Meliora - Extricate - 16

[lady_mab]

Zoné Altair

If there is one thing I haven’t figured out about this game, it's how the missions are sent. Do they have a super secret document on all of us that they use and say 'this person has these skills, we should send them here!' Or is it all completely random? Do teams constantly get the same mission, despite that whole ‘we’re going to send you on different missions’ thing?

The texts from Lysander are confusing, to say the least.

I don't know why I was supposed to know where Lio was during that time, except for the small fact that I knew exactly where he was: He was investigating the tower that Jun and I were called out to.

Lysander received a mission for us, telling us to go to a tower or something from Ye Olde London Times. Only problem was, the tower was out in the flooding expanse of the Thames, and so Jun and I had to pick our way carefully out through the uneven ground to reach the edge of it. And while we were out, we saw someone else poking around.

After the scare we had at the cemetery, between that weird ghostly thing and running into Ayn and Catoir, Jun and I decided to take a precaution and didn't reveal ourselves to the shadowy figure. It was a foggy day, even if it is late September. That far from the center of Eminence, the muggy waters of the Thames and the cool ocean that's been forcing it to flood create a dense fog that never clears.

Sure enough, we saw Lio. At least I was pretty sure that it was Lio, and Jun took my word on the matter.

I have one class with Lionel this year, and I know that I won't have another chance to ask him about this if I miss it today. Lysander ends class a bit early, letting us use the free time to ask questions or review for the upcoming test.

Luckily enough, the twins sit in separate sections in this class. When the student that sits in front of Lio moves, I take the opportunity to swoop in as casually as I can manage.

"Hey," I say with a grin. I drape one arm onto his desk, trying to make it come off as a friendly conversation while getting close enough that I can speak without anyone overhearing us. Specifically, without Lia listening in. "So, what do you think about these secretive missions so far?"

He jerks back, glancing around at the other students. His gaze lingers on somethone, and I think it must be his sister. It takes Lio a very long time before he heaves a sigh. "I don't know. I've only been on one boring trip to the Northern Quarter with Rhys. If you don't count the whole 'meeting the host' thing."

Odd. Jun and I have had about four missions so far. Are they lower down on the hypothetical rankings that the Program Manager mentioned?

Still. Got to play it casual.

I lean forward and prop my chin up with one hand. "Uh-huh. Just one?"

Lio narrows his eyes. His arms cross defensively over his chest. "What's with that tone of voice?"

"Well, it's just..." How do I do this. I could talk about me and Jun as if we don't know about his escapade, or I could try and approach the subject. "I heard you went on a walk yesterday."

His face goes through several expressions in a matter of seconds, warring between shock and anger and then resolutely finishing with something that might be stony silence. His voice, however, betrays him, and a strangled sound escapes him instead of any words.

I wave a hand arily, because this is supposed to be a normal conversation. Or at least look like one. "I mean, it's kind of weird, right? Your little walk caused you to be, what was it again? Two hours late to work?"

Lio's jaw works in frustration. "How do you know that?"

"It's just that your boss called your brother, who called your Informant, who called Lysander, who called me--" I make sure to tick off each one on a finger to better emphasize my point.

"We're not even friends," he cuts in with a frown.

"I know!" I lean back to give him a bit of space. "Hence my confusion!" I still don't know what Lysander thought when texting me. He couldn't have known that we would actually run into him on the mission. It was pure coincidence.

Lio stares at the surface of his desk, and I imagine the gears in his brain working overtime. His eyebrows lift in surprise and he shifts his gaze to me instead. "It was your mission?"

I can't help the grin that takes over. I like this feeling of being one step ahead of him.

"How come I didn't see you?"

I rub a head against the back of my neck. "Jun and I have learned to be... a little cautious after the last mission we went on." I have to fight down the shiver at the memory of the face in the crypt. "We heard someone faffing about and hid, but then we thought it might have been you. It did sort of look like you from behind. So I guess it was after all."

Our educated guesses were right. I was half going out on a limb to try and egg the answer out of him about his walk, but he did all the work for me.

His gaze turns away from me again, and I wonder just who he's looking at this time. "Did you tell Lysander?"

"Ah, no. Jun thought we should talk to you about it."

He looks at me suspiciously. "Why?"

Why? That's sort of a dumb question. "Well, it's your secret, isn't it?"

This doesn't seem to be the answer that he's expecting. We don't know each other well enough for him to know that I don't tattle on people, and I let them keep their secrets if I think it’s for the best. This is clearly something that he doesn't want anyone else knowing, so the fact that I found out on accident is an invasion of his privacy.

His nod starts out slow before trickling to a stop without gaining momentum. "Yes. It is."

"Good. Glad we agree." I start to shift back around, getting ready to move back to my desk to grab my stuff when, from the corner of my eye, I see one of my friends grabbing a chair from the row beside us and swinging it around to sit backwards.

Ayumu, who has been skipping our lunchtime gatherings for drama club meetings, gives me a grin and a brief wave. Then his attention settles fully on Lio, and I'm a little disappointed that he didn't come over to talk to me. "Yo, Darcy, I got a question for you."

Lionel's frown is automatic. "Yo, Murata, I'm not an information kiosk." He starts to shove his stuff into his bag, which I'm surprised he didn't do while talking to me just to be his normal curt self.

Ayumu places his phone on the desk, successfully pinning Lio's stuff beneath it. "It's about this."

There's a tick in the corner of his lip. "Your tacky phone case?"

The answering smile is charming in the way that Ayumu's smiles always are. "No, my Mihari unit," he says, referring to his phone’s operating system.

Lio frowns and yanks his tablet out from beneath the phone, not even paying attention to where the phone lands. "I don't use the Pomme. I can't tell you what's wrong with it, other than that's what you get for using a Pomme."

"C'mon man, just hear me out," Ayumu says, and his voice has a faint pleading tone. "I'll even get Lia an autographed headshot of my brother."

Hideki Murata, his older brother, is a popular actor from a daytime medical drama. Ayumu has been struggling to get out of his shadow in the eyes of all our teachers for as long as I've known him, and yet he never hesitates to use him as a bargaining chip.

When Lio doesn't reply, Ayumu tries not to grin and casts me a teasing, knowing glance. "What? You didn't know she's a Hideki fangirl?"

The expression that Lio makes clearly means that he didn't. "Oh."

"Thanks, you're a pal." Ayumu pats his phone and pushes it closer. "Now, about my Mihari unit."

I laugh when he reaches for it. "How often do you have to use your brother as bribe material?"

"Quite often." Ayumu sniffs indifferently. "He's got to be good for something, right?"

"Man, are you ever going to get lunches off again? Everyone misses you."

"Ugh, hopefully? It's ridiculous that they've been trying to hold meetings during lunch. I need my food times." He pats his stomach, and grins when I do the same. "Beat says he's met the love of his life?"

"You haven't even met Jun, that's right! She's been making everyone lunch, and she is amazing!" I'm about to go on before Lio slaps his hands on the desk.

We both jump and immediately fall silent.

"I can't concentrate with the two of you jabbering. What the hell is wrong with your phone?"

Ayumu shrugs. "It shuts off randomly and it doesn't respond to my commands." He leans over and flicks across the screen, though I have no idea what he's looking for. Everything is in Japanese.

Annoyed, voice steely, Lio asks, "Have you tried taking it to a Pomme store?"

Ayumu bats his eyelashes. "Why, when I can take it to you?" He hits the mic icon and says, "Mihari, what's the weather forecast for this evening?"

The phone beeps and brings up a picture of an animated storm cloud frowning. A discordant violin comes through the speakers in response.

"What--"

He shoves a finger into Lio's face to silence him. Ayumu gestures at the phone and the music cuts off. "I ask him for the news in Gunma prefecture in Japan where my grandma lives, and he brings up the financial report for France. I ask him to set an alarm so I can make it to a shoot on time, and the flashlight app turns on and drains the battery."

Lio picks up the phone and fiddles with it. He's intrigued now. "What the hell did you do?"

"I just installed a new app, that's all!" He slumps over his chair and runs a hand back through his bleached hair. "No one else with the Mihari unit has had these problems so I've got to figure that is it. I deleted it already but it still doesn't want to work."

Since Lio seems so distracted by whatever he's looking at, I turn to Ayumu. "What app?"

"I don't know," he says with an airy wave of his hand. "Glen asked me to download it, said it was for some game--"

I react without meaning to, jerking upright and knocking my chair aside with a loud, distracting screech. I feel everyone’s eyes on me.

“Zoné, is everything okay?” Lysander calls from the front of the classroom.

I can’t answer. It’s probably not what I’m thinking. But at the same time, I can’t shake the idea that it has to do with Meliora.

The bell rings, signaling the end of class, and everyone forgets about my sudden reaction. They start to rise and pick up their bags in a flurry of movement.

Lio remains seated, staring up at me. His eyes are wide, and I hope he’s picking up on what I’m thinking.

Ayumu doesn’t notice. “Can you fix it? I really need a reliable phone, and I’d rather not get a new one--”

Lio shakes himself out of his thoughts and purses his lips. “It’ll take a bit, and in all honesty, you should probably reset it to factory default. But I’ll give it a shot.”

The rest of their conversation washes over me, turning to static, as I glance at Lysander over my shoulder.

His lips are pressed into a thin line, and he’s tapping a finger against the surface of the desk. Weighing the pros and cons of calling me over to see if everything is okay.

Lio leaves before I do -- I barely even register that it’s he’s heading for the door by the time Ayumu thumps me on the shoulder. There’s concern in his expression, but like Lysander, he’s not calling me out on it.

“Better come to lunch sometime soon, or I’m going to think that you don’t like us anymore.” I paint a grin on that is apparently convincing enough because he laughs.

“Soon! I promise! I want to meet this mysterious new member of our exclusive club.”

“She’ll take your spot.”

Ayumu gasps, and we head for the hallway together. I pull out my phone as he waves in parting, heading off to his next class.

Lysander had given me Lio’s number in response to him being missing, but I hadn’t wanted to text him then.

Tell me what you find. I send the message, and belatedly realize that I probably should have let him know who this is. I’m part way through composing another text while juggling all my stuff when his response comes.

Only if you tell me what you suspect.

I have to wait until I get to my next class because I very nearly drop my bag and my phone and my laptop on three different occasions each during that short trip. If I’m right, you’ll know. I don’t want to say anything yet, not until I’m certain. Please. Ayu and Glen are my friends. I’m worried.

Glen has always been the most silent of our group, more so lately than normal. He’s been looking exhausted, and tries to say it’s because they’re overworking him at his job, but I’m not too sure how much I believe it.

Lio’s last response arrives right before the bell rings for class. You’re not the only one.

If I’m right, Glen might be participating in Meliora. What exactly that means, I’m not sure just yet, but I will have to find out.

Previous | Masterpost | Next