Chapter Five :: Debrief

[ST]

Okay, this thread starts with the whole group in the same board room they previously used for the mission briefing with Seifer and Squall.

Lawric is not in the room, he was taken to the Balamb Hospital because he is still unconscious from that blow to the head he suffered.

EDIT: I forgot to say this when I originally made this post! Let's also assume that upon arriving at the hotel, before they went into the board room Squall thanked the Opps and dismissed them from service. (He paid them of course.) They exchanged contact info so if he ever needs to contact them or vice versa, it's possible. K? So they are not in the room either. Just the SeeDs.

---

Squall stood at the head of the long board room table, his gaze drifting from face to face at all of the young men and women at every seat. His face was unreadable, as usual, but he wasn't frowning. He regarded them all with crossed arms and tired eyes, feeling as mentally battered as they physically looked.

"You probably all assume you'll be receiving a firm reprimand for your poor work on this mission." He started, his voice very even. He shook his head slightly. "I can tell you now that you won't. I don't plan on complaining about what went wrong. I have plenty of reasons to, of course, but I just don't see the point. I have more important things to tell you about than how disappointed I am."

He paused for a moment of silence. When he spoke again, his voice was low but stiff. His eyes settled on Reese. "Before I go any further, Amaerick, I'm going to ask you to please step out of the room."

Anyone who looked at the man in the hat might have noticed the surprise evident in his eyes, but despite being caught a little off-guard Reese showed no sign of disobedience and complied with Squall's request with mutely. After the door shut behind Reese, Squall pulled the chair in front of him away from the table and moved down into it.

"Typically now would be the time I would ask you to fill me in on the details of your mission, but this time things are going to go a little differently. I don't need a step-by-step explanation, I can imagine well enough how and why you were all so derailed from your objectives. The city of Timber has been an absolute madhouse over the past couple of days and it is only getting worse. I have a lot of imperative information to share with you all.

"Galbadia Garden has broken away from us. It isn't official on paper yet, but it will very soon and the news will likely go public in a matter of days." Reading the shock on their faces, Squall paused for a moment to let the news sink in. There was a small sigh before he continued. "The Headmaster doesn't believe Rinoa absorbed Adel's powers completely. He believes the woman upon the stage -- the one with the long dark hair -- is truly another Sorceress. He wants to eliminate her. Snuff out the flame before it becomes a bonfire, so to speak. In refusing to send my own reinforcements from here to aid in his effort, I am not cooperating. Therefore, our mutual treaty is broken."

He glanced around at each of them but focused particularly on Stella and Zacke for a moment.

"For those of you who are serving as temporary transfers from Galbadia, your involvement with my work here is no longer going to be logged with Galbadia as official SeeD duty. In fact, due to the nature of this issue, continuing to work for me could pose a serious risk to your Galbadian SeeD licenses. If you work for me you are therefore refusing to cooperate with the wishes of your Headmaster. It could be construed as insubordination. As compensation you would be issued Balamb SeeD licenses, of course. So the choice is yours. I don't ask that you make it now, I simply ask that you take in all of the information I have to share with you and give the matter fair thought.

"I hate to see our alliance broken, but in this matter I know that Galbadia is wrong." He leaned forward a little in his seat, his voice carrying a hardness and conviction to it. "That woman claiming to be a Sorceress is not a Sorceress. There is no way she could be. Rinoa took on the powers of Adel, thereby becoming the last Sorceress that could possibly be in existence. Furthermore, if another Sorceress somehow came to be, Rinoa would be able to sense it."

He shook his head.

"I firmly believe that this second Sorceress business is a rumor fueled by mass hysteria. We don't have enough evidence against this woman to justify pursuing her, in any case. We will probably find that she is merely an actress; a decoy being used by something greater." He motioned toward Stella. "Artos, you saw it for yourself... DotNA HQ is abandoned. Waverly Jong herself fled the city long before the so-called Sorceress ever appeared at the festival. One could easily assume that Jong knew what was going to happen due to some type of involvement in it... The pieces of the puzzle haven't fallen together yet, but I expect they will soon. This could very well be another elaborate DotNA scheme."

He trailed off, falling silent for a bit. "Speaking of DotNA and Jong, there is more information I have to share, but should probably give you all a chance to speak first. Anyone have anything noteworthy to share regarding the Sorceress woman?"

[Jax Ridean]

^{Just to get the ball rollin'...really a "moot" post.}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hearing Leonhart confirm that the so-called sorceress was indeed NOT a sorceress, but perhaps even some actress...well it made Jax feel like a bit of a douche.

Fixing his hair for the umpteenth time, he scowled at the circular fan above his head that was sweeping his bangs into his eyeballs.

"...Anyone have anything noteworthy to share regarding the Sorceress
woman?"

Oh and by the way Squall, we shouldn't kill her because she's smokin' hot!

He suddenly recalled when Jun took the sorceress hostage up on the stage. His paranoia of the sorceres's "powers" was unfulfilled considering ease in which Jun overtook her.

"Why don't you ask Jun?" he muttered. "She came into the closest contact with the woman."

[ST]

<sup>Thanks Mya. ^_^

I'm assuming no one's character has anything to say and it's okay if I move things forward from here?</sup>

---

Following Jax's muttered words Squall's eyes drifted over to settle on Jun for a moment. She didn't look like she had much to say -- in fact, none of them did. He supposed Timber had been too chaotic for them to deduct anything that would seem useful from the encounter they had with the Sorceress woman.

"Well, Ms. Kuroki, if you do in fact have anything to report perhaps we can come back to the subject later. I would like to continue. We have a lot to cover.

"What I am going to tell you next, you aren't going to be pleased by." He folded his hands together carefully. "As several of you already know, Waverly Jong was in the custody of the Estharian military for a short time; Coroniere's personal security branch, to be specific. She was captured while presumably attempting to sneak into the city and lay low." His lips pursed slightly and he shook his head. "Ironically, drawing attention to herself would appear to be one of her greatest talents. Foolish woman.

"Altair Coroniere and I discussed the nature of her capture and her subsequent behavior at great length. It seems Jong made some very bold statements while in his custody; mostly statements regarding the Balamb Garden bombing. I did not ask him to interrogate her on the subject, nor did he. Apparently the information she shared with him was very willingly shared. In fact, he claimed that she screamed at him to listen to her. Although I am inclined to disregard everything that comes from Jong's mouth due to her questionable sanity, I would be a fool to ignore her in this specific matter. I expect you will agree once you have heard all she had to say."

Squall opened the briefcase resting on the table before him and pulled out a laptop. "Coroniere had the presence of mind to capture most of her raving using the mic in his airship's audio system. He was kind enough to provide me with my own personal copy file." Squall opened the laptop and centered it before himself, then selected a flash drive from the briefcase and plugged it into the side USB port of the laptop.

"The male voice you hear is Coroniere, the female is Jong. Listen."

---

One click and the audio began streaming from the laptop. It began with a few moments of dull white noise, and then Jong's voice...

"--and you don't know the half of it." Her words were cut with a sharp edge. "Do you really think I am the mastermind brainpower overseeing the massive constant operation that is DotNA? Do you really believe that one woman could be running the show and pulling all the strings?"

Her laughter was just as sharp as her words. "I couldn't run this organization alone if my life depended on it -- and sometimes it does!" Her laughing continued. "This world is full of such naive tools. I didn't organize the bombing. I didn't even know about the bombing until he was pulling me from my cell and screaming at me to 'run, go Waverly! Get out of here.'"

"Who?" Altair's voice was almost a soft sound beside hers, even for all the masculinity it bore.

"Who?!" She spat the word at him. "Who would one assume, given the circumstances?" She chuckled in a deep and throaty way. "Who would have the connections to organize such an event? Who would have the patience, the motive? Who would have the freedom... ?" She drew the word out, emphasizing it greatly.

A few moments of silence passed before she spoke again.

"I'll say it clearly so your fancy airship gets a nice audio record." She raised her voice. "Vornecai organized the bombing. Reese Vornecai. Reese Amaerick. Reese Lark. Reese is the only name he seems to regularly go by, hmm?" She chortled. "I wonder why? Why should anyone have more than one name? More than one identity? Why, Mr. Coroniere... ?"

"If this man set you free, why should you reveal him?" Altair's voice again, steady and calm.

Waverly's chuckle was deep and rich. "It's all a game to us, baby. I go down, he goes down. One goes down, they all go down. The whole world is on the down, anyway, am I right?"

---

Squall stopped the playback and folded down the laptop screen until it clicked into place. He regarded them all with a steady gaze.

"I asked Amaerick to step out of the room so he could be escorted from the building and apprehended. He will stay one night in Balamb's city jailhouse; tomorrow morning he will be taken to D-District Prison. Even if the woman is a raving lunatic full of lies, her words still serve to remind me that after the tragic loss we have already suffered I cannot afford to have a man as dangerous as he walking the streets. The prospect of his freedom will remain in question, perhaps for a very long time."

He closed the laptop and placed it back into the briefcase. "Since you have been working alongside him -- some of you for a rather long time, I thought you should be completely aware of the situation. If any of you have anything noteworthy to report regarding his behavior, whether on or off duty, I would be interested to hear it."

[junkuroki]

The headmaster was right. She had nothing useful to say about the sorceress, except that she didn't have any evil powerful-sorceress vibes like Adel, but they all knew she was a fake so there's nothing else to add. Then they were all treated to a display of Waverly Jong's eardrum murdering prowess.

Vornecai? Who the heck is that?

The more Waverly went on the more Jun wanted to smash things at the laptop as the ridiculous things spewing from its speakers ingratiated themselves upon her ears. How dare that Waverly Jong speak such nonsense? She clutched at the table until her knuckles were white, if she exterted a little more Ultima-junctioned strength there was no way of knowing what would happen to the poor table.

Waverly Jong. She was the impersonation of the hatred Jun harboured for Dotna, the culprits that wiped out her home, perhaps even on par with her brother. Especially now, it was so obvious what she was trying to do.

"If I may, Headmaster." Jun shot up from her chair, speaking in a tight controlled voice. "To me it is obvious that Waverly Jong is just trying to frame Reese Amaerick and create trouble for us. During her captivity in B-Garden, she demonstrated a keen interest for news of his death, as Stardust can attest to as well. Besides, I don't really think they would inflict a life-threatening illness on someone who's going to execute such a plan. Amaerick poses a threat to them as he has a lot of valuable info on the workings of Dotna, it's no surprise she's trying to create a rift."

She probably looked a little manic right now, breathing hard and knuckles clenched, but she didn't care. She sat back down waiting for her other teammates to vouch for Reese, resting her eye on Stardust.

[Stella]

sorry, taking some liberties here. feel free to knock me about if its not cool. also sorry for the length, stellanator seems wordy today

---

Numb. It was an feeling Stella had come quite accustom to in her life but even still she had no control when it took hold of her. Just like fear had gripped her down there in the tunnels when the fighting had started. It must have been the smell of blood that drove her off the edge and into the darkness. Memories came flying back at a frantic pace buffeting around her face with their dark, dark wings. She could not escape. Even with the cold familiar metal of her guns in her hands, she could not escape.

He knew, Reese had been the only one that knew she might lose herself. It had to have been him that got out of her and onto the chopper. But it was all a blur, she had no hard core facts as to what had happened and in fact she wasn't even sure how she got to the place. Even with the windows, large and open and glittering she still felt like the room was closing in. Like her throat was constricting. Stella needed to get out into the open air and soon.

Go back to Galbadia...

That thought made her head snap up abruptly, dark eyes settling on the headmaster. He surely was kidding right? She glanced over to Zacke to see if he had any reaction to this offer but she didn't know him well enough to read anything. Go back to that life, where she had been a totally different person. Stella was tempted to snort at the thought, they probably wouldn't want her back.

For the first time her eyes wandered around the room and located Rayden. His eyes looked tired but he was looking at her too. He managed a little wink at her before turning his attention back to Squall and the recording he was playing.

As the tape played she found herself spacing out again, gazing out the window at the open airy sky. The words sank in but she didn't believe them, who the hell was this mad woman anyway. Leonheart must be off his rocker to believe anything she had to say. Where was Almasy, at least he has a brain in his head.

"Sir" Stella spoke up after Jun finished talking, "I may not be able to vouch for the character of Reese Amaerick, or whatever his name is, as well as the rest of the people here. But I can say I do believe that he just wants to turn his life around. This woman is lying and its astonishing to me that you would take her words as truth. Wasn't Reese there after the bombing helping the wounded? I doubt he would have stuck around to show such compassion had he cause the damage himself"

Stella shook her head and leaned back in the chair suddenly losing her voice. This was all too much to bear. Leonheart was an absolute nutter.

[ST]

Squall exhaled a heavy sigh.

"I am not saying I believe her words to be truthful. Quite the opposite, actually. I don't believe Reese is responsible for the bombing, nor to I believe he is still affiliated with the DotNA organization.

"I personally do not feel it is necessary to lock him up, but my hands are a little more tied in this matter than you might think. There have been a few reports that he did help in the aftermath of the bombing, yes, but do you think most are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt just because of that? A few reports? Most didn't witness it. Subsequently, most don't believe it."

He sighed again and shook his head, looking tired. His handsome face usually hid his years, but not right now. Right now every single year of his life was written on his face.

"As I said, even though I am Headmaster, in such a controversial issue my hands are still somewhat tied. It doesn't matter whether he is taken in today, or tomorrow, or next week, once this recording of Jong reaches further branches of authority his fate will most certainly be decided. Were I to argue in his favor, even my words would not be heard by the Board of Defense. They would tell you that right now, in the wake of our tragedy, he is a liability to the safety of others that we simply cannot afford."

He shrugged slightly. "As far as his value as an asset goes -- he has already told us presumably all he knows and therefore has exhausted his usefulness to me as a source of information. I don't feel it is unwise to lock him away for a time and let the matter rest. Choosing to fight this battle would not yield much for me but more political criticism and more wary SeeDs and Cadets."

[Blaze Sanaku]

Blaze didn't give two shits if her teammates thought Reese had "seen the light and turned to the good side," she had always hated him. Even if Reese really was on their side now, she still wanted him in the slammer on the sole fact that she hated him and thought he was a prick. Blaze was probably the only person in her team who didn't buy Reese's good guy act at all and frankly, nothing could change her mind about it. Ever.

"Oh I would like to report on Americk's behavior," Blaze spoke up calmly from her corner of the room, "Besides the fact that he's a totally anti-social puddle of rat's piss, he also doesn't like to take orders from anyone and always keeps to himself. He'd rather split up a team so he can do things his way rather than listen to any other rational plan. How can you trust someone that shady?!?" Blaze's calm tone had slowly elevated with each sentence until she started yelling. She knew her tone had overstpped the mark, but once she started yelling she couldn't stop. It was like a huge mass was building up inside of her and she had to expel all of it all at once, even if it came out jumbled and irrational and biased.

"Once a mole always a mole!! I don't understand how this stupid freaking Garden can just allow a former mole to join our elite seeD team and gain access to all of Garden's files just on his word that he's "changed his ways." Fuck that, a blind man could see how desperately he wanted to stay here with Stardust. If there was any hope of him changing it was because of her. But ALL of us saw him get rejected by her. What use is the Garden to him now? How can we ever truly trust a professonal spy? Of course he's going to tell you he's changed his ways. of course he's going to act compassionate towards the wounded so he can gain even more trust and delve even deeper into Garden's secrets. But that's just it. It's all an act." Blaze crossed her arms in defiance.

[Zacke]

Zacke frowned thoughtfully, the look on his face suggesting his worry. The news about Galbadia had been pretty astonishing, and the thought of all the friends he had back there about to become swept up into this messy conflict with Timber certainly troubled him to some degree. He'd been chewing the thought in silence, preoccupied with it right up until Leonhart started playing the recording.

Following that awful woman's voice and Leonhart's subsequent announcement regarding Reese, the room was suddenly not so silent. Where they had been mute and composed before, several now had opinions that needed fervent expression. He watched the way Jun's hands gripped the table and her voice shook. Stella was a little more reserved, but frowned in a way that suggested she was very put-off by the news.

When Blaze joined in she did so with a tone laced in malice. Her fists clenched and the volume of her voice rose as she spiraled into a vicious tirade of Reese-criticism. She held back nothing, spitting on about him as if speaking of him left a bad taste in her mouth. Zacke was used to seeing Blaze blow up about stupid things, but this wasn't really another one of Blaze's stupid tantrums. There was some real emotion buried behind her words. She truly despised Reese...

Zacke looked away, feeling the urge to sigh and put his head in his hands. He hated to admit this because he hated apathy itself, but he was starting to become very apathetic about the whole 'Reese' saga. He did feel a little sadness for Reese, but... damn, was it worth the risk involved to have him with them? Was it worth the risk to Leonhart's reputation -- to all their reputations?

He looked at Squall. "Headmaster Leonhart, what we tell you right now isn't going to really make a difference for him, is it? I mean, he's already on the way to the jail... " Zacke shrugged his shoulders. "I personally don't feel like he's all that much of a danger to anyone, but truthfully I hardly know him. Blaze is right. He kept to himself a lot." He chanced an uncomfortable glance in Stardust's direction. "I don't like how wrong it feels, but I guess I'm in support of locking him up until we get some more information. It just seems like the logical thing to do."

[junkuroki]

Jun affixed Blaze with a half-hostile-half-puzzled stare. What was it that Blaze saw about Reese that dragged up all this scorn, resentment and she was almost afraid to say, hatred? Blaze of course wasn't usually all apple pie and milkshakes about everyone else but this went beyond the usual layer of abrasiveness. What was it that she saw, and Jun missed? Was it so gapingly obvious, but she still couldn't grasp it even though Jun had been on the same team with Reese more times than Blaze?

"Haha look, we're missing a few points here. We should ALL be glad Reese decided to turn over a new leaf cos we're all standing here ALIVE, not as pieces of fish fodder in the ocean. Whether his motivations for turning his back against Dotna was impure or not, what's important is he chose to do it instead of letting Dotna bomb us back there in Fisherman's Horizon. And he had to pay a heavy price for it. And as far as sabotaging our mission, I can only remember him swallowing the Emerald because he thought it was useful and look where it got us? We could still be digging around for the Emerald right now if not for him. Access to Garden files? Do you really think Reese, under tight supervision, would be allowed to access those files? Come on that's stupid." Jun shook her head. "After literally risking his life how does he get repaid? Getting thrown in a cell! The message it sends out to the other SeeDs is actually 'hey it doesn't matter if you decided to turn over a new leaf, we'll still throw you into a cell after you've served your purpose.' Is Garden really that cold and mercenary? It disheartens me to have people think that way when I know it's really not. And I understand this isn't what you intended Sir, and that you're in a tight situation. It's just...unfair." She stopped her tirade suddenly. What was the use? Whatever she said wasn't going to change anything. She should just shut her mouth and stop being a headache to the Headmaster.

"But we're SeeDs; we're trained to move on." She still rested her eye on Stardust. Didn't she have anything to say?

[Gemma Ridean]

"...but D-District Prison?" Gemma trembled, hurt and accusation mixed in her eyes.

Nevermind Jun's passionate testimonial on behalf of Reese's reformation. Having only known the man for a few hours, she had no foundation to formulate a judgment based on his personal character.
What was more appalling was the violation of personal liberties and legal rights, taking place before her eyes.

Rising from her seat, she looked to Leonhart for answers. “What about due process of law? What about the right to petition for a writ of habeas corpus?”

“If I may sir,” she tried to control the shaking in her voice, “since when do Garden Headmasters claim the same jurisdiction of legal courts? Waverly spews some circumstantial evidence and that warrants an ironclad arrest and imprisonment in one of the highest security prisons? Why not place him under parole, or house arrest?” She paused momentarily, debating if she should say what she was about to say next.

“I’m sure your second in command would agree with me. Quite the promotion for a former traitor. But that was then...right sir?"

[ST]

Squall sat at the head of the table and stared back at Gemma, impassive to every quaver in her voice. He even remained in his seat when she stood from her own and shot the words down at him. He endured her barrage with detached composure, never looking away but also never parting his lips to speak.

Her final statement, though quiet as she said it, landed like a climactic final blow and left a deadening silence in its wake. If he was shocked or affected by what she said, it didn't show in his face. He looked away from her. For several seconds he said nothing, allowing the silence to infiltrate every corner of the room.

When he finally did speak, he did so with a very cold tone, addressing them all.

"I did not share this information in hopes of sparking a debate. I shared it because I felt that you are all important and involved enough to know. I do not care about your opinions or feelings regarding his imprisonment. I do not care whether or not you believe it is fair, or right, or even legal." His eyes returned to Gemma.

"It was only a month ago that you aided in bringing Weiss Jong into Balamb Garden custody. I ordered him imprisoned immediately, with no trial, and you didn't speak a word against it. Now remember, in the eyes of most, Reese Amaerick is just as dangerous and just as much of a criminal as Weiss Jong. So tell me, Ms. Ridean," He folded his hands together and regarded her coolly from across the table. "Do you believe the way in which we handled Jong was unlawful and unjust, or are you being a hypocrite?"

[Zacke]

Zacke's eyes followed Gemma when she rose, and they wavered back and forth between her and Leonhart the whole time she spoke. He frowned slightly, partially out of worry and partially out of confusion. Gemma hardly knew Reese at all, and yet she was championing his freedom with even more fervor than Jun. Why should she care this much?

As he stared at the determined frown set in her delicate features, the answer slowly sank in.

It's the principle... She just wants to do what's right.

After her final sentence, Zacke's eyes snapped in Leonhart's direction. He was expecting to see a look of shock or anger -- something. There was nothing written on the Headmaster's face. The silence in the room was intimidating and uncomfortable. Zacke looked back at Gemma, who hadn't wavered one inch from her stance. Finally, Leonhart spoke...

"I do not care about your opinions or feelings regarding his imprisonment. I do not care whether or not you believe it is fair... "

Zacke crossed his arms and fixed his gaze upon the table as he listened. Oh, well that's nice. He thought. Call the troops in to babysit your ex-DotNA spy for a while, then tell them they have no right to an opinion on him... He respected Squall Leonhart, but sometimes the man was so indifferent to the rest of the world that it didn't seem like he could even see it. Did he really think this 'meeting' wouldn't become a big ugly argument once he broke the news? Give me a break. Reese was easily the most controversial subject since that one famous pop star who shaved her head and drove a car with her baby in her lap... Whatever happened to her? Zacke wondered. She had been really famous, then really infamous, then...

"... or are you being a hypocrite?"

The line busted right through Zacke's thoughts. He looked in Leonhart's direction quickly, and then Gemma's.

His eyes went back to Leonhart. Something about the accusatory look in the Headmaster's eyes ticked him off -- a lot.

His arms uncrossed and he sat up a little straighter now, a slight frown appearing on his brow.

"Headmaster Leonhart," he cut into the conversation before Gemma had a chance. "With all due respect sir, it's not very honorable of you to make suggestions like that about her character." His tone was calm and diplomatic, but still carried a firm confidence. "It may seem like insubordination, but what she's really trying to do is remind you of the full picture here. We all are. We don't all agree on things when it comes to Reese, but we all agree in that we don't want you to make the wrong move. That's why we argue with eachother and with you. I realize you don't want to hear it, but maybe you should still listen... "

He glanced at Gemma again, the looked back at Squall. "You've gotta remember that we've all been through a lot today, Sir. Our nerves are shot, and when you spring something unexpected and shocking on a bunch of stressed out and tired people, you get reactions... "

He shrugged and looked away.

[stardust]

Unfair. It was totally unfair. Stardust sat there trying her best not to spout off her mouth towards the Headmaster, but it was getting unbearable. After using Reese as a tool to sneak into DoTNA, they would discard him just like that.

/Well, he IS a DoTNA prisoner with a very notorious record. Balamb Garden is free to do what it wants with him to avoid further conflict./ Diwata explained. /Headmaster Squall has enough evidence at his disposal to press charges./

Stardust stared at Jun who seemed to be sharing the same feeling she has right now. Right as they speak, Reese was being taken away. Headmaster Squall wasn't going to bunch an inch with his decision. There was nothing they could do here. They couldn't even get a unanimous decision.

Pushing away from her seat, Stardust briskly headed towards the door without uttering a word.

/You're going to get it...honey./ Diwata warned. /I know what you're planning./ Shutting the door behind her, Stardust lurked her gaze around the empty hallway. Like hell she would let Reese get treated this way. She owed him a whole lot for her to just stand around and do nothing.

Sprinting towards the corner, she hoped to see a trace of Reese but she was too late. She walked around the area and looked outside the windows but...There was no sign of him anywhere. He was already taken away.

"Damn it..."

In her head, she could hear Diwata sighing in relief.

[Hadrian D'arcell]

Hadrian sat quietly in his seat, listening to everyone defend Reese with a bored face. He could care less what happens to the guy. Although, he couldn't blame them for their attachment. Of all the people to be friends with, do they have to pick a DoTNA? Stardust even went so far as to walking out.

"I think we all should be happy Mr. Reese Amaerick is not going to get the a lethal injection or an electric chair for the gravity of his actions," he decided to speak up. "So chill. He'll be safe and sound in D-District prison. If you miss him, go visit him."

[waterlily43]

Jun stared stonily at the conference table. If she looked at the Headmaster right now, she didn't know what kind of disrespect she would show to him. Not only was he not the least bit bothered about whether it was unfair to Reese, he also treated as if their opinions didn't count at all.

Hmmph great way to instil confidence in your team, Leonhart. It was different when Xu was their immediate superior. She would at least listen to what they had to say and care about their opinions even if she couldn't change her decision.

"He'll be safe and sound in D-District prison. If you miss him, go visit him." Some red-headed guy who should be Hadrian but suddenly became most annoying creature on earth spouted some bullshit. Oh really? She would like to see what he'd do if the same happened to him! He just had to mess with them didn't he? She curled her lip at Hadrian. Why did he have to mess with them right now, when their moods were at an all time low? Was it on purpose?

"Safe and sound? Oh that's a great consolation. Have you ever been to D-District prison for something you haven't done? Me neither." She flashed a look at Leonhart, before landing a glare back at Hadrian. "If you wanna chill then go jump into the snowfields naked yourself!"