"Wait for it..." Katja's grin was visibly wide enough to be called a smile as she listened through the door. Paul and the others waited for her and Ayesha to confirm that what they wanted to happen would happen. Victor had kept them appraised of the situation prior via the use of their small group chat on WhatsApp. That he'd bought a ring for Vesna and everything else, they thought, was sweet.
Paul hoped they'd remember it. He looked to his right, to see Lita fidgeting and tapping her foot on the floor, her face impassive. He chuckled and asked, "What's the matter, Price? Worried...?" before she cast a sideways glance at him. Shaking her head, Lita pulled out a cigar and slipped it between her lips, her auburn eyes locked on the door. Paul sighed, the smile fading slightly, "Yeah, I get you..."
Kat squinted and focused really hard to listen in, licking her lips. Ayesha hummed and tapped her foot on the floor. Hassan started at Ayesha with a faint, melancholic smile on his face, one that Dushman noticed. He pat the boy on the back and smiled, too, as Hass turned to him, surprised. A healthy bunch of the ladies were home. Shit, he'd seen Vic's face when he saw the love of his life return.
A small frown soon formed on his face, unnoticed by anyone. Now, if only his own personal crush would swing around. Heh, they'd wreak havoc on an unseen scale in Beacon. Until Oz caught wind of what they're doing, probably. He paused and watched Katja's and Ayesha's smiles grow wide. Kat backed off the door and pumped her fists up into the sky, "HE FUCKING DID IT!"
Rapturous cheers filled the room, the Misfits, Sam included, raising high helmets, guns and hands. Kat threw several air punches, then pounced on and hugged Paul again, slightly surprising the boy, all while Ayesha laughed with Lita. The green-haired soldier-girl that was the most serious out of the party let out a sigh of relief, putting the unlit cigar back into her pocket.
"Only took'em forever," Jim smirked. He elbowed Sam and asked, "You alright?"
"Hey. Next best thing, right?" Sam chuckled, "Good thing Vic's happy..."
"Yeah," He nodded. Beside him, Alex and Anja giggled at the sight, with Saila smiling as she looked at the door. Soon after, everyone followed suit, gazing upon the unopened door. The handle turned and the two lovers exited the room, smiles on their faces. Vic had done a much better job concealing the fact he'd wept tears of joy than Vesna, honestly. She looked okay, but uh...
Yeah, Vic had helped her clean up a bit, but the red, puffy eyes still stood as a visible reminder that the poor girl had also been waiting for this Reunion and presumably dreading it. Only Ayesha, Lita and Vera knew just how bad the situation had gotten for poor Vesna. And how bad it still was, considering some of the 'events' that occurred during the war. The trio of Ruskies sighed.
Ayesha looked to Sam and quipped, "I see we're still missing a good chunk of people..." while Vesna and Vic talked with the others. Sam nodded, while Ayesha set her weapon aside and leaned forward. She stared at the Romanian and her fellow Ruski as they held each-other, smiling. She, too, bore a soft smile at the sight, a motherly smile usually so associated with her.
She watched Hassan join her, handing her a cup of tea before sitting himself down. She nodded in thanks and said, "Glad to see you haven't changed much, either, Hass..." before grinning at the boy, "Just a bunch of new kit that makes half of us look like obsolete 20th Century kiddos..." words which got a snort out of him. She looked at the black tea in her hand, then murmured, "Still silent as always..."
"I'm trying not to be..." He replied, wary, seemingly tired, too, "Not easy, you know?"
She looked to him and the friendly, warm smile returned, causing the guy to pause, his cheeks flushing a hint red. She nodded, "Yeah. Thanks for trying, at least..." then took a sip of the tea. She watched the two lovers as Vesna did a pirouette, joyful. She bashfully wrapped her arms around Vic and held him close, though Ayesha could still see the girl's hesitation. She didn't blame her, honestly. After everything they'd gone through, including having her world crashing down around her with the reality of war...
Hassan, meanwhile, took in the sight of the sole woman he'd fallen for, stood there with a cup of tea brewed by him in her hands. He scanned the room next, looking upon a good chunk of his friends, gathered in one place. Sans the couple of people they were still missing, this was the Misfits. The laughing, joking boys and girls from 2019's KFOR Experiment. The fact they were all still somewhat the same, even him, meant a lot to the guy.
As he fell deep in thought, Ayesha looked to him and shook her head, giggling. She turned to Sam as the girl was nursing an odd alcoholic drink. She asked, "Ya got any more of that, Sam?"
"Didn't take you for the type to drink," Sam quipped as she poured her a glass as well. Ayesha took another sip of her tea, watching the clear liquid slide toward her. She stopped it with one finger, then looked at the contents of the glass swirl around due to the inertia. She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
"Learned a few things..." She replied in a murmur. She still stuck with the tea for the time being, to finish it. Sam had noted the hesitation and chose not to press on the matter, but both girls knew this entire squadron needed goddamn therapy. The two watched Hasan turn to the door and walk. Ayesha herself hummed, then licked her lips and plucked up her drink and downed the tea. She nodded in thanks to Sam, then walked out the door as well.
Sighing, Sam chose to let the two old 'comrades' of atheistic leanings talk again. She straightened up and downed her own shot in one go, before setting the glass down and turning toward Dushman. She walked up to the American as he watched the first two lovers of the group talking with Paul and the others, then offered him the bottle. He looked at it, took it and looked at the label. Yeah, it was Chinese. Enough so for him to say, "I don't read Moon Runes."
Sam snorted and nodded, "I'm aware, Quentin. It's locally-brewed Chinese Vodka. Y'know, for if you wanna clean out your innards real well... You good?"
"Fine," He nodded and looked at the bottle some more, "Just missing a certain someone. Been in Ukraine as a volunteer before returning to the Marines, so..."
"And you met a girl there," Sam snorted, then grinned at him, "She as batshit as you?"
The man grinned back, "Wouldn't date her otherwise."
Sam giggled, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good to know, big man..." then she walked to Alex, Anja and Saila. She looked between the two girls as Alex and Anja spoke, stating, "I still cannot fucking tell you two apart. Honestly, this is fucking scary..." with both the girls giggling at their Lieutenant's antics. She sighed deeply, then smiled at them, "We'll do a fucking DNA test... Right now, though..." She stretched and yawned, "I'm going to fucking sleep..." and she left for her room.
Paul regarded Sam as she disappeared into her room, probably to finally get some rest after today's slew of insane events. He sighed deeply, then looked over to Katja, who was sat next to him, as she removed her helmet and balaclava. Burn scars blemished the otherwise-beautiful face of the blonde, lilac-eyed childhood friend of the Hungarian soldier, causing a hint of worry in the boy's heart and mind.
She turned to him and smiled and, for but a moment, all those worries vanished for a good few minutes. She chuckled and said, "Took their sweet time with this, didn't they?" as she watched Vic and Vesna basically cuddle standing up, both wearing wide, warm smiles as they gazed upon each-other. Kat blanked, however, when she noticed something twitching atop Vesna's head.
"Yeah," He replied with a nod and a smile. He paused when he saw the look in her eyes, then looked toward Vesna. He blanked as well, then whispered, "How the fuck did we not notice that until now...?"
Green hair appeared in the corners of their eyes as a pair of hands landed on their shoulders. Lita, of course, spoke smugly, "Because you weren't looking..." before she jumped onto the couch from behind. She leaned back and smiled, then stated, "I bet Victor noticed. That man never missed a difference, so something as big as that probably caught his eye immediately."
To put into context what both Katja and Paul had gawked at and what Vic had seen earlier, young miss Vesna Novikova had apparently been adorned with the features of a foxgirl, namely, the fluffy ears and tail that matched her hair color. Vesna, of course, knew of this and had noticed Vic had noticed. She still patiently wondered if he liked them or not... While the rest of Vesna's team just sort of enjoyed the sight and laughed a bit when they first noticed.
Vera murmured from beside them, "At least she got something cute like a Fox..." as she pouted. Two bear ears twitched on the top of her head. Both Katja and Paul looked at the girl, surprised, then burst into laughter. Vera sighed deeply, planting a palm on her face as the duet continued their laughter. She stepped off, holding her shotgun close as she went to guard the door.
"Hah!" Katja snorted, "And that was fricking Vesna's cousin..."
"The great Vera Novikova..." Snorted Paul, covering his mouth as to conceal his laughter. Lita smiled awkwardly at the exchange. Katja and Paul had no idea what she'd gone through and Lita had only overheard her murmuring to herself about it late at night. She thought it better not to say anything rather than damage the poor girl's thoughts of herself any farther.
So, she chose to watch Vesna and Vic laughing together. Heal her soul with the adorable image.
At the Mastiff 'Warhound'...
Hassan had needed a moment to clear his head after everything. His friends were (mostly) back and the world around him felt like it was going much faster than it was normal. Everyone was coming back. He was happy, but he didn't know what he could honestly do about the situation beyond being happy. His team had always felt like siblings to him, even if they never really respected rules outside of combat. It was what made working with them so fun.
He sighed as he went on, checking through the equipment of the Mastiff. The up-armored MRAP was terrifyingly well-equipped for something utilized by a East-European Army, with everything ranging from a GPS, which didn't work due to the lack of access to satellites, to a powerful radio and every other knick-knack and needed piece. He was also surprised that none of it had been stripped for parts. And for all intents and purposes, that thought of his was a joke.
He sighed and sat himself down on one of the Mastiff's seats, looking at a couple medical packs he'd pulled out and looked over before setting them aside on one of the chairs. He looked over at the pistol on his thigh, pulled it out and gave it a once-over. He did a quick press-check to make sure no ammo had slipped in and that he didn't rack the slide by mistake. Nodding approvingly, he slid the pistol back into its holster and went back about his business, checking the vehicle on what was basically his autopilot
He caught himself humming an old song Vic and some Russian Republic troops had introduced him to. 'Beautiful Green Eyes'. His mind connected it to a certain redhead, even though her eyes were a burning, beautiful azure. He wasn't particularly sure what his feelings about her were, honestly, but he was glad that she was back. Clambering into the turret, the man quickly gave the M2 a check, racked the bolt and gave an approving nod, before popping the top cover open.
He heard the side door of the Mastiff open and quickly dived down to see who it was, before a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, stunning him. The hugger tightened the hug while the poor huggee processed it. He slowly looked down, to see messy, short red hair and a Russian EMR Camouflage uniform with most of the gear, save for the Makarov pistol holster and the black leather belt, removed. The scent of lilac perfume intermixed with gunpowder filled his nostrils.
"I missed you..." She whispered as she held him close. He blanked for a moment, before realizing she was probably waiting for him to do the same. He did, wrapping his arms gently around her waist and holding her close. She buried her face in his shoulder, whispering, "... I didn't think you'd actually..." before slowly pulling back and looking him in the eye. She gave one of her usual, smug-ish smiles, but the tears flowing down her cheeks dissolved any illusion of her being genuinely ready to tear into him with her usual teasing and jokes.
Hassan bit his lower lip, apologetic for even thinking she'd go about mocking him again. He sighed and replied, "I missed you, too, Ayesha... Honestly..."
She smiled at him, leaning her ear against his chest as he sat down. She climbed onto him and held him close, adding, "We'd heard you were in Russia... Me and Lita, I mean... Wanted to come by and say hello... But we had business with helping Victor's unit..."
"It's fine..." He replied calmly. She looked up at him again, smiling still, as he said, "I think all of us are just glad you girls are here. We were starting to get worried for the past couple of months, honestly. Vic, most of all. My man was losing hope Vesna'd show up. Got slightly renewed after each new arrival, but I could see it was starting to put a toll on him..."
"Oh, yeah, Vesna was the same, the poor thing. Worried sick about what he'd think of her, what he'd say... I and Li had to make sure she understood that Vic more than likely loved her too much to hate her for..." Ayesha sighed, choosing not to bring it up. It'd shaken both her and Lita when the ambush happened. The shot that rang out and ended one of their friends in the most brutal way possible looped back in her mind now. She began to tremble.
Hass, to his credit, noticed it and tightened the hug, gently pushing her head down onto his chest. She giggled at that, then looked up at him and said, "Well, would you look at that? Dear old Hassan Avery finally decided he'd show his colors~..." in the most teasing voice possible. She got a blush out of Hassan at that and giggled even more, covering her mouth.
She leaned in toward him, smirking, "Did I finally hit a nerve~?"
"M-Maybe..." Hassan looked like a deer in the headlights of an M1A2 SEPV3 Abrams. He averted his gaze as Ayesha climbed a bit more, 'till she was face to face with him, then grabbed him by the chin and made him look at her. She began quietly humming a tune from the old military days. 'Kiss the Rails', Hassan recalled, all while she positioned herself face-to-face with him. He spoke awkwardly, "A bit forward, aren't we...?"
Ayesha's boldness didn't cease as she pressed her chest against his, leaning forward. She giggled and said, "As Vic said to Ves when he asked her for her hand, I'm tired of waiting, Hass~..." before gazing deep into his eyes. She told him, "You and I grew very close. I could easily tell what both of us were thinking when we were around each-other and you could, too. Neither of us acted on it, though..."
"P-Protocol," Hass started, embarrassed and trying to find excuses...
She shut him up by putting a finger up to his mouth, "Protocol doesn't matter anymore. Never really did, honestly, considering some of the shit I've seen us pull. Sure, you, Sam and Robert managed to talk away some of the stupider things we've done... But there's more to this. I found a kindred soul in you. Someone who hates our old religion as much as I do... Someone who can sort of relate to the shit I went through..." And she leaned closer. At this point, Hassan had either gotten the point or just had nowhere to back off to. He simply stared at her as she continued, "Plus, I kind of always found your focus on military equipment kind of cute, not gonna lie..." and that got Hass to blush even harder.
"Guess what I'm trying to say, Hass, is... I~..." She paused, blanked and her words caught in her throat as she blushed. She rolled her eyes at the momentary embarrassment she felt, then, with heavy breaths, she pinned him against the wall of the truck and pressed her lips against his, whimpering loudly. Hassan took the initiative, putting a hand on the back of her head and pulling her in, followed by moving the hand on her waist down a little. She giggled and used one of her hands to push it further down, before pressing herself harder against him, grinding against him for a moment.
... Well, things were set to get fairly loud inside there...