Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs. Blue or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Chapter Three:
Richard "Dick" Simmons could scarcely believe it even though he had been aware of the fact that Sheila had been sent on an "exchange program" of sorts to the Guild. For some reason, the possibility of running into her at the Guild Headquarters itself had never once crossed his mind. It would be nearly as akin to a situation in which he would have magically stumbled into Carolina and Church while just traversing about.
That wasn't to say that he hadn't been aware of such a possibility, and the Magic User would be lying if he had said he hadn't been desperately hoping to see some familiar faces while experiencing his newfound freedom. But, the chances of such an occurrence had been so slim that his brain couldn't even begin to fathom how to react now in this particular moment.
Sheila waited as patiently as ever, and the redhead was distantly aware of Dexter Grif beside him as the chubby man began annoyingly tapping his foot on the ground. He shot the Orc a frustrated look, but the action caused his brain to finally start processing once again.
"W—what are you doing here?" Simmons managed to squeak out, hating how high-pitched he sounded just then.
"I help out with administration duties here at the Guild from time to time." Sheila's answer was followed by a quick tilt of her crystalline head, hair frozen in hard shape around her shoulders, "Though I think the real question should be what are you doing here?"
She was only being naturally curious and inquisitive with her tone lacking any demanding quality to it. It was as if Sheila really was just catching up with an old friend just then and not someone who, by all accounts, should not be standing before her.
"W—well…" Simmons began before trailing off, unsure of how to explain the current situation. Fuck, he still wasn't really sure how he had gotten here himself.
He shot a quick glance over to Grif for help, who thankfully took pity on the poor redhead.
"It's complicated." The Orc told Sheila, "We're still not quite sure about how this nerd managed to get through the barrier ourselves."
Sheila glanced between the two of them, an oddly knowing tint to her clear eyes for a second before she nodded her head in understanding.
"I see," her voice lowered to a sympathetic note, "I should have realized such was the case given that your father didn't allow you to go on exchange programs previously. I'm sorry, Simmons."
Her comment caused Grif to look at him curiously, and Simmons made it a point to not meet the inquisitive dark-eyed gaze. He really didn't want to discuss his father of all people just yet, especially not to people who had no idea as to what his past was. Instead, the lankier man nodded gratefully to Sheila for her kindness.
"So, given that then, along with these Guild registration papers, I take it you'll be staying in the Outer Regions for a while?" Thankfully, Sheila moved the subject along at a quick pace when she realized how uncomfortable the mention of Hargrove had made Simmons.
The redhead nodded, knowing she understood that he didn't have much choice in the matter. Not that he really had anything to go back to in the Unsc, but still!
Seeing Sheila again made him think of her diamond form sibling, and though he knew the subject was undoubtedly as tough for her as it was for Filss, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Have you heard anything from Filss lately?"
She was a good friend of his too, after all. He had been worried that perhaps his unexpected absence could have caused her some kind of distress. That was the last thing he would want.
Sheila shook her head, statuesque features suffused with worry, "I'm afraid not." She informed him, "In fact, I never received a response from her regarding my last communique. It is most unusual."
That was abnormal, especially since the sisters were only allowed to communicate with one another every few months.
"I'm sorry, Sheila." Simmons really wasn't sure what else he could say, but he wanted to console the other Magic User somehow, "I…I'm sure she's fine."
Given how Filss was considered a valuable asset by many in the Magic Division, Simmons' father included, he suspected that was indeed the case. At least, he hoped so.
"I believe so too." She shot him a brave smile before deciding to change the subject, "Though I have heard from Sarge."
Simmons' ears perked up at the news, "R—really?" He asked, voice barely containing his excitement. After all, it had been an even longer time since he had last seen Sarge than since he had last seen Sheila.
Now standing behind the two old friends, Grif scoffed, "Who hasn't heard from Sarge?" He asked, "He's just as loud and insane as ever."
That got Simmons' attention, and he wheeled around to stare open-mouthed at Grif, "You—you know Sarge?"
Grif seemed surprised by his reaction, "Of course I do! The guy's probably been around the Guild since it was founded." He shuddered, "Plus, he's fucking crazy."
Simmons frowned at that last comment. Sarge might be eccentric, but calling him crazy was going a bit too far. The Magic User was just about to say so when someone harrumphed loudly behind them.
"No doubt you'd say that, Grif." A familiar voice stated rather gruffly, "You're too unmotivated to see the true genius of my flawless battle strategies."
Grif groaned as Simmons stood there agape, "What strategies?" The Orc asked, "When I was your trainee, all you did was have me stand in front of the Plague Beasts for you!"
"Well, how else did you expect to distract them?" The older man in red shot back.
Grif was about to say something in response when he looked over at Simmons and fell silent.
The other young man looked as though he might faint or cry at any moment. The redhead was going through some kind of emotional upheaval by first meeting Sheila again, and now…
"S—Sarge?" Simmons managed to squeak out.
Sarge was standing there in the same red adventuring garb that he had worn when he first came to Valhalla, as well as when he eventually left it later on in disgust. The older man swore that he had been born in the thing and would die in it.
Behind Sarge were two other men. One was a tan-skinned man in a similar brown adventuring outfit around Grif and Simmons' age who looked rather exasperated just having to be there at all. The other man looked to be a few years younger with dirty blond hair. He was dressed surprisingly in pink and seemed rather excited to be present for this exchange despite being a total stranger to the redhead.
All three of the newly arrived men turned to regard the nearly beside himself Simmons curiously.
Sarge looked completely shocked for a split second before he recovered enough to smile fondly, "Well, if it isn't Simmons!" He exclaimed in a loud, jovial voice, "Welcome to the Outer Regions, son."
The group of six were currently walking through the streets of Armonia. As far as surprise reunions went, Simmons had to admit that things didn't go quite as he imagined they might back in Valhalla on the lonely, sad, and especially tough days. But, he supposed that was just the way life went.
Who could've guessed that he would even be here at all, let alone meeting up with two familiar faces again? The redhead was grateful that Grif was there with him too. For some reason, having the Orc's presence nearby had helped his mind avoid a total freak out.
After having run into Sarge, they all had somewhat unanimously agreed that the noisy Guild Headquarters was not the best place for introductions, especially since both Vanessa Kimball and Donald Doyle had gotten progressively louder within the confines of their heated conversation.
It had actually been Sarge's suggestion to step outside for a while, though the older man had been a bit disappointed to do so all the same. According to the young man in pink (or as he referred to it as, lightish-red) and his apparent love of gossip, they learned as they exited the building that there was a healer Sarge was rather sweet on who was often found at the Guild Headquarters.
"…And this here is Lopez!" Sarge was stating in conclusion after having introduced his two assistant Guild members while motioning to the tan-skinned man with unusual red eyes currently holding hands with Sheila.
"They've been dating for a few months now!" Sarge's other assistant, the young man they had just learned was named Franklin Delano Donut, whispered over to Grif and Simmons, "Aren't they just adorable?"
"Estamos presentes, ya sabes." {"We are present, you know."}
Sheila smiled and squeezed Lopez's hand reassuringly, "I think it's sweet." She said, nodding over at the younger man, "Thank you, Donut."
Simmons smiled at the couple, happy that his friend had found someone. It seemed as if Sheila was doing quite well for herself outside of Valhalla, even with both worrying about and missing her sister. In a way, it made him hopeful as well.
"Lopez is special." Sarge was saying now, beaming with anticipation and something akin to pride, "Some might even call him my pride and joy."
"Oh no. No otra vez." {"Oh no. Not again."}
Lopez stopped walking suddenly, Sheila and the others regarding him questioningly.
Simmons glanced between the two men at Sarge's words, "Do you mean he's your son, sir?" He asked, feeling all at once both surprised and envious of the possible reveal.
"Yo no quiero tener la charla de nuevo. No animarle." {"I do not want to have the talk again. Don't encourage him."}
"He's as close as I'll probably get." Sarge stated proudly, grinning, "I created him with my own powers."
Simmons blinked, surprised at the admission. He knew that Sarge's magic ability was to create weapons using his own life-force. But, creating a whole person? Well, that was something else entirely!
"Yep," Sarge nodded at the shocked expression on his former pupil's face, still grinning, "It nearly killed me, but the experience was totally worth it in the end." He stated with a satisfied tone to his voice, "Now I have someone to pass on my legacy."
"Algunos legado. Ni siquiera se podía conseguir que hable el mismo idioma que usted." {"Some legacy. You couldn't even get me to speak the same language as you."}
"That's…that's incredible, sir!" Simmons exclaimed, completely in awe over the whole concept.
Sarge's grin turned larger, patting the redhead's shoulder, "Now I remember why I always liked you, Simmons!"
"Because he's a kiss-ass?" Grif questioned nearby. Simmons shot him a glare that the Orc had the nerve to simply smirk at.
"Because he respects authority and the chain of command." Sarge amended, looking pointedly over at the dark-haired man with orange markings on his body, "Something that you always had trouble with, Grif."
"Only when said authority constantly gave orders that made no sense!" Grif muttered under his breath.
"Al menos otra persona se da cuenta de eso." {"At least someone else notices that."}
Sarge nodded his head in Lopez's direction before deciding to continue with his earlier talk by just ignoring Grif's outburst, "Lopez here was so grateful for the gift of life that he's been traveling with me ever since."
"... Sólo porque todavía no estoy seguro de lo que sería de mí si fueras a morir." {"…Only because I'm still not sure what would happen to me if you were to die."}
Donut nodded at whatever it was that he thought Lopez had said just then, "That's right, Lopez! Then my getting assigned to Sarge made us a happy trio of adventurers for the Guild!"
Lopez sighed and shook his head in exasperation before smiling gratefully at Sheila for simply being there. While witnessing that motion from the two lovebirds, Donut simply waved his hand and a glass full of water was suddenly in his grasp.
Simmons started at its sudden appearance, knowing about Donut's teleportation powers from his earlier extremely long and energetic introduction that hadn't actually said much about his past at all: "Leaving no hole unexplored is my specialty! Well, that and tossing! I've got a great tossing hand from loads of practice." But, knowing about something beforehand and seeing it in action were two very different things.
"So your family is still in the Unsc, Simmons?" Donut asked thoughtfully, taking a sip of his recently procured drink.
Simmons gulped, a heavy pit in his stomach at the mention of his family again, "Ah, that's right."
"Must be tough." Donut looked sympathetic, "I can imagine that they're worried sick about you."
His mother, most likely, would be. Though she hadn't tried stopping it, the pale-skinned man recalled that she had cried when his father had cast him out. But, Malcolm Hargrove?
"I doubt your father is anything but angry you got away from his Unsc-approved thugs." Sarge muttered darkly just then, cutting into the conversation and the redhead's thoughts, "As far as I could tell, he always was a bastard."
Simmons blinked, surprised to hear Sarge speak out about his father so vehemently. The older man must have been really holding himself back whenever he'd stormed out of Hargrove's presence in a huff back at the Magic Division.
"Th—that's—!" Simmons began, seeing the curious look on Grif's face in particular and for some reason feeling suddenly ashamed.
"You're better off here. That's for sure." Sarge continued, nodding his head, "No matter how fantastically it happened."
Simmons could have cried, he was so touched, "Thanks, Sarge."
As they continued walked, the redhead felt a grip on his shoulder. He turned to find Grif in close proximity, gesturing for Simmons to follow him momentarily to a side-alley they had just passed. He did so, regarding the Orc questioningly. Surprisingly, however, Grif simply stood there grinning at him.
"W—what?" The freckled man asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
"Nothing." Grif shrugged before elaborating, "It's just great to see you relaxing and opening up some more."
For some reason, that remark from Grif combined with the smile still plastered on his tan face had Simmons' own becoming rather hot.
"It's…it's been nice. Getting to catch up with Sarge and Sheila." He finally mumbled out, having to glance away from the Orc's continued happiness.
"I bet. Even if one of them is a bit too maniacal for me." Grif was regarding him seriously a second later, brown eyes lit up with curiosity, "Though from what they've said about him, I take it that your dad's a bit of an asshole?"
More than just a bit of one. Simmons winced, not exactly wanting to discuss his father…well ever, and especially not with Grif of all people. For a reason he couldn't quite identify just then. What would he think if he knew that Simmons was related to a man who had a ton of clout in the Unsc?
He didn't want anyone, Grif in particular, to hate him for it.
Perhaps his reluctance and fear was clearly visible on his face, because Grif's expression softened slightly and he held up his hands in a placating gesture.
"It's okay, Simmons." He told him, "You don't have to tell me anything just yet."
Simmons let out a sigh of relief, some of the tension melting away from his body at the reassurance. He didn't have to say anything. Grif wouldn't hate him yet…
They remained standing there in relative silence for a few more moments, the chubby man regarding Simmons carefully as if afraid he might bolt at any second and trying to figure out a way to avoid that from happening.
"Simmons." Grif finally stated, breaking the other man from his thoughts with a surprisingly serious tone to his voice.
"Y—yes?" Simmons blinked.
The tan-skinned man looked rather uncomfortable just then, "Actually, there's something I should probably tell you." He began, shifting awkwardly on his feet, "About how you made it through the barrier."
Simmons tilted his head questioningly to the side, curiosity welling up inside of him at the sudden change in Grif's tone and demeanor as well as at the subject itself.
"You see…" Grif started before someone else's voice interrupted whatever it was he had been about to say.
"I thought I saw you guys!"
A familiar dark head of hair suddenly poked its way into the side-alley, Lavernius Tucker grinning.
There was a small figure standing behind the Beast Folk, and Tucker patted the young boy's shoulder reassuringly before he continued, "Simmons, this is Junior and he's the best fucking kid you'll ever meet!"
The boy looked rather similar to Tucker, though his smaller black-furred ears and tail seemed to indicate some human lineage in him. His tail swished back and forth nervously as he nodded his head slightly in greeting towards his father's two friends.
Whatever Grif had been about to tell the redhead just then was put on the backburner as he rolled his eyes at Tucker's comment, "No biases, huh?"
"Dude, I don't need any when it's the truth!" Tucker stated proudly.
"Hi, Junior." Simmons greeted the child, bending down slightly so that he was closer to Junior's eye level, "Your dad's said a lot of good things about you."
"Really?" Junior glanced at his father questioningly as if to make sure that Simmons was in fact telling him the truth, brown eyes glinting hopefully.
"Totally." Tucker assured him before looking over at the two men curiously and motioning outside of the alley again, "Is that Sarge waiting for you guys there or is he just acting as crazy as usual?"
Grif wasn't sure how or when it had been decided that Tucker and Junior would tag along with them. But, for whatever the reason, the now added onto retinue made its way back to the Guild Headquarters quite some time later.
Of course, that had been after Donut had loudly declared that he was done with window shopping for the moment even though that hadn't been the original reason for their meandering in the first place.
The Orc didn't complain too much about the added company. In fact, he was grateful that Simmons seemed more at ease with his current situation due largely to the happy and energetic goings-on around him now. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, especially to the kiss-ass himself.
All things considered, Grif could even lie to himself a bit and think that maybe it was a good thing that his talking about the Linking Magic had been stopped before it really began for the moment. Simmons had a lot on his plate currently and was just starting to feel comfortable after their meeting with Kimball. The redhead didn't need something else to potentially freak out over.
True, the Orc was just delaying the inevitable and he knew it, but Grif was more relieved by that currently than anything else. He needed to pick the best time to explain everything. Who the fuck even knew when that would be?
The dark-haired man was more than content to let things play out, provided that Simmons stayed close by.
When their group approached the building that served as Guild Headquarters, there were two figures at the doorway that gave Grif and the others pause. They were a well-known pair to those who had been Guild members for a while.
"Ah, hello." The tall man with pale blond hair and equally pale blue eyes greeted the group with a nod of his head.
"H—hello!" The black-haired boy, who was only a few years older than Junior, stated quietly from next to where they both were seated by the main entrance.
"North. Theta." Sarge took over with the pleasantries for the group, "Always good to see you, but what's the occasion this time?"
The blond, North, smiled grimly, "An urgent matter came up. One that required Doyle speak to Kimball about it face-to-face."
Simmons glanced over at Grif questioningly, the only one out of their odd assortment of people who didn't have a clue as to what was going on. Grif sighed, taking pity on the redhead and leaning over to whisper to him, "North and Theta are Guild-appointed bodyguards for Doyle."
"Why does he have Guild-appointed bodyguards?" Simmons asked curiously.
It was a good question given the high tensions between the Unsc and the Guild. Not to mention between Doyle and Kimball in particular.
"There were some attacks against the Unsc by mercenaries and this group of assholes called the Insurrection a while back." Grif told Simmons, frowning at the memory, "You know, one of those groups claiming to fight for the Outer Regions but making life harder for everyone living there instead? Well, Kimball wasn't satisfied with the security measures the Unsc responded with, so she's been deploying North and Theta to watch Doyle's back ever since."
"I—I see." Simmons was staring at the two newcomers in their midst, particularly Theta, as if on the cusp of recognizing something or someone.
"Something wrong?" Grif asked, noticing the regard. It reminded him of the odd sense of déjà vu that Simmons had apparently experienced when meeting Delta for the first time earlier that day.
Simmons blinked and shook his head, "No. Just reminded of someone, is all." He muttered under his breath a second later, "But that's impossible. The kid seems way more polite than he ever was at that age."
Theta and Junior were already off to the side and having a child-friendly private conversation amongst themselves. Junior didn't really know too many kids around his own age, and so the assistant Guild member had quickly become something of a friend to him when they had first met. Grif was about to ask what Simmons meant when he caught wind of the tail end of North's conversation with Sarge.
"…Your timing is good since I think she will be calling for you guys eventually." North informed the older man, stepping aside from the door, "You might want to head in now."
"Much obliged." Sarge turned to the group, nodding his head slightly, "Let's get going then."
Junior paused to look over at Tucker pleadingly, and Tucker laughed at the almost puppy-like expression on the young half Beast Folk's face that was made even more amusing by the fact that he had obviously feline features, "You can stay and chat more with Theta, kiddo. If it's all right with North."
"Of course." North smiled indulgently, "We'll keep a good eye on him. Right, Theta?"
"Yes!" Both Theta and Junior were practically jumping into the air at the prospect of being able to further catch up with one another.
With that, the group headed inside to find out directly what exactly was going on. When they entered the main entrance, they were greeted by the sight of Kimball staring down a blond-haired human in white and gold-colored clothing.
Surprisingly enough, standing next to said human was the grey and yellow-tinged Seas that Tucker had nearly run into before as well as a black-haired human who seemed quite nervous about something. The Seas' expression was a serious and stern one, and the Orc was beginning to wonder if that was just the guy's default setting.
The atmosphere was heavy and way too serious for Grif's liking. He had to avoid the temptation to grab Simmons' hand and back out of the place slowly, a trick he had perfected during his time training with Sarge.
"It's rare for you to come in person, Doyle." Kimball said tersely in way of greeting, eyes taking in the assembled group and frowning before landing back on the man in white and gold clothes, "What's going on?"
"Since it will affect both of our organizations," Doyle held up his hands in a pacifying gesture, "I figured that the news I have should best be said face-to-face."
"I'm listening." Kimball's expression was still the same guarded one that she always wore when interacting with the Unsc representative.
"As you'll no doubt become aware of very soon, an airship was recently attack by pirates." He paused, frowning, "Two people, registered Magic Users, are reported missing."
"That sounds like those other missing people reports." Tucker whispered nearby, and Grif couldn't help but frown at the reminder.
For several months now, Magic Users had been attacked and taken from all over the Outer Regions. It was an ongoing Guild case that had been infuriatingly low on leads up until now.
The blond Seas from before shot Tucker a glance, surprised recognition momentarily clouding his features before he stepped forward to address Kimball in his Serious Mode instead, "One of those missing people is the pilot." He stated, pausing before adding quietly, "She's a good friend of mine."
"The other is a girl that I have been looking out for." The black-haired man, who appeared older than the Seas, looked about ready to cry from worry.
Grif could understand why, given the situation. If something like that ever happened to Kai… He shook his head, not wanting to go there.
From beside him, Simmons touched his shoulder reassuringly as if having read his thoughts and he shot the redhead a grateful look. Of course, Simmons would know what it was like to be targeted as a Magic User. The Orc knew that he definitely wouldn't wish that fate onto anyone else.
Kimball nodded sympathetically, putting the pieces together as to why both men had requested meeting her, "So you would like to request an official investigation and rescue mission from the Guild?" The Guild leader asked understandably.
Doyle coughed awkwardly, "Ah, all three of us would, yes." He remarked.
The dark-skinned Seas with aqua tinges regarded him suspiciously, "Isn't the Unsc going to run its own investigation?"
It was a valid question. The airship no doubt had been carrying cargo that was from or heading towards Unsc territory. Or had been carrying passengers who were from the area. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Doyle to even be here. Even though the attack evidently occurred in the Outer Regions, it would only make sense that the Unsc would have enough of a vested interest to at least officially request a joint investigation.
Doyle's face reddened and he sighed at her inquiry, "With the Prince still unaccounted for and neither missing persons in this incident being from the Unsc, it seems as if resources are needed elsewhere. My request to investigate the attack hasn't been considered top priority."
"Shocking. To think that the Unsc's top brass is more concerned with what is going on within their own borders." Kimball remarked sarcastically.
The blond-haired man's shoulders slumped at her tone, "Please, Miss Kimball, I did not come here to argue again. I came to request the Guild's help in this matter as well." Doyle straightened slightly, voice taking on a slightly firmer edge, "My colleagues might believe otherwise due to these cases not being directly linked to the Unsc, but I believe resolving this situation once and for all is in everyone's best interests."
Kimball closed her eyes for a few moments in consideration as everyone in the space waited anxiously for her decision.
At length, she nodded, "We're in agreement. For once." She stated emphatically, a determined look in her brown eyes, "The Guild investigation will begin immediately."
Author's Notes: More introductions were had, and the plot started to pick up a bit! :D Hopefully this chapter was as enjoyable to read as it was to write. Thank you so much for reading! :D