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Tapping sounds, mixed with some fast clicks, were moving around the air. On the white wall, a frame which contains a paper reading "CHIEF RANK NOMINATION - With the honorable presence of Mr. Tarfo, we chiefs are proud to welcome the newest member of our prestigious crew: Tonnalisa Pinna, born in 1986 around the Highwave Mountains.".
Below the frame, a slim monitor screen showing a white paper and several words written in the middle. In front of the monitor, Tonna's fingers were pushing the keyboard's buttons: two in less than a second. Her eyebrows were down, her mouth closed.
"… maybe it's just an impression… maybe after 2, 3 days, people would look at me and start bowing down with the maximum respect."
Her right finger pressed a large button which had the word "Enter" written above a left-pointing arrow with the tail's tip moving up. Her arms went down, as her head tilts over the ceiling and a sigh left her mouth.
"Aaaaah, I'm getting so sick of this endless paperwork to finish… this is the stuff some Pro Rank Agent must do, you know! Why I'm still stuck doing this?! I bet the chiefs are too afraid to relegate this job to other agents, since I must be one of the most competent workers for the task."
The woman rose from the office chair, as her feet starts stepping forward: her fingers went behind her glasses, rubbing her eyes a bit. She turns behind and gradually falls backwards, landing on a small leather armchair colored in a light-brown tone.
"Uff… sigh… how I wish to be at the hot baths… scrolling away all the stress…" Her eyes closed, her mouth smiled a bit. "Hearing some peace and quiet… maybe I could invite him with me…"
Her cheeks got red, as her head tilts a bit to the left.
"We could stay close to each other… talking… laughing… relaxing… … yeah… … zzz… … zzzzz… WAIT!" Suddenly, she jumps forward as her hands grabbed the top of her head and her eyes expanded. "WHAT I'M DOING SLEEPING ON THE JOB?!"
Tonna's head turns left and right, as sweat starts jumping out from her forehead.
"S-so shameful…! I'm supposed to be a hard working chief, proving my high rank… and I fell asleep without a care!"
Knock knock.
Tonna gasped, as she turns over the door.
"Come in!" Her right hand stood on her chest, as she sighs loudly.
The door handle moves down, as the door keeps turning for more than 45 degree: Mirii's left hand opened, moving near her left hip. Behind the girl, were following Hun, Fara, Bars and Grina: the tall Inkling boy's right hand stood on the door, as it moves back until it released a loud click and standing between its casings.
"Hi Tonna." Mirii's feet were on a green, round carpet which a gold line was turning in circle near the edges. She folds her arms. "Forgive me for not telling you about this briefing sooner, since my rank position was at risk."
"… is this briefing more like another permission request for walking around the city?" Tonna's hands were on her hips, as she snorted with her mouth closed. "You 4 just want to see me being thrown out of chief rank…"
"I wouldn't claim such lie." Mirii rose her head. "Project Neo's whole mystery can't be solved if we keep completing missions unrelated to our case: the clues we are looking for are in very specific places. Places which I know precisely what do, once"
"Mirii, speaking of those permissions…" Tonna closes her eyes, as her eyebrows went down. "The chiefs were starting to ask me questions about all those sudden permissions…"
"Hmpf." Her right hand took her right tentacle, as she starts caressing it. "They still don't have any proof or even any plan to stand in Inkinators' way."
"Although, they were looking at me with a scary stare." Tonna bends forward, frowning a bit more. "If there is one thing I hate the most is suffering this unnecessary risk for losing my"
"Who said we need a permission?" Mirii shook her head slowly. "Since you are a chief now, new tactics might be possible"
"What tactics?!" Tonna opens her arms, as her teeth gritted. "What the turf are you talking about?! Do you even know anything about a chief's exclusive powers?!"
"Tonna, stop shouting like this." Mirii frowns a bit, as her head went slightly down and her arms stretched down. "This is a discussion, not an order. The purpose of this briefing is to conceive the perfect plan which not only grants us the goal of knowing more about the project, but also to keep our positions safe." Her arms bends a bit forward.
Tonna growled faintly, then she sighs as her head lowered and her right fingers stood on her forehead.
"Look…" Her right hand moved down. "I know I have promised to help you out, since I'm worried about Hun…"
"W-wait, what?!" Hun steps forward, as his eyebrows were up and his eyes got a bit wide. "Are you really worried about me?!"
"Well… not just me." She smiles. "I feel bad for the fact they are basically running experiments on you…"
The boy's mouth was left open.
"Ah… well…" He chuckles a bit, as his right hand scratches the back of his head. "That's a really nice thing to do, Tonna." He moves his arms around. "But who am I to deserve all this free help? I want to do something too!"
"Hunley, I'm sure you can greatly help us with your knowledge." Mirii's turns to her right, as she smiles. "This whole briefing is moving around you, actually."
"Really?" He turns over the girl, as his right forefinger points at him. "Me?"
Mirii nods.
"Your direction will contribute at least 80% of this plan." She returns over Tonna. "This is something important: my mother revealed a detail who truly opens a new route for solving Project Neo once and for all."
"I see…" Tonna walks a bit backwards, sitting on her office chair. "Although, this detail better be truly important as you claim, otherwise you can forget to receive another permission to leave the Headquarters."
"When perfection claims that my evidence is truly decisive, you should do nothing but open your ears and listen carefully about a contradiction which would destroy Project Neo's whole credibility."
Mirii took a breath, as her mouth stood closed for a moment. Tonna's eyes were wide, her opened mouth was even wider.
"… so, the fact that Hun has this black ink… is it truly because of Project Neo?!" Tonna's right hand covered her mouth.
"Correct, although I would ask myself a different question than that…" Mirii's head rose, her arms folded.
"How Hunry got this black ink in the first place? Yeah, the whole world would do that."
Mirii's head turns to her left, as her irises went on her eyes' left corner.
"I see you decided to break out of your dilemma, Greta." Her head rose.
Grina's head was down a bit, her eyes were closed, her left hand's palm was looking at the ceiling while staying closer to her head.
"Sorry for my little outburst." She rose her head back, opening her eyes, as her left hand rests on her left hip. "The salt was really choking me this morning… so, don't worry about calling me Grina."
"Hmpf." Her head returns forward. "As long as you quit your antics for once…"
"Naaaah, why I would hold in some awesome bursts?!" She grins for a moment, as her left hand took her left tentacle pulling it behind her left ear. "You know, my personality is more explosive than a Blaster!"
"Yeah, like totally agree with that!" Bars turns behind, as he smiles at the girl. "When you get filled with fun, you get all sugar rush: as obvious as math!"
"Except you don't care much about math…" Her eyes closed, her grin expanded, her head tilts to her left a bit.
The boy laughs loudly.
"I ain't a nerd, girl!" He grins with his eyes closed. "I squish Squids and play videogames: that's how I roll!"
Grina laughs, as her hands were on her stomach.
"Would you two stop shouting nonsense?" Mirii's eyes rolled, as she sighs loudly. "We are still in the middle of a briefing…"
"Ah yes, the briefing!" Grina's right forefinger rose. "So, what does Hunry says about the situation?"
Mirii's head turns to her right: Hun's head was pointed right over Grina.
"What I say about the situation…?" His head tilts up, as his arms folded. "Hmm… you asked before why I got this black ink in the first place… right?"
"Yep!" Grina nods, smiling. "Good memory job, Hunry!" Her right thumb rose, as she grins. "Your memory ain't so spongy anymore!"
Hun chuckles a bit, nodding.
"Thank you for the compliment!" His eyes opened, as his head turns to his right while his eyes were staring at Mirii. "Alright, Grina asked that question… hmm…"
"Hunley, I'm sure you can tell us something about your past." Mirii smiles, bending a bit over him. "Not to mention, your intelligence is capable of conceiving the most brilliant plans: after all, you managed to get all the way through that flying Stingray base all alone… something who certainly requires fine mental skills."
"But I don't remember much from my past…" He shrugs, as his mouth downturns. "However, if there is someone who might do… are my sister and my parents."
The boy turns over Fara, which hands were behind her back: she was smiling widely.
"Big bro, remembering the good ol' times is something I'd never get tired of…" Her eyes closed, her mouth got neutral. "… but I don' recall a moment where you went 'ere and got in a lab."
"Really?" His fingers were on his chin. "Then, maybe our parents know something about that…"
He snaps his right fingers.
"Hey, how about we are going back home and ask them something about my past?! Maybe there is an information which explains the reason why I have this black ink!" He smiles widely.
Fara's eyes sparkled, as she bends down, clenching her fists and opening her smiling mouth widely.
"You mean, we are goin' back to the farms?! For real?!"
"It seems to be the case!" He turns over Mirii. "What do you say, Mirii? Is it reasonable enough to get there?"
"… it's perfectly reasonable, Hunley." Mirii's smile was reaching her cheeks, as she turns over Tonna. "So reasonable, Tonna would never find a way to contradict yourself. That's who Hunley is: a perfect genius!"
Tonna's irises were shrunk, her tentacles went zigzag, her left cheek twitched.
"But… but she did mention multiple times how a permission was needed! She also said to be sure about remembering anything about his past! Wh-why she even said that?! … unless…"
Her eyes turns over Hun.
"Grina told me once, that Mirii has a crush on Hun… and just before, she shouted all those compliments over him… did she figured out that Hun was going to say all this and gave him the occasion to appear as a perfect genius? …"
Her eyes went back on Mirii.
"You…" Her eyes got a bit wide, her eyebrows went down. "… quick question: how much time you spent, thinking about all this?!"
"Thinking?" Her head rose, as her arms folded. "About what? The only thing I knew was this black ink inconsistency… not enough to"
"Then why you were asking a permission in the first place?!" Her hands were on hips, as her head lowered slightly.
"A permission…? I never claimed to want a permission from you." She snorted faintly.
"WHAT?!" Tonna stands on tiptoes, as her arms were stretched down, her fists were clenching and her eyes were expanded. "YOU WENT ALL THE WAY HERE TO GET ANOTHER TURFING PERMISSION FROM ME! YOU EVEN SAID THAT."
Mirii's face got neutral. Her eyes closed.
"Everyone…" Her head tilted down. "Did I asked Tonna a permission to get out of the Headquarters?"
The other 4 Inklings said no together.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Tonna's tentacles went up, as she growled. "DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU ABOUT THAT STATEMENT WHERE SHE SAID TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT DO IN SPECIFIC PLACES?!"
"… yes, I said that." Mirii's right foot slides forward, as her eyes open. "So?"
"SO?!" Her right hand impacted on her forehead. "What does it mean to go in specific places in your mind?!"
"… did I really said to go somewhere in particular?" Mirii's right forefinger points down at Tonna. "I'm sure that I said the following words: the clues we are looking for are in very specific places. Places which I know precisely what do."
"YES, THAT!" Tonna jumped, as her left forefinger pointed down Mirii. "YOU WANT TO LOOK IN VERY SPECIFIC PLACES!"
"I said WE… that means also you." Mirii's arms folded. "Because, if you would had let me finish my speech, I would had pointed out that the person who needed to explore those places was you."
"WWHHHHAAAAAATTT?!" Tonna jumped backwards, sitting on her office chair.
"Yes… that's because you are a chief now." Mirii closes her eyes. "Since you are a chief, you would receive free access to reach secret documents, all concerning the project: you would find an excuse to take a read on them… instead, you would take a quick photo of them and send everything over us."
"… wh-what the…" Tonna's irises shrunk. "… no way this was your plan all along…"
"Actually, this is nothing more than an idea to discuss in this briefing… after all, you claimed that I don't know anything about a chief's exclusive powers." Mirii shakes her head slowly, as her eyes opened. "Who am I to order everyone around like a dictator? That's why I wanted to do this briefing…"
"… this girl… I don't believe in the slightest she came up with those excuses in a jiffy! She must have predicted all this: she kicked me right in front of a dead end!" Tonna swallows silently.
"Now, Tonna…" Mirii coughed once. "Because Hunley, ingeniously conceived"
"Wait!" Tonna stands up, with her arms down and her fists clenching. "You said that this whole briefing was moving around Hun! YOU KNEW THAT"
"I thought the possibility that Hunley might know something more about this…" Mirii's wrists went on her hips. "His contribution was important because, whenever answer he might say is going to affect the direction of this briefing. After all, I didn't had the perfect solution already in my head: I had nothing more than ideas to discuss. If Hunley didn't say anything, I would had proceeded to mention my initial idea."
Tonna… falls back on her office chair, with her arms waving down a bit.
"… I give up: I'm truly looking like an idiot, trying to outsmart someone who already made me fall in the pit."
"As I was saying…" Mirii sighs. "Because of Hunley's wise, rational thoughts about the situation, I can conclude that we should truly get a permission to visit the farms and talk with his parents. This choice seems safer than asking permission for taking those secret documents about the project. Am I right on this?"
Tonna's irises were shrunk, her eyes expanded: she starts trembling, gritting her teeth and slowly bending down, as her fists were clenching as much as they could. She lifts her posture back, as a loud and long sigh left her mouth.
"… if perfection claims that indeed Hun's thoughts were genial, I can't do nothing but to applaud such genius and immediately get you a permission, since this is the best way to not make me lose my rank."
Tonna claps slowly, but loudly. Mirii turns over Hun: she closes her eyes, while smiling widely.