[Zwei Not]

Zinnober 15 - 18, 80 AC

The mission description was straightforward enough. A White Fang deserter by the name of Ria Carmesi needed protection while she requested political asylum. Juno and any one member of VCVS of his choosing would be that protection. Of course, whoever Juno chose would have to be tact, friendly, and understanding toward their charge, whilst also not being a perceivable threat. Verdant with his WF mask and Samuel with his aloof behavior and cybernetic enchancements could easily give the wrong impression. So he chose to bring Caja with him. He knew her as kind, well meaning, and lacked any overtly threatening traits. Yes, she was against the White Fang for breaking her home, but this person was a deserter. Ria left the Fang because she disagreed with their motives and methods. Maybe the two could find common ground.

Juno took a deep breath as he pushed on the door to the dorm, scanning the room for a moment before locating his girlfriend. "Caja," he called out, halfway between the room and the hallway. "We're on a new assignment. Bodyguarding for up to a week. Think you can be ready in about an hour?" he asked, a small smile at his lips. Barring any monumental screw ups, this would be an easy assignment. They were good fighters, tasked with the protection of a single target. They would be fine.

[Queso]

Caja had no idea about the mission yet, she was merely sat at her reloading bench, a tray of brass casing in her hand as she held them under a funnel, every so often, the girl would pull a lever on the side of the funnel and release a pre-measured volume of smokeless powder into one of the cases before she moved to the next piece of brass and repeated the process, while the process of producing her own ammunition was tedious, it was much cheaper than buying ammo from the shop and allowed for Caja to create her own specific loads.

The sound of the door being opened behind her caused the girl's head to swivel as her ears pricked up, a greeting smile forming on her pink lips as she noticed that the figure in the doorway was merely Juno, however, her smile was quickly replaced once the teen explained that he wanted her to accompany him on a mission. "A bodyguarding mission? Who are we meant to be protecting and why?" She asked, her frown increasing as she awaited an answer.

[Zwei Not]

Juno paused as he considered how to word the following statement, using the moment of awkward silence to take a seat on his bed. "A deserter from the White Fang. She has agreed to give law enforcement insight on any plans the Fang might have in return for political asylum. In the meantime, we are to protect her from any assassination attempts." he explained as he dug a large black and green case out from under the bed, opening it up to reveal his suit.

As Juno busied himself with changing into the armor, Phi continued where he left off, her avatar appearing on Caja's desk. "Our charge is a ferret Faunus by the name of Ria Carmesi, and was a protest organizer back before the Fang turned to terrorism. Why she stuck with the group for so long afterward is unknown, but also has little bearing on our mission." she stated, glancing up to Caja as she finished. "So, Caja. Do you accept?"

[Queso]

The awkward silence from Juno gave Caja a slight idea that whatever the boy was about to say, the girl wasn't going to like it. The moment Juno brought up the words 'white fang', Caja rolled her eyes and spun back around in her chair, going back to filling the cases. "No, forget it, she shouldn't have played with fire, it's her own fault, I'm not risking my life for some terrorist who's suddenly changed her mind and pussied out." She replied, her tone clearly full of irritation.

As Phi suddenly materialised upon her desk, Caja's frown vanished into a soft smile, she always enjoyed the other girl's company. "I'll tell you why she stuck around so long, it's because she doesn't care about the terrorism aspect, she's probably had a run-in with one of her higher ups and is using us as way to protect herself from the consequences of her own mistakes." Caja replied defiantly, leaning down to rest her chin on the wooden table, her eyes now level with Phi's. "So, no, I don't accept" She added, bringing one finger up and gently rubbing the hair of Phi's avatar.

[Zwei Not]

Both Phi and Juno couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Caja's vehement disapproval. Yes, she didn't like the Fang, but wouldn't she be fine protecting someone from them? "You don't know that. What you do know is that she needs our help. If she knows more about what the Fang is planning, she could help take the fight to the Fang and take them apart. Don't you want that?" Phi stated emphatically, pushing Caja's hand away.

"Caja, I chose you for a reason. She is more likely to trust you more than anyone else on the team, and the Fang ruined both of your lives. If I can't get you to help me on your own, what could I do to convince you to change your mind?" Juno asked as he slid the last gauntlet over his right arm, flexing his hand before striding toward the girl.

[Queso]

As Phi made her disapproval of Caja's choice verbally clear, the girl frowned slightly, her smile fading as Phi pushed her finger away. Once Juno finished talking too, the girl sighed and sat upright in her chair. "Fiiiiine..." She started, leaning her head back further. "But if she acts up, I'm slottin' her, I don't care. And are you certain that this will help our effort against the fang? It still seems a little iffy to me, like she's just using us for personal protection." The girl added, voicing her concerns to the pair. After a brief pause, the girl took a deep breath and looked back down at the desk. "And may I say, Phi, you're looking extra cute today." She commented, smiling as she did so.

[Zwei Not]

"I'm sure enough that the results of this mission will be mutually beneficial." Juno stated flatly as he sat down on the bed and looked the girl over. In all honesty, he had his doubts about the charge, but if she was legit, then the information she carried could be more than useful. "All I ask is that you be decent to our charge. Sound fair?"

"That means no shooting or otherwise threatening to shoot her." Phi interjected, almost entirely ignoring the "cute" compliment, save for a light blush and shuffle of her feet. She found it odd that the girl seemed to take to her so well, especially considering her relationship with her handler. Nevertheless, the AI attempted to maintain a stance of stoicism as she continued. "The bullhead is scheduled to leave in an hour. If you would like us to leave so you can get ready, we will."

[Queso]

As Juno explained that the mission would help damage the fang like Caja wished, the girl letting out a long, drawn-out sigh as she thought about her decision, her head leaning back once more as she stared up at the ceiling. Caja was about to reply to Juno, but cut herself off as Phi began to speak, chuckling once she was finished talking. "Well, like I said, I'll shoot her if she doesn't behave, so I'm going to have to deny your request there." She replied, using her feet to push away from the desk before leaning forward and standing up. Once upright, the girl turned towards Juno. "Well, an hour doesn't give me much time to think... I think I'll have to come with you then, but you promise this will help to my cause against the fang, right? I don't want this to be a waste of my time."

[Zwei Not]

Well,it seemed that the girl's resigned yes was the best Juno was going to get out of her. At the very least, she agreed to it, though her refusal to be civil was... disconcerting. If he was lucky, there wouldn't be any issues between Caja and their charge. If not, he would probably have to play mediator on an imbalanced argument between two heavily biased people.

Wheeee.

"I promise, I promise. Don't let me down, aight?" he replied as he strode toward the closet, pulling out a green and black duffel bag before filling it to the brim with clothes, toiletries, and dust cells. "Like I said, ship leaves in an hour and we'll be gone for a week. You should pack."

[Queso]

As Juno promised that their efforts would go towards Caja's cause, the girl's frown remained on her face, slightly doubting Juno's claim. "I'll try not to..." She replied, her voice fairly quiet as she watched Juno move towards the cupboard and full his bag. "Yeah, alright." The girl responded as she slowly got up and walked over to her bed and retrieved a small carry-on suitcase from under it, which she then wheeled to her drawer before filling it with a few sets of clothes. Once she had her outfits sorted, Caja turned and went over to her own closet and pulled out her combat belt, magazines and pistols already in it. "Welp, I'm pretty much done, you?"

[Zwei Not]

In the time it took for Caja to get herself packed, Juno was already standing at the door, his bag at his feet and his scroll hooked to his headset. "I'm set. We can head out whenever." Juno replied as he sung the bag over his shoulder, tapping the console on his headset to project the visor. The trip wouldn't take long, the hotel was just across the city, and had a landing pad for bullheads. Accommodations had already been set, and the two would have a room directly across from their charge. The Fang were likely busy with more than just hunting down a deserter, anyway. To be frank, the hardest part of this mission should just be keeping Caja from killing the charge herself.


The hotel was a nice, large, seven story complex. The rooms they were set with were sizable, especially considering that the two were comfortable with sharing a bed. It didn't take long for Juno to settle in, setting his bag down next to the bed and immediately knocking on the door across the hall. After a few moments of silence, he knocked again, pressing an ear to the door, only for it to swing slightly open, stopped only by a deadbolt, a pair of golden eyes peering back at him. The piercing eyes scanned him, as though she was actively searching for anything that could possibly paint him as an assailant. Once her search was concluded, she let out a sigh of relief and unlatched the door, letting the armored man in and glancing at the faunus across the hall.

Juno studied the woman's concerned face, glancing between her and his girlfriend before speaking up. "She isn't Fang. She's with me. You have nothing to worry about." he stated, motioning for Caja to join them.