I don't know where we should go, just feeling farther from our goal. I don't know what path we will be shown, but I know that when I'm with you I'm at home.

- Home, Jeff Williams & Casey Lee Williams

November 24th, 2743

A couple of days had passed since Wolfgang came to Arzenal. His introduction to the squad went as well as Jamie's did, as he had an air of calmness and rationality around him putting everyone at ease. Many girls fawned over the grey-haired teen, but he didn't mind. He himself wasn't looking for any relationships and was primarily focused on training. Being a hunter for many years, he excelled at hand-to-hand combat, having no refined form, but exceptional instincts and reflexes. The only people who he didn't beat were Hex and Chelsea, as they were the captain and vice-captain for a very good reason. His conditioning was great too, able to run a mile easily. In terms of speed, Jamie was faster, but Wolfgang could run for longer. Jamie's stamina was improving though, as Hex had seen Jamie start to take laps twice a day since Wolfgang showed up.

"He made me realize that speed won't win everything. Gotta outlast your enemy if anything." He told her during a short break before continuing. And it was paying off too, as when Wolfgang proposed a twenty-one lap run, Jamie was the last person still going until lap seventeen when he finally tapped out.

Hex was proud of the kid.

It seemed Wolfgang wasn't good at everything though, as Wolfgang struggled to get the basics of flying a para-mail down. Jamie finally got to see First Flight Sickness from the outside and had to admit, it was pretty funny. Reagan's hysterical laugh didn't help matters, but Wolfgang was not offended by their amusement. In the showers, Hex idly compared Jamie's physique to Wolfgang's. Jamie was lean, and from training Hex could see he favored speed, while Wolfgang was more suited for longevity and survival. He wasn't much bigger than Jamie though, just that his muscles were more defined.

Patience was Wolfgang's greatest strength, and their time at the gun range showed how good of a shot he was. He easily scored higher than anyone else. Hex questioned if he could beat Salia's score.

Wolfgang declared he would.

The 7th Squad was sent out on deployment that morning and Jamie was glad when they all returned, albeit mildly damaged. As soon as they departed their para-mails, Reagan and Maizy complained about the repair costs, while Joey watched them with a smirk.

"They do that every time." Joey said as she passed Jamie and Wolfgang. Jamie barked out a laugh because yes, that sounded exactly like Reagan. Reagan and Maizy weren't the only ones upset by their para-mails being damaged, as Maria's screams of anger, along with loud banging of metal, could be heard from across the hangar. To put it simply, she was throwing a shit fit. Jamie and Wolfgang snickered to themselves.

Wolfgang put his hands in his new parka pockets. Vera had taken the liberty of making a special Arzenal jacket for Wolfgang, basing it on his parka. It had the same coloring as Jamie's jacket, which Jill decided for anymore male Arzenal residents would be black and blue, as opposed to the Norma's white and dark pink. The hunter's parka kept the hood, simply taking the fur lining from his original. He was okay parting with it, as he felt it was time to retire the parka. Under his parka he wore what would be considered the standard male uniform, mirroring the Norma's, only covering the whole torso, and of course, the switched colors. He had the same pants as Jamie, being grey uniform pants, and the reverse colored boots.

"I'm not keen to be around ze hangar vhen Maria is like zat, so I'm going to take a walk around ze island." Wolfgang said as he headed towards the door. Jamie nodded in understanding and watched him go. He gave an amused smile when as Wolfgang got to the door, it opened and Salia rushed in, almost knocking into Wolfgang. The human put a hand on her shoulder to steady her, and Jamie watched as Wolfgang said some words to her before leaving. He laughed once he saw her red face, which caused her head to snap to him before she marched over.

She poked his chest as soon as she got close, "You didn't see anything!"

"'Course I didn't." He replied easily, but Salia could tell he wouldn't speak of her little run-in. She sighed.

"Do you know where Mei is?" She then asked. Jamie put on a thoughtful face before smirking.

"I think she's back in Maria's corner. Squad 7 had a pretty rough fight out there, so most of the units were damaged." He explained. It was funny, he decided, watching Salia visibly deflate as she knew exactly what kind of mood that put Maria in.

"Ugh, great... into the lion's den I go, I guess..." Salia said before she started to trudge over to the back corner, each step heavier with each shout and crash Maria made. There seemed to be a lot of humorous moments that morning, from Maizy and Reagan's grumbling, to Maria's tantrum, to Salia's run-in with Wolfgang. Thinking on that, Jamie smiled once more. It was subtle, but he doubted anyone else missed it. How Salia seemed to watch Wolfgang more intently, then blushing when she realized what she was doing. From their short interaction that morning, Jamie was sure Salia knew he was aware of her little crush, but was confident she hasn't noticed Ersha's or Hex's attention on her. God forbid Zola if found out...

Speaking of Squad 1, from around the corner appeared an exhausted Chris, who immediately caught Jamie's smile, "Someone's happy."

"And someone's not." He responded, looking her over. Her orange mechanic's jumpsuit had multiple black oil stains on it, and she was so tired that she had to lean on the wall. There were slight dark circles under her eyes, "What's up with you?"

"I just... didn't get much sleep last night. I slept in my own room for the first time in a while." She said before she gave a breathy laugh, "I guess I'm so used to Zola's luxury beds that I forgot how shitty mine is. I suppose I'd better get used to it."

Jamie tilted his head, "Not sleeping with Zola anymore?" He asked, well aware of the activities that went on in the captain's room. It really isn't hard to figure out.

Chris sighed, crossing her arms, "I dunno. Recently something's just felt... different. Being with Zola provided a sense of security with how she cares for her 'partners', but now... I don't know if I really want that anymore." She decided not to tell him she started feeling this way from the day they met. From that spark she felt when they first touched. From that same night when she was left feeling unfulfilled. The effect he had on her confused her.

It was like her body was reacting in a way that her mind had yet to figure out.

"Can't you buy a new mattress or something?" Jamie said, mirroring her stance, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Chris grumbled.

"If I had enough money, I would, but most of my money is used for repairs. I make the lowest in my squad when we're deployed, so most of my money comes from here, and it's barely enough to keep me afloat. I only ever have enough leftover for personal items. With Jasmine's prices and my budget, I've never even scratched an upgrade for my para-mail." She vented, her raspy voice having a sharp edge. The lack of sleep, paired with a rough morning shift, on top of being reminded of her monetary problems clearly put a lot of stress on the girl, and Jamie wasn't going to let that slide.

He stood straight and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and go slightly red in the face due to the touch, "Hey," He started, voice low and even, "Take it easy, okay. It won't do you any good to worry about problems adding up like that. Just take it one problem at a time." He said, seeing her visibly calm down.

"I don't know if I have enough money for sleeping pills. Or if I could convince Maggie to give me any." Chris said as she sighed. Jamie shook his head.

"You won't need 'em, I've got an idea. Meet me out on the surface tonight at ten, alright?"

Chris flushed a deeper red, "U-um, yeah, sure!"

"Great! I'll see ya then!" Jamie said, taking off. Chris watched him as he raced towards the door. Just before he reached it, he turned around, "One more thing!" Jamie's eyes met Chris' as he said his next line, "You look cute when you blush!" And with that, he left the hangar.

Chris stood there, still as a statue, "Ha?" She asked, shocked, before a furious blush blossomed on her face, all the way down to her neck. Once again, if possible, steam would be erupting from her ears, "HA?! D-d-did he jus call me c-cute?! S-shit, he noticed me blushing?!" She exclaimed, holding her face in her hands. She was mortified, and what more, she didn't even know why she was blushing. She never blushed this much! What the hell was going on with her?!

A sudden and loud cackle broke her from her thoughts. She snapped her gaze to her right, where she saw Maria near dying from laughter, "Shut up, you bitch!"

If anything, that just made Maria laugh even harder.

Today was a beautiful day, and though Irma would've preferred not going through training this morning, seeing the sun and deep blue sky gave such a strong urge to paint it, to capture it through her eyes and put it on a canvas.

Put simply, Irma saw things in the world differently than others. She often saw things that others couldn't and hear things that other's didn't. Sometimes things looked different to her eyes, like looking at the mountain range on the island, others saw boring old mountains, but her mind imagined a divine woman reaching towards the sky to pierce the heavens. Or when she looked out over the ocean, she saw an endless field of sapphires gleaming in the sun. Often times she saw more detail than anyone else, like everything was clearer to her.

Today, she was sitting on the edge of the runway next to the Rosenblum Estate, looking down at the curved rock formation protruding out of the sea. In her mind, it looked like it was part of a bigger island. In fact, the entire island looked like it was ripped from a bigger one. Perhaps the rest of the island sunk somehow, or maybe her imagination was being overactive. She shrugged as she continued to paint the curved spikes jutting out of the ocean.

She knew she wasn't alone when she heard footsteps clicking on the tarmac, "You've certainly got an eye for detail."

Irma turned her head and saw the newest resident of Arzenal, Wolfgang if she remembered correctly, approaching her. To be truthful, she didn't much care for the men, or anyone really. No one seemed to quite understand her, not with her artistic mind. She often angered Reagan when she started to rant, but it's not her fault she just doesn't get it.

No one does.

Stuck in her mind, she didn't notice Wolfgang get closer, and compared the rock formation with her painting, "It's definitely much more appealing on your canvas. To ze outside vorld, it's just some boring old rocks, but you breathe life into it, making it much more zen it is."

Irma blushed at his sudden closeness, before really taking in his words, staring at him with wide eyes, "T-thank you. No one's ever really said that before."

Wolfgang straightened, looking out into the sky, "To be honest, I don't believe I can see ze same zings you do, but as a hunter, I have trained myself to details others would miss."

"Like blood trails or footprints in the dirt." Irma said. Wolfgang looked down at her and smiled, nodding.

"Exactly. I may not have your imaginative mind, but I can see and appreciate the details. I know zis work is unfinished, but it looks magnificent already." He said earnestly. Irma felt her heart light up with joy as she smiled. She was ecstatic! Finally, someone who could appreciate her art! His mind may not work the same way as hers, as he said, but he could understand her!

"If you think this is good, you should see the rest in my dorm room." Irma offered. She knew the implications of inviting a boy to her room, all alone with herself, but indecency was the furthest thing from her mind right now, "I have it to myself since Tanya sleeps in her girlfriend's room, so I have the space to keep them."

"I'll make sure to stop by. For now zough, I think I'd razer sit down and quietly vatch you paint." Wolfgang said as he sat down, content, "I find myself relaxed when out in ze open air."

"I actually feel the same." Irma said as she returned to painting. The silent company was nice, and the warmth of the day was even better.

Today was a beautiful day.

After a delicious lunch made by Ersha, who also worked lunch on weekends, Jamie was content. A good lunch paired with a plan for later that night made Jamie a happy man. But such happiness would not last.

Not when a certain redhead he'd been verbally fighting with all week walked straight up to him.

"What's your game, jackass?" Hilda spat as she cornered him against a wall, arms pinned on both sides allowing for no escape.

Jamie put on a wry smile and made no move to break free, "You're gonna have to be specific, Hildegard."

"How do you know that name?" Hilda asked, bordering on a demand. Her glare intensified, "You shouldn't even know that name!"

"Hex told me you're from the Enderant Union, and I made an educated guess from there." Jamie replied calmly. Hilda sneered, but dropped the subject.

"What are you doing hanging around Chris so much? You trying to get in her pants?" The redhead accused. Jamie's eyes narrowed as he frowned.

"Is friendship a concept you don't understand or something? I'll admit that I find her attractive, and that she's cute when she blushes. But not everything is about sex. You see, I'm good at reading people, and you Hildegard, don't have any friends here, nor do you intend to make friends. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you're using Chris and Rosalie. Hell, even Zola. She's a captain, and she has influence. You be her favorite little bottom bitch, and you're set to coast along under her care." Jamie said, moving forward and pushing Hilda back towards the opposite wall. His analysis must be true, since there's now a hint of fear on her face, "I don't know about Rosalie, but you know Chris isn't stupid. She'll figure you out eventually, trust me on that."

"Like I care what that spineless pushover thinks-"

"Don't... you ever insult Chris in front of me." Jamie said with a growl. For a split second afterwards, his eyes widened in surprise, completely startled at the sudden flare up of anger that lit when Hilda insulted Chris, but he quickly calmed and put on a disapproving face. Hilda herself was stunned at the brunette's threatening tone. Eventually Jamie sighed, "Look, I don't care what you want to do or plan to do, but if you hurt Chris, or any of my squadmates, I'm going to make you go from hating me, to fearing me. You don't wanna find out what I'll do if I decide to hurt you."

Hilda stared at him in fear before her defiance resurfaced and she smiled viciously, "Good to know you're not all happy and smiles. You've got some bite."

Jamie gave an amused smirk, "I did motocross, gotta be vicious if you wanna win. And I have won a few times."

"I don't know if I'll ever like you, but I think I can tolerate you. Don't be surprised if I snap at you again." Hilda said as Jamie backed off.

"I think that's just the kind of person you are. You're not nice, but you're not heartless. You look out for yourself first. I can respect that. Just don't hurt my friends." Jamie said, crossing his arms.

"And you're kind, calm, and compassionate. You're smart too. Honestly, I don't like people like you, but the world would be a much shittier place if everyone was like me." Hilda said as she turned to walk away. Before she left, she looked at him with a hard stare, "You are right though. I'm only looking out for myself here, and connection I have keeps my security. Don't be disappointed when I do hurt Chris."

And with that, she left.

Jamie let out a heavy breath, as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders, "You're also stubborn as a mule. But that also means you're strong." He muttered before he palmed his face, dragging it down, "Ugh, redheads."

After enjoying a peaceful afternoon on the tarmac with Irma, which Wolfgang found himself falling asleep and caused Irma to pause her painting to sketch the hunter dozing off in the sun's rays, he found himself over by the shooting range, where someone else was practicing her aim.

Salia, wearing protective earmuffs since she wasn't in her ridersuit, was shooting the expert-level course, hitting all targets and scoring a high amount of points. The targets kept coming faster and faster, and yet she didn't miss a single shot. Wolfgang was impressed.

He waited until she finished her course and took off her earmuffs before calling out to her, "I've heard about your shooting ability, but to vitness it myself... I must say, it is truly impressive."

Salia jolted and whirled around, blushing. She stared wide eyed as her crush calmly waked over to her. This was something that had surprised her in the short time she knew him, but the way he carried himself, his discipline, has accent... good god his accent! It made her shiver every time she heard it. The only reason it didn't this time was because he caught her off guard. As an avid reader of romance novels, she was able to piece together her feelings quickly. But she wouldn't dare confess her feelings to him, what if he didn't return them? Salia couldn't bear to live with the embarrassment! It was better if they remained friends. And strictly friends.

Yes, strictly friends was the correct path to go!

"I'm not someone who brags, but no one has gotten close to my skill level. Not even Captain Zola." She said proudly. Her shooting was something she took great pride in. But she had also overheard Reagan about how great a shot Wolfgang was, and felt a feeling of excitement about challenging him to a shooting contest.

"You haven't shot vith me yet." Wolfgang said, and Salia caught an undertone of a challenge. Her excitement flared.

"Then why don't we find out who's better?" She said, making the challenge official. Wolfgang gave an amused huff.

"Let's make zis interesting. A vager." Wolfgang started. Salia understood 'wager' through his accent, and nodded, agreeing to the proposition, "Ze loser does vhatever ze vinner decides. A sort of... punishment game."

Salia's eyes widened as she listened to the hunter's words, and took a few moments to think before looking up at him, his taller frame making him tower over her, and nodded, "I accept. Three rounds"

"Zen accept defeat. Vinner of each round picks ze next range." He said with a wry smile. Salia's gaze became determined.

"Fifty meters, closest to center, sniper-rifles only." Salia stated, picking up a sniper rifle, Wolfgang doing the same. They moved to the appropriate range and took aim. There were a few moments of silence before two shots rang out. The shooters lowered their rifles and moved to inspect the targets. They both hit the bullseye, but upon closer inspection, Wolfgang's shot was half a centimeter inward, meaning he had won the first round. Salia sighed, but the giddy feeling was still welling up inside her. She nodded to Wolfgang, telling him it was his choice now.

He looked around the area and saw a building nearby, "Can ve get up zere?" Salia considered it before nodding, "Zen ve'll go up zere. Same conditions." Soon enough, they managed to get to the roof of the nearby building, looking down on the gun range. Same as before, silence permeated throughout the island before two more shots rang out. After getting down to the range again, they reviewed the targets and saw that Salia was closer to the center. She gave an uncharacteristic smirk as she felt victory within reach. Score one to one.

"Freestyle." She said after a few moments. Wolfgang raised a brow at her, questioning her decision, "Any shot style from over a hundred meters." She had confidence. She had been practicing a new shooting style in private after seeing it once on some old animated show. Practice had yielded promising results, and Salia doubted he could top the shot she was about to do.

Pacing out beyond a hundred meters, Salia set up her shot. She took an unusual pose, resting the rifle on her entire forearm before lining up her eye to the scope. Once the target was in sight, she waited a few moments, then fired.

Bullseye. Just half an inch off of the center. Salia smiled before looking back at Wolfgang, who had a stony look on his face before he turned and left. Salia's face dropped in disappointment. Was Wolfgang such a sore loser that he couldn't even respectfully bow out and give her the win? He just... leaves?

Salia sighed before walking back over to the gun range. To her surprise, Ersha was there, having finally got off lunch duty.

"Hello Salia, out practicing your aim?" She asked, but frowned when Salia looked away.

"I just had a shooting competition with Wolfgang, but instead of forfeiting the last shot, he just walked away." She walked over to her target, seeing the shots hit left, right, and near center, "I just don't get it. I thought he was noble but-"

Before she could finish, a shot rang out, piercing the second target. Salia whirled around towards the source, raising her scope, and was shocked by what she saw. Wolfgang, hanging upside down from one of the trees at the base of the mountains. She realized then that he hadn't walked away to leave, but to get into his position. She and Ersha went over to his target, and Salia paled.

Dead center.

Not half an inch off, not half a centimeter, not even half a millimeter. Dead center.

She must have been shocked so thoroughly and for so long that she didn't register that Wolfgang had returned until he tapped her on the shoulder. For the second time that day, Salia jumped, and blushed once she realized what she did. When she turned to him, she glared at the easy smile he had.

"Sorry if I hurt your feelings by misleading you, but I believe zat round goes to me. And you know vhat zat means." He said. Ersha raised a brow while Salia's gaze narrowed before her eyes shot open.

"Now you have to do vhat I vant." Wolfgang said with a chuckle. Ersha covered her grin with her hand while Salia sputtered.

"Y-you-! That chea-! That's a dirty move! You could've told me you were setting up your shot!" She snapped, however there was no real heat behind it. She had the win! And he took it from her!

"But vhere's ze fun in zat?" He said, making the purple-haired teen tense up in frustration before she sighed and visibly delfated.

"That was the deal." She said, dejected. She held her arms out, resigned, "So what do you want to do to me?"

Wolfgang made an exaggerated gesture, holding his chin in thought before he chuckled, "How about a few drinks?"

Salia was once again shocked, this time at the simple decision Wolfgang made. Ersha laughed, which caused Salia's gaze to snap to her, "Sorry, sorry. I've just never seen you so off guard so much before."

"C'mon." Wolfgang said, drawing both their gazes. He was already halfway to the door that led topside. Salia scrambled after him, shouting for him to wait up. Ersha sighed, resting her head in her hand.

"Ah, to be in love... Well, not yet, but it'll get there." She said, staring after them, "Oh! Time to see the kids! I forgot I was bringing my cooking to them."

Jamie walked down the corridor towards the medical bay, as he had been ordered to stop by every other day to check the progress of his healing burns. Maggie had determined he was healing adequately, but wanted frequent and continued checkups until it was cleared. He wasn't told of the severity of his burns until the first check-up the day Wolfgang arrived, where he was told the burns were third-degree, guaranteed to leave scarring. Whatever burn cream Maggie kept giving him brought the pain down to a dull tingle, and when it started to wear out it felt the that sensation where it was pins and needles.

The last time he went of a check-up, he noticed one of the beds had a sheet around it, obscuring the view of whoever it was that was lying on the bed. This time when he opened the door to the medical bay, the curtain was pulled back, letting him see who it was laid up on the bed.

It was a girl with long deep pink hair. She looked even younger than Chris, and was sleeping peacefully, like she was dead to the world. Actually, if Jamie were to look closely, this girl's sleep was so deep that it looked like...

"It's a coma, if you're wondering."

Jamie turned and saw his squadmate, Ingrid, as she stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing a doctor's coat, meaning she was likely employed off duty at the medical bay.

"Oh, 'sup Ingrid?" Jamie said as he moved to his usual bed. Ingrid made herself busy checking supplies, taking inventory.

"Just got back on shift. I work the days we don't have training, but I'm surprised you didn't notice me. I've even been in here during your check-ups. I'm hurt you didn't even say hi." She explained, a slight teasing tone in her voice. Jamie awkwardly scratched the back his head as he let out a chuckle. It was a bit surreal. He had known Ingrid to be a soft spoken girl who didn't speak much and didn't have much confidence, especially when it came to Jamie. But here, she seemed the opposite. Still soft spoken, but now it was like the job gave her a confidence she didn't have before. She was teasing him about not seeing her previously! She never teased anyone.

That was what Joey did, not Ingrid!

"I've seen the records too. Third degree burns? How did that happen?" She asked, still not looking at him. Jamie sighed as he recalled what had led to the burns.

"You probably figure it was during the whole 'Westwood Burning' thing, which it was." He said solemnly. Ingrid looked at him from the corner of her eye, still organizing the cabinet, "It was after the ship exploded, when I was looking for survivors. I guess I was just so delirious I didn't notice how burned I was getting. I think there was even a moment when something erupted next to me. I felt heat on my arm but I guess I didn't really register it. That's probably when the burns reached their worst. Thankfully, it stopped at third degree, and didn't get worse."

"...I don't know what to say. I don't know what it's like to watch people I know burn. There have been people I've known who died, but none who I've seen die. Just thinking of someone burning away..." Ingrid trailed off, stopping what she was doing in the cabinet, and hunched over the counter. Jamie's jaw clenched as he watched before he looked over to the comatose girl.

"So who's she?" He asked, drawing her attention from her own thoughts. He had learned from Maizy that Ingrid's mind tends to be vivid, so it was a good idea to stop her from thinking more about burning bodies. She could probably even imagine everyone she knew on fire...

"That's Naomi. She's a part of the First Squad, but she fell into a coma shortly before you came here." Ingrid explained, walking over to Naomi's bedside, grabbing the siderail, "Though none of them are willing to tell us what happened. They say it was a DRAGON that did this, but that sounds like a cover up."

"What, like one of them actually did this?" Jamie asked, raising a brow. Ingrid, gaze focused hard on Naomi's face, her eyes narrowing.

"I don't know. I just think there's something they're not telling us." She said. She sighed and walked over to him. He looked up at her as she pointed to his arm, "Give me your arm, I'll check it out this time."

"Sure." He said before he took off his jacket. With it off, the bandages are were visible, and went all the way up from his wrist to his shirt sleeve. Ingrid blinked when he started to take his shirt off.

"Y-you don't need to take your shirt off!" She shouted, blushing and reaching out to stop him. He looked at her before realizing something.

"Ah, right. The cuts and bruises have mostly healed by now. Sorry." He said, lowering his shirt. Still, Ingrid got a look at his toned stomach and mentally saved the sight.

'That was close... If he had actually took his shirt off, I would've freaked out! I mean, we've taken showers after training, but I never looked at him for my own sanity. If he stripped half-naked willingly, I would've ended up in one of these beds!' Ingrid thought to herself, her mind running at a thousand miles per hour. Despite the confidence the medical assistant job gave her, she still had a massive crush on Jamie, 'Ugh! Damn you, Reagan, filling my head with stories of your brother as we grew up. And then he had to come here and look so handsome! Ugh, why me?'

"A-anyway, can you unwrap your bandages? I'll get the burn cream." She said as she turned to the cabinets again. Jamie nodded and began unwrapping the bandages. He grimaced as that pins and needles feeling intensified as he removed the wrappings. This was likely because what was left of the cream clung to the bandages, and removing them removed the remnants of the cream too.

He hated that fuzzy feeling.

Still, it was better than the pain of the burns. Seeing the red and inflamed skin on his arm made him wince. It was a patchwork of lighter red mixed with darker, as well as some yellow. He heard Ingrid gag in the background before she came up to him.

"T-that is bad. Though it has gotten better in just six days. Still, best to use the cream." She said as she held the jar up. Jamie studied it, brow furrowed. It wasn't any brand. Something like this had to have come from the AR, yet there's no branding on it.

"Just what's in this stuff?" He asked as he took a good amount and started to lather it on his arm. The fuzzy feeling began to settle as soon as the cream first touched his skin, "It's not any brand I've seen."

"I don't know exactly. Maggie said it's a burn cream mixed with a numbing agent. She said it was created by the chief medical officer on Arzenal before her, she just learned how to make it." Ingrid said as she applied the cream to his forearm. Normally, she'd be happy at a chance to feel him up, but medical matters left no room for personal feelings.

Soon enough, she was wrapping his arm in new and clean gauze as he sighed at the cool sensation and tingling feeling the cream had given him, "Thanks for helping me."

"No problem. Maggie's busy with some meeting so I had to be the one to check on you." Ingrid said, back at the cabinet.

"Yeah. Though I guess I have to continue coming in for check-ups every other day still." Jamie said as he stood up, pulling his jacket back on. He took out his phone and checked the time, "Damn, I didn't realize that much time had passed."

"Got somewhere to be?"

"I gotta get my sister for something. I haven't gotten my first paycheck yet, so I need to mooch off of her." He said as he moved to the door. Ingrid raised a brow as she watched him leave.

"What do you need to get?" She asked, leaning on the counter.

"A firepit and a few chairs. I'm meeting Chris tonight to see if I can help her with falling asleep. I won't go into details but she's struggling to sleep in her own bed." He said as he opened the door, "Hey, do you know if chocolate has relaxing properties? I think I read that somewhere years ago, but I'm not sure."

"Uh, dark chocolate does." She simply said, mind processing the information just given to her.

"Thanks, I'll make Reagan buy that too. See ya!" He said before running off to find his sister. After he left, Ingrid stared for a minute before she clenched her fists and jaw.

'I hate this feeling. I hate feeling this jealousy. I hate feeling like I do for him. I hate how he spends more time with another girl. I can tell, Chris, that we're the same, even if you don't realize it yet. She probably stopped sleeping with Zola's harem soon after meeting Jamie. We're the same, because we both have crushes on him, but he talks with you way more.' She took a breath before opening her hands and looking at them, "Is it because he met you first?" She muttered before narrowing her eyes, "Or would that have changed anything? I'm a lot more shy and closed off than you are. If he never got assigned to my team, I may have never even talked to him."

She sighed again, placing her hands on the counter and looking down, "Would it have even mattered? Would he have still gravitated to you?"

She looked towards Naomi, eyes softening upon seeing her peaceful face, "I guess it doesn't matter. I should focus on my job, rather than a boy who might not even return my feelings."

And with that, she got to work changing the IV bag.

Dinner had come and gone, and now it was dark out. Chris nervously made her way to the surface of Arzenal, giving Rosalie an excuse and a mumbled apology before heading up the stairs. Stepping out into the chilled November night, Chris felt a shiver run down her spine as her warm breath fogged in the air. Nights from November to February were dreadfully cold, especially combined with normal Arzenal wear.

'What I wouldn't give for Wolfgang's coat right about now...' She said, rubbing her arms to warm herself up as she looked around to find Jamie. It didn't take long as she found a bright source of light out on the field. It was a fire, Chris realized. A firepit with two chairs, and Jamie was in one of them.

She quickly made her way over to the warmth, sitting down in the other chair. It was some kind of fold up camping chair with... cupholders. Chris looked down at the foot of Jamie's chair and saw a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, and a package of dark chocolate.

"So what do you think?" Jamie asked as he sat back in his seat. Chris looked to him before looking at the fire.

"It's warm." She simply said. She held her hands to the fire to warm up, "So why did you want to meet me here at this time?"

"Have you ever had a s'more before?" He asked, drawing Chris' attention to him.

"What's a s'more?" She asked, tilting her head.

"A sandwich made of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. You roast the marshmallow until it's golden brown, then once there, put it on a cracker with a piece of chocolate on it. The heat from the marshmallow should quickly melt the chocolate, but I will warn you, it's a bit gooey. But it's really good. Never tried it with dark chocolate though." He said, opening the bag of marshmallows. He took out his standard Arzenal knife from it's sheath and stuck the marshmallow on the end of it, "I didn't get any sticks to put them on, so we'll have to use our knives. Just don't touch the metal directly."

Chris mumbled an 'okay' before she caught the marshmallow Jamie tossed her. She stuck it on her knife before sticking it over the fire. Their knives were long enough that her hand wasn't close enough to get burned, but close enough to feel the heat. They were also rarely used, so they were clean for an instance like this. Besides, the heat would kill any bacteria anyways. Her attention then turned back to Jamie and watched his smile as he idly gave tips.

"Rotate it slowly to make sure it's cooked evenly. Get it to a nice golden-brown, and make sure you..." He trailed off as he looked at her marshmallow, "Don't burn it."

Chris blinked before she realized what he was nodding his head at, snapping her head to her blade, which the marshmallow on the end was on fire. Jamie laughed when she shrieked and hurriedly shook the burning candy off of her knife, making it land in the firepit. Chris stared at the gooey remnants on the tip of her blade with a distressed look before Jamie reached over an tapped her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. You just have to be careful and pay attention. And don't worry about losing the marshmallow." He said, holding up the bag, "'Cause we've go more! Just make sure to pay attention." He assured her, handing her another marshmallow. She stared at it for a moment before she took it, glancing at him, before sticking it on her knife and putting it over the fire. This time, she waited patiently and watched the marshmallow carefully, making sure to not hold it too close to the fire. She watched as the pure white treat slowly turned a golden-brown, just like her companion said. She took it away from the fire and looked at Jamie on what to do next. Jamie nodded and carefully set down his knife in his cupholder, opening the box of graham crackers and a package of dark chocolate. He broke the graham cracker sheet in half, then the same with the chocolate before placing half of the chocolate on half of the cracker, then held it out to Chris.

She held the knife out to him, where he enclosed the roasted marshmallow between the cracker halves. He motioned for her to slide the knife out, and she set it aside. She held the sandwiched marshmallow in front of her, looking it over, inspecting it as the chocolate started to melt onto her fingers.

"Take a bite already!" Jamie said with a laugh. Chris jolted before she bit into the s'more, and her eyes widened when as she pulled back, the gooey marshmallow went with her.

"Mh!"

Jamie burst out laughing as she continued to pull until the marshmallow finally gave way. Her eyes sparkled as she chewed the s'more, quickly swallowing and taking another bite. Jamie smiled as she enjoyed the treat, three bites being all that she needed to finish it as it was rather small.

And Chris has a surprisingly big mouth.

"That was so good!" Chris gushed, before noticing the chocolate on her fingers and began licking them clean.

Jamie was entranced by the sight. It reminded him of his first day in the kitchen, how Chris reacted to his sliced steak sandwich. He wouldn't admit it, but the sound she made... kind of turned him on. She finished cleaning her fingers and looked at him again. He blinked before smirking, "At least you didn't moan this time."

As he predicted, Chris lit up in a furious blush, "Shut it you! It's not my fault you make great food!"

"Well, you made this one yourself." He pointed out, which made her huff and cross her arms indignantly, "You can have another if you want."

Chris glanced at him before giving in and taking another marshmallow, "One more. I don't want too much before bed."

They sat there in a comfortable silence as Chris made her second s'more, while Jamie reheated his first. They ate their desserts in peaceful contentment. Eventually, they finished.

"If you're not ready to head to bed yet, you wanna hear a funny story about my friend, Lee?" Jamie asked as soon as they were finished. Chris looked at him as he continued, "It's funny, I promise. A lot of Lee stories are."

"Lee was your Norma friend, right?" Chris asked, and Jamie nodded. Chris sat forward, telling Jamie she was interested in what he was going to say.

He mirrored her posture as he began his story, "Ok, so, Lee came over to my house often, right? Like it was her second home, 'cause it was. So, one day, she comes running over saying 'Dude, you gotta hide me.'" He said, raising his voice to sound like what Lee's would sound like, making Chris giggle. Jamie smiled as he continued, "'Mom's making me mow the lawn!', so I said, 'So? Just do it, it's not that big of a deal.' 'But I don't wanna! That's the thing! Can you let me hide out here?' 'Sure, whatever.'"

"So did her mom come by?" Chris asked, invested in the story. Jamie chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Like, ten minutes after Lee did. She asked if Lee came by, and I decided to stick with the bit and said no. She must've bought that since she thanked me and left. I spent the rest of the day playing games with Lee until it was time for dinner." Jamie said. Chris felt a bit disappointed since that seemed like the end of the story.

"Did her mother ever find out?" She asked. Jamie broke out into an uncontrolled low chuckle, which confused Chris. He quickly recovered and shook his finger at Chris.

"That's the thing. At dinner time, Lee's mom messaged me to tell Lee to head home. I later found out that as soon as she didn't see Lee outside cutting the grass, she knew exactly where she was. I should've known from that smile she gave me." He said, clenching his fist in mock anger, "I also should've known that Lee was very predictable."

Chris' eyes widened before they closed tight as she laughed hard and loud. It was hard enough that her shoulders were shaking. She managed to get a hold of herself enough to speak, "She knew the whole damn time!"

"She did! Crazy enough, neither of us were punished." He said, arms out in exasperation, "No lecture, no chores, no punishment. Got off Scott-free."

"No way." Chris said, resting her chin in her hand, "The commander wouldn't let you get away with that. For sure."

"Jill's a hardass. But I'm sure she'd lock me in the detention level if she heard me say that." Jamie said, leaning back in his seat. They sat in silence for a few moments before Chris spoke up.

"Hey. The way you talked about Lee..." She said, looking down, figuring out how to word what she was thinking, "Everything happened about a week ago, but it sounds like you've already gotten over all that death."

Jamie looked at her with a serious expression, making her reel back, "I-I mean..."

"It's okay." He said, holding up his hand. He sighed as he leaned forward, looking into the fire, "I guess I view death differently than everyone else here." Chris leaned forward, mirroring his posture, much like he did hers earlier, "There was this old man when I first moved to Westwood. He was getting to the end of his life, and he knew it, but he was never sad about that. The only thing he was upset about was that he wouldn't have more time with us, his friends." Jamie started to his hands together anxiously, "He died a year after I met him. But I wasn't sad. I was because of what he taught me."

He looked to Chris then, "He taught me to never expect death, but to always be prepared for it." He looked to the starry night sky, "I have a theory. The reason the Norma fatalities here are so high is that you all are repeatedly told that you will die. That's your purpose. You die because you believe it. But... what if you're told to live? What if you want to live more than anything, you just don't have a reason to?"

Chris was confused, "A... reason to live?"

"I don't think living is enough. It's that you have something you want to get back to that gives you the ability to survive. I haven't deployed yet, but I already have that something. I want to come back with my sister, my squadmates. To come back to cook for everyone. To come back to you. Do you have something like that Chris?" Jamie asked, looking directly into Chris' pink eyes. Chris felt like she was rocked to her core. A concept like Jamie was proposing... she had never thought of that before.

"No... I don't." She said, looking away. Jamie gave a small smile, grabbing her shoulder comfortingly, drawing her eyes back to him.

"Then I'll help you find one." He said, making her blush a small amount. He looked into the fire as he leaned back before he heard a yawn, catching Chris as she closed her mouth, "Tired now?"

"Kind of?" She said, giving him a 'so-so' expression, "It's that feeling of being tired, but not actually able to fall asleep."

"Hm." He grunted, looking up in thought. He then smiled as he had an idea, "I might have a way to help with that." Chris gave him a look to continue, "So, after I moved to Westwood, I had trouble sleeping. Reagan being taken affected me pretty bad. Mom would sing me this song that worked every time."

"You're gonna sing me to sleep?" Chris asked incredulously. There wasn't much skepticism as her fatigue was quickly taking over.

"Sure. If you want me to." Jamie said with a shrug. After a few moments of consideration, Chris shrugged too.

"Sure, heh, knock yourself out. If I fall asleep though, you're gonna have to carry me back to my room. It's number two-seven-two." Chris said, bringing her legs up onto the seat and tucking her arms around them, resting her head on her knees while looking at him.

"Okay..." He started, taking a steadying breath. He closed his eyes and began to hum. It was a low melody the put Chris at ease as soon as he started.

"Hush your cries, close your eyes. Stay~ with~ me~,"

Chris let out a sigh at his singing voice. It was heavenly, to put it simple.

"Let's just dream, quietly, of what... might... be,"

Chris' eyes closed slightly as she smiled softly at the lyrics.

"Calm your fear, I'll be near, to you~ I'll~ cling. Rest my friend, time can mend, many~ things~."

Jamie opened his eyes and looked to the stars.

"I don't know the answers, tomorrow's still unknown, but I can make this promise: You won't be alone."

Jamie turned his gaze to Chris and her soft expression.

"I don't know where we should go, just feeling farther from our goal. I don't know what path we will be shown, but I know that when I'm with you I'm at home. Yes I know that when I'm with you I'm at home."

He began to hum again as he thought back to his family and friends, all that he had lost, and his new family here at Arzenal. Hex, who was the older sister he always wanted, Reagan, the sister he once lost, Joey, the sister he never knew he needed. Ingrid, who was always shy to talk to him, Maizy, who often argued with him, Chelsea, who always helped out with his training. Wolfgang, who gave him a brother in an island of women. Squad 3's Tanya, who let him cook anything he wanted in her kitchen.

Chris, who was his first and most important friend.

"There's a quiet place, in my embrace. A haven of safety where~"

He searched the stars to find any constellations he knew. Maybe he could tell Chris...

"I'll dry your tears, shelter here, in~ my~ care,"

He couldn't focus on the stars right now, just making sure Chris fell asleep.

"But even when we stumble, and someday when we fall, what I will remember, that I had you through it all,"

He looked into the fire. It was starting to die down, and he could see Chris' lost marshmallow melted into the burning sticks.

"I don't know where we should go, just feeling farther from out goal. I don't know what path we will be shown, but I know that when I'm with you I'm at home. Yes I know that when I'm with you I'm at home."

He looked to Chris and smiled when he saw her out like a light, with soft breaths and a peaceful face. She was sleeping soundly.

"Yes I know that when I'm with you I'm at home."

Jamie let out a small chuckle was he finished the song and stared at Chris. His lips formed a tight line as his thoughts ran rampant.

"I don't know exactly how to say this, but ever since you made that sound because of my cooking, I have this... feeling I can't describe. I want to spend my time with you, as much time as I can, and that I'm missing something when you're not around. I don't know what this is." He said before he sighed, "I guess I won't figure out right now. I'll just get you to bed. You deserve the sleep from how hard you work. And I can tell you work harder than anyone else."

With that, he stood, walked over to her, and hooked his left arm under her legs, and his right behind her back, tucking her arms and head into his chest. A bridal carry. He then took off towards the surface access, intent on bringing her to her room.

"I think tonight was a good night." he said idly as he gazed up at the stars. He looked down to Chris, still sleeping soundly, "I hope you think the same too."

I am mildly obsessed with writing this story, as well as reading any other Cross Ange stories.

I've now taken it upon myself to plan out events that will happen in the following chapter, though I might not follow all of my ideas. Not that you'd know what they are.

I wanted to get some quality time between Jamie and Chris, developing their relationship, while at the same time developing Wolfgang and Salia's. By now you can see that I've given Tanya and Irma actual characters in this story rather than just them 'being there'. I also wanted to write Ingrid's character while on the job as Maggie's assistant.

And a fight between Jamie and Hilda revealing where they stand with each other.

Also, yeah, Naomi's here too.

Also, Maria is a bitch. And I love writing her. Here's her bio.

Name: Maria

Full Name: Maria Falco

Age: 17

Birthday: December 29th

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 119lbs

Ridersuit Color: None(Mechanic)

Casual Attire: Black tube top or crop top(depends on the day), Mechanic's gloves, Black boots, and a slightly oil stained Arzenal mechanic's jumpsuit

Hair: Dark Blonde, long and wavy pulled into a high ponytail and messy bangs

Eyes: Yellow

Likes: Solitude, Donuts

Dislikes: People, especially when they touch her machines

Para-mail: None

Squad: 7

Position: Chief Mechanic

Barely dressed and bad tempered, there are many reasons why people avoid Squad 7's Chief Mechanic Maria, but people's avoidance isn't a bad thing in her books. In fact, she prefers being left alone. People don't like her and she doesn't like people. It's very simple. The only people she does like are her boss, the foreman, Zhao Mei, who even has her respect for leading the mechanics of Arzenal at such a young age, and Chris, who is the only one allowed to work on the Squad 7 para-mails, a testament to her skill. For most of her life, she's gone without friends, as she felt she didn't need them, but this new guy Jamie seems to stick around the hangar a lot, whether it be because of Chris, or boredom, but if he's hanging around, maybe one friend wouldn't be so bad...