A man screamed at the new recruits to hurry as Cass watched from the stands. She used her towel to wipe sweat from her brow before standing to find the showers. She'd been sent to the police academy to take some more tests, including a few on paper and a few that were far more active. Her shoulder felt strained, but she was sure that she had done well on those tests at least. Now she just needed to get home to ice her shoulder. She had one more day of "relaxation" before she needed to go back to work.
Taking a sip of water, she started walking towards the ladies' showers when a familiar voice made her turn. An old family friend waved in the distance. Cass jogged to meet him with a smile.
"Good to see you here. How's your father doing?" Mr. Whiteford asked, clutching his cane for support.
"He's doing well. Plenty of sun in Florida… but mostly rain."
The old man chuckled and replied, "They don't really put that part on the brochures, do they?"
"No, sir."
"Well, I do remember him mentioning a position in his city's animal control opening up. You sure about joining S.T.A.R.S.? It would be much safer… and the pay isn't bad."
"Sounds like you spoke to him recently yourself."
"Guilty as charged… but he is worried for your safety. Lots of strange… things happening here. And you've been caught up right in the middle. Wouldn't blame you if you chose to leave."
"I have no intention of leaving Raccoon City," Cass replied stubbornly. "And it's exactly because I've been in the middle of it. It's dangerous there, but I want to do all I can."
"Hm," Mr. Whiteford nodded approvingly. "Well, just let me know if there's anything I can do to help you. I owe your old man that much at least."
"Um… well, there is something," Cass replied sheepishly, glancing towards the students running around the track. "Have you heard of a recruit named Leon Kennedy? I'm just curious… No need to worry if you don't. He's a friend of a friend."
"A friend of a friend, you say…" Mr. Whiteford stared at her with piercing blue eyes before chuckling. "That young man over there. Mr. Leon Scott Kennedy."
Cass followed his glance to see a crowd of men joking around after the instructor had left. In the middle of the group was a young man who caught her attention. He smiled at the others in a self-assured way before excusing himself from the group. She quickly turned back to Mr. Whiteford to see him looking at her quizzically.
"Interesting… Mr. Kennedy intends to transfer to Raccoon City despite the danger… or rather because of it."
Cass raised her eyebrow at Mr. Whiteford, and he gave her an amused smile in return.
"I think you two would get along rather well… Would you like to meet him before you leave?"
"No! Um, no thank you, sir. I… uh… um, just was curious about what kind of person he is. That's all. My friend thinks rather highly of him. But… I should probably head for the showers. I've got a long drive home ahead of me. It was nice seeing you, sir."
"Likewise," Mr. Whiteford said with a smirk as Cass quickly headed for the showers.
Finding a shower in the corner, Cass took off her clothes and turned on the water. After the initial shock of cold water hitting her skin, she turned the knob for warmer water. She relaxed as she washed the sweat from her body.
"What about Kevin?" a voice echoed from the other side of the shower, causing Cass to tense.
"Ryman? Eugh. No. I mean, he's got a nice face… and body. But he's such a slacker. No, I do like his friend though. Leon's cute, and he's got this 'dependable vibe' thing. Besides… everyone knows Kevin has a crush on that secretary. He non-stop talked about her to Leon when he came by to take his evals or something."
"Doesn't Leon have a girlfriend?"
"What?! No way!"
"Yep. I saw a girl bring him lunch one day. They were really friendly. Besides… why do you want to transfer to Raccoon City anyways? It's a cesspool. I even heard that there are girls going missing. On top of all those animal attacks."
"It's not that bad… Chief Irons says they're taking care of it. Plus there are lots of people going missing, Karen. Not just girls. Probably has something to do with the rabid dogs. As long as I stay in the city, I'll be fine."
"I'm not talking about hobos living off the grid or hikers exploring the wilderness, Stacy. I'm talking pretty blonde women suddenly not showing up for work the next day. There's something really fishy going on."
Cass quickly finished washing up as she tried to block out the conversation. Turning off the water, she grabbed her sweaty clothes and booked it to her locker. She tossed the clothes into a gym bag and changed into her other outfit. As she turned to leave, she briefly wondered what secretary they'd been talking about. Kevin hadn't mentioned anyone to her, but then again, he might be different around his guy friends. Maybe he thought Cass would get jealous. Cass tried to disguise her chuckle as a cough as she walked out of the locker room.
"Oh, hey," Leon said with a wave as Cass stared at him in confusion. "Mr. Whiteford asked me to 'accompany' you to your car."
"Oh, did he?" Cass asked with barely hidden malice. That conniving old man. But this could be good. After all, she was curious to see what kind of person this possible new recruit was. "Well, thank you. I appreciate it. My name's Cass Walker… but I suppose he already told you."
Leon gave her a smile and replied, "Nothing wrong with an introduction. I'm Leon Kennedy. Mr. Whiteford's just looking out for you, even though I'd say you can handle yourself. I saw your shooting skills. Not bad at all… You're Kevin's friend, right?"
"Yes," Cass replied with a side glance at Leon, and she started walking toward the parking lot. Kevin didn't need to worry about this one making friends. From what Cass could see Leon would be far more suited to hanging out with the other officers at the station.
Leon kept her pace and asked excitedly, "So you're applying for S.T.A.R.S. too?!"
"Yes."
Leon chuckled, and Cass stopped in her tracks to give him a look.
"Sorry, you're just exactly like he said."
"And what did he say?"
"Ah," Leon looked away nervously. "Nothing bad… Just you come off a bit… frosty. But he said lots of good things too! I swear!"
"Uh huh," Cass said and picked up her pace. "Nice meeting you, Mr. Kennedy."
"Nice meeting you, too, Miss Walker," Leon said with fake formality before laughing. Cass hesitated as he held out a hand to her. "Truce? For the moment at least? I'm not even a rookie yet. Please have mercy."
Despite her irritation, she felt a small smile creep onto her face as she took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Truce. For the moment."
"You're so gracious," Leon snarked with a grin. "I'll buy you a drink when I get transferred to Raccoon City to finalize our pact of friendship."
"You're old enough to buy alcohol?"
"Hey! I just turned twenty-one this year. You can't be much older."
"Twenty-two," Cass replied with a grin. "Older than you, youngster."
"Wow, you're practically ancient."
"Ha ha," Cass snarked in return as she spotted her car. "It was nice meeting you, Leon. Really… I guess I'll see you after your graduation."
"First names now?"
"Don't push it, brat."
Leon laughed good-naturedly and leaned against one of the stone columns with a confident smile. "Bye for now, Cass. I'll make good on that promise for a drink."
"You better," Cass retorted and started walking to her car. After a pause, she turned back around to ask Leon, "If you don't mind me asking… why do you want to come to Raccoon City anyway? I've heard the other recruits talking about it. One of them called Raccoon City a 'cesspool'. I'm sure there are better places looking for recruits, so why Raccoon City?"
Leon rustled his hair before responding, "Don't officers go where they're needed? And what place needs me more? Besides, there are plenty of good, honest people there. Don't they deserve someone willing to fight for them? All those attacks… I don't think it's the end of them, despite what Chief Irons says. I just… I want my work to have meaning. What about you? Isn't it the same for you?"
Cass nodded with a smile. "Yes… that's exactly it. I look forward to working with you."
She turned back around and got inside her car. After she backed out of the spot, she noticed Leon giving her a wave. She returned it and drove to the exit. She hadn't asked Leon about the secretary, but Cass assumed Kevin would tell her some time. Besides, it wasn't really any of her business. Her shoulder ached from the exercises. She'd go back to Chris' place and ice it. Her apartment had just been cleaned the other day, but she still wasn't sure if she could go back inside it just yet. The thought of opening the front door put her on edge. Even if the place was put back together, there was no way she could relax there.
With a sigh she turned onto the highway and began the long journey back to the city.