Back at the Division 4 Base, Truth and his team finally arrived, stretching out their sore muscles after the long flight. They waved to Annette before Truth's gaze landed on Stone and her team, who were eating dinner.
"Yo, Stoney, did Kenji and his brothers leave?" Truth asked casually.
Stone looked up from her plate. "Yeah, those brats left."
"Damn, I actually wanted to see them before they left." Truth sighed, pulling up a chair at Stone's table.
"Hah! Too bad." Stone snorted, taking a long gulp from her cup.
Blade stood behind Truth as usual, while Marko and Yoon went off to chat with Stone's other teammates. Blade's sharp eyes landed on Stone's drink. "Are you drinking right now?"
"Yup." Stone responded nonchalantly, taking another swig.
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed across the base. "BOW BEFORE ME, YOU WEAKLINGS, AND TOUCH MY TOES!"
Stone, Truth, and Blade turned toward the commotion. Berry, a girl with green hair and a raven-feathered cloak, stood on a table, two bottles clutched in her hands, her face red with intoxication.
"Berry, Berry, Berry! Relax, don't make noise, you know? You mustn't make noise at night, you know? But it's okay to be free, you know?" A man with a weird haircut, half-lidded eyes, and simple clothes murmured beside her.
Marko roared with laughter, a cup in hand, while Yoon staggered toward Truth and Blade.
"Tru, Tru—hic—is it? Is it Tru? Am… am I weak? Am I weak?" Yoon hiccupped, her cheeks flushed, eyes glistening with tears.
Truth patted her head kindly. "It's okay, it's okay. You're not weak."
Blade's gaze softened as she looked down at Yoon before turning back to Stone. "Did you give them their equipment?" she asked, finally taking a seat next to Truth.
"Yup." Stone answered absentmindedly. "Kinda odd, don't you think? Headquarters sending a mission to our rookies so early?"
"Not really. We sent a report to HQ about how our rookies took down a bandit group and saved a village. Doesn't that sound ridiculous? Three against more than thirty?" Blade raised an eyebrow, signaling Annette with a hand.
Annette approached, bowing before placing a small bowl of red berries in front of Blade. Blade nodded in thanks, and Annette bowed again before retreating to the bar.
"Ha! These kids sure impressed me. That crimson-headed one knows how to fight, both barehanded and with a sword."
"Yeah." Blade agreed, popping a berry into her mouth.
"Do you really think it's safe for them to be out right now? There have been reports of sudden attacks and ambushes around the Empire."
"Yes, we're aware of the reports."
"My team and the others tried tracking them down, but we barely caught a glimpse. We couldn't pin down whether it was one person or a group." Stone shrugged, spinning the liquid in her cup lazily.
"Yoon, we weren't able to catch them or even get a good look, but the rookies might be okay." Truth leaned back.
"And where do you get that confidence from?" Blade asked inquisitively.
Truth smirked, looking at both women. "The Captain said, 'They will be annoying to get rid of.'"
Both women sighed at his answer.
"YOU WEAKLINGS BETTER APPRECIATE MY TOES!" Berry shrieked again.
"You're making noise, Berry." Stone said calmly.
"Sorry, Stoney." Berry muttered meekly, swaying in place.