[preferred path.] We'll just talk

"Well, if I'm gonna get into some trouble, I suppose I'd like to talk to the person that knows about it." You say, sitting next to her now. Astrid moves a little further down and sighs. You look at her and knit your brows. "Is it about Flora?"

She shrugs, unwilling to answer your question, so you continue to list off the others. Scarlet, Kenji, Alexandra. When she refuses to answer, you loudly exhale. If this was anyone else, you would have been frustrated. But, you didn't feel that in the slightest. "Can you tell me anything that will be of any use?"

Astrid shakes her head. "You'll need to listen to your instincts. Missionstaktik." She lightly murmured. Your old outfit was molded by a man who studied military doctrine religiously and **** it into your ranks constantly, no matter the location or what the task was. His German was crude, but his knowledge was key to many of your successes. Despite not hearing from him in ages, your old bosses words still rung in your head, even if you didn't hear it all the time. You stared at her and she stared back. "Get it?"

"Not in the slightest." You looked down and closed your hands together. Were you going to be fighting your old outfit again? It didn't seem impossible, but the idea of fighting your ex-employers didn't really seem all that great. Were you going to have to lead a party into a situation to save Amari? That also seemed possible. Would you have to make a choice take someone into your ranks? You weren't in a position to be inviting anyone in with the others, but if got **** enough, you suppose there's a chance for that too.

"Just tell me," you tell Astrid.

"I can't. I'd be breaking your destiny." She sighs and looks down. "Every man has the right to pick his path. I am in no position to twist your arm into doing what I know is right. I'm just going to have to believe in you."

You wanted to curse. This didn't make any kind of sense. If she wasn't going to lead you in the right direction, why bother with bringing you here to start with? She could tell you were conflicted, angry, and confused. She held your hand and laid it on her lap. "Warren, I brought you here just so you know who is watching. Don't you want to make me happy?"

Her voice made your heart melt. It was like she was trying to convince you she was right, but at the same time, not at all. Where you worked before, you never did anything that was immoral or had committed to an action that would tarnish your straightforward structure. Missionstaktik... Your boss always said it whenever you departed to take care of a town. He used it in a way that told you to "not fuck up" pretty much, but when she said it more felt like she was telling you what was on the line. What was your mission even?

She brought you into her arms, folding herself around you. "Don't forget about me. Don't lose yourself. Can you promise me that?"

"I- I don't know if I can. I need to know what is going to happen so I don't screw up." A touch panic started to unfold in your stomach, but her voice calmed you.

"Shh," her mouth was right next to your ear. "When you get confused, remember my voice and what I said."

Her hand brushed your hair and she held you tighter. You felt as though you were at peace. It was a strange thought that when you are woken up, in less than a minute, you'd be in a situation that was dire. "Don't let me go then. Just stay with me and show me what to do."

"I can't do that. I'm not going to take your freewill and **** you to make the choice I would make." Her voice was still soft, but she sounded stern too. Like she was a mother correcting a child in a way. You held her tighter and told her not to let go, but then...

...

...

"Warren," Flora said. When you woke up, you saw she was standing above you. Your heart was racing and you looked around the room. Alexandra was there and so was Kenji. You stirred and sat up right. "Scarlet's in trouble."

You got out of the covers and saw Kenji had a dark expression and Alexandra was holding her side, covering her side with a rag that was damp with blood. You looked back at Kenji. "What happened?"

Kenji let out a long, drawn out yawn. His eyes watered and he leaned back, completely exhausted. You noticed that he was damp with sweat and looked like deranged. After blinking his tears away and looks up at you. "They found Alexandra," he darted his gaze at her. "Who was digging around their armory."

Alexandra blushes, pressing the rag closer to her side. "I was curious."

Kenji kept his stern stare fixed onto her. "Well, good-fucking-job."

He looked back at you and let out a heavy sigh. "They were going to execute her in the middle of town, but I stepped in and broke her out."

Flora swallowed. "What about Amari?"

Kenji looked at her. "Well, despite Alexandra's fuck up, she did find out she's not-so-willingly working in their armory, tinkering with firearms and fixing all their gear...Ah, whilst winterizing a portion of it too."

She steps closer. "What are we going to do?" Flora sounds more concerned than you've ever heard her.

Kenji looked around the room. "Do none of you care about Scarlet?"

Flora looked down, bashfully, clearly not wanting to state that she probably didn't, so she looked at you. You looked at Kenji and nodded. "I'm her partner. Being new and what not I decided to let the answers talk first."

"Well," he started. "First off. Fucking get out of that mind set. Second off. She's probably getting her teeth pulled out."

Your expression went grimace. You remembered your first night with her. You liked her and felt bad to hear she's being tortured. Luckily, Kenji continued. "Or maybe not. She split off pretty quickly went I shot. I don't think she'd let herself get captured. We had a close run-in a few months back, if it weren't for-"

"Don't," Alexandra said weakly. "McKinley didn't do that out of the goodness of his heart. He was a fuckin' suit."

"Let's not derail," you insert yourself in. "What's the plan, Kenji? What are we going to do?"

"Well, we'll have to return as soon as we can. All of us besides Alexandra will go. Flora, I don't want you to be anymore than 6 feet away from me."

"Shouldn't we talk a bit more about this?" You ask, earning a hard stare from Kenji, who promptly denies your request.

Flora joined the circle, passing Alexandra. "I'll do what I can to help Amari."

Kenji scoffed. "I'm going to find Scarlet. Warren is finding Amari."

Flora shifted legs. "Then I'll go with Warren."

Kenji gave her a hard look. "Why?"

You felt a little sad she wanted to with you only because of Amari, but you guess it didn't really matter. Flora smiled and shrugged. "Amari might be hurt, you see? Scarlet can handle herself pretty well and has been in dire situations before. Amari, on the other hand, might be hurt after your exchange-"

"Shut the fuck up." Kenji said bitterly. "You're staying with me."

Flora looked down as if she had just been slapped across the face. Even as she did this, Kenji gave her a degrading stare, which surprised you since it was he that made you think Flora was pampered and protected all the time, instead he snapped back with such ****, he sounded like a strict dad with zero tolerances for stupid questions from his child.

He dragged his eyes off of Flora and landed them on Alexandra. “We’ll talk to you later, but heal up and stay down. If we don’t come back, assume the worst and shoot for survival until spring.”

Alexandra shrugged working her mouth into a sly smirk. “I’ll maintain paradise.”

Kenji then jabbed his finger at you. “Travel light. We’re leaving as soon as I get myself… relaxed.”

Flora shuffled around, holding her hands together as she muttered something under her breath. Kenji got up and stretched. You notice there's blood on him, but you figure it isn’t his because he isn’t limping or showing any indication of serious injury. Alexandra lands on the couch with a groan, her bright eyes drifting upward to the dirt ceiling.