p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Deadlock has been with Valorant Protocol for two weeks now. As far as she's aware, she's the 23rd member, no one permanently dying courtesy of Sage. She mentally runs through the names of everyone she's met so far—Brimstone, Viper, Omen, Killjoy, Cypher, Sova, Sage, Phoenix, Jett, Reyna, Raze, Breach, Skye, Yoru, Astra, Kay/O, Chamber, Neon, Harbor, and Gekko—herself included, that's only 22 members. Who's the last person? If she's going to work with them, she might as well meet them first. Time to ask around./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Hey Killjoy,"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ya? (Yes?)"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'm the 23rd Valorant agent, right?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ya? (Yes?)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"" The German woman has a quizzical expression and a quirked eyebrow./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin decides not to beat around the bush, not her style, "I've only met 22 of them."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Oh . . . So, have you met Omen?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yoru?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Cypher?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Viper?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I've also met Brimstone, Sova, Raze—"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Fade?" So the German isn't a fan of being cut off. She shouldn't ramble then./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Fade?" Iselin doesn't do anything like quirking an eyebrow. She wasn't in some drama-mystery about 'the missing agent' to be so facially expressive./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ya/span span style="font-variant: normal;"(yes,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" about my height? Differently colored eyes? Dark Circles under her eyes?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Nope, where can I find her?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Killjoy shifts. The german's always in motion, but not this smooth slippery kind. She's uncomfortable. Why?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Niimant weizze (Nobody knows,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" maybe Cypher, or Omen, or Brim can help you."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Nobody knows? And that's ok within the protocol?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Cool. Thanks." Iselin pretends to not notice how Killjoy freezes in place, utterly unmoving for a whole second./span/span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""How're ya doin' Deadlock?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Flink (good.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" Know where to find Fade?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The big Swede draws up in front of her, his bulky powerful arms nailing down her shoulders in place. "You're better off never meeting her. Trust me."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""And why's that?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Terror roosts in her wake, and your arms? My arms? It means nothing in her presence." The boisterous and offensive Breach is shockingly soft-spoken in his delivery, "You wanna keep your sanity and peace of mind? /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Keep your distance/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The hulking Swede is off before she can ask for anything else./span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Reyna."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Griinga (roughly, white girl.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"" Her ever-present predatory snarl is on full display today./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""What's up with Breach and Fade?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Reyna takes a moment to consider, something that has never happened in Iselin's experience with the extremely self-confident Mexican. "/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ninitah (little girl)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" blackmailed the protocol. That pig, Breach, was part of the smash-and-grab team meant to extract/span span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade. Did nothing but piss his pants. /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"La Filipina (the Philippines girl) /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"didn't dare leave her room for a week."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Hmm./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Where can I find her?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Reyna finally looks at her, like Iselin finally asked something worth her time. Barely a second later, Reyna's turning away, "You have balls /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"gringa (roughly, white girl,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" more than KAY/O does. May you survive with your sanity." Her laughter carries anticipation like she's just caught scent of fresh blood./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Jumping to conclusions much Reyna? I just want to talk to her."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Talk? To Fade?" Reyna guffaws, that set's half the base on alert./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""What's so funny Reyna?" It sounds friendly enough, but she doesn't think Reyna is that stupid./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Reyna isn't. "Ask the Initiators, or Brim, or Viper, and tell me how that goes later ye?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"That sounds plainly malicious to Iselin. She simply nods with pursed lips./span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Any of you kids know where I can find Cypher?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You ain't much older than us there mate."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I mean you're like what? 23?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Right. Fine. Phoenix, Jett, Neon, any of you know where I can find Cypher?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Whose asking? And why?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Does it matter Jett?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yeah—"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Cypher's off on work Deadlock. I think he'll be back by tomorrow afternoon."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You're always such a good girl Neon." It's mockery and clearly practiced banter since Neon simply swats a foot at Jett and Phoenix chuckles good-naturedly./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Well, she isn't going to wait. She's /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Sthalyeager/span span style="font-variant: normal;"(steel hunter.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" She'll do her own tracking in the meanwhile./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Except, she won't. Harbor one of the newer agents like herself is leaning against the wall just outside the cafeteria./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""So you're looking for the /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"tharki (horny person,) /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"huh?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yep, I'm looking for the Turk."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The man laughs, as if to some inside joke. Iselin elects to ignore it./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Try O2, it's a Hookah bar in Istanbul."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Uh, thanks?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'll have her watching my back over these arrogant pricks anyway. She deserves someone who'll watch her back too." With that, he's gone./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"What's up with all of these abrupt exits? There's a reason it happens only in the movies because it's impolite and arrogant to do so in real life. Apparently Valorant Protocol members don't seem to grasp that simple fact. It's starting to annoy her a bit./span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"She has a scent, might as well follow it. Plus, it's an hour-long journey at most, all thanks to tech innovated by the Protocol. Looks like she's making a trip to Istanbul./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The trip to Istanbul is uneventful, she had talked Killjoy into flying her over. Raze came as an Extra. She had never been to a Hookah bar before, and she honestly expected more middle eastern names for such places, instead, she found 5 different O2 Hookah bars across the city. This is the 3rd one they're checking. Neither Raze of Killjoy being very happy about tracking down Fade annoyed her, not that she expressed as much. This O2 was a run-down, weather-worn red-brick building. No paint on it, inside or outside./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"She pulls up a picture—the /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"only/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" picture of Fade that Valorant seemed to have—on her phone and shows it to the woman who looks like the proprietor, pointing at the back-turned woman in the background, "/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Buerya-gyel? (Come here?)"/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" She was pretty sure she was butchering her Turkish./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Who is asking?" The woman replies in heavily accented English./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'm a friend, just looking to meet her."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""What color are her eyes?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin didn't know, but she could go with Brown, yes? It's pretty common./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Before she can answer, Killjoy cuts in with "Electric Blue and Deep Brown."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"And /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"deep brown?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The woman chuckles, "So you do know her. But you're all terrible liars. Eyletmez doesn't have friends," she stares them down, eye to eye, before continuing, "She left about an hour ago, now shoo. I don't want any trouble." So, Fade's real name is Eyletmez, Iselin will keep that in mind./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Raze grumbles but doesn't say anything, until they exit that is./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Can we leave now?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin's annoyance snaps./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Why?" The sharp edge of her question startles both Raze and Killjoy. "I know Fade blackmailed the protocol, but why the animosity? You've been working together for months now, what are you? Toddlers?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Raze visibly bristles, "Ye? Well, what do you even know about her?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Nothing." She makes it a point to jab her finger into Raze's chest. "Because none of you have anything to tell me about her other than give me vague warnings."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Well, it's her radiance. 'Nightmare.' Digs into people and makes them live their worst fears. You should have seen Neon after her raid on the warehouse!" Raze's body is tense, leaning into Iselin's space, almost like a wild dog waiting to bite. Iselin has dealt with worse./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Do you know why she did what she did?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""It doesn't matter /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"cabarra (fucker,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" she tears people apart from the inside and then acts all suave and nonchalant. Two face /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"puta (bitch.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;""/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""So basically, you know nothing about her. Well, I wouldn't want to work with a /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"stor babay/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;""—a pause—"a big baby like you," Iselin needs Raze to clearly understand what she's saying./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Before Raze can say anything, Killjoy has a hand on her shoulder, almost pulling back while simultaneously offering a temporary truce, "We aren't quite used to this sort of heat Deadlock, I'll just go grab some ice cream and shade with Raze. Then we'll join you after? We aren't quiet soldiers like you. Is that ok?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Sure."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Killjoy grabs Raze's wrist as she for all practical purposes drags her away. Killjoy had also called her Deadlock instead of Iselin. She wasn't going to read too much into that right now. After a few moments, she sighs. She should probably talk to Brimstone, this could turn into a problem later./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Toff dag? (Tough day?)"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Heavily accented, but still Norwegian. Iselin turns toward the speaker. A woman, tan skin, white-tipped muddy black hair falling across the side of her face, a dark brown stripe across her nose. Blue eyes. No. A blue eye, /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"and a/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" brown one. That's what Killjoy meant by blue and brown./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Fade?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Deadlock? Iselin? The new Sentinel?" It's a statement delivered with polish, like a self-assured bartender at one of those establishments you'd have to sell a kidney just to afford an entree. It's a voice that doesn't go along with the Turk's black jeans and back tank top one bit./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Never met you before, thought we should know each other if we're going to work together."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade simply raises an eyebrow in disbelief. That reaction is telling, and Iselin does not like what it says. Fade turns back into the establishment beckoning her to follow. Past the reception, is an antechamber with racks for shoes. Fade waits patiently while Deadlock removes her shoes. That is not a practice Iselin is familiar with. The two women then proceed to climb up to floors barefoot, and in silence./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Two Seven. I'll be by in a moment." With that Fade walks away./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin walks down the corridor, noting the room numbers atop the doors. She stops in front of 207. The door swings open easily enough, the inside is chock full of smoke, lit only by a dark purple light, just enough to not trip over anything. She never was big on smoke. Her discomfort around dark places is more recent—after the bear attack that left her sisters dead. Some sort of /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"soft ambient music/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" is playing in the background. She can put up with this for now if she has to. She waits. A few people walk past, they stare at her./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'd rather you didn't leave the door open Deadlock." Iselin startles, she never noticed the other woman reach her back. "If you want to talk, you have to smoke with me." With that Fade dips into the room./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin has no choice but to follow. She takes after Fade and sits on the floor, back straight. In contrast, the subject of her interests has a few cushions supporting her back as she lounges against the wall./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Never smoked before huh?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""No."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Well, what flavor do you want?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Flavor?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I picked up some Coca-Cola, Mint, and Coffee flavors."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin is at a loss, "I'm sorry, I don't follow."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The other woman huffs, exasperated. "You can flavor hookah smoke, what flavor do you want?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Whatever you suggest."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Coke." Fade leans forward and fiddles with the bulb at the base of the hookah, dropping something into it. She then hands over the tube to her fellow agent. "Inhale. Hold a few seconds. Breathe into your lungs. Exhale just after it /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"catches/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" on your throat. Don't take a deep puff. Coughing makes it hit harder, and feels shittier."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Catches on your throat?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Don't worry, you'll know what I mean when you try Deadlock."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Well, she's faced off radiant animals, what's a tiny little tube. She inhales. It doesn't particularly feel like anything, the burst of Coca-Cola is the only indication that there's smoke in her mouth. The next step is to inhale right? She draws breath through her mouth, and . . . hacks like a cancer patient. The back of her throat suddenly feels very raw. Once she's done with her hacking fit, she notes the other woman vaguely smiling before she simply inhales from the tube before lazily exhaling whisps of smoke./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You're still new to this, take tiny puffs."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Give me a moment."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Sure, take all the time you want."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin isn't stupid enough to bring up something about how bad for the other agent's health this is. Everyone has their vices, and they partake in it for their own reasons./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""So, why do you smoke?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The other woman shrugs against the wall, she's really skinny. If she were skinnier, one might think she were malnourished. "Habit? Addiction?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin can't help the chuckles that bubble up at that. Habit? Addiction? What a ridiculous excuse. The other woman doesn't verbally respond, instead opting to scrutinize the Nord./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""No offense Eyletmez, you're not that weak-willed."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""And why do you think that?" Fade's curious./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You have the eyes of a predator, not prey."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade hums noncommittally. Takes another puff before passing the tube. "Hazal. Eyletmez is my surname."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin stops for a second, "What would you prefer? Hazal? Eyletmez? Or Fade?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Hazal or Fade." She then mimes taking a puff./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin does. It's a much smaller puff. There's the burst of flavor again. It's not as strong as the first time. She inhales through her teeth, and for some reason, she's hyperaware of the air flowing over her lips. Her throat constricts as it blocks the smoke, it passes almost as soon as it came—the build-up to a coughing fit—she doesn't cough./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Exhale." It almost sounds like an admonishment from the other woman./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade's words alert Iselin to the fact that she has temporarily stopped breathing. She exhales. There isn't much smoke. Almost nothing actually. She reaches out to pass the tube back to the lounging Hazal. The entire movement feels light and exaggerated. It must have shown on her face because Hazal is smiling. Iselin decides that she likes the look./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""And that's the hit. Don't hold the smoke in your lungs that long though, does more damage than exhaling immediately after it catches." She takes another effortless and deep puff. "Do you want anything to drink with that?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"If she's trying this, she might as well go all in. "What do you suggest?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade bends over and pulls something closer. It's a bag. She then pulls out a bottle of black liquid before passing it to Iselin./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"It burns down her throat, but not very strongly. It also tastes palatable instead of the usually shitty taste of alcohol. "Pre-mixed Rumcola?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""It looks like Coca-Cola, and I can get away with it." Hazal loosely waves at the smoke, "This is my day in paradise."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin's lips pull into a smile of amusement and worry as she hands the bottle back./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Hazal then pulls out a bag of chips from her bag and tosses it at Iselin's chest. "Now that we're all set up, you can ask whatever you want to."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I just wanted to know my co-workers, this isn't an interrogation."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""That's cute. Let's see if it lasts."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Hey Killjoy,"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ya? (Yes?)"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'm the 23rd Valorant agent, right?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ya? (Yes?)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"" The German woman has a quizzical expression and a quirked eyebrow./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin decides not to beat around the bush, not her style, "I've only met 22 of them."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Oh . . . So, have you met Omen?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yoru?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Cypher?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Viper?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yes."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I've also met Brimstone, Sova, Raze—"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Fade?" So the German isn't a fan of being cut off. She shouldn't ramble then./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Fade?" Iselin doesn't do anything like quirking an eyebrow. She wasn't in some drama-mystery about 'the missing agent' to be so facially expressive./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ya/span span style="font-variant: normal;"(yes,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" about my height? Differently colored eyes? Dark Circles under her eyes?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Nope, where can I find her?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Killjoy shifts. The german's always in motion, but not this smooth slippery kind. She's uncomfortable. Why?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Niimant weizze (Nobody knows,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" maybe Cypher, or Omen, or Brim can help you."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Nobody knows? And that's ok within the protocol?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Cool. Thanks." Iselin pretends to not notice how Killjoy freezes in place, utterly unmoving for a whole second./span/span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""How're ya doin' Deadlock?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Flink (good.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" Know where to find Fade?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The big Swede draws up in front of her, his bulky powerful arms nailing down her shoulders in place. "You're better off never meeting her. Trust me."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""And why's that?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Terror roosts in her wake, and your arms? My arms? It means nothing in her presence." The boisterous and offensive Breach is shockingly soft-spoken in his delivery, "You wanna keep your sanity and peace of mind? /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Keep your distance/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The hulking Swede is off before she can ask for anything else./span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Reyna."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Griinga (roughly, white girl.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"" Her ever-present predatory snarl is on full display today./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""What's up with Breach and Fade?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Reyna takes a moment to consider, something that has never happened in Iselin's experience with the extremely self-confident Mexican. "/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Ninitah (little girl)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" blackmailed the protocol. That pig, Breach, was part of the smash-and-grab team meant to extract/span span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade. Did nothing but piss his pants. /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"La Filipina (the Philippines girl) /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"didn't dare leave her room for a week."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Hmm./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Where can I find her?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Reyna finally looks at her, like Iselin finally asked something worth her time. Barely a second later, Reyna's turning away, "You have balls /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"gringa (roughly, white girl,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" more than KAY/O does. May you survive with your sanity." Her laughter carries anticipation like she's just caught scent of fresh blood./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Jumping to conclusions much Reyna? I just want to talk to her."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Talk? To Fade?" Reyna guffaws, that set's half the base on alert./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""What's so funny Reyna?" It sounds friendly enough, but she doesn't think Reyna is that stupid./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Reyna isn't. "Ask the Initiators, or Brim, or Viper, and tell me how that goes later ye?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"That sounds plainly malicious to Iselin. She simply nods with pursed lips./span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Any of you kids know where I can find Cypher?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You ain't much older than us there mate."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I mean you're like what? 23?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Right. Fine. Phoenix, Jett, Neon, any of you know where I can find Cypher?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Whose asking? And why?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Does it matter Jett?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yeah—"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Cypher's off on work Deadlock. I think he'll be back by tomorrow afternoon."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You're always such a good girl Neon." It's mockery and clearly practiced banter since Neon simply swats a foot at Jett and Phoenix chuckles good-naturedly./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Well, she isn't going to wait. She's /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Sthalyeager/span span style="font-variant: normal;"(steel hunter.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" She'll do her own tracking in the meanwhile./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Except, she won't. Harbor one of the newer agents like herself is leaning against the wall just outside the cafeteria./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""So you're looking for the /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"tharki (horny person,) /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"huh?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Yep, I'm looking for the Turk."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The man laughs, as if to some inside joke. Iselin elects to ignore it./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Try O2, it's a Hookah bar in Istanbul."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Uh, thanks?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'll have her watching my back over these arrogant pricks anyway. She deserves someone who'll watch her back too." With that, he's gone./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"What's up with all of these abrupt exits? There's a reason it happens only in the movies because it's impolite and arrogant to do so in real life. Apparently Valorant Protocol members don't seem to grasp that simple fact. It's starting to annoy her a bit./span/p
hr /
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"She has a scent, might as well follow it. Plus, it's an hour-long journey at most, all thanks to tech innovated by the Protocol. Looks like she's making a trip to Istanbul./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The trip to Istanbul is uneventful, she had talked Killjoy into flying her over. Raze came as an Extra. She had never been to a Hookah bar before, and she honestly expected more middle eastern names for such places, instead, she found 5 different O2 Hookah bars across the city. This is the 3rd one they're checking. Neither Raze of Killjoy being very happy about tracking down Fade annoyed her, not that she expressed as much. This O2 was a run-down, weather-worn red-brick building. No paint on it, inside or outside./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"She pulls up a picture—the /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"only/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" picture of Fade that Valorant seemed to have—on her phone and shows it to the woman who looks like the proprietor, pointing at the back-turned woman in the background, "/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Buerya-gyel? (Come here?)"/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" She was pretty sure she was butchering her Turkish./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Who is asking?" The woman replies in heavily accented English./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'm a friend, just looking to meet her."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""What color are her eyes?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin didn't know, but she could go with Brown, yes? It's pretty common./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Before she can answer, Killjoy cuts in with "Electric Blue and Deep Brown."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"And /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"deep brown?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The woman chuckles, "So you do know her. But you're all terrible liars. Eyletmez doesn't have friends," she stares them down, eye to eye, before continuing, "She left about an hour ago, now shoo. I don't want any trouble." So, Fade's real name is Eyletmez, Iselin will keep that in mind./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Raze grumbles but doesn't say anything, until they exit that is./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Can we leave now?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin's annoyance snaps./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Why?" The sharp edge of her question startles both Raze and Killjoy. "I know Fade blackmailed the protocol, but why the animosity? You've been working together for months now, what are you? Toddlers?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Raze visibly bristles, "Ye? Well, what do you even know about her?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Nothing." She makes it a point to jab her finger into Raze's chest. "Because none of you have anything to tell me about her other than give me vague warnings."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Well, it's her radiance. 'Nightmare.' Digs into people and makes them live their worst fears. You should have seen Neon after her raid on the warehouse!" Raze's body is tense, leaning into Iselin's space, almost like a wild dog waiting to bite. Iselin has dealt with worse./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Do you know why she did what she did?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""It doesn't matter /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"cabarra (fucker,)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" she tears people apart from the inside and then acts all suave and nonchalant. Two face /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"puta (bitch.)/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;""/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""So basically, you know nothing about her. Well, I wouldn't want to work with a /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"stor babay/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;""—a pause—"a big baby like you," Iselin needs Raze to clearly understand what she's saying./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Before Raze can say anything, Killjoy has a hand on her shoulder, almost pulling back while simultaneously offering a temporary truce, "We aren't quite used to this sort of heat Deadlock, I'll just go grab some ice cream and shade with Raze. Then we'll join you after? We aren't quiet soldiers like you. Is that ok?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Sure."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Killjoy grabs Raze's wrist as she for all practical purposes drags her away. Killjoy had also called her Deadlock instead of Iselin. She wasn't going to read too much into that right now. After a few moments, she sighs. She should probably talk to Brimstone, this could turn into a problem later./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;""/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"Toff dag? (Tough day?)"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Heavily accented, but still Norwegian. Iselin turns toward the speaker. A woman, tan skin, white-tipped muddy black hair falling across the side of her face, a dark brown stripe across her nose. Blue eyes. No. A blue eye, /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"and a/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" brown one. That's what Killjoy meant by blue and brown./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Fade?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Deadlock? Iselin? The new Sentinel?" It's a statement delivered with polish, like a self-assured bartender at one of those establishments you'd have to sell a kidney just to afford an entree. It's a voice that doesn't go along with the Turk's black jeans and back tank top one bit./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Never met you before, thought we should know each other if we're going to work together."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade simply raises an eyebrow in disbelief. That reaction is telling, and Iselin does not like what it says. Fade turns back into the establishment beckoning her to follow. Past the reception, is an antechamber with racks for shoes. Fade waits patiently while Deadlock removes her shoes. That is not a practice Iselin is familiar with. The two women then proceed to climb up to floors barefoot, and in silence./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Two Seven. I'll be by in a moment." With that Fade walks away./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin walks down the corridor, noting the room numbers atop the doors. She stops in front of 207. The door swings open easily enough, the inside is chock full of smoke, lit only by a dark purple light, just enough to not trip over anything. She never was big on smoke. Her discomfort around dark places is more recent—after the bear attack that left her sisters dead. Some sort of /spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"soft ambient music/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" is playing in the background. She can put up with this for now if she has to. She waits. A few people walk past, they stare at her./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I'd rather you didn't leave the door open Deadlock." Iselin startles, she never noticed the other woman reach her back. "If you want to talk, you have to smoke with me." With that Fade dips into the room./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin has no choice but to follow. She takes after Fade and sits on the floor, back straight. In contrast, the subject of her interests has a few cushions supporting her back as she lounges against the wall./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Never smoked before huh?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""No."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Well, what flavor do you want?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Flavor?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I picked up some Coca-Cola, Mint, and Coffee flavors."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin is at a loss, "I'm sorry, I don't follow."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The other woman huffs, exasperated. "You can flavor hookah smoke, what flavor do you want?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Whatever you suggest."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Coke." Fade leans forward and fiddles with the bulb at the base of the hookah, dropping something into it. She then hands over the tube to her fellow agent. "Inhale. Hold a few seconds. Breathe into your lungs. Exhale just after it /span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"catches/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;" on your throat. Don't take a deep puff. Coughing makes it hit harder, and feels shittier."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Catches on your throat?/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Don't worry, you'll know what I mean when you try Deadlock."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Well, she's faced off radiant animals, what's a tiny little tube. She inhales. It doesn't particularly feel like anything, the burst of Coca-Cola is the only indication that there's smoke in her mouth. The next step is to inhale right? She draws breath through her mouth, and . . . hacks like a cancer patient. The back of her throat suddenly feels very raw. Once she's done with her hacking fit, she notes the other woman vaguely smiling before she simply inhales from the tube before lazily exhaling whisps of smoke./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You're still new to this, take tiny puffs."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Give me a moment."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Sure, take all the time you want."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin isn't stupid enough to bring up something about how bad for the other agent's health this is. Everyone has their vices, and they partake in it for their own reasons./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""So, why do you smoke?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"The other woman shrugs against the wall, she's really skinny. If she were skinnier, one might think she were malnourished. "Habit? Addiction?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin can't help the chuckles that bubble up at that. Habit? Addiction? What a ridiculous excuse. The other woman doesn't verbally respond, instead opting to scrutinize the Nord./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""No offense Eyletmez, you're not that weak-willed."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""And why do you think that?" Fade's curious./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""You have the eyes of a predator, not prey."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade hums noncommittally. Takes another puff before passing the tube. "Hazal. Eyletmez is my surname."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin stops for a second, "What would you prefer? Hazal? Eyletmez? Or Fade?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Hazal or Fade." She then mimes taking a puff./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin does. It's a much smaller puff. There's the burst of flavor again. It's not as strong as the first time. She inhales through her teeth, and for some reason, she's hyperaware of the air flowing over her lips. Her throat constricts as it blocks the smoke, it passes almost as soon as it came—the build-up to a coughing fit—she doesn't cough./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""Exhale." It almost sounds like an admonishment from the other woman./span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade's words alert Iselin to the fact that she has temporarily stopped breathing. She exhales. There isn't much smoke. Almost nothing actually. She reaches out to pass the tube back to the lounging Hazal. The entire movement feels light and exaggerated. It must have shown on her face because Hazal is smiling. Iselin decides that she likes the look./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""And that's the hit. Don't hold the smoke in your lungs that long though, does more damage than exhaling immediately after it catches." She takes another effortless and deep puff. "Do you want anything to drink with that?"/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"If she's trying this, she might as well go all in. "What do you suggest?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Fade bends over and pulls something closer. It's a bag. She then pulls out a bottle of black liquid before passing it to Iselin./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"It burns down her throat, but not very strongly. It also tastes palatable instead of the usually shitty taste of alcohol. "Pre-mixed Rumcola?"/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""It looks like Coca-Cola, and I can get away with it." Hazal loosely waves at the smoke, "This is my day in paradise."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Iselin's lips pull into a smile of amusement and worry as she hands the bottle back./span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"Hazal then pulls out a bag of chips from her bag and tosses it at Iselin's chest. "Now that we're all set up, you can ask whatever you want to."/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""I just wanted to know my co-workers, this isn't an interrogation."/span/span/p
p style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; margin-top: .17in; margin-bottom: 0in; border: none; padding: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="background: #ffffff;""That's cute. Let's see if it lasts."/span/span/p