wrecking_yard

 I'm on the couch in Triki's office, sprawled with my tablet.  He's pacing by the window like a caged tiger, waiting for some kind of response to yet another call out; eventually he kills the call and is just pacing, little green sparks trailing behind him. 

"No answer?"

There's a faint growl, and a few of the sparks flare.  "That's the fourth team in two months.  Nobody associated with any of them has heard from them, either." 

"Nobody I can reach in the area has seen them, either... more than one report of more Espers coming into the area than usual, though."  The contacts are mostly people who owe me for helping them before I'd joined the guild - nothing spectacular; a coffee shop owner here, some transit workers there.  As far as they could tell they didn't spot any Prime Avatars among the traffic.  It doesn't mean much, since there's Avatars who don't have any obvious physical changes and others who know how to use glamours or mundane disguises to cover up identifiable features.  Even without any Prime Avatars, more regular Espers traveling to an area "randomly" is suspicious. 

It doesn't lessen his completely warranted agitation.  The jobs were all basic Miramon defense work - clear out nests moving in and take down meandering creatures that've gotten too close to the town and mines.  None of the teams had any Avatars with them, but we don't have pushovers on our rolls either, and a Miramon hunt going bad wouldn't cut off all communications. 

He pauses in his pacing to check something on his computer.  "Zora's free and nearby.  I'm sending her on a scouting mission - we need to know what's happening out there." 

She's good at stealth, her power doesn't get picked up on very easily and includes short-range teleportation, she's sharp-eyed and observant.... she'd be perfect for it if she didn't have a hard time saying no to a fight, never mind the misgivings I have about the entire situation.  "I'll go with her." 

He freezes, frown partway to a scowl.  "No, you won't." 

"She's too hot-headed to send on an intelligence mission alone, and she's awful with people."  Not good traits for investigating something that probably isn't a natural - or supernatural - disaster. 

"We can't afford to send more than one on this."  He's digging in on a personal snit and finding excuses to shut it down because it's me volunteering; even if the other likely candidates were in town, I'm still the best we have at intelligence gathering and scouting. 

"If she's alone, she can get caught off guard and silenced before she can send a message - and we can't afford to lose any of our Primes to this."  At this point it has to be Avatars, and ones that are good at stealth and escape; sending more standard Espers would be throwing them to their deaths.

"Then I'll recall someone."  

"The closest who'd be capable is a week out from Greywater alone, nevermind travel time to Debia; we can't afford to wait that long on this."  All evidence points towards some human mastermind behind this, which means better evidence is at high risk of disappearing.  "And I'm the best you have at gathering intel, barring yourself - I would've expected you to send me on this and tap her as a bodyguard, if anything." 

His expression is sour but he's not moving; he knows I'm right.  I just watch him, tapping a claw on the top of my tablet. 

"...Fine.  I'll call her in for a briefing." 

He doesn't stop blatantly sulking until the door opens, and that's only to pull into his full normal Absolutely Calm And In Control persona.  She glances between us, then pointedly ignores me.  "Yes, Boss?"

"I need you for a special scouting mission."  He turns his monitor around with one finger, the area map up on the screen.  "The mining town of Debia regularly requests help with Miramon outbreaks; there's a major Miracle up in the mountains the creatures wander down from.  Normally it's all routine, we help them and they send us resources from the mine." 

She nods quietly, attention focused.

"Recently, the number of requests has risen.... and four of the teams sent out have disappeared.  We've heard nothing from them since they arrived, nobody can reach them, and half of them were full time regulars." 

Even if it had been all freelancers passing through, they would've at least collected their pay or requested backup before disappearing.  The regulars live in Greywater and work around the city when they're not on a job. 

She wrinkles her nose, thinking.  "Has the Miracle been active?"

Triki shakes his head.  "No abnormal activity detected whatsoever.  Besides, if it were that kind of problem, at least one of the hunters would've found some opening for a distress call, never mind reports of it wreaking havoc on the town."  He leans back in his chair, folding his hands on the desk in front of him.  "And that's why I want you to go out there.  It's an intel mission only - your objective is to find out what happened to them and get back to Greywater in one piece, nothing else."  He motions to both of us with that, and she glances my direction with a slight frown.  "Xiao Yin has insisted on going with you to cover your back."  He shoots me a sidelong glance behind his sunglasses, just to make sure I know he's not happy with it. 

"You mean I'm going to do all the work while he goofs off and goes sightseeing."  Her all-business demeanor has cracked into open irritation.

It amuses him a little, at least.  "Is that what you think's going on."  I give him a quick Look before anything else.  She's observant, but she's a blunt instrument that does not get people - not a good choice for solo intel work. 

And then, I set the tablet down to drape melodramatically back on the couch.  "You truly think so little of me?  Oh, I am wounded!" 

Zora just motions at my dramatics as if it proves her point; she can't see Triki roll his eyes. 

"I know what he's like, but he's still one of our best." 

He somehow manages a more detailed briefing.  I do chime in a couple times, but he already has all my information that I could get without leaving Greywater, so there's nothing stopping me from sticking him with all the Business and doing things like razzing Zora and asking stupid questions about my own intel.  I get a few 'what is damaged in your head' looks shot my way and he even grumbles about 'children' in exasperation, but it definitely succeeds at distracting him from his agitation about me putting myself in unknown danger.