Aiur continued imperturbed, "The church has been searching for someone with your pathway for a long time. You will be welcomed with open arms. It would be best to prepare your luggage, as you'll be departing with us in two days."
Lorotta smiled as she looked at the History Teacher. "I'll be pleased to have you as my coworker in Backlund! With your personality, I'm sure we'll become close friends soon!"
YOU FU**ERS. WHEN DID I EVER AGREE?!
Irina opened her mouth to fiercely disagree, but Aiur beat her to it. "Do not worry, we'll handle all the boring bureaucracy. You'll only have to come with us to the Diocese."
Dunn spoke neutrally, "Hopefully that will mean less paperwork for me as well."
Aiur turned to the captain, fully ignoring Irina's boiling fury. "I believe some will still be required, given it's a transfer of an official Nighthawk member—"
She inhaled sharply, cutting off Aiur with an icy tone, her eyes locked on his. "Listen here, man. Just what kind of nonsense are you talking about right now?!"
That man dismissed her question with a wave, continuing to explain something to Dunn. The captain's puzzled expression grew as he noticed Irina's fuming face. "Irina? What do you mean?"
Her raw laugh echoed through the room, strained and devoid of amusement. "Well, my dear Captain~ I have to admit I was dozing off earlier and didn't hear what you all were talking about. But I, for sure, NEVER agreed to be transferred to Backlund."
Irina's fury intensified, her gaze finally locking into Aiur's.
So NOW he deems me worthy of his attention.
She spat, "I believe I made myself clear before the mission, but apparently, SOMEONE didn't listen."
Aiur didn't hesitate to respond, his expression hardening. "As you said yourself, you were 'dozing off,' so your mind clearly isn't at its best. Your memories must be failing you."
He dares?! Using my OWN words against ME?!
Before she could protest, Aiur cut her off again, only fueling her anger even more. "You used your abilities a lot today. You must be tired. After all, your 'protection' never stopped working. Both Lorotta and Borgia were present earlier and can confirm what I said. You must've forgotten agreeing."
I can't believe I'm arguing with this—this MANCHILD right now!
Irina stepped forward, her nails digging into her palms as pain shot up from her hands. "Tired? TIRED?! The only thing I'm tired of is YOU putting words in my mouth! I have absolutely NO INTENTION of moving to Backlund!"
You will NOT ruin my plans! You're nothing more than a fictional character, STAY IN LINE.
Dunn said something, but the burning fury in Irina's head drowned out his voice.
Just how is he TREATING ME?! Am I some sort of OBJECT THAT HE CAN SIMPLY MOVE AS HE SEES FIT?!
Aiur's voice grew colder. "Irina, you are being uncooperative. Your pathway is wasted here in Tingen. In Backlund, you'll have many more oppor—"
UNREASONABLE?! ME?!
She took another step forward, now standing directly in front of him, her rage on full display for the entire room to witness. "Why is it so hard to understand?! Is MY OWN DAMN OPINION IRRELEVANT as YOU come here, pretending I follow your every whim?! What are you, a CHILD?"
Someone grabbed her shoulder, but she ignored it, focusing entirely on the nonsense coming from Aiur's mouth. "Your behavior is unreasonable and unprofessional. You WILL be moving to Backlund, whether you like it or NOT. The decision has already been made. I've sent a telegraph stating as much. Going back on my word would not look good."
THIS MOTHERFUC—
Irina shot back, "Not look good on WHO?! Certainly not ME. So, tell me, why do I have to abandon my life to fix YOUR mistake?!"
Aiur puffed out his chest, his voice dripping with pride. "Miss Irina, you are NOT to speak to me in tha—"
MEN—
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Dunn's voice cut through the heated exchange.
Fu**ing hell, it's definitely NOT enough—
Irina realized the hand on her shoulder belonged to the Captain, pulling her back to his side as Aiur continued to glare at her. The Nightmare opened his mouth, but Dunn's tone had shifted from neutral to firm. "I believe we all are tired. How about we discuss this tomorrow morning."
What a rhetorical question. That tone leaves no room for argument.
Aiur, unfazed or simply uncaring of Dunn's veiled order, responded with a dismissive sneer, his gaze never softening or living Irina's. "That would be no problem. The documents needed will have arrived by then, and the transfer will proceed without a hitch."
Irina's voice rose in anger. "You motherfu—"
As her body instinctively moved forward, she was pulled back again.
LET ME AT HIM! I'LL JUST DISFIGURE HIM. I'VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A FIRST TIME.
She could feel her shoulder bruising under Dunn's grip, his hold far beyond her strength. He was saying something, but she didn't care. She interrupted him, not listening to a single word. "You SORRY EXCUSE OF A MAN. Is this what the Evernight Goddess preaches?! To be a dick to women?! How is it that, from the very beginning, you've NEVER LISTENED to a SINGLE one of my reasons?!"
Dunn tried to interject. "Irin—"
Raising her hand, she aggressively pointed her closed fan directly at Aiur's face. "YOU are a disgrace to 'Her' believers! To the Nighthawks! A manchild who cannot take a NO for an answer, who cannot LISTEN, whose world revolves solely around YOU. GROW THE FUCK UP. I am NOT ABANDONING MY LIFE JUST BECAUSE YOU VIEW ME AS A RARE OBJECT TO BE USED AND MOVED AS YOU PLEASE. I am a PERSON, NOT my Pathway. ALSO, if YOU don't have any respect while talking to me, don't fucking EXPECT IT BACK!"
The room froze, the ticking of the clock growing louder, each sound stretching and expanding in the heavy silence.
Aiur's shock melted into a look of pure, unadulterated rage as he stormed forward. Irina held his gaze with equal fury. Suddenly, she was thrown back, hitting the wall. She opened her eyes, realizing she had closed them on impact.
The scene before her unfolded too quickly. Dunn stood over a kneeling Aiur, revolver aimed at Lorotta, who had taken a battle stance, ready to leap at her captain's aid. Borgia stood poised, but Old Neil blocked his path.
"ENOUGH." Dunn's voice broke the tense silence. "Attacking a member of the Nighthawks unprovoked is unacceptable. This behavior is out of line, especially after treating one of Tingen's Nighthawks like this. We will meet again tomorrow morning to discuss this. Irina, you're dismissed."
Ignoring the tingling in her body, Irina stood up and left without a word.
It was only once she closed the door to her apartment that the anxiety, mixed with adrenaline, finally drained out of her, leaving her slowly sliding to the ground. The ticking of the clock made the sunset-illuminated room feel impossibly quiet. She curled into herself, desperate to hold on to something, anything. A long, shaky breath left her, and she closed her eyes as something inside slowly began to crack. The scraping of nails on skin as she tugged at her hair was the only other sound present, until the golden light turned to orange and finally blood red as the moon hung high.
Irina stood in front of Dunn's closed office door, motionless. She had ignored Rozanne at the reception in favor of being early, yet now, when faced with reality, she hesitated. Aiur's voice, coming from the other side, was not quite yet arguing with the captain, but it wasn't far off either.
Closing her eyes, Irina inhaled and exhaled deeply several times before taking out her fan to cool herself, a feeble attempt at comfort.
Come on. Just as I practiced last night. I can't waste a night's sleep. These eyebags are already ruining my look.
She knocked on the door, waiting for an answer before entering. A smile graced her lips as she looked at her captain, though Dunn noticed how it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Good morning, Captain."
Her smile vanished as she turned to Aiur Harson, replaced by a look of disgust.
"Morning, Sir Harson."
Dunn invited her in, and she thanked him before sitting across from the captain, at Aiur's right side, but far enough that another person could stand between them. A long, awkward silence filled the room as no one wanted to start the conversation.
Irina crossed her legs and slowly fanned herself with closed eyes. It didn't take long before she had enough.
"Sir Harson, not greeting someone when they enter is considered rude, especially after said person has already greeted you. Please don't take it as an invitation to do so now though. I'm afraid your voice just isn't my cup of tea at the moment. Do take my words to heart."
She turned back to Dunn, her voice calm but with a subtle edge.
"I couldn't help but notice that the two of you were already talking. I believe I arrived fashionably late today. Captain, have you come to any sort of solution in the meantime?"
Be cordial and elegant. Don't jump at him...
...yet.
Dunn cleared his throat before responding, "Not a concrete solution, but last night I exchanged telegraphs with the Diocese in Backlund. After receiving the mission report, they became extremely interested in your Sequence and offered you a place there. Aiur's message initially pushed for a transfer, but I managed to clear up the misunderstanding from yesterday..."
A resigned look briefly crossed his eyes before returning to his neutral expression. Irina wasted no time in asking, "There's a 'but,' right?"
Dunn sighed. "Indeed. Th—"
Aiur interrupted, his tone impatient. "As I said yesterday, your talent is wasted in this small city. You'll eventually move to Backlund—"
"I see," Irina said, cutting him off while maintaining eye contact with Dunn. "When?"
"Don't interrup—" Aiur began.
Has this man truly learned nothing from yesterday!?
Her voice sharpened as she shot back, "My, my. I swear I heard something. Mustn't have been important, then. Was it perhaps... a dog barking?"
Aiur's face twisted in frustration, but before he could speak again, Dunn interjected. "They've given you three years to relocate to Backlund. You also have the option to visit the city to familiarize yourself before officially transferring."
Oh... that's... much better than I thought.
Irina stayed quiet for a while, then sighed. "Honestly, that's actually pretty neat. I was wondering how to get my hands on more books. As silly as it sounds, having access to broader and more complex knowledge sounds fantastic to me."
Aiur's face reddened with anger. "Then why?! Why were you so against it yesterday?! Why did you star—"
Her fan snapped shut loudly as she glared at him, cutting off his outburst. "I was never against moving to Backlund. Yes, I like my coworkers here, but I'm not blind. I know my Sequence would be better suited somewhere else, and I'm aware of the benefits a larger city would offer. What I didn't like—what I hated—was how you tried to force me to do it."
I'll be moving there anyway, I just need to tie up all loose ends here first.
Her gaze was unwavering as she continued, "It felt like all you saw was my Sequence, my Pathway—not the person behind it. You didn't listen to a single thing I said. That's why I got angry. You can't just appear out of nowhere, a stranger, and expect me to follow you somewhere unknown with two days' notice. Absolutely not. Does that answer your question? If not, I suggest working on your personality, because you clearly can't handle criticism."
Aiur opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Turning back to Dunn, Irina said, "I like the idea of visiting Backlund, but not just yet. There are still a few things I want to do and learn here. If possible, I'd like to plan something for after the New Year. I'd like to celebrate it here, but after that, a small holiday in Backlund doesn't sound so bad."
Dunn nodded. "I understand. I'll send a telegraph with your response and inform you when the date is fixed. Would that be all?"
A genuine smile spread across Irina's face. "Nothing else from my side. Although, after yesterday's mission, I'd have preferred an extra day off."
The captain chuckled softly. "That won't be a problem. I'm sorry for calling you in so early, but this conversation couldn't wait. You have the rest of the day free. Please, go and rest. We'll handle everything else tomorrow."
Rising from her seat without acknowledging Aiur, Irina gave a parting nod. "In that case, enjoy the rest of your day, Captain. Sir Harson."
With that, she left the room, bidding Rozanne a quick goodbye and promising to explain things tomorrow. After leaving the security company, she went straight home.
With this settled, I can finally adjust my to-do list.
First, save Old Neil. Second, save Kenley. Third, don't let Dunn die.
And as Tingen's cherry on top... fourth and last, perfect my own death by the end of the year.