Chapter One :: Call to Arms

[stardust]

Stardust was just about ready to knock her head onto the desk. The amount of ridiculousness in the room had reached into another level. The mission was supposed to be simple, and now, it just got even more and more complex. First Lawric, then Hadrian, then one of the Opps again named Jaime. They all kept storming out of the room. Who's next? Vanesse? Then Deo?

Once Jaime had exited the room, Stardust spoke seconds later. "This is ridiculous." She shook her head in annoyance. Hadrian was probably scared to die too, just like that Lawric. If so, then he shouldn't be a SeeD in the first place.

/I thought you agreed with him?/ Diwata asked. /You're so boring./

[Reese]

Reese exhaled. A hazy stream of smoke rushed from his parted lips and dissipated upward. He felt a little more relaxed, now. Maybe it was the nicotine. Maybe it was the quiet of the night. Maybe it was simply because he was no longer in the vicinity of her.

At that thought, he grimaced. He hated thinking that maybe her presence had any effect on him whatsoever. He didn't want it to. Part of him thought it wouldn't. But it did, and standing out here sucking away at his third consecutive cigarette, he couldn't deny that. She had definitely stirred up an unpleasant mixture of emotions in him; most of which were hostile. Of course, he had put on a good show for Leonhart and Almasy and everyone else, calmly ignoring her and every other unnerving aspect of being a part of this. He had to be a good boy, right? Behave. He took a final drag off of the cigarette and let the remainder of it fall, crushing it beneath his boot and turning for the front door of the hotel.

When he entered the lobby, the sound of the slamming conference room door and the sight of Hadrian striding away from it caught his attention immediately. D'Arcell...

Reese advanced toward him. "Hey, D'Arcell," He came to a stop a few feet from Hadrian, crossing his arms. "Alright, this is random as fuck, but... What's your mother's name?"

[Lawric]

Lawric wheeled around to face her.

"I don't know what to say to you, Jaime." he spat. "I don't even know where to begin. I can't believe how stupid you were in there, proclaiming your 'one thousand percent!' loyalty to this suicidal mission without a moments' hesitation, acting as if you're just too great and honorable to go on in life without avenging Signe and Able's deaths."

He was yelling at her now, but he didn't hold himself back -- he didn't care. "Life isn't a fucking theatrical play, Jaime. Do you realize what we're getting into here?" He gestured wildly with his arms. "Wake up. Infiltrating the DotNA compound!? This is ridiculous. You and Van are not trained professionals, you are going to get yourselves killed. Dead, Jaime. Does that word mean anything to you?"

He made his index finger and thumb into a mock gun and brought it to his temple. "BANG." He stared down at her. "Do you remember? The cost of our last 'mission?'" He dropped his arm and glared down at her, falling silent for a moment. He felt himself cracking, breaking down inside, some of the anger fading away and a very acute sense of desperation taking it's place. "Signe and Able are gone." His tone was hard and cold. "I feel like part of me is gone, too. I can't lose anymore -- I can't deal with it. If you dive into this and end up dead, I'll probably never be able to forgive you."

He turned away from her and strode toward the elevator.

And I definitely couldn't ever forgive myself.

[Zacke]

^{@_@ man Zacke is such a breath of fresh air compared to my other drama queens}

---

Zacke quirked an eyebrow as Jaime went after Lawric, his interest piqued. His gaze shifted to Vanesse, who seemed a little uncomfortable or upset. He next looked at Jun, who seemed bothered as well. So that's Jun's boyfriend, or what? he thought to himself, a little miffed by the idea. She could do better.

And amidst the residual tension of all this drama, he placed his hands behind his head and casually tipped his chair up onto it's back legs. "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I don't get why Hadrian is so worried about things going wrong. There's nothing to worry about." He grinned. "Of course things are going to go wrong. Everything is going to go wrong.

"For starters, we definitely won't agree. At all. On anything. We'll probably get lost at some point, either in the city or down in the compound. Who knows, maybe one of us will get kidnapped. There will most likely be a run-in with some weird-ass never-even-heard-of vigilante faction who may or may not be Garden-friendly; which could potentially lead to a reckless car chase followed by an epic street battle. And, of course, there's always the chance Waverly will show up and wave her gun around or something."

"He has nothing to worry about. We'll definitely have a hell of a time." He smirked and brought the front of his chair down, coming to his feet. "Anyway, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow morning. Peace!" He moved around his chair and toward the door, planting a hand down on Blaze's head and mussing her hair up roughly as he passed her on his way out.

[Diego Stanton]

Deo slapped his hand to his forehead and slowly dragged it down over his face as Lawric and Jaime both stormed outside. He could hear Lawric shouting at her. It was getting to him- the pressure was getting to him and he was cracking.

Deo remembered that feeling. He felt it when Arland forced him to find the ruby, he felt it when he had to face the dotNA, he felt it when he had to fight Odendria, and he felt it during the final battle against Adel. He felt the pressure and intensity of dying so many times that he had almost become immune to it.

Deo glanced at Vanesse and exited the conference room quietly.

"What's your purpose in life anyway, Lawric?" Deo called out to his turned back, "I mean, what are you gonna do? Wander around and try to live life ignoring what's going on? You have no idea what Van, Jaime and I have been though while you were dead. We've stared death in the face at least 20 times being with the seeDs, but you know what? We actually made a difference. With the seeDs, we killed Adel. That was only our wildest dream as Opps.

Sure, we might die, but look what we've accomplished. Being with these guys makes me feel like I actually have a purpose in life. You just wanna selfishly waste your life away, staying happy on the basis that you know you're out of harm's way? It would eat you up inside."

[Myacu]

"Well this was productive wasn't it?" Jax announced with a sad smile as people began filing out the door one by one. For fuck's sake they were less than 40 minutes into their assignment and the mission was already falling to pieces. But honestly, if Lawric, Hadrian, and the rest of the Opps wanted to cop out on this one, that was fine with him, so long as he was getting the chance to fly the new model and perhaps even to drop a bomb here and there on some Dotna scumbags.

Nudging Gemma to signal their leave, he rose out of his seat and ambled towards the exit.

"Alright guys, we’re heading out too. Commander,” he couldn’t help but smirk a bit. “Don’t you worry. I’ll get these kids into Timber. See you in the morning.”

[jaimelewis]

So that was what he thought of her. He thought she was treating this as some kind of show. He thought she was joining the mission because she wanted to be some avenging heroine. The realisation that he thought so little of her hurt so much, even more so than him calling her stupid. They had been friends for two years, wasn't that enough to make him understand that even if she was stupid, there was always a valid reason behind her actions? She would not risk her life just because of some foolhardy revenge spree. It was much more than that. Of course in the heat of the moment she had spewed the first thing that came to her mind, and so was it her fault that the first thing that did was that Dotna had taken her friends?

Deo came up to them just as Lawric whirled around to head for the elevator. And what he said struck the same chords in her. She eked a small wavering smile at Deo, wanting to thank him and finding herself short.

"He's right. And Lawric." Her voice was shaking. "You don't have to tell me that I am stupid. I have never pretended to be the sharpest one on the team. But you know what? I don't mind being stupid. Because if it gives me the drive to do something that I've always believed in, then hey I'll trade in brainpower any time of the day. And don't you believe for a second that if we turn away from the mission and hide in our little holes, we're going to be safe from Dotna's clutches. If we do not help the SeeDs in bringing them down now and allow Dotna to run rampant, do you think Dotna's gonna stop at just bombing the Garden? I don't think they're so merciful

And while you have so little faith in the SeeD's ability, to the point of calling this suicidal, I don't. They are elite. If they're not good enough for this, nobody else is. It makes me have faith in this mission. And Van and I aren't going alone down there. This is not the Arland mission, Lawric. We are not alone." She paused, tried to steady her voice.

"We lost Signe and Able. All the more we should finish what they set out to do. Opps isn't called Opps for no reason. We're supposed to be fighting Dotna because we all wanted to make a difference against their oppression. I haven't forgotten that. I hope you haven't too."

-----

Ahhh sorry for the long post again >.<

[Hadrian D'arcell]

Dude, Jaime's banner is *__________*
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Hadrian walked to the side of the hallway, trying to avoid the dramatic confrontation between Jaime and Lawric. He was already dismayed with everything and another melodramatic crap would just make him want to jump off a cliff.

"Hey, D'arcell."

He saw Reese come up to him with a cigarrette.

"No thanks man, I already qui---"

"Alright, this is random as fuck, but... What's your mother's name?"

"Huh?" He stared at Reese. What's he on about? Then it hit him. The DoTNA dude. There was something he wanted to confirm with this guy. But...Right now was just the most random timing.

"Oh yeah...you." Hadrian said and exaggerately added. "Hyne, finally answered my prayer. I have questions for you too before I get out of here."

"What's your purpose in life anyway, Lawric?" Deo shouted from behind him and Hadrian clicked his tongue in annoyance. He didn't want to hear anymore BS.

"Sorry, I'm allergic to BS. Let's go over there." He looked back at the Opps and continued walking away from them. "Reese Amaerick, right? Maricella. That's her name." He walked further into the wide lobby. "You know something, don't you? I'm interested."

Random, yet perfect timing.

[Gemma Ridean]

As Jax disappeared out the front door, Gemma abruptly turned around and approached Squall. "Is Hadrian really quitting the mission sir?" she whispered, trying not let bitter disappointment she was feeling show on her face. After all, the commander had made it explicitly clear that the show would go on tomorrow, even if crucial players inexplicably dropped out. And yet, she felt that by saying that, Squall and Garden had betrayed them. He spoke to Hadrian as if their lives were worth nothing to him, so long as they completed their task. Hadn't he said that whatever chaose they found themselves in was "not of his concern"? Well it damn well should be. He was their Commander and Headmaster, and he was supposed to care about them.

But then again...why should he? After all, what more were they but a bunch of SeeDs. There are hundreds of SeeDs enrolled in Balamb. Like he said to Hadrian...

There are others who are capable and I can have you replaced..

Is that what he really thought of them? Disposable...resources...to be used when necessary?

To some extent, she could understand Lawric's frustration. After all, why should he feel any loyalty and dedication towards Garden? That kind of loyalty has taken thousands of lives...it was only fair to ask the same kind of dedication in return...

She didn't realize it at first, but she was beginning to feel a surge of hatred towards the man standing before her. Nonetheless, she still cared enough about this mission to put aside her emotions.

"Either way, " she dared to lock eyes with him. "I'm going to be needing a few things."

[Lawric]

^{Lil, you never -- I repeat, NEVER -- have to apologize for a long post. XD *huggles*}

---

Lawric had turned at the challenging voice of Deo, and now he stood rigidly facing them both, his eyes cast away from them and his jaw set. Just moments ago he had undeniably exploded, and now he was shakily coming down off of that berserk rush and into a more anxious state of mind. He felt defensive, even though these two people were two of his best and closest friends. He could hear them, and his instincts told him he should be listening, he should be trying harder to come to terms with this. But he couldn't seem to do that. He didn't want to be reasonable and calm. It was fight or flight at this moment. Either back down or let me be alone.

'You have no idea what Van, Jaime and I have been though while you were dead.'

The words stung in a way he didn't expect, and that was probably because Diego was right. He didn't have any idea. He had absolutely no clue how to make sense of his world anymore, including the people he thought he knew so well -- his friends. With that gunshot he had fallen into a black hole and now emerged into this unwelcoming place; a world where Signe and Able are dead, and the rest of them are somehow celebrated heroes. He had missed so much. He didn't know how, where, or even why he should be able to fit back in. And he wasn't even himself anymore. Hardly.

He stared back at Diego with a blank expression as his friend went on. He was right. Absolutely right.

As Jaime finished, Lawric met her gaze. "I haven't." He looked back at Deo. "I guess you'll know what my purpose in life is if you see me tomorrow morning." He turned and walked away from them both, moving away from the elevator and toward the front glass doors, choosing instead to leave the hotel altogether.

[Reese]

'Allergic to BS?' Reese frowned at the back of Hadrian's head. Wow, that was hilarious, he thought dryly. He originally really had no interest in entertaining a conversation with this guy, but since Hadrian mentioned he had 'questions' for him, Reese found that he was actually now a little curious about what those questions might be.

"Reese Amaerick, right?" Hadrian said over his shoulder. "Maricella. That's her name." Reese arched an eyebrow. So there is a relation. Hadrian continued, "You know something, don't you? I'm interested." He slowed to a stop and faced Reese.

Reese stopped as well, crossing his arms and regarding the other man with a half-amused and half-confused frown. "Depends on what you mean by 'something.'" He replied. "Yeah, I know who Maricella D'Arcell is. But I didn't approach you to share gossip. I was just wondering whether or not there's any relation. D'Arcell's not a very common surname."

He shifted his stance, glancing across the lobby at the loudly feuding Opps before looking back at Hadrian. "What are you 'interested' in?" He asked flatly, his initially mild interest in this whole conversation already wearing out.

[jaimelewis]

Jaime glanced at Lawric walking further away from them until the elevator brought him down and he disappeared from view. She suddenly had a thought that made her sick in the stomack. what if he simply walks away from them and didn't turn back?

She leaned against the walls of the corridor, allowing herself to slide down and sit on the floor with her back pressed against the wall. She felt so drained of energy she couldn't even stand.

"We're drifting apart from Lawric." She looked up at Deo with despair. "And if this continues I'm so afraid he'll never come back. Now I wish I never opened my big mouth in there."

[junkuroki]

The room was emptying fast. People had begun leaving the room left and right, starting with Lawric's wordless exit. Jun had not missed the look he shot at Jaime, not when the noise of his chair scraping back had been so distracting to her. Then seconds after he did leave, Jaime followed after him, then Deo after the shouting started. She cringed at the shouting and just as verbal comebacks. In her mind the Opps had been a peaceful, happy group but now they seemed anything but that. Did everything that SeeD touched on become jinxed? Her memory travelled back to Travis and his group. Look what they had become. Would the same happen to the Opps too?

She prayed that they wouldn't end up the same fate. Not merely because of her vested personal interest in one of the members, but she had been secretly envious of their lighthearted nature. Sometimes she would wonder what it would be like to be a part of them instead of a SeeD. It was foolish daydreaming of course, but it had been a pleasant one. They were such spurts of mentholathum scented air compared to their elite SeeD team, the gloominess hung over them like a fog that sometimes even Jun was afflicted with. She didn't want the same gloominess to taint the easy-going Opps.

Had she been wrong in voicing that request to the Headmaster? She could tell it was probably the catalyst to the whole verbal match outside the conference room now. It was the result of her self-perceived "help" for Lawric's anxiety and now it had caused more trouble than was worth the effort.

Yet more evidence that sometimes, it was better to keep her nose where it was supposed to be.

[vanesse]

Haha are they on the second floor or not? Ah well, I'll just edit if it's wrong.
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Vanesse stared at the fists on her lap as she listened to the blow-out of her teammates outside. There was a commotion happening with the SeeDs and there was certainly a commotion happening between them. If this was how it was going to be, then this wasn't worth it.

They didn't have to do this. She closed her eyes and tried to block the arguing outside, but to no avail. Why couldn't everyone agree on just one thing?

Standing up, she addressed the group as politely as she could despite the need to get away from this room as soon as possible. "We can't do this right now. We apologize!"

Hurrying for the door, she caught a glance of Jaime and Deo. Lawric's back was on them and he was going right towards the front glass entrance.

What's going on? Her heart kept skipping in anxiety. Why was he walking away from them? Will Lawric leave us? She swallowed. It wasn't like they've known Lawric for ten years. If he wanted to leave the Opps, he could do that. Signe wasn't around anymore to keep them together. Without a cause, there was no more valid reason to use as an excuse to get together as Opps. Everyone was free already. They would stray from each other and go back to their old lives. She didn't want that. That was why, by doing missions like this she thought....

"Lawric!!"

She ran past Jaime and Deo to catch up to her leaving friend. Stopping between the front glass door and Lawric, she put out both of her arms to her side as to stop Lawric from going past the door.

"If you don't want to do this, then we won't! I won't too." she told him. "Where are you going? Are you gonna leave us again?" She pursed her lips, trying to sound resolute she added. "You can't do that. I won't let you! Please don't leave. Please?"

[Hadrian D'arcell]

The smile that was always playing on Hadrian's front stopped resurfacing the moment Reese said he knew his mother. He was in DoTNA. The hacker stared at the dude, studying his expression.

"How did you know my mother?" he asked flatly.