A Rat's Guide to Glory

The choice on what to do with your money is easy enough. Augments are always good to have, especially after seeing how much mileage Parvati gets out of hers. So you have your hearing improved and get some modifications to your eyes that let you see in low-light conditions. In fact, grabbing everything at Kinesthesia Workshop means you can get a package deal and afford another eye-adjustment that lets you see other people's vital spots and the general makeup of their bodies.

You may have gotten too influenced by Scythe Office to adopt their favourite augment, but at the same time there will always be enemies to fight. Now you can easily find weak spots in armour or rearranged organs, it even lets you spot some augments.

Something you have to get used to is the red glow your eyes adopt whenever you use that one, though.

You spend a little more on presents for Parvati and Mai while thinking over who to call in for this. Nothing big, but they both deserve to get something. You even fetch a package of cigarettes for Giano because it just feels right.

At first you consider getting in contact with Dexter, it has been almost a year since you heard from him. He used to be your boss and you trust in his capabilities, especially after he made it into Liu. Then there is Hifumi, who has been Shi for over a year now and will be a great help.

Contacting the assassin is far easier for some odd reason; he picks up on the third ring, needs two sentences of a reminder who you are, and immediately agrees to assist. Although there is a bit of a pause when you tell him you do not know the task yet.

"I expect it to come sometime soon and wanted to give you a heads-up," you explain into the silence. "It would be rude to just come in and ask you to drop whatever you're doing to help out right now."

"I see," Hifumi answers softly. "Thank you for your consideration. I will speak with the Director. Call on me when the time comes, I will be ready."

You agree and say your goodbyes, slightly perturbed by how easy it was to talk to him. Maybe being in Scythe Office changed you more than you thought, no longer being wary when dealing with Shi Fixers. They did give you an appreciation for that type of work if nothing else.

Then you try calling Dexter again, but the line disconnects just like before. The nearest Liu branch Office does not have a 'Dexter' on file either, which confuses you more. You spend over an hour asking around the nearby Liu offices before you get someone who knows what goes on here.

"Dexter, huh." The Fixer on the other end makes a thoughtful noise. "I remember that guy. Not half bad and a good teamplayer."

"Do you know where he is now?" you ask with renewed hope. "Did he leave the Association?"

"Nah, he died in May." That is all it takes for you need to deflate, but he keeps talking as if in reminiscence: "Or maybe June, I don't recall. Our platoon ran into an Urban Nightmare some higher Grades were hunting across the area, the Endless Pit. I still don't know how a hole in the ground can move, but that one sure did. Swallowed up five of us while moving past and there wasn't really anything we could do. Dexter was one of the casualties."

All you can offer is a soft "Oh, I see"; what else could you say? Your condolences? It took you seven months to find out the man is dead.

"Don't beat yourself up, buddy. It happens. Was there anything else?"

"No, thank you for your time."

He hangs up first and you are left just sitting there for a minute. Dexter and you were not that close, but you appreciated his ability to roll with the punches. He introduced you to Gyeong-Hui who still trains you, and without him you may have never met Parvati or Mai.

You do not feel sad, though you think you should. Parvati takes the news with a shrug over dinner and Mai offers not even that, having never met the man. Such is life in the City, especially as a Fixer.

A day ticks by as you consider who else you could call for. Most of your acquaintances in the area are unlikely to trade favours like this with someone they only know casually. You will not ask Parvati and Mai is out of the question. Giano is out because she is already Hana and probably not allowed to help you.

It is on the way home from a tedious job of killing a con artist with good leg augments that the answer comes to you; it has been months since your journey to District 23, but Maria may be willing to help. She is odd enough to accept even when you barely know each other.

The incident with Dexter makes you worry about more bad news, which is why you hesitate until after dinner. Surely she will be at home by now, assuming she is still alive?

Most days you would sit on the couch and knit to take your mind off things; it is comfortable with Mai nearby watching TV and Parvati leafing through books at the table. Today you retreat to the bedroom, both for privacy and to find the business card Maria gave you back then. 'Love Office', the name still has you shake your head in wonder. Who would name their Office that?

At least your bigger worry is alleviated when Maria immediately picks up the phone with cheer: "Love Office, we do whatever, whenever! This is Maria speaking."

You completely forgot how alienating her mood is, even over the phone. But you push that aside and take a deep breath. "Hello, Maria. It's Ciel, we worked on the Highlight Heroes case earlier in the year."

A thoughtful hum follows, then an exclamation. "Ah, of course! I'm happy to hear from you, are you doing okay?"

You lean back, wondering how sincere the question is. The answer would be 'not at all' normally, but this is Maria.

"I'm fine," meaning you are alive and have a home, "how about yourself?"

You only realise the mistake you made when Maria launches into a small speech on how she is doing well and protecting people every day. She briefly chatters about one of her recent jobs regarding an Urban Plague, then mentions she became Grade 4 and wants to try taking on a Star soon.

"Are you sure?" you can not help but interject there. "A Star of the City at Grade 4 sounds like suicide. I know you're good, but still."

Her answer is as chipper as before: "Don't worry, I will be fine!"

You try hard not to sigh, sigh anyway, and change the subject. Pleasantries are out of the way so you better get to it; inter-District calls are expensive.

"Well, how busy are you at the moment? There is something coming up for me and I could use some help."

"Oh, I.... hm. My schedule is mostly clear, but I still need to track down the Nettle Natter before it eats more people. Do you want to hire Love Office?"

"Not exactly," you answer with a little wince. "I'm not allowed to hire anyone for this, but I'd owe you one." It is really not that convincing, but you have trouble dealing with Maria; she is nothing like most people you know.

"Oh, favours." A pause follows, underlined by the sound of rustling paper. "Sure, I don't mind helping out. But it will take a few days to finish this here, is it time sensitive?"

You exhale, a weight falling off your shoulders. "No, I'm calling ahead because of things like these. The job hasn't started yet."

"Neat! Alright, I'll finish up here and get over to... where was it? District Eight?"

"District Nine," you correct with a little smile. How is it that you can even believe her earnest and helpful behaviour? "Tell me when you have a ticket, I get you from the train station." And you just realised you have no place to put her, which makes you wince once more. Your poor wallet. "I'll book a hotel room for you, too."

"Don't worry about that," Maria chirps back. "I'll take care of it."

You should not look a gift horse in the mouth, but at this point it just feels too generous. "Are you sure?" you ask carefully. "That doesn't sound fair when you already come all the way to help me out."

"Isn't that what friends are for?"

Huh. You need a long few seconds to let that sink in. Half a year passed since you even talked to her and you worked with her on a single mission, yet Maria considers you a friend? Or maybe she sees this as more of an investment into the future like Giano? You are not sure and honestly too glad about not straining your finances to care any further.

"Alright, thank you."

"It's nothing~"

And now it occurs to you that Maria must be swimming in money. Of course a train ticket and a hotel room are chump change to her. Can she already afford first class seats?

You talk a minute longer with her before saying your goodbyes. Doubt settles in about as soon as she hangs up; was this really a good idea? Will she actually come and help? Can you actually trust her with this?

The alternate question is if you can trust yourself with it, to which the answer is no; if it were yes, you would not have called Hifumi either. You do not know what is coming and need whatever help you can get.

After that comes a week of waiting. You carefully check what little mail you get both at home and at the office, but no response from Hana finds its way to you. Your nerves fray a little more with each day you are kept waiting, even the little Christmas dinner with Parvati and Mai only eases the tension somewhat. Having them around and actually getting a gift for the first time in your life helps, too. Not to mention seeing Mai's face when you hand her a little box containing new ribbons to tie her black hair with. She clearly did not expect anything and softly apologises for not having a present for you.

Giano is similarly surprised but takes the cigarettes with grace and a wink. On second thought, that probably seems more like a bribe than a gift. But in the end you shrug it off and say nothing, it is how it is.

The day after Christmas comes as early as any other. Get up, eat breakfast, see Mai off, head to the office with Parvati. Except that Jett calls you into a meeting about as soon as you enter. His expression is unreadable and a manila folder sits on the desk in front of him.

"I guess congratulations are in order," he begins by way of explanation once you sit down. "Hana Association sent a request for you in particular to take this mission. Its current classification is Urban Plague, but nobody knows what exactly is being dealt with."

You know as well as he does that this is the test. Waves of joy and anxiety crash over you in succession, from knowing that your application was accepted to realising they do not give you any time to prepare. Seeing that Jett still watches you closely, you nod. "Understood. Did they say anything else?"

The folder is pushed over to you in response. "The missive stated that you will be partnered with a Hana Fixer for support. I imagine this is your examiner. They are set to arrive at ten and will continue instructing you. I skimmed the mission statement but no details, so read it carefully."

"Of course, boss."

"Dismissed. And good luck."

Were it not for your augmented ears, you would have missed the second part with how quietly he says it. The rustle of your clothes almost drowns it out. You pretend not to have heard and turn down the volume upon entering the main office space, it is too loud otherwise.

Parvati sits at her desk reading a casefile of her own but glances over when you take yours. "What did he want?"

"New job," you murmur back, "it's the test."

A whispered "Nice" is all you get from her before both of you turn to reading. The mission is... not exactly what you expected. You pour over the sparse details with a wry grin and worried thoughts until ten, which is when a familiar voice sounds from the entrance.

"Knock knock, Hana on a mission!"

All eyes turn that way, even yours; Giano stands in the door with a smirk on her face, basking in the attention and almost palpable wave of respect. For just a moment it seems like the light bends into a warm glow around her. She is showing off what it means to be Hana once more and you know that, but it still has the intended effect.

You want that.

After an appropriately long pause, Giano's gaze falls on you. "What are you waiting for? We're meeting the client soon."

That quickly gets you to grab your things and head on over, well aware of the many gazes boring into you. Harumi's brows are raised high at her own desk on the room's other end; for her you have a little smirk, well remembering her past theft. Let her wonder what this is about.

"Did you have to make a scene in there?" you ask Giano outside, already hurrying after her wide strides. "I didn't really advertise where I'm planning to go."

"Sucks to be you then," she shoots back cheerfully before turning serious. "I really hope you're prepared. Some genius decided I'm going to be your examiner and just so we're clear, there will be no freebies. If you get in because I was nice and then mess up, I'm out of Hana too. Understood?"

You nod quickly and a hint of smile returns. "Good. Here's how this goes: I can help you as far as leading you to the meeting with your client. After that I will only step in where it makes sense, like in combat. Anything I can personally do, you can ask me for. I'm not allowed to use my contacts or anything else another provides here. This includes money, but I wouldn't buy you anything anyway."

"Alright." You feel a little like she talks down to you but appreciate her bluntness anyway. "But I can bring my own contacts, right?"

A thumbs up is given and you quickly produce your phone to place some calls. Hifumi agrees to meet you at the location and Maria babbles about buying a train ticket. Giano just listens to your side of the conversation, though you feel she also has augmented ears and hears all of them. Her expression gives nothing away.

Once you are done, Giano carries on: "Did you read the mission?"

You nod. "A few Feathers have gone missing the last days, first of them is someone called Holly Briar. Current status unknown, no leads on what happened or who may be responsible."

"Correct. Could be some Rats biting off more than they can chew, could be the Index mucking about, hell, it could have been the Sweepers for all we know." Giano makes a bit of a face even while saying it. "And I hate those missions more than anything because we have so little to go on. Doesn't help that this is a priority request because it concerns the Nest. Seven Association is primed to get on the case if we have no results after New Year's Eve."

"That's only four days?"

Giano meets your surprised look with an even one of her own, then repeats herself: "Priority request."

You just accept it and try not to sigh. "Is meeting the client normal?"

"No." And there is more irritation than you expected in that one word. Giano makes a sweeping motion that has nearby civilians scatter. "There were a number of requests for missing persons cases, but this specific one also wants to be part of the investigation. Or, in other words, you get to keep her safe while doing it."

And now you do sigh. This gets better and better, but the irony is not lost on you.

"Weird how things like these turn out," you mutter. Giano just hums in agreement.

The two of you reach a Zwei-protected area soon after, but Giano's presence on its own already prevents any trouble. She leads you across something like a plaza to a weirdly cozy café.

Halfway there, a third figure suddenly walks by your side. You only realise several seconds later when Giano casts a glance to your other side and chuckles. "It's been a while, Hifumi. Is Shi everything you expected?"

"It is, miss," the assassin murmurs with a faint bow toward her. Neither pays any mind to your startled flinch. "I have no grounds to complain."

"Glad to hear it. Now-"

"Ciellll!"

You all turn as one and find Maria rushing toward you with a bright smile. Her sky blue ponytail flies after her almost like a fluffy cape and she waves cheerfully. Moreover, her aura is subtle but there and makes literally everyone take several steps out of her path.

She comes to a stop in front of you and beams, almost vibrating with energy. "I rushed over as fast as I could!"

This is even weirder than Giano making a scene earlier. You just nod and hope Maria stops doing this soon. "Thanks for being quick about it. This is Giano, Hana Grade Five, and over here is... do you still go by Shadow?"

A nod comes from Hifumi, though he is clearly confused when Maria shakes his hand with great enthusiasm. Giano is bemused as well but hides it better. You finish the sentence anyway: "Yes, Shadow, now Shi Grade Six I guess?"

"Grade Five," the assassin corrects. "I got promoted recently."

"Nice to meet you both! I'm Maria, Grade 4."

You notice the immediate change in their postures; Hifumi becomes more rigid and Giano's back straightens even as her brow rises into her hairline. You feel similar, even if Maria does not seem to demand any respect or see herself as higher than the rest of you.

She turns back to you eagerly. "So what's the plan?"

You fill in both her and Hifumi on the final stretch to the café, then lead your odd group inside. Finding your client takes a moment of scanning faces and trying to remember her, but a blonde woman in the back waves you over before you can recognise her features. It makes sense, considering you only ever got a glimpse of her.

"Rosamond Briar?" you ask cautiously once in front of her, to which she nods. The erstwhile leader of The Thorns does not seem to recognise you at all, which suits you just fine. "May we sit down?"

Her eyes narrow before flicking to Giano. She talks to the redhead, clearly ignoring you: "I was told that Hana Association is taking care of the matter. What is this about?"

Giano for her part almost seems to relish Rose's displeasure. She offers a faux apologetic bow and a smirk. "The matter was handed to a promising applicant; it is they who were tasked with finding your father."

You can already see Rose's mood drop further, but Maria interjects: "Ohhh, you're applying for Hana Association! Now I get how it all fits together. I got an offer to join them when I hit Grade 5, but I turned them down. I like being independent too much."

It sounds and feels like an anecdote yet earns Maria the attention of your group plus Rose; if she is aware of the exasperation from you and sheer confusion from everyone else, she does not acknowledge it. You suppress another sigh as becomes the norm with her and turn back to Rose.

"How about we get to the important part. The faster we do, the faster we can find the missing folks."

"Yes, fine. Sit down." She mutters about having come into the Backstreets of all places for this, but you can not really glean anything useful from it. Rose sips her tea with a sneer that makes her otherwise gentle features contort. "And just to be clear, I do not care in the slightest about whoever else vanished. My father is the one I want found and you will focus on him."

You cast a glance to Giano, who nods. So you do the same. "That's the plan. Do you have anything in terms of clues where he could have gone?"

Only when Rose hesitates do you realise there are bags under her eyes. She works her jaw for several seconds before coming to a decision.

"He and some of his colleagues went to the Backstreets on occasion. I do not get why they would want to come into this dump, but they do."

"Didn't he tell you?" Maria chimes in curiously, to which Rose rolls her eyes while shaking her head.

"So the surroundings of the Nest are our first hint," Hifumi says, more to you than anyone else. He earns a nod in response before you turn back to Rose.

"Which area of the Nest do you live in? That is, which way is the shortest into the Backstreets?"

Giano helpfully spreads a map onto the table for Rose to squint at. What you figure out over the next few minutes is that the closest exit to the Backstreets is further to the West. Maybe two hours of jogging. Not ideal, but it is a lead.

"But do we know it happened in the Backstreets?" Hifumi asks again, mostly you but also Rose; she has no answer and you now have to consider this as well. What if Holly Briar was attacked inside of the Nest?

You frown and look to Giano. She will know more about this than you. "How are our chances of getting into Nest I?"

"No problem if it's for work," she answers, which is reassuring. "Especially when on Hana business and escorting a Feather. But that aside," she adds with a look to Rose, "do you have a picture of your father that we can show people?"

"And do you have any augmentations?" you add with another glance at the route.

Rose was just nodding, but now she shrugs back at you. "No, why would I have any? I'm a student. I can protect myself if that was what you were wondering about."

"I was more thinking about the distance," you respond hesitantly. At worst someone needs to carry her. How did she even get this far out here?

"What's wrong with taking the train?"

That question brings you up short; it makes sense that WARP-trains go to the Nest as well, but you never even thought about it. Then again, you may miss something crucial by not walking the path. Which you tell Rose, who is not happy.

"So," Maria summarises, "we check either the Nest from her home to the Backstreets checkpoint, or from the checkpoint outward. Right?"

You nod, though there is another thought bubbling in your head. Rose and her father were The Thorns' secret backers and leaders. It could be that this is related, which may make it worthwhile to check out the old Thorns hideout and its surroundings. This is your only bet outside of asking people across the route Holly Briar may have taken. You could just run out into the Backstreets and hope, but nobody is that lucky.

---

[] Go into the Nest to investigate

[] Check out the Backstreets near the Nest border

[] Follow your hunch to the old Thorns hideout

---

???
-Current Classification: Urban Plague
-Number of Opponents: ???
-Goal: ???
-Displayed Strategy: ???

Ciel's Team
-Number of People: 5
-Current Grades: 6 (Ciel), 5 (Giano, Hifumi/Shadow), 4 (Maria), None (Rose Briar)
-Goal: Find Holly Briar and information on the missing Feathers before the new year, protect Rose

Information
-Holly Briar and some colleagues head into the Backstreets on occasion

---

-Ciel's Wealth changes from "Really Well Off" to "Barely Afloat"
-Hifumi's Fixer Grade changes: Grade 7 -> Grade 5
-Maria's Fixer Grade changes: Grade 6 -> Grade 4
-Contact removed: Dexter
-Contact removed: Darius (because enough time has passed that neither Ciel nor he really remembers the other)
-New Contact: Rosamond "Rose" Briar (Feather, University student, former Thorns leader/backer | Relation: Former Opponent, now client)