Underground Hideout
Terrence and Frisk were the first to reach the end of the hall, opening the door to the storage room.
The door swiveled open, a series of lights on the ceiling automatically activating upon entering the room to reveal a large, mostly unoccupied space, about twenty feet in width and length. Its contents were essentially as Kohaku had described – a series of mattresses and cushions were arranged on the floor around the center of the room, a dozen in total, all in decent condition. Each came with a pillow and some sheets, the makeshift beds placed atop thin bases of wood or concrete for additional support.
Scattered toward the edges of the room were various pieces of furniture, slightly mismatched in terms of color and material, including a couple of nightstands, a cabinet, a small couch, and some chairs placed around a desk. A lone extension cord sat in one of the corners, a tall lamp, and an assortment of posters were plastered on the walls, depicting differing scenery. Green plains, a starry sky, a busy nighttime city, a coffee shop, a mountain range...
Clearly, the group of kids had put some effort into at least making the stay relatively pleasant.
Before long, the built-up exhaustion washed over the heroes in full. One by one, those taking refuge in the underground hideout headed to bed, hoping for tomorrow to be just a little better than today. To have some answers to their many questions.
To this group, the curtains fell for the day.
But to another, they'd only just risen.
???
Although the star in the sky had faded into darkness, the city lights of Sumeragi's district served to illuminate the landscape in its stead.
This light shone through the glass panels of the large, well-lit room, its most notable feature being a metallic round table with the emblem of Sumeragi at its center, adorned with a few lights and a small device at the bottom of the logo. Around the table were eleven leather seats of exquisite quality, five towards one side taken up by various figures. Above the table was a slightly less illuminated balcony, currently unoccupied.
Sumeragi's Building 13 – where this conference room was located – was the largest of the institute's properties in this world, firmly located at the center of the district, standing above similar skyscrapers. Nearly the entire landmass was visible from this height, giving a view into the nearby city, the slums beyond, and the island's coast. Building 13 boasted high security appropriate for its size, and was the site of key organizational meetings, research efforts, development proposals, and defense management.
Access to the facility was highly controlled, and naturally, those meeting within this room held some level of authority, importance, or clearance to be allowed inside – some even bypassing security entirely.
On one side of the table, in the middle of the other figures, sat a dark-skinned woman in her mid-twenties, eyes and hair both green, the latter tied into a long ponytail falling past her lower back. She wore a white sleeveless shirt over a black undershirt, black shorts, and brown heels. A blue jacket with cyan rims was loosely worn over her shirt, and she donned numerous pieces of gold jewelry, as well as a lit cigarette in her right hand.
Standing directly beside her was a tall young man with blonde hair and orange eyes, one obscured by a monocle. He was dressed quite formally, covered head to toe in a butler-like uniform, including orange coattails and maroon shoes. He held a tea tray in his right hand, while the left arm held a white cloth over it. Upon closer inspection, his limbs, joints, and even his clothing were entirely mechanical – he was an android, not a human, evidently in service of the businesswoman.
"Lady Stella, do correct me if I'm wrong..." the android spoke, head tilting slightly to look at the seated woman. "But it is quite unusual for a meeting like this to be called, is it not?"
"Sure is," Stella replied, glancing in his direction. "'Tis makin' me wonder what kinda things Demerzel's got ta say this time. Though I bet yain't got a thing to worry 'bout, Dystnine." she added, to which her assistant simply nodded.
Sitting to Stella's right, meanwhile, was a young woman in her late teens with long pink hair and green eyes, covered by white-framed glasses. She wore a uniform similar to Stella's jacket, mainly blue, black, and white in color with gold accents, as well as a black and white miniskirt, maroon tights, and black boots. A cape with a magenta inside and pink trimming was draped over her shoulders, and she wore white gloves on her hands.
"I've read the reports on today's incident," she stated, placing a hand to her temple. "Rest assured, there will be plenty to talk about. So don't be so sure about that."
"Sorry, ya see anyone else stop the big ol' cannon from falling?" Stella retorted, which the pink-haired teen didn't have an immediate answer for. The man to her right did, however, letting out a chuckle.
"Please, ladies. The way I see it, things went quite swimmingly."
To the teen's right sat a young man in his early twenties with sandy blonde hair and red eyes. His attire consisted of a dark sleeveless long coat with orange accents and a grey shirt underneath, coupled with an orange scarf tied around his neck. He wore black trousers with white accents and black boots, in addition to white gloves with black fingers and a pair of barber shears in one hand, which he twirled around his fingers carelessly.
"Those ruffians were repelled, and there was quite the exquisite display from said cannon," he continued. "I believe we have dear Nabi to thank for that, no?"
He pointed his shears to the seat left of Stella, where a purple-haired man in his late twenties sat. His hair was slightly messy and he had some stubble on his chin, while his blue-green eyes hid behind a pair of orange-tinted black glasses. He wore a violet-rimmed blue jacket similar in design to the others, with a long white coat underneath, as well as black jeans and black leather shoes.
"Yes, Crimm – but it was not complete or calibrated. The device was just as damaged as the section of the wall it impacted. Getting it back in commission will take some time, and the structural damage will also need to be dealt with quickly. Isola's words hold true, even if we don't know the full extent of the problem at hand."
"Guess we'll just have to wait 'n see, ey?"
The one who spoke, sitting to the left of Nabi, was a tall, muscular man, also in his late twenties. He had blue eyes and spiky shoulder-length white hair, styled into muttonchops and a large cowlick. He was the least formal of the bunch, wearing a blue dress shirt with its buttons mostly undone, exposing some of his chest and abs, as well as black trousers with gray stripes, black shoes, and a silver-buckled belt around his waist. Notably, each of his arms were adorned with three tattoos, consisting of spiraling rings of various sizes.
"Right, Bakto." Nabi replied simply.
Each of them, with the exception of Dystine, carried a golden pin in the shape of a stylized pen attached to their chests – Falcon Quills, a mark of the status and contract they had entered once they were conscripted into the position of Falcons.
Moments later, one of the large doors in the room, on the opposite side of the Falcons, swung open – marking the arrival of a group of new, high-ranking members under Sumeragi, assigned to work for one reason or another on similar tasks to their Septima-wielding counterparts.
"If it ain't the Kestrels. Good to see ya made it, fellas." Bakto greeted.
