["She was so talkative before, yet in the end, loneliness was the only listener."]
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3rd POV
X walked down the same corridor that he had gone through for the past week. This routine was something that he was growing accustomed to, but the same couldn't be said for the company he had with him. Malkuth wordlessly trailed behind him as he tried his best to ignore her and the uncomfortable silence.
What was really irritating was the loud noise of her pen dancing across her clipboard as she worked. X merely ignored it at first but after the first five minutes of hearing it, he was starting to get annoyed. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before noticing the ever constant grin on her face.
Neither of them spoke a word. Not when they met face to face outside of his room, and not even when she started to follow him. X didn't know what was the deal with it following him, but he was certain that it isn't important if she hadn't said anything. That or it had nothing to do with him since she never acknowledged his presence aside from walking next to him.
X fought the urge to release a sigh of frustration as he sped up his pace. Something that didn't bother the Sephirah that was keeping him company as she simply sped up to match him. X mentally clicked his tongue as he fought the urge to sigh heavily.
Their small silent speed-walk was put to an end when they arrived at the elevator he's grown to know like the back of his hand. Stepping inside once it opened, the two of them stood side by side as the elevator music chimed throughout the interior. A steady beeping sound would chime when they passed each floor while the still scribbling Sephirah continued her work.
With nothing to do for the next several minutes, X tapped his foot while staring at the elevator doors. When he got bored of doing that, he simply decided to look around until his eyes landed on Malkuth.
From the side, he could see that ever constant smile seem to grow as the passing of floors continued. Her pen seemed to quicken in pace as her hand twirled and maneuvered its way across her clipboard and back.
Having his curiosity piqued, X put his hands in his lab coat before leaning ever so slightly in her direction. With her height being just around his shoulders, X was able to barely see over her shoulder what she was writing down so earnestly. Though what he saw caused him to freeze in place.
Unintelligible writings, symbols, and what seemed to be drawings were all over her paper. Her hand moved swiftly as the ink in her pen flooded the page that was once a file document. Wherever there was a white spot on the page, her hand would direct her pen and write something in it. Even the smallest of white spots was having something written in it.
X couldn't fathom what she was writing. Sometimes it seemed like normal Korean, then English, then something absolutely random. Some of the things she wrote were upside down or sideways while others seemed backwards if he saw it correctly. X noticed something, however. If he paid no mind to the small writings and focused on the larger ones, he could almost piece them together to make out a word that started with the letter 'L'
Just as he was about to figure out the word, Malkuth suddenly slammed the other papers on her clipboard down on top of that particular page and snapped her head in his direction. The action caught him off guard as he flinched and took a step or two back. Her eyes blankly stared at him while he frantically looked anywhere that wasn't in her direction. Her clipboard was held tightly to her chest while her pen was no where to be seen.
"Good morning, Manager!"
Her greeting was so out of no where that X froze and couldn't fathom why she was greeting him as if she didn't realize he was there. Which was actually half true as Malkuth didn't even know where she was at the moment, but X couldn't possibly know that. Seeing that she was waiting for a greeting from him, X gulped quietly the saliva that got built in his mouth before looking at her reluctantly.
".....Good morning....."
Malkuth took the quiet greeting for what it was and nodded her head before turning to face the front. X did the same while sending glances her way to make sure that she wasn't staring at him still.
"By the way, Manager," Malkuth suddenly spoke out while not looking at him, "you may be my Boss. But that doesn't give you the right to interfere with my job.....so don't get in the way of my work again, please."
X suppressed the urge to shiver as he took note of the coldness in her tone. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed that she didn't have her smile or grin, but instead had an emotionless look. He didn't know what exactly he did to get in the way of "her work" but nevertheless made sure to stay clear of her in the future.
The saving grace for the moment came in the form of the elevator slowing down at their destination. Just as the door opened, Malkuth all but sped-walked right out leaving him behind. Unfortunately, her silhouette went in the direction he was going so he simply followed her.
Upon walking and barely keeping up with Malkuth, X finally noticed something different about the place. It was when he had to avoid colliding with an employee that he noticed that there were people here.
Like....actual people in the morning.
Usually there was close to no one within the hallways whenever he went to visit a Sephirah or Department. Checking his watch, X noticed and concluded that it was most likely due to the fact that it was four in the morning. Which meant this was the night-shift staff that he never got to meet nor monitor.
Getting out of his thoughts, he realized that the person he nearly collided with was already gone. No words of apologies, no words of frustration or anger, and most concerningly no sound of their departure. X looked left, right, front, and then back only to find the person turn the corner and disappear. He quirked an eyebrow n confusion before walking to find the Department of the Information Team.
He walked past a few other clerks but had yet to see an agent. He could only assume that they either already left for the day or simply were somewhere else. His assumption was proven correct when he entered the Information Department.
Employees walked back and forth within the purple themed room. Chatter was kept to a minimum and even the noises from their footsteps was eerily quiet, almost near non-existent.
Making his way through the workplace, X noticed how none of them paid him any mind as they walked around him as if it were natural. Some had smiles on their faces while others were neutral, but none had a frown or a sign of dissatisfaction unlike the day-shift employees.
After making it halfway across the room, X noticed the figures of Yesod and Malkuth in the distance just past the sea of employees. Malkuth seemed to be talking—more like arguing—with Yesod while he ignored her in favor of talking to a pair of agents. Upon getting closer, X managed to hear small snippets of her rant.
"Has he—!.....Well, how about—!...Surely—!"
Each time she spoke, Yesod's face and posture grew more and more stiff with every word she spoke. Just as Malkuth finished and was about to start once more, both Yesod and her took notice of X's presence coming towards them. Yesod waved at the agents to move along while Malkuth snapped her jaw shut.
The pair of agents nodded their heads before walking away towards X's direction. Though X noticed something odd and surprising about them. Their arm bands weren't purple coated or had 'Y's like they were supposed to have for the Information Team. Instead they were gray with a 'R', a clear indicator that they were from the Reserves.
This was the first time that X actually found members of the Reserves that weren't the top four, but upon closer inspection he finally noticed that even some of the clerks around him had armbands of the Reserves. Something that he probably didn't notice until now due to not being used to seeing employees during the morning.
The two of them walked in his direction while he took into account their features. One was a sharp faced male with blonde hair while the other was a soft faced female with hazel curls. Both moved simultaneously and fluidly, as if they rehearsed this beforehand, while keeping their expressions blank. Their eyes never strayed from whatever they were looking at, neither did their stride as they walked right past him.
Or that was what X thought at first, when suddenly they stopped just as they stood side by side to his shoulder. X stopped as well before he looked at them from the corner of his eyes, anticipating something from them. Without looking at him, the female, who was closest to him, spoke with an elegant and smooth voice.
"Are you just going to stand there and do nothing, Manager?"
There was an almost mocking tone to her voice as spoke to him, something X couldn't figure out why. Suddenly a eerie silence descended upon the room as every clerk seemingly stopped. X couldn't tell why but he assumed that they were paying attention to their conversation, making him unsure on how he was supposed to respond or feel.
"There is much work to do today, as there is tomorrow so I recommend you continue on your way."
X finally responded back after a few seconds while subconsciously putting a little heat in his words. As he stood stiff under the intense audience, he wondered why he responded as such. In the distance, Yesod stared at them while tapping his feet as he waited. Malkuth also stood near him, though she seemed to be absentmindedly writing in her clipboard once more.
The female agent didn't respond but instead finally looked at him from the corner of her eyes. They both stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity with neither of them backing down. It was as if she tried to convey something with her eyes as she stared coldly at him. The moment was interrupted, however, when the male agent started speaking.
"Let us do all we can to make it an uneventful day, Manager." The male agent finally spoke loud and clear, drawing X's attention. Contrast to the mocking tone his partner gave, he spoke to X in a respectful tone. "Excuse us, but our work for tonight is done."
Not waiting for a reply, the male agent walked past him without making a sound. The female one stared at him for a few seconds before looking away and following her partner. The other employees seemed to also have the same idea as they all started dispersing rapidly. Soon the Department was devoid of any life aside from X and the two waiting for him. It was almost as if the employees were never there to begin with, for they never made a sound aside from the doors opening and closing.
"Manager. What brings you here today?" Yesod spoke once X stood in front of them.
"Angela made mention of your proposal in regards to having permission to improve distribution of information regarding abnormalities." X was tempted to ask about what that whole thing earlier was about, but decided against it in favor of asking later. "I would like to know how long it would take for you to implement this?"
If Yesod was surprised or pleased by his words, he hid it well under his usual straight face as X couldn't get a read on what the Sephirah was thinking. Though judging by the way he nodded his head, he was probably pleased.
"I will have it done by tomorrow morning." X nodded his head in response while Yesod rubbed his chin with his hand as he seemed to be in deep thought. He opened his mouth to continue when suddenly Malkuth butt in.
"SO!~ You mind telling me where Y/n is?" She spoke with a look of anticipation and with a small hint of insanity, something the other two took note of. Both Yesod and X looked at her with a frown before Yesod sighed while giving her a stern glare.
"I will say this for the last and final time, Malkuth. Y/n won't be available for today." That caused her to lose her happy mood as she stared blankly at him as if to see if he was lying. When she saw that he wasn't, she frowned in displeasure. "If you wish to—"
He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that she was already walking away and out of the Department. Yesod stared at the door she left through with an unamused look before turning back to X who had watched her leave as well. Shrugging his shoulders at him, X motioned for him to continue their talk, to which he did.
"....Compliments to you, Manager." Yesod spoke while crossing his arms. "Despite my first impressions of you, you've exceeded my expectations in handling Fragment of the Universe yesterday."
X looked at him confusingly before asking him the question on his mind. "Fragment of the Universe?"
Yesod raised an eyebrow at him before realizing that he probably didn't know about the identity of the Abnormality.
"Yes, O-03-60 is what it went by before we discovered its name. Though you did fail to find that out, it wasn't an issue for the night-shift employees."
"Do you mind telling me more? This was the first I have encountered them, after all."
"Of course." Yesod responded while waving his hand around while rolling his eyes disapprovingly. "I am to assume that you know of the Reserves correct?"
X nodded his head.
"Good. The night staff are unique in that almost all of them are under the jurisdiction of the Reserves. We, the Sephirot, oversee their work during the night-shift to meet any quotas that weren't reached in the day-shift."
X went into thought as he stared at the floor as he took in the information. Seeing the expression on his face, Yesod sighed before crossing his arms once again.
"I wouldn't worry about them, Manager. Each and every single one who wears that armband is qualified to work their respective positions." He spoke reassuringly to try and reduce whatever worries X was having. "For them, that letter 'R' on their armbands is a symbol of their pride and hard work."
"I see....." He did not. X didn't understand why they would see such pieces of cloth as such. "Though that doesn't expla—"
Suddenly one of the doors to the Department opened as footsteps could be running in their direction. They both turned their attention and saw Hod running to them with a worried look.
"Yesod!" She called his name as she arrived at their location. "I just heard that your team had several casualties!"
Yesod regarded her with a calm look that only seemed to make her more distressed. "I know. I'm the one who filed the report."
"T-T-Then shouldn't you be at your team's side?" Her voice cracked as she sounded very upset from his nonchalant answer.
"Hod, accidents happen. They already understand the need to not make a fuss, so you dwelling on it will only tire you out." Once again, he dismissively waved off the concern from his fellow Sephirah. X merely watched with clear interest as he questioned Yesod's earlier words.
"B-B-But people have died! Maybe you should be saying something to them, or at least a half-hearted commemorative speech to cheer them up. I mean, we lead our Departments and—"
"Hod." He called out to stop her rant. "Perhaps your aim is different from mine, but I see no point in being sentimental." Those words caused her to flinch while she glanced at X before looking back at Yesod. "Caring too much about every aspect of your employees or the events that occur will steer you away from what's truly important."
Hod looked unsure about how to respond as she looked between the two of them. Her mouth opened to give a response but no words came out for a rebuttal. Seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere, Yesod decided to give the last final statement.
"Don't forget, Hod. They earned the privilege to be a part of the Reserves. They sacrificed their blood, tears, and flesh for it, for you to show concern would squander their work and efforts."
"W-What?! N-No! I'm just saying—!...N-Never mind. I guess there's no right answer for this, is there?" X didn't know if she was asking Yesod, him, or maybe it was even directed to herself. But nonetheless, she received no answer. "...We're both busy... sorry to bother you. I'll see you later...."
With that, Hod turned while having a sad frown on her face. Both Yesod and X stood in silence as neither knew what to say next. The Sephirah of the Information Team then turned his back on him as his face faltered a bit from its emotionless look. In a small but audible voice, Yesod spoke without looking back.
"What do you think, Manager? Should I go comfort them for the sake of the Department's morale?"
The question left X perplexed as he thought about it. The more he did, the more he didn't understand.
"If the employees of the Reserves are as competent as yo—"
"I did not state as such." Yesod interrupted as his voice turned cold. "Never had I spoken of the employees under my care being competent."
"But—"
"I said they were qualified. Not competent." He steely corrected while turning back around to face X. "THAT is how unnecessary casualties are made, Manager. Making assumptions and conclusions without a 100% certainty is what leads to an Abnormality breaking loose, or an employee dying."
X stared at the Sephirah before nodding his head to show he understood. Yesod analyzed him for a bit before sighing while closing his eyes. For a minute, they stood in silence once again as a clock in the distance ticked and tocked the seconds away. In the meantime, X considered how to answer the question from before.
In general, X didn't even know that there were casualties to begin with. The hallways he passed by were quiet and only the footsteps of shoes were heard. He would've expected to hear screams of terror or maybe even sounds of chaos echoing if such a thing occurred. Yet, nothing showed that such an event took place.
In the end, X simply decided to answer what seemed to be the answer Yesod was seemingly looking for.
"Regarding your earlier question...I don't think it's a necessity to do so."
Yesod took his words to mind as he went into deep thought. The Sephirah slowly nodded his head as the words came out of his mouth. Unknown to X, the words that left Yesod's mouth was like trying to gag out sandpaper.
"Indeed....After all, a gesture of 'good will' without any sincerity is nothing more than an act of diplomacy." Yesod then looked straight at X in the eye. "We're not the ones whose lives are on the line, so who are we to spout false words of comfort?"
X mentally flinch from such an accusation, if it even was one. Yesod didn't pay him any mind any longer as he turned back around, the words he spoke applied to one of them more than he thought.
"That's precisely why Hod's method of coping and relieving the stress on her mind is far from what we should be doing as Sephirot. Instead we should focus on minimizing such things from occurring in the first place."
Walking away, Yesod struggled to unclench his jaw so he could give his farewell.
"If that is all, Manager, then I will have to ask you to leave as much work is to be done."
X nodded, even if the Sephirah couldn't see him, and turned back around to leave the Department. He failed to notice Yesod clenching his fists tightly as his fingers threatened to rip the fabric of his gloves.
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Y/n's POV
I was currently sitting on an office chair that was awfully familiar. Maybe it was because it was the one I usually sat on for meetings, but for some reason it felt as if I hadn't sat on it since forever. Disregarding the random thought of my chair, I stared at the stack of profiles of the people in the room I was in.
A total of 51 of them were either standing or sitting in the available chairs that surrounded the rectangle shaped table. Surprisingly, they all fit in this room that usually had 35 people or less. The people ranged from ages 19-47, and many seemed to have had low occupations or some odd job. Their skillsets and professions were not suited for work here in Lobotomy Corp, with the most useful one being able to do paperwork efficiently.
Which wasn't really saying much, if I were to be honest. They'll make a great clerk though, or maybe my assistant with how much work I get. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea now that I thought about it. Taking that particular document and putting it on top of the stack, I didn't bother looking at the others before standing up.
Off to Hod's Department they go.
*Clap* *Clap*
"Alright guys and gals! Follow me!" I maneuvered my way past the group while clapping to get their attention. "Now, once we get in the hallway, I want you guys to line up into five file lines."
Some listened and had already stepped out of the room while others just didn't want to or were confused. Seeing them like that, I simply rolled my eyes and clapped once more. Why even show up if you aren't going to do what your superiors tell you? Pretty sure that's what a job is.
"Come on. We don't have all day. You guys applied for the job, you better start putting more effort if you want to keep it."
They reluctantly stood up and flowed out into the hall where the others were waiting. I hummed to myself while being the last one out making sure no stranglers were left behind. Locking the door to the conference room, I turned and came face to face with two very familiar people.
"Oh, hey. What are you two doing here, John and Katie?" I asked both the blonde haired man and hazel haired woman. With a raised brow, I then spoke in a joking manner. "If you're both here to ask if you could arrange a dorm room together, I'm gonna have to disappoint you since I'm not in charge of that."
They both held an expressionless blank look, but from the way their cheeks had a blush I could tell they were probably thinking about it. I suppressed the urge to laugh and simply smiled to show I was merely messing with them. Once the message came across, Katie shook her head as the blush went away.
"Captain, please remember to call us by our assigned names." She spoke in a scolding manner that I brushed aside. Delta-37 and Beta-91 sound so boring and aren't even names to begin with, so her argument was invalid. Seeing that I wasn't planning on doing so, Katie sighed while nudging John in the ribs. "Get your head out of the gutter, Beta-91."
"H-Huh? O-Oh!" He rapidly blinked while making the blush on his cheeks go away. He then turned to me while shaking his head. "No, no, no! We didn't come to you for that....at least not yet." He hissed when Katie stepped on his shoe while giving me a sheepish grin to which I grinned back amusingly. "Actually, we came because we planned on taking these newcomers off your hands."
He gestured with his hands to the people behind them. Some took notice of us while others just ignored those around them. All in all, these people screamed outcasts and poverty. Something that I knew would prove to be troublesome in the future. Makes me wonder why Angela decided to pick them in the first place.
"That's very nice of you two. But these guys are my responsibility for today." They looked like they wanted to protest but held back their complaints when I patted their shoulders. "It's my job, you two. Can't just leave it to someone else, that would be irresponsible of me."
Their shoulders slumped as they couldn't argue with their superior about that since it could result in me getting in trouble. Seeing them like that, I couldn't help but roll my eyes while sighing.
"Instead, how about you just help me out a bit."
They perked up at that while giving me looks asking me to continue, to which I obliged.
"Until I can sort these guys out, you two can assist me with some paperwork." I mentally applauded myself for that outstanding move. Now I don't have worry about work for a little while, though hopefully they don't get in trouble for working overtime.
"It would be our pleasure, Captain!" They both responded with a hint devotion and determination that made me question where it came from.
"Uh-huh.....well, first things first. Can you two stay in the back of the group while I guide them to Hod's Department? Wouldn't want anyone to get lost."
They both nodded their heads before making their way to the back of the group. I did a headcount to make sure that we had everyone before clapping once more to get their attention.
"Alright everyone! Make sure to stay together because if you get lost at any point, we'll consider you a goner!~" That caused some to laugh and chuckle. I chuckled as well, but not because of my 'joke', it was because I was being one-hundred percent serious and only three people knew that I was.
The three included myself and the two at the back who kept glancing at everyone to make sure none left their watch.
"Any comments, concerns, and complaints—" several of them raised their hands, "—can be kept to yourselves." They all dropped their hands with frowns on their faces. Ignoring them, I turned and started walking. "Without further ado, let's get you guys ready to start your jobs here at Lobotomy Corporation!~"
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3rd POV Training Department
Y/n stood in front of a board as a projector shined on it while showing an image of a chibi employee and a black blob labeled "Abnormality". The chibi employee was smacking the blob with a baton before being torn apart in a bloody mess the next slide. The words "Never Go Alone" were at the top of the slide.
Katie and John sat at a nearby desk as they filed and worked on his paperwork. Y/n made sure to give them the harder work since they were very enthusiastic in helping him out. He took note to return the favor later, most likely in the form of giving the two of them free time together if he could.
Hod stood on the other end of the board while sporting a smile as she explained the basics of what work being here would be like. Judging by the faces they were making, a majority of the 51 newcomers were having second thoughts or couldn't keep up. Though Hod didn't seemed to be discouraged as she kept reassuring them that it was "safe" as long as they followed regulations and instructions.
"So wait? You're saying we have to fight—KILL—these things if they get out?"
The sudden question caused Hod to stop and look for the speaker. Once she found them, she gave a sheepish smile while trying to make sure they understood her. She almost seemed like a mother talking to her toddler.
"W-Well, it's more like suppressing them than actually killing them. After all, they can't be kille—"
"Wait?! They're immortal?! How the hell are we supposed to stop something that won't die?!"
Hod stuttered to respond as she turned to glance at the second speaker.
"W-ell, they actually can die, but it's complicated. T-That's why we suppress—"
"I actually have a phobia of dying, can I get a position far away from whatever the fuck wants to kill me?"
"That's not really my place to—"
"I'm actually illiterate. So I have no idea what those people made me sign.....in fact, I'm not even sure I wrote my name on that piece of paper they gave me."
"Wha—?! Huh?!"
That one completely stumped Hod as she stammered in confusing on how that particular employee would let such a thing to happen. The room became silent as the others around him turned in their seats to look at him with raised eyebrows.
"W-What? I can't read okay?! Besides, they said this job was so easy that a dead corpse could get the work done."
As Hod tried her best to answer all of their questions, Y/n simply shook his head at the absurdity of it all. Seeing no point in continuing the slide presentation, Y/n walked to the projector and turned it off. The loud chatters and complaints being thrown at Hod continued to grow in volume as time went on.
Just as he was about to step forward to intervene, he walked into something that completely stopped him in his tracks. Slowly tilting his head down, Y/n saw the top scalp made of blue hair of BongBong, who's face was still staring into his stomach. He patiently waited for her to step back, but after a few seconds he realized that she wasn't planning on moving from her spot. Clearing his throat, Y/n took a step back while offering her a small wave.
"Good morning, BongBong. How are you this morning? Sleep well?" He asked as she finally tilted her head up to look at his face.
"Bong."
She nodded before stretching her hand out. Y/n wasn't surprised and simply reached into his coat to pull out a lollipop that he brought with him for her. As soon as her eyes made contact with the delicious sweet, it disappeared from Y/n's grasps and was already in her mouth.
Y/n smiled before it turned flat when he noticed the wrapper was no where to be seen. With an unamused look, he stared at BonBong before kneeling on one knee as his thumb and index finger gripped the lollipop stick.
"BongBong....let go."
She simply stared at him before stretching her hand out again. Y/n eyed her curiously before noticing her hand making grasping gestures.
"Let go and I'll give you another one."
The tug of war finally ended with his victory as he pulled out the lollipop covered in saliva. The wrapper was drenched and stubbornly clung to the candy as he tried his best to remove it. After a few tears and rips, the candy was mostly spotless as he gave it back to the child who greedily put it in her mouth. He tossed the used-to-be wrapper in the trash before turning back to her. Y/n couldn't help but smirk at her when he saw her hand still stretched out.
"Yeah, no. You'll get your second piece when you finish tha—"
*Crunch*
The sound of muffled crunching came from the little girl as she held a empty candy stick in her hand while staring at him. Y/n's eye twitched as he eyed her unimpressively before he reached and fetched another candy for her from his suit. BongBong's cheeks swelled like a chipmunk as she continued to chew the previous candy like it was nothing.
"You finish this one just as fast, you won't get anymore until next week."
BongBong froze as her chewing stopped. Y/n inwardly smiled at the empty threat working. Cause even if she did end up eating the next one just as fast, he wouldn't be able to resist her if she asked for more. BongBong slowly nodded her head while pocketing the new candy in her pocket. Their interaction seemed to have made Y/n lose track of time because the commotion with Hod was already over and the intercom was already announcing the start of the shift.
"Announcement in progress:
To all personnel, the start of the day has been initiated.
Please report to your designated area."
Everyone began moving back and forth, in and out, of the room to attend their work. Hod sat down at a desk far away from everyone with a disheartened look. The newcomers were still sitting, but it seemed Hod gave them a test to take. Just as BongBong was about to scurry off to do her duties, Y/n placed a hand on the top of her head to stop her. She curiously turned her head back to him while he shook his head at her.
"Ah, ah, ah, little girl, you have a different job for today." She tilted her head to the side in confusion, something Y/n found cute as all hell. "I'm taking your place here for today, while you—" he booped her on the nose with his index finger, "—are taking mine."
"BongBong. Bong!"
"......no...if you do that I'll stop giving you candy for a two weeks."
"....Bong.....Bong..."
With her head hung low in disappointment, BongBong walked out and headed straight for Yesod's Department. Before Y/n could turn his attention and try to comfort Hod from her depressed state, three people walked up to him.
One was a guy with severe bags under his eyes. His bluish hair was tied to a small pony tail while the front bangs hung over his forehead. The man struggled and wobbled to walk behind the two others with him as his eyes continued to droop. His suit that he wore was sloppily put on as the vest and blazer barely stayed on his shoulders. It was clear that this man just woke up and was suffering from lack of sleep, he was barely staying awake as he was now.
The one at the front of the group was a woman with dark maroon hair that was curly in her front bang while also slightly curly in the back. Unlike the guy behind her, she had a soft and kind smile that seemed genuine. A leader kind of vibe is what she gave out as she pulled guy along with her in Y/n's direction.
The last person was a woman with dark olive green hair that reached just past her shoulders. Her eyes looked around the room curiously as she followed behind her maroon haired friend. When something seemed to have caught her eye, she tried to walk off before her friend stopped her by tugging her collar. She frowned a little for not being able to go off on her own, but it soon turned to its usual smile.
Y/n curiously looked them when they finally reached him. He glanced at their armbands and raised an eyebrow noticing that they weren't supposed to be here.
"Can I help you three with something?"
He asked them while glancing over their faces to memorize. He probably knew them since he felt a familiarIty from their faces, but it was most likely that they were from the first day. The maroon haired woman smiled broadly before nodding her head.
"If you could please! I'm Vinera! He's Dexter, but we call him Dex! And she's Bella!" She said with clear happiness while pointed to her, the man, and the other woman. Bella nodded her head to confirm what she said, while Dexter looked like he barely heard a word.
"Well...nice to meet you three. I'm Y/n." He said while giving them a smile. "Though I have to ask, is there a reason why you three aren't in your Department? The shift already started in case you haven't noticed." He gestured to the chaotic-neutral state of the room they were in where the clerks scrambled all around.
"Uhhh, hehehe, actually that's the reason we need your help." Vinera sheepishly said while looking away in embarrassment. "You see, we kinda...y'know.....we—" Her quiet voice was enough to irritate Dexter who just wanted to get the day over with.
"We got lost." He spoke while looking slightly more awake than before. "We got ass—*Yawn*—igned last minute and have no idea where to go." Bella nodded her head in agreement, though the fact that her attention was elsewhere meant that she probably didn't care.
Vinera gave Dexter a thumbs up while mouthing 'thank you' to him, something that he didn't see as he was already falling asleep while standing.
"I see." Y/n said while nodding. "Well, if that's the case, take the door to the right behind you and head down the hall." He instructed while pointing behind them. "At the end of the hall, you should find the stairwell, go down five floors and go down the right hallway until you reach the Information Department."
Vinera seemed to be in thought as she mentally noted the instructions in her head. Once she had a mental map of what to do, she quickly grabbed both of her partners and ran off.
"Thanks, Y/n! Have a great day!."
She yelled in the distance as she left. Y/n waved goodbye at their retreating silhouettes before turning around. He frowned when he saw Hod gone, meaning he couldn't see if she was alright or not. Seeing no point in worrying anymore now that the moment was gone, Y/n found a place to sit next to John and Katie before they got to work on organizing the newcomers.
"Captain." Katie suddenly called out to him a few minutes after he sat down. Y/n turned to look at her as she gave him a deadpan look while pointing to the stack of profiles. "These guys aren't gonna last a single day."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Shina said she wants her 'reward' later today."
"......"
"......"
Of course she does."
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Information Department
The trio that consisted of Vinera, Bella, and Dexter finally arrived in their appointed Department. Out of breath, Dexter was the first to collapse on a chair as soon as they entered. Bella had already gone off on her own to talk to people that she thought were interesting. Vinera had already recovered as well since she was already grabbing coffee for them.
Taking a seat across from Dexter, Vinera happily drank her cup while Bella grabbed hers and was already off on her own. Dexter was already passed out by the time that the clerks in the Department took notice of their presence.
"W-What the fuck do you think you guys are doing?!" A clerk shouted at them causing everyone to turn and look. "Why are you just sitting here doing nothing?! You were supposed to have done your tasks five minutes ago!"
Vinera looked nervous as she didn't know what the clerk was talking about. Dexter had jolted awake by the sudden screaming before he glanced around owlishly. The intense stares they were getting from those around them almost made him want to curl up and go back to sleep. The only thing stopping him from doing so was the fact that Vinera was sweating bullets while her hands shook.
"Yeah! We're working our butts off here and you think you can just sit and enjoy your coffee?!" Another clerk spoke while riling up the others. Soon, it seemed like a riot was about to start with how much they kept chanting and rambling.
Dexter glanced between them and her as he started to notice the usual kind and soft spoken Vinera that he was used to was starting to crack. Her face twitched while her smile was starting to become strained the more and more she heard them yell. The fact that she saw Bella amidst the group while chanting and yelling at them as well as if it were a game only made her eye twitch at the audacity.
"Oh shit..." Dexter whispered, because for the short time he's known Vinera, there were only two times she's ever lost her kind appearance. Both of those resulted in three people being sent to the infirmary, before they later told us that they "resigned" due to injuries. "H-Hey, Vinny—*Nervous Chuckle*—how about we j-just calm down alright?"
Vinera creepily turned her head in his direction.
"I am calm."
'Yeah, hell no. Good luck to them.' He thought as he sent a look of pity to those around him before going back to sleep.
Just when the riot was turning to a rebellion, something snapped and the table that once stood proud and majestically was now split in two as Vinera's fist slammed into it.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!"
They all stopped as they looked at her surprised. The fact that she was heaving heavily while wearing an enraged sneer made them realize that they may have taken it a bit too far.
"I DIDN'T WAKE UP TODAY, GET LOST IN THIS FUCKING MAZE OF A FACILITY, AND RUN ALL THE WAY HERE, JUST TO HEAR YOU LITTLE PRICKS BITCHING AND MOANING!!"
That shut everyone up as they shook in fear from the contrast of personality. Bella was the only one unaffected as she continued whisper yelling at her. Ignoring her, the clerk who started the whole thing took a wobbly first step forward.
"O-O-Oh, u-u-ummm t-then I'm—"
The apology that he was going to give was cut off as a fist sunk into his face. His body flew back before landing on a table that broke under his weight. The others shivered and flinched before taking a step back from her.
"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Vinera then glanced around the room trying to see if anyone would try to speak up or challenge her.
"Understandable...have a nice day..." The clerk that laid on the floor groaned out before he passed out from the pain. The others slowly took to the other side of the room where they could be far away from the steaming woman.
"....I'd much rather have that weirdo than her...."
A clerk whispered to another as they nodded in agreement.
"...she may be weird and stupid, but at least she isn't violent."
Bella, who saw that everyone was dispersing, walked her way back to her fellow agents. The constant buzzing in her pocket was annoying her, but she ignored it for now.
"Well, that was wild!" Vinera glared at her as her hands tightened to fists. "You almost let loose again, huh Vinera?"
Vinera simply stared at her while cracking her knuckles.
"Don't think I didn't see you having the time of your life."
Bella tilted her head to the side while thinking before she smiled.
"You know, I really did have the time of my life there. It was pretty fun."
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you right here and now."
Dexter had long woken back up and was confused on what that buzzing sound was. He glanced around the room ignoring the frightful glances sent in their direction. His eyes finally landed on Bella's pocket that continued to buzz from something. Standing up and getting between the two women, stopping one from killing the other, he then pointed at Bella's pocket.
"Bella, what's that in your pocket."
"Hmm? Oh this? I found these outside our rooms." She said while reaching into her pocket and pulling out three identical wrist devices. The screens rapidly flashed and words kept appearing over and over. "They keep vibrating and I don't know how to turn them off."
All three of them stared at the devices in her hand. One with a curious gaze, one with a blank look, and the last one with an unamused look. As the seconds ticked by, Dexter simply pointed at Bella, who pointed back at him, before looking at Vinera.
"Kill this dumb bitch."
——————————————————————————
With BongBong
BongBong was currently stomach-faced laying on the floor which her legs in the air kicking back and forth. In front of her was a bunch of documents, back-faced up, taped together to form a big empty canvas for her to draw in. A crayon was in both of her hands as she simultaneously drew on the paper. What seemed to be random motions, soon began to come together to form a image of a giant beast.
The creaking sound from in front of her caused her to look up at the other "person" in the room. In a wooden chair, an elderly woman who's skin was shriveled and pale. Her eyeless sockets stared straight ahead while her face held a neutral expression. She wore a gray sweater and a dark blue sleeping gown with a knitted hat on her head. Her hands clutched the arm rests of her rocking chair while it creaked back and forth.
"...and so the Beast went forth to avenge its brethren that were..."
She had never once stopped speaking. Story after story, The Old Lady told her tales and bed-time stories to her audience the moment they came in. When she finished the telling of one story, she effortlessly started a new one. Ranging from romance to horror, science fiction to fantasy, poems to legends, never had she told the same story as her variety was never ending.
".....the King rode his majestic steed into the depths of change....."
If her audience were a normal person, they would've lost their sense of reality and become mentally crippled as they question the world around them. Luckily, her audience was a child who's mind was already mixing their reality with their imagination to the point it didn't matter.
"....only on a full moon did the Goddess bless the village with..."
BongBong let the words slip into one ear and out the other. Only ever taking in the interesting words for her to draw on her canvas of taped paper. The Old Lady didn't seem to mind as she continued her stories with the same pace.
".....the four arrived one by one with their weapons in hand....."
Turning back to continue her drawings, BongBong wondered how long she was supposed to be staying her, not realizing that she finished her task a long time ago. The PE-Box amount had already reached one hundred and twenty-two after the first hour.
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3rd POV Manager's Office
The day had gone by without any incidents. Something X was really relieved about as he was stressed when he found out his agents for Yesod's Department were nowhere to be found. The fact that they didn't respond to his orders and messages had made him worried if he was being honest.
Angela had assured him that they were fine and were just held up by something only made him peeved that his worry was for nothing. Taking the time to rest, X looked over at the screen in front of him that displayed the entire facility. He had yet to end the day because he wanted to let his new employees to familiarize themselves. Experience was important and he wasn't taking any chances.
He still had 3 hours before the shift ended. He didn't expect to finish early with the type of start he had for the day, but he wasn't complaining. Tapping his finger on the desk, X mentally debated on what to do next regarding the future. His eyes glanced at Angela who sat behind him while working on her computer. He didn't feel like asking for her help at the moment.
The energy quota had already been met due to BongBong's "contributions" with the new Abnormality. X was starting to think that everyone in the Reserves had a weird way to deal with Abnormalities. But aside from that, X appreciated it since he could focus on the other Abnormalities.
The Meltdowns were easily dealt with now that he had three more agents to send around the facility. Though it was pretty alarming how the number of Abnormalities having Meltdowns increased throughout the day.
'The only saving grace is the fact that no foreign entities were found.' X thought to himself.
"Attention to all Personnel!
Foreign Entities detected within the Facility!
Suppression is advised!"
'.....'
He mentally groaned in frustration at having jinxed it before staring intently at the monitor to find them.
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Clerks ran and cautiously made their way through the hallways. The sound of gears clinking against one another sounded in some of the rooms. Screams were heard before they were silenced with a sickening crunch. A tapping sound of something walking from the corridor alerted the clerks that it was following them now.
Taking out their side arms, the three clerks at this dead-end of the Information Department readied themselves to fight for their lives. A clicking sound was heard as a spring sprung, the door that protected them was torn open when a metal spear pierced through the hinges of the door.
The breathing of the clerks quickened as they tightened their grips on their weapons. Once the door fell to the ground effortlessly, the figure stepped into the hallway as its large red 'eye' laid upon the cowering clerks. It's arm that was a spear began to crank and groan as it was being pulled back in its spring. The cloth that draped from its neck covered portions of its mechanical body, but it did not hid the legs that began moving in their direction.
Bullets flew as they began firing at the killer machine that brushed off their assault. With an unimpeded march, the Entity made its way to them before releasing the spring of its spear at the clerk who tried to run around it. The spear launched at high speeds before stabbing into the woman's abdomen and straight out her back. The crunch and snapping of her spine coming out of her back caused her to pass out immediately and surely die.
The other two clerks shrieked in horror as they fumbled to either reload their guns to keep shooting or run around it. Seeing that they couldn't do anything, they cried to themselves while curling up in a ball while clutching onto each other. Tears spilled down their face as they watch the machine toss said the corpse at the end of its weapon like nothing.
The gears began turning again as the spring slowly pulled the spear back into its original position. It slowly made its way over to them, almost as if it were enjoying the suffering it was causing them. Just as the machine was standing over them with its arm overhead, a loud sound of metal creaking caused them to look up. What they saw was the machine struggling to move as it twitch.
"Hurry up and get going!" The figure of Dexter came to view as he lodged his baton into the gears of the machine making it freeze in place.
They didn't expect to see him here, let alone stopping a machine that could effortlessly kill them. Seeing the man who arrived late and slept his entire first day on the job struggling to fiercely protect them had frozen them in place. Seeing them not moving, Dexter have them a glare that contrasted from his usually sleepy look.
"I said hurry up and get going! Or do you want to die with me?!"
They snapped out of their dazed thoughts as they scrambled to get up and run. Once they were out, Dexter yanked his baton out of the gear before ducking when it turned and swung at him.
Taking a step back to for some distance, Dexter clicked his tongue when he noticed it cranking it back up. Getting into a stance, Dexter waited for the right moment to attack. The moment came in the form of the machine lunging forward trying to skewer him. With a quick side step, he maneuvered his way closer and to its bare back once more before swinging his baton at one of its leg joints.
Surprisingly, the baton completely bent the joint giving it a new angle. Dexter thanked whoever made the baton as he then jabbed it into the gears once more. This time, instead of trying to lodge it into it, he thrusted it into the components and smaller gears before dented them. The Entity twitched as it struggled to get up and protect itself, but with one last swing, Dexter nearly tore the head off with a horizontal swing.
Seeing the red light die from its sole red 'eye', Dexter placed his hands on his knees before taking deep breaths. He couldn't allow himself to relax as he didn't know what else the day had in store for him.
"Ugh, I'm so tired." He nearly collapsed right then and there, but was able to hold himself together while slowly walking back to his Department. "I-I need a nap ASAP."
"Attention to all Personnel!
Foreign Entities have been suppressed!"
"Announcement in Progress:
The day shift has ended,
thank you for your hard work."
"Never mind, I'll just take it now then." He said before falling flat on the ground already asleep.
——————————————————————————
Renold made his way through the corridor while reading a report. His face had a slight hint of frustration as he read it over and over. The contents regarded the information and the behavioral changes in a certain Sephirah. Usually, this wasn't a problem that needed his attention, but it seemed the situation was far more than what he assumed.
He continued his walk until he arrived at the room he needed to be in. Opening it and walking in, Renold folded the report and put it in his suit pocket before giving his attention to the person in the room.
BongBong laid on her bed already tucked in with the taped canvas on the table. Renold immediately went to the drawings before folding them out to see the entirety. He mindlessly grabbed a chair before taking a seat next to her bed. Renold held the taped papers in front of him as he analyzed them and spoke out loud.
"I see...The beginning starts with a small herd of Beasts outcasted by their way to perceive the world..."
As he spoke, BongBong listened on while her eyes slowly began closing in drowsiness. For BongBong, it was a simple bedtime story that she pieced together randomly. For Renold, he saw it for what it actually was. The Old Lady wasn't just some rambling incoherent Abnormality. The stories she told and continues to tell are both fiction and non-fiction, but that doesn't mean they aren't true in a sense.
The Old Lady knows all stories and tales, even the ones in the past, present, and future. All stories and myths come from somewhere, whether they are about Gods or Demons, these stories were based upon a phenomenon or event. One just needed to connect the dots to find out what they relate to.
For the rest of the night, Renold spent the entirety deciphering the drawings while writing down in his own personal journal of his that he always kept on him.
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