"What?" asks Sebastian, tie and jacket off, sleeves rolled up to his elbow, white shirt untucked.
"Come on, just go two, three rounds max," says Harley who was with Izzy and Marko who was manhandling Chen as to not let him get away.
"No."
"Kid was badmouthing you nonstop earlier," Marko instigates.
"Was he, now?"
"He definitely was," Izzy joins in on throwing Chen to the volcano pit. "Even called you 'overrated'."
"YOU GUYS ARE EVIL!!" screams Chen, desperately trying to break free from Marko's crutches to run away.
"Now that I think about it, this training session has been frustrating," Sebastian starts cracking his fingers.
"I could let off some steam for a few minutes."
Harley bursts out with a sinister laugh while Marko and Izzy had huge smiles on their faces.
The door opens, revealing Yulia, holding four bottles of water, two on each hand.
"Hi," she casually greets the group of people now inside the training room as well.
"Welp, the kid is saved by the bell," says Sebastian.
"Now, you idiots, get out of my training room because I have work to resume," he says while shooing away the visitors with both hands.
"What? Come on, man!" Harley objects. "It'll take like, two minutes!"
"I can definitely do more than two minutes," says the murmuring Chen.
Everyone looks at Chen, slowly. His comment just pushed the boys to instigate Sebastian even more.
"HAHAHAHAHA YOU HEAR THAT??" exclaims Harley, bursting into laughter again.
"I definitely wouldn't just take that if I were you," even Izzy is diving deep into the chaos-inciting.
"I KNOW, RIGHT??" says Harley.
"Listen to the walking tree over here," he says referring to Izzy.
"Kid here needs a lesson or two about manners," says Marko, both hands planted firmly on Chen's shoulders.
"I really hate to disappoint all of you, but the kid will live another day," Sebastian has not changed his mind.
"I'll ragdoll the dumb kid some other day, now scram," he turns their smiles upside down.
"You idiots are wasting Yulia's time, GO," says Sebastian, shooing everyone away.
Harley approaches and gets in his ear.
"Hey, what're you doin' here alone with Yulia," he whispers.
"Training, you pervert."
"'Training' my ass, she suddenly appears here after months and the first time she does is for you guys to just 'train'? I don't know about that."
Sebastian slowly turns to the whispering gossiper, sneering.
"Fucking go already," he says as he was kicking Harley away.
"Ow, ow! Fine!"
"I'm telling on Rina. Stupid idiot, leaves and comes back banging every hot chick in this place," Harley was still mumbling as he heads for the door.
"Come on, boys. We'll sacrifice the lamb some other time," he says as they all headed for the exit.
The boys were left muttering in disappointment as they made their way outside.
"Bummer."
"You got lucky, kid."
"Shame."
Meanwhile, Chen was taking quiet sighs of relief. Whether he liked to admit or not, he was indeed saved by the bell.
"What was that all about?" Yulia asks as she hands over a bottle to Sebastian.
"Eh, just boy stuff," he says before chugging half the bottle.
Yulia's phone starts ringing. She doesn't take it out immediately, instead looking at Sebastian first, as if asking for approval on whether she should take it or not.
"Go," says Sebastian. "It's probably a mission."
"That's much more important than what I'm doing," he adds, as if assuring Yulia that it wouldn't be a big deal even if she had to go.
She takes the phone in her pocket and answers the call.
"It's Yulia."
"Yes."
"No, I'm still here in HQ."
"Alright, I'll head there now," Yulia hangs up.
"It's a mission, I uh, I have to go."
"Yeah, sure," says Sebastian, completely fine with his temporary private tutor's sudden departure.
I'll just go get Eva," he adds.
"Thanks."
SHHOOM
"Bye…?" Yulia is now left alone inside the training room.
SHHOOM
"Ah, finally," he warps in the pantry to find Eva, now done with her morning feast.
"Training room, let's go," he tells Eva while opening the fridge to grab another bottle of water.
"Are you barking orders at me?" she asks, sassily.
"No, I'm doing you a favor because the walk is gonna help you burn some fat, fat lady," he replies before chugging the entire bottle of water.
"Can you at least say 'please'?"
"Can you please go to the training room, fat lady?"
"Where's Yulia?" she asks.
"Oh, she left. Getting deployed, maybe," he tosses the empty plastic bottle on the garbage bin.
"Wait, how did you know I was wit—"
"She was just here hoarding stuff for I guess the two of you," Eva answers the question Sebastian couldn't even finish asking.
"What're you guys doing?" Eva is subtly digging dirt.
"Same thing we're doing."
"'WE' are not doing anything, I'm just rotting in there waiting for you to blow up trying to do whatever the hell you're doing," she replies.
"Her whole schtick is energy projection, I'm trying to do the same," Sebastian explains.
"Figured if I'm gonna learn how to do it, best to learn how from someone who ACTUALLY does it."
"THAT'S what you're trying to do???" Eva asks, confusion evident in her voice.
"Uh, yeah. Why?"
"That's not what it looks like from where I was sitting yesterday."
"Why do you think I asked for help from the person who can actually do it?"
"So, you specifically asked for Yuli?"
"No, I just saw her in the lobby earlier and thought of it on the spot," he replies.
"Now stop yapping and get to the training room ASAP."
SHHOOM
Eva sighs and rolls her eyes.
"Men."