You're all dropping down into Sargonian territory today. Slug infestation in the village of Sansabar; the locals have cleared out to let us get to work. Once that's done, you'll be linking up with operators Razzle and Dazzle, who'll be coming in from Rhodes Island Sargonian Station Alpha-whatever-the-hell-the-number-is."
"Just slugs, huh?" Instructor Dur-nar adjusted her cap so that it sat neater on her head. "Quite a lot of hubbub just for that…"
"Believe me," replied Blaze, "I said the same thing. But I've been told this mission is beneficial for a few people sitting here. Therapeutic, even."
"Really?" Myrtle wondered aloud. "Are you coming with us, Blaze?"
"That's a negative! I'll be relaying info via comms."
"Oh. I thought you needed the most therapy out of all of us…"
"Wh—hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Myrtle could only smile innocently as she shook her head, before turning to look at Lappland. "Hey, you're gonna be the main Guard on our squad, so you'd better not doze off in the middle of all that!"
"But of course." Lappland cleared her throat, smiling confidently all of a sudden. "But you're a Vanguard, is that right?"
"I am!" As if to emphasize just how much of a Vanguard she was, Myrtle hefted her banner high above her head — and what a radiant tablecloth it truly was!
"Are you not too short to lead a forward charge?" Lappland asked aloud. Liskarm immediately frowned, and Dur-nar turned her head to keep from laughing.
"I'm not short, I'm just vertically challenged!" Myrtle pointed at herself with her tiny thumb, the smile never leaving her face. "You know, back home, the kids still looked up to me; I was the tallest!"
"Wow." Lappland cupped her chin, looking almost wistful in her thinking. Suddenly, she found herself checking the soles of her boots. "I hope I haven't stepped on any of your family members."
"Hey! You—!" Myrtle looked like she was ready to swat at Lappland with her flag. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Blaze stepped in between them.
"Knock it off, you two." She looked directly at Lappland when she said that, however, prompting Lappland to scowl at the taller Feline. "Touchdown is in a few hours. You know the drill! I don't care what you do before it's time, but make sure you're good and ready to go by then!"
One by one, the others left the meeting room, content with the knowledge that they'd do well enough on such a straightforward assignment. Lappland had spaced out, and she hadn't even realized she'd done so until she blinked, and found that Blaze was the only other person left in the room. She tapped away at her terminal, idly sipping from a rather ugly-looking can, and Lappland was about to leave the room entirely until the Feline spoke up from her spot at the table.
"Do you like energy drinks, Lappland?"
The Lupo made a face of disgust. "I don't drink that sludge."
"Heh. That's probably for the best," said Blaze. She picked up her can and looked it over, wincing at the nutritional block of text that was printed on the side. "This stuff is, like, pure poison."
"I'm sure it is…" Lappland paused. "So why are you drinking it, then?"
"Well, we've all got our vices. I just figured that drinking energy drinks was better than… I don't know, smoking, or fucking my coworkers, or something like that. At least with energy drinks?" Blaze smiled as she swirled the contents of the can, before taking another long and satisfying sip. "I can get stuff done with the caffeine."
"Well, I hope that works out for you." Lappland stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, smiling with amusement. Her tail swayed back and forth. "Don't get fat from that stuff. All that sugar… It would ruin your perfect body."
"My perfect body?" Blaze looked up from the terminal, and she raised an eyebrow at Lappland. "You think I'm perfect?"
"Your body is," Lappland said, "you have an amazing build. Athletic, muscular, robust… strapping; able-bodied. Nice jaw, too. The perfect Siracusan form, I might say."
"Why thank you, Lappland," Blaze smirked. "So what do you really want?"
"Take me off the mission," said Lappland.
"The one that I literally just assigned to you and the others?" Blaze scoffed. "Hell no."
"Hell yes, actually."
"Nope. Sorry Lapps, no dice."
"Can I ask why I'm being made to babysit these—"
"Whoa whoa whoa…" Blaze raised both her hands defensively. "Let's not do the whole back-and-forth thing, okay? You're going, and that's that."
"You're not usually this insistent," Lappland remarked, frowning at her own two feet. Blaze hummed aloud as if she was trying to decide on what she should and shouldn't say.
"Putting you on this mission was a suggestion," Blaze confessed, "from Dr. Kal'tsit herself."
"From that old cat?" Lappland turned up her nose; she didn't want to hear it. "Foolish."
"As I said, I thought it was odd too," Blaze told her, "but you know how Dr. Kal'tsit works. Any "suggestion" from her is more like a, you'd better do this or you'll be sorry type of deal. I'd rather not get on her bad side again so soon, so…" Blaze smiled sympathetically, with a tilt of her head. "Sorry, Lapps. It shouldn't be a big deal — just touch down, clean up the place, maybe make a few friends…"
"I don't need any more friends," Lappland protested.
"Really?" Blaze hummed. "Who's your best friend?"
"Ansel," Lappland said immediately.
"Ansel really really does not like you."
Lappland snapped. "Well, he's playing hard to get, that's all!"
"Anybody else?" Blaze sat back, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Lappland scratched her chin with her forefinger, suddenly pensive. Friends… on Rhodes Island. She had them — surely she did. She had meaningful interactions now and then. She had to have. She told jokes, she made others laugh, she spent time with her coworkers… Texas, and that redhead angel?
"That big Oni! Hoshiguma," Lappland blurted.
"Oh? You hang out with Hoshiguma?" Blaze asked.
"We, uh, work out sometimes," Lappland added.
"Hoh, you and Hoshiguma work out sometimes…" Blaze tried — and failed — to picture it.
"Well," said Lappland, "we work out in the same room."
"The Rhodes Island gym?" Blaze closed her eyes. "The really big room, huh? Does she… even acknowledge you the entire time? Or does she, you know, only focus on doing her squats and lifts?"
Lappland said nothing. Blaze suddenly regretted bringing this topic up in the first place.
"Uh, anyway…" Blaze cleared her throat. "I'm inclined to, you know, go with Kal'tsit on this one, Lapps. I think this might be good for you. Stretch your legs, maybe touch base with some of the other squadmates… I think you've been a little touchier than usual. And hey, if something's wrong…"
"Come to you?" Lappland crossed her arms.
"You have been moodier than usual," Blaze noted aloud. "Maybe I could do something to help with that!"
"Ha. What could you possibly offer me?"
"A fight."
Blaze's immediate answer took Lappland by surprise, and she chuckled. "Really now? You'd like to spar with me?"
"Sure, sure…" Blaze finished her disgusting energy drink, before adding, "let's both destress a little bit. I think you could use a good ass-kicking. Maybe it'll brighten you up!"
Lappland wasn't stupid; she knew what Blaze was trying to do, and she even appreciated the effort. Once again, her tail was wagging, and it's a gesture that Blaze matches along with her, smiling with self-satisfaction.
"You look like you want to make a wager," Blaze said, before crushing the empty can in her fist.
"So this would be a proper duel?" Lappland asked.
"Well… you know the drill. We're obviously not going to kill each other." She paused. "Dr. Kal'tsit would be disappointed if you died. You're a special operations operator. Those are few and far between, and there's still a lot of work you haven't finished for us."
"Ha… if you say so." Lappland cracked her knuckles, giddy all of a sudden. "Shall I meet you in the sparring arena?"
Blaze grinned wickedly, gesturing towards the door. "I'll be there in a few minutes. You'd better get ready, huh? Psych yourself up. Play Eye of the Tiger or whatever you do to get that passion going."
Lappland left without another word. She was smiling now; there was a spring in her step as she made her way to the aforementioned training room. Sparring — combat — now that was something that she always loved to do. Sometimes, she didn't really understand why she wanted to fight someone — only that there was no better way to get the blood whizzing through her veins.
While true, Elite Operator Blaze was a powerful and rugged woman, Lappland was confident that she could at least put her in a daze and, with any luck, take her down for the count.
After all, how hard could it possibly be?
