Task Force Buster 3[IC] Chapter 1: A New Start.

[Hiss13]

With the last person entering and the door to the vehicle getting shut, the characteristic sounds of an engine starting resounded before quieting down as the vehicle started to move.

"But isn't that normally expected from a military institution?" Leivinia questioned Dave before changing topics back to herself. "For me, this is a stepping stone for my dream of becoming an Enforcer. So I can finally stand face-to-face with her..."

Leivinia paused for a second before cutting herself off.

[Bfroger6]

The vehicle started up as the last one walked in-the snarky guy who told them not to get in their way. Dave shot him a short death-stare before nodding as to greet him when he entered. Eh, they had just started this and he was already holding grudges against people, geez. It was probably part his fault as well. Actually, shouldn't it have been the other way around? I mean, he was the one who introduced himself the harshest and he was the one making a scene all the way (a silent scene!) by acting how he did. And he still had no clue why these kids made him feel so uncomfortable!!! ...welp, save for the obvious, more well rounded distractions, that is.

In any case, the conversation was doing good for him. It was nothing special, but it made him feel a bit easier and relieved. At the very least, it was also driving his attention away from the said well rounded distractions.

"Huh, face to face with who?" Dave raised an eyebrow curiously (and without thinking) at the girl, looking at her over his shoulder, before sighing and answering her question in a matter-of-fact tone. "Of course it is. I was just stating it, geez." He sat back in his seat, a wee bit annoyed but still content, crossing his arms as the car drove them, rumbling all the while. "I still think the best part of this is the free food, hmpf."

[Chevaleresse]

"Joining a military task force for free food is a rather juvenile reason," Shou commented. His tone didn't imply any malice or derision; it was as if he had commented on the weather, or was describing what an object looked like. It was interesting to hear the reasons the others had for joining. Presumably he would end up befriending at least one of them, as that was what typically happened when people were kept in close proximity.

[Shamitako]

Katsuo couldn't help but chime in on that one.

"I have to agree with the tiny emo kid." He said without opening his eyes, "Though I'm not really one to talk, I'm just here because I quite literally have nothing else to do."

Some people probably would have loved having nothing to do, but Katsuo couldn't live with himself if he just sat around all the time. He had put his heart and soul into being the best mage he could be, not because he was passionate about it, but simply because it gave him purpose. He felt Gwaedu swinging back and forth in a challenging way, as if to say, 'His reason is still worse.'

[Bfroger6]

Son of a- Dave's eyes widened and his maw dropped as the kid spoke up against him (of course, he took the kid's neutral tone as him playing the cool kid and it just frustrated him even further). He was about to retort when the other one, the unlikable jerk, joined in, most likely just to mock him.

"Excuse me?" His tone was now definitely annoyed. What were they thinking, speaking against him AND against food! He'd be able to live with it if was just discriminating him, but food..! No way in hell was he accepting such discrespect! "And what are you joining up for!" He turned to the jerkface. "I'll have you know that I'm probably the oldest one here. And not only that, but I personally enjoy stuffing myself, and getting an opportunity to do that for free excites me! It makes me happy, yes! So shut the hell up, both of you, unless you want me to do that for you!"

Edited September 13, 2015 by Bfroger6

[Shamitako]

Katsuo still didn't open his eyes, though he felt his temper flaming up. Gwaedu spun around angrily as well.

"I just said I was joining because I had nothing else to do." He said, "Your physical age doesn't change the fact that your reasoning is childish, and as best I can tell your attitude in general is too."

He could already tell he wasn't going to like this guy. Though it wasn't so much his immaturity as the fact that he seemed to think being older somehow made him better. He could deal with an immature man, but he couldn't deal with an immature man who thought he was more mature than those around him. At least Katsuo was willing to admit to his flaws.

[Hiss13]

Leivinia was going to answer Dave's question about who she wanted to stand face-to-face with but the conversation seemed to careen into a completely different field as the others began to criticize each other.

"Now, now, guys." She waved her hands around in front of her in a panic as if to draw attention to her. "We're going to have to work together in a group anyway so we should try and get along, right?"

[Chevaleresse]

Shou's eyes widened a bit as he pulled back slightly. "Oh, I'm, uh, sorry." He glanced downward for a moment. "Um, I'll just, uh, leave. I can get to my stuff from here." They were still a fair distance away from his actual destination, but he asked the driver to stop nonetheless. When the vehicle pulled over, he exited the vehicle hurriedly, without making eye contact with anyone else.

[Bfroger6]

"Huuuuuh!?" Dave stared bewilderded at the boy as he got the car to pull over. It wasn't that he wasn't angry at the kid, even though he apologized, but maybe, maybe he was feeling a little bit guilty about him leaving. And not to mention the girl next to him waving her hands at them to stop. Geez.

He turned to the jerkface. "You say I'm immature, but I'll show you!" He said as he got up from his seat and ran out the vehicle and after the short kid. "H-hey, wait the hell up, kid!"

[Chevaleresse]

Shou turned at the sound of the man's voice and visibly flinched when he saw Dave running at him. He almost started to run away, and this was clear in his posture. He's so much bigger than me. Why is everybody so much bigger than me? He opened his mouth as if to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. I'm gonna be sick. Why did I have to say that the only time I didn't have Hyperion Caster with me? It's been so long since someone just beat me up, I guess that's over now. If I run it'll just be worse.

[Bfroger6]

"Geez kid, just stop for a moment and let me speak." Dave ran out of the car and was now heading in the kid's direction. Looking around, he realized this was nowhere near where he lived. But geez, he could already just picture the car pulling off without them soon enough... "Aaah, to hell with it all!" He shouted and kept on going.

"Look at what we've done now, damn. They're gonna leave without us!" He said to the kid, approaching him. He wasn't running anymore, but he was still moving at a pace quicker than walking. He was panting silently and shallowly. The closer he got, the better he could see the kid's terrified face. What the heck, the kid's face looked like he was ready to take a big ass dump right there and now, in the middle of a street. Jesus, was this because of him? What was wrong with this kid?!

Dave stopped a meter away from the kid after seeing his expression and placed his hand on his foreahead, rubbing his pupils. "Seriously?" He said, his tone giving away that he was once again annoyed, just that this time, he was actually trying to surpress it, or so it seemed. He sighed. "Look, I have no idea what you're thinking about right now, but I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. If this is because of what happened earlier, I'll apologize, alright? It was my fault for snapping at you two. So like, please, for the love of god, don't friggin' run away unless you wanna be stopped by force, 'kay. I'm not really fond of rubnning, as you can see, heh." He smiled sheepishly and smacked his stomach with his hand sending a shockwave across it, making it wiggle. It was a really lame attempt at an joke, but Dave was still hoping it would at least ease the kid a little. "I'm just here to talk, aight?"

Edited September 13, 2015 by Bfroger6

[Code: PIRULUK]

Liliana blinked several times at the scene that had unfolded before her. With that, their carriage was now less two people. She muttered a silent prayer for the visibly troubled child, wishing the blessings of the Saint King upon him.

With that, she turned to Leivinia.

"Yes, as you were saying, standing face-to-face with who, exactly?"

Considering she had mentioned the Enforcers, Liliana had a decently good idea, given the relative fame of one particular youthful Enforcer, but she decided it would be prudent to ask, nonetheless. Assumptions were the basis of many a sin.

[Felicity]

Alice had remained silent throughout the little argument. She wanted to get more f a feel for who they were befre speaking much and blundering into a mistake like that. Still, she felt she ought to speak up at least in this matter.

"For the record, to work for food and lodging is as honest a reason a man can have to do anything in life. To criticise that as shallow speaks to a certain level of entitlement that one has." The Twixton heiress spoke calmly, her eyes darting around the car to observe each of their reactions.

[Chevaleresse]

The man didn't seem to be lying. "Okay," he replied, hesitance still coming through in his voice. "I just thought. . . nevermind, it doesn't matter." He looked down again for a moment. "I have a tendency to make people hostile without realizing it. Sorry." Shou wasn't certain of what he should say, or indeed whether the suppressed irritation in the man's voice was for Shou's benefit. The boy's body language indicated he had eased a bit, as he had shifted to a position that was less ready to flee, but there was still a large amount of tension visible.

[Bfroger6]

"Heh, so you have a tendency to piss people off." Dave snickered at the young boy, looking down at him with his green eyes. Honestly was feeling relieved that the kid had calmed down, even if just a bit, and listening to the kid talk slowly made Dave's frustration fade to the back of his mind. He was still gonna have the kid make it up to him for dragging him out of the car, though, but not now. "And yeah, speaking of that, you did piss me off, and yeah, I might have overreacted, and I'm sorry for that, 'kay?" Dave raised his chin and crossed his arms, expecting some confirmation of the apology. "Just don't do crazy shit like this ever again, alright? We're both now stuck without a car to drive us home, geez."

[Chevaleresse]

"Alright. I suppose I overreacted too." He looked back up, making eye contact with Dave. "I'm not that far away from my home, just a few blocks. You could follow me there, and the car should come back to pick us up there. Or, we can just walk back to the facility after I grab my jacket and change out of this awful thing." This last was delivered with a pull at the collar of the white and blue uniform the boy wore. "I guess the driver might just come back here, too. It was stupid to leave without getting information on how we're getting back."

[Bfroger6]

Dave was almost surprised when the kid made eye contact with him all of a sudden. Was it to acknowledge his apology or maybe a sort of apology of his own, Dave wasn't sure, but he grinned and clapped his hands nonetheless, satisfied with the conclusion. "Oh, so you strategically abandonded the vehicle." He said in a mocking, but innocent enough tone. He wasn't trying to provoke the kid, just cracking a joke. "Alright then, since you've invited me, we could go to your place, though I'm also stuck in this goddamn uniform." He tugged at the sleeve of the white shirt he wore-the part of the uniform he actually still fit into, along with the brown pants. "I left the coat at home. Ha, can you believe it! I actually couldn't fit into the stupid thing!"

Dave continued laughing for a few moments before he ran his hand through his hair and calmed down. He turned over to the kid. "You know what would really make me feel good right now, though? You live around here, right, so you know the place. So tell me, is there any place around here where we could go grab something to eat? I'm starving after all the crap I've been through today and besides, you owe me one for dragging me out of the car, y'know." Dave paused for a minute, watching the kid. "Well then?"

[Chevaleresse]

"There's a fast food place along the way. You could stop there while I grabbed my jacket." Is that all he thinks about, food? Without further ado, he started to walk towards his home at a fairly brisk place, looking over his shoulder to ensure Dave was following. I suppose I should try to extend some sort of olive branch. After a short time, he spoke up again. "Specializing in defensive spells is rare." The statement was delivered fairly evenly, much like the observation that had led to this situation, but the implied question was clear.

[Hiss13]

It seemed Liliana was curious about who she was referring to. Leivinia was a bit embarrassed to bring it up but these people would be working with her so it was probably best to not keep things hidden. "Her name is Fate Testarossa-Harlaown. I met her a few years ago when she came to Ruwella to investigate an incident that was going on there."

[Shamitako]

Katsuo chose to return to silence after the tiny emo kid left. He simply waited patiently until they neared his housing and exited. As he walked the last bit home he let his mind wander. He wondered what it was going to be like working with these people. He had no cares for them, but he knew himself well enough to realize that would change soon enough. He always tried to put up this stupid facade, but it never really worked. No matter how hard he tried to get people to dislike him, they always ended up doing just the opposite. And then he was stuck with a bunch of stupid idiots that he couldn't help but love. Why did he have to be so damn soft? Couldn't he just legitimately be an asshole? He just didn't want any friends again. Not having friends meant not having to watch your friends get hurt. But it was inevitable, so he supposed he had best be ready to protect them when it happened.

[Code: PIRULUK]

Liliana nodded. So she was talking about Fate after all. That Enforcer's fame spread far and wide, with many people - especially younger girls - looking up to her and her best friend, Takamachi Nanoha. This, of course, was primarily attributed to their meteoric rise through the ranks of the TSAB, but it was well-known that they left an extremely lasting impression on those who had met them in person.

"Ah. Miss Fate. I have heard of her from Sister Schach on several occasions, and Knight Carim appears to hold her in high regard."

Liliana smiled, the first time anyone in the carriage had seen her smile. Unfortunately, it was not a genuine one, but rather, a calculated, polite smile. There were few things that could make her smile from her heart, and the dreams of others was not one of them. That said, she had asked the question, thus social expectations dictated she respond in this manner.

"I am certain you will have a chance to meet her while with this unit. Perhaps you might even be able to work with her, given who our immediate commander is."

It was, after all, a well-known fact that Admiral Chrono deeply loved his adopted sister.

[Bfroger6]

The kid's words apparently stroke a cord in Dave, as his mood immediately dropped and he fell dead silent for a while, staring at the kid with a slowly-forming frown on his face. The kid suddenly grew some balls, trying to ask him about his past out of the blue, and all that while they were still complete strangers (Dave didn't even remember the kid's name). Yeah, Dave saw through that statement the kid made and realized the question hidden in it.

And he was immediately sick of it. I mean, wouldn't you also be sick of the topic if you were forced each and every day for sixteen years of your life to listen to the same lousy speech about how your condition's making you worthless and how you're a disgrace to your family, all being told by your very own father?! So yeah, gg kid, you did it again.

Dave grunted something inelligible several times beneath his breath. "It is." Was all he answered to the kid, and in such a tone that would make him realize what kind of a mistake he'd done and close the topic at least for now, if not for good.

[Chevaleresse]

Maybe it was best to remain silent. This is why he avoided speaking with people; you never got any sort of consistency. At least he wasn't charging at Shou any more.

After they went a couple more blocks, he gestured at a fast food restaurant across the street. "Meet you here," he said, wanting to use the fewest words possible. He then continued his walk down the street with a hurried, uncomfortable gait.

[Hiss13]

"Yeah. Seeing as the admiral is her older brother, there might be a chance that I might get to meet her again." Leivinia fidgeted her hands as she spoke. "I wonder if she'll remember the girl who was following her around on Ruwella." She looked back at her hands. "After I joined the TSAB after her suggestion, I found out how famous she is. I doubt she'd remember someone like me."

Leivinia looked back at the others. "What about you guys? What kind of reasons did you have for joining this task force?"

[Felicity]

Alice took the chance to get into the conversation. She had observed enough and thought she was in good enough company. "I joined because I agreed with the TSABs purpose and there were no other affairs to deal with at home. Father handles the estate well and, when all is said an done, there's not much I could do on Earth that was as worthwhile as working for the TSAB." She explained smoothly. She had nothing to hide.