Author's Note: A quick thank you to barroowii2 for reviewing and generally motivating me to work a little faster on this. Reviews aren't my sole motivation for writing, but it's always nice to know someone enjoys reading what I've come up with. To CloudBloodbane, I share your pain; the drop rates are downright cruel, but I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the game (and my fic) as well.
Upon their landing, they are greeted by a black-haired woman in a white outfit holding a clipboard, and from her sharp eyes and stern look Alisa already knows she is not one to be messed with.
"I take it you're the New-Type from Russia, Alisa Amiella, correct?" the imposing figure asks by way of greeting, and at Alisa's nod of affirmation she turns towards the other person to arrive from Russia.
"Dr Daigo Oguruma," the old man offers with a small bow. "As you already know from the files we sent ahead, Alisa needs special treatment on a daily basis, and I am her primary doctor."
"Yes, I received the notification on the special circumstances," she acknowledges before turning back to Alisa. "My name is Amamiya Tsubaki, and I'm both the supervisor of this branch's 1st to 3rd units as well as the advisor for new recruits. You will be assigned to the 1st unit, so that makes you one of my responsibilities on both counts. Any questions?"
Alisa shakes her head. "None, ma'am."
At this short pause in the conversation, Dr Oguruma speaks up. "I will take my leave then, if I may. I have to make the necessary arrangements with your medical staff," he states with a bow that Tsubaki responds to with a slight nod.
"Very well. Follow me and I'll get you acquainted with your future teammates," the woman gestures with her clipboard once the doctor has walked off. The ensuing lift ride feels too short yet too long at the same time, and before long Alisa finds herself looking at the people she will be fighting alongside for the rest of her foreseeable future.
They're the sorriest bunch of misfits she's ever laid eyes on. But at least the older woman seems okay. For now, anyway.
"I have an introduction to make," Tsubaki announces to the ragtag group assembled before her. "This is a New-Type recruit; she'll be joining your ranks today."
That's her cue, and she adopts the most formal tone she can muster. "Nice to meet you. My name is Alisa Ilinichina Amiella. As of 1200 hours today, I've been transferred here from the Russia Branch."
Predictably, the one she's pegged as the loud-mouthed idiot is the first to say anything. "Hey, girls are more than welcome here anytime!" he exclaims excitedly.
"I'm amazed that you've survived so long around here with that frivolous attitude," she fires back dismissively, doing her best to not let her satisfaction show when the boy visibly deflates with a startled "Huh?" On the edge of her peripheral vision, the brown-haired guy valiantly hides a bemused smile while the hooded one lets out a barely audible snort at the exchange.
Tsubaki cuts in before things get any further, however. "She doesn't have much experience in actual combat, but her scores in the stimulated battle were quite stellar. You'd better train hard, or she'll soon surpass you," she tells the loud guy.
"Y-yes, ma'am," he mumbles dejectedly, and Alisa barely has time to stomp out the urge to smirk before the woman turns her attention back to her. "Alisa, I want you to serve under Lindow's supervision," indicating the carefree-looking man standing off to the side. "Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," she answers quickly. Satisfied, Tsubaki shifts her gaze to the man she called Lindow. "Lindow, I need to hand off some documents to you, so come with me." She moves as if to start walking away before stopping and turning back to look at the entire group. "The rest of you can go back to your quarters. That's all," she dismisses them before marching off towards the lift with Lindow following behind her.
"Hey, hey... so you're from Russia?" Oh gods, it's the idiot running his mouth again. "Isn't it freezing over there? Oh, but I guess with all the global warming these days, the temperatures are getting higher..."
"Kota," the brown-haired guy chides as he claps a hand on the overly energetic boy, "don't you think you're getting a bit too ahead of yourself there?"
The boy - Kota - does a double-take at the interjection. "Huh? I am?"
At that, the other guy shakes his head in a resigned manner before turning to address her. "I'm sorry, we're still trying to drill some manners into him," he tells her with a bemused smile as Kota sputters out an indignant "Hey!" at his statement that is promptly ignored.
"You've introduced yourself, but we still haven't. As you now know, he's Kota, the one brooding over there-" he points over his shoulder to the still-silent hooded figure, "-is Soma, Sakuya here is our team sniper and medic-" he gestures towards the woman who waves in greeting, "-and I'm Yuu," he finishes with a smile. "On behalf of our leader Lindow, welcome to the 1st unit."
He's polite, at the very least, so she decides to be at least civil with him. "Thank you. I look forward to working with all of you." She throws a glance at the still demoralised Kota. "Except maybe him."
Yuu lets out a soft laugh as said person slumps even further, if that was even possible. "You didn't have to say that..." he mutters, earning him a sympathetic clap on the back from a smiling Sakuya.
"I wish we had time to sit down and get to know each other properly, Alisa," the woman apologises, "but we have a mission scheduled in a couple of hours and we need to get prepared. Yuu-"
"I'll walk her to our section of the base since I need to go back to my room anyway, so no worries," the guy finishes, earning him a "thank you" before everyone else but the two of them shuffles off to their own destinations. He turns to her and nods his head towards the lift. "Shall we?"
The lift doors are about to start closing when a feminine voice breaks the silence. "Hold up! Hold the lift!" Somewhat startled, Alisa finds herself capable of little more than staring when a pink-haired girl dashes into the lift, barely missing being crushed by the now closed doors. Panting, the new arrival looks up with gratitude in her eyes only to seemingly panic at the sight of Alisa's companion.
"Yuu! Listen, I know I've said it a hundred times-" she starts hurriedly only to be cut off with a wave - and was that a grimace? - from the guy. "Kanon, you've practically apologised a thousand times now," he sighs. "I told you, I forgive you and it's fine."
"Still, I'm sorry for, you know..." she gestures embarrassedly, "nearly blowing you up that one mission." Alisa's eyes widen at that admission as she continues staring mutely. "And again, I'm so sorry I accidentally sent you that mail-"
"Kanon," Yuu interjects resignedly, "you're being a little rude, you know."
"Huh?" It is only then that the apparently friendly fire-prone girl seems to notice Alisa. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Where are my manners? Name's Kanon," she offers somewhat uselessly as she gives her a sheepish smile, "and you must be the New-Type from Russia. Alisa, right?"
"Nice to meet you," Alisa responds warily. From the sounds of it, this girl is bad news on the battlefield, and she wonders how her teammates have been able to survive so far, if they have at all. Thankfully, she's saved from speaking any more to this dangerous girl as the lift shudders to a halt and the doors slide open.
"Oh, this is my stop," Kanon announces as she skips out of the lift. "See you around, Alisa! It's not very likely since we're in different units, but maybe we'll go on a mission together sometime!" she calls out as the doors close.
'Not if I'm lucky,' Alisa finds herself thinking.
The rest of the trip to her new quarters does not help improve her opinion of her fellow God Eaters; every person they run into is questionable on some level, and by the time they reach her room she can't hold back anymore.
"I wish I didn't have to ask this right after arriving, but do the people here lack self-awareness?" she asks Yuu incredulously, and the question seems to take him completely by surprise as he swivels his head to stare at her before bursting out in laughter.
"So you've noticed how... unique... our little group is," he musters out the sentence between dying chuckles, and really, Alisa thinks his problem is he's not taking any of this seriously at all. "I'm sure you'll find out eventually, but they're all pretty reliable when the time calls for it." He pauses as if in deliberation before leaning in slightly. "Except maybe Kanon, but don't tell her I said that or she'll really blow me up next time," he mock-whispers to her conspiratorially. Yes, definitely not taking this seriously at all.
"Jokes aside," he continues, sporting that same warm smile again, "everyone here will have your back on and off the battlefield, and our top priority is that everyone comes back in one piece at the end of the day. Oh, and since the two of us are the only New-Types in the Far East branch right now, feel free to ask me for help or anything if you need. I'm far from being an expert or anything, but I'll do my best to help out any way I can," he offers.
"I don't need your help," she rebuffs him coldly, but if he's affronted by her tone he doesn't show it. "Alright. Still, the offer stands," he answers calmly. "Your stuff should be inside so use this time to get settled. I have to go get ready for our mission now, but it should be a quick one. Dr Sakaki, our Aragami Technology Department's Chief Supervisor wants to see both of us and Kota in his office after that. If you're not sure where to go, wait for me to come back and we'll go together."
"I'll find my own way there, thanks," she answers, and it irritates her a little that her somewhat chilly response only cause his lips to quirk to form a small smile and his blue eyes to shine with bemusement. "Okay then, I'll see you later," he waves as he jogs off.
Incomprehensible person.
-xXx-
Dr Sakaki's summons turns out to be for a lesson on Aragami, and while Alisa does think it's a rather long-winded speech, that doesn't excuse Kota falling asleep during it. Granted, he did just come back from a mission, but seeing as Yuu is fully attentive she doesn't think he should be allowed to get away with snoring throughout the lecture.
"Ugh... Mom, I can't eat anymore..." the boy mutters in his sleep as Dr Sakaki stares down at him with a look that could only be described as exasperation. To her left, she hears Yuu let out a sound that seems suspiciously like muffled laughter.
"Really! He has no sense of duty whatsoever," she says crossly only for Yuu to smother a slightly louder laugh into a cough before reaching over to slap Kota's arm, causing the dozing boy to emerge from his slumber.
Having regained the attention of his audience, the scientist resumes speaking. "Listen people, have you ever heard the term 'Nova's Devouring Apocalypse'?"
The question catches all of them a little by surprise, but Alisa answers first. "Yes... after the Aragami battle among themselves, the extinction of humankind is triggered by Nova, an entity grown so huge that it can swallow up the entire planet."
Dr Sakaki smiles appreciatively, seemingly pleased that at least someone has done their homework, and Alisa feels a spark of pride flare up in her chest. "Exactly. No one even knows who first spoke of this event, and some people have dismissed it as an idle rumour."
Kota cuts in then. "But once the Aegis Project is completed, we'll be safe from even that," he responds with confidence.
The older man turns his attention to the boy at his words. "Do you know what kind of animal a dog is?" he asks out of the blue.
"Huh?" Blindsided by the seemingly unrelated question, Kota is at a loss for words. Alisa doesn't blame him - if it had been her, she wouldn't have been able to come up with a proper response either. Not that she'd ever admit that.
Seemingly unconcerned with the lack of an answer from anyone, Dr Sakaki resumes speaking. "Their numbers are quickly dwindling, but even now you can see some dogs existing around the Outer Ghetto. Dogs are intelligent; they may not be able to speak or understand specific words, but they can communicate with humans. If an Aragami takes on the qualities of a dog, then perhaps we can find a way to co-exist."
The last word catches Alisa's attention. "Co-exist?" she echoes numbly, her thoughts grinding to a halt.
"Of course," he continues, having seemingly not noticed the change in her demeanour, "from a communication standpoint, we're not limited to dogs. Long ago you could watch an animal tamer manipulate wild beasts in a tent called a circus."
This is starting to become ridiculous; the man has to be some sort of deranged mad scientist. "But there's no way that we can ever get along with Aragami..." she trails off bitterly, an old familiar pain twisting deep inside her.
Silence reigns in the room for a while before a clap dispels the suffocating atmosphere. "Alright, that's enough for today's lesson," Dr Sakaki announces. "The two of you-" he looks pointedly at Kota and Yuu, "-get some rest. Alisa, I've been told that Dr Oguruma is expecting you in medical. Now run along, all of you," he dismisses them with a wave of his hand and they obediently file out of his office.
"Hey." Having walked out preoccupied with her own thoughts, she is startled back to reality by the sound of Yuu's voice. Kota has wandered off ahead, leaving the two of them alone in the empty corridor.
"Are you okay?" he asks her, concern evident in his voice and on his face. "You seemed a little... upset back there at what Dr Sakaki said. And this Dr Oguruma-"
"It's none of your business," she snaps at him, feeling even more irritated that there is no sense of satisfaction when her sharp response causes him to blink in surprise before holding his palms up in surrender.
"I didn't mean to pry," he apologises, and for some reason the sincerity of his response irritates her even more. "Just so you know, Lindow will most likely have a mission for us tomorrow, so get some rest yourself, okay?" With that, he runs off and leaves her standing there alone. Alisa pushes away the feeling before making her way to her own destination; she doesn't need to fit in and she certainly doesn't need anyone being... kind to her.
And chapter 1 is done. I haven't written something this long in a long while, so I hope this turned out okay. Hopefully this has helped remove the rust that's coated my writing skills and I'll be able to churn out chapter 2 a little faster than the snail's pace I took with this chapter.