Stahlmin 99 [Claes, Goib]

She couldn't believe it.

She was a traineeeee!!!!! The last few weeks had probably been the best in Kiara's life. She spoke to a recruiter and was pretty much whisked right in thanks to Claes' recommendation! Now, here she was! It was pretty similar to her last school if she was being honest. A lot of reading material. She would LOVE getting to the practical stuff soon!

Now if only she could stop getting in trouble...

This was the third infraction she'd received for dress code alone. The first day she'd simply swapped out her cloak for the trainee's. Apparently that 'wasn't enough'. The next, she'd simply worn the vest and pants (though she cut the pants into shorts) Apparently that 'was distracting the other trainees'. She tried to wear the uniform for a bit, but it was REALLY stifling and uncomfortable. She THOUGHT she found middle ground today...She'd cut the sleeves on the outfit vertically,letting them drape behind her arms. Another vertical slit from the upper chest to her neck, letting her chest tattoo barely peek out. Finally she cut the pants into shorts once more. She figured it would be fine! Apparently, she was...well she didn't even listen to what she did wrong this time. She talked back before the officer got much out.

So now, here she was! Waiting outside of 'admissions' for some kind of disciplinary action.

Bright side? She was PRETTY SURE Claes was going to be the one to do it. She hadn't seen her for a little bit, so, despite the context she was quite excited! Plus Claes was very smart and understanding! She'd get why Kiara needed to do this! Heck she might even back her up!!!

"Trainee Ferro?" a called out from inside the office.

Kiara would be prompted to go inside the room. It was no different from any of the other clerical rooms in Leiger's Expiate headquarters. A bunch of books, a bunch of files, a bunch of drawers, and some busybody working behind the desk and typing on a typewriting machine. There were a few plaques here and there (typical of any academic setting), but also some interesting artifacts and art pieces. The room was also different in that it had been painted a holly-red, contrasted by a blue-green carpet. The person at the desk was someone Kiara wouldn't really know, a woman with mint green hair in a bob wearing a dress variation of the Expiate outfit: a blue outer dress layer and blazer coat over a ruffled skirt below the knees and a high neck blouse with a frilly collar. In a separate chair was Claes. She was in her typical officer outfit, albeit, she had draped her waistcoat over the chair, most likely since the room was stuff.

Upon Kiara's entrance, Claes and the woman both looked at her.

"Ah! Miss Ferro!" the woman with the bobbed hair said brightly. Her mint eyes shone from behind her gold-rimmed glasses. "It's a surprise seeing you here again!"

"I-is it?" Claes said looking at Kiara's uniform. She then looked at Kiara directly. "What...inspired your outfit at the moment?"

"Hold the door!"

And only a moment after Kiara entered the room, someone else entered with her. Holding a stack of papers, the fourth persona appeared to be a man of orange hair and a rather orderly uniform, a practical opposite of Kiara's mutilated garbs. He appeared to be in a hurry, due to him making a beeline towards the office lady's desk, placing the stack on an empty space.

"Phew! There you go Madam, it wasn't easy to get all the papers prepped up so quickly, but the job has been completed." He said, placing his hand on his brow, before turning to see Claes was there. "Ah, good day Officer Alfson! Apologies for the interruption, but I was tasked to deliver this papers as soon as possible. I reckoned my presence was already expected here, though perhaps not by you exactly." He said, and then turned again to see that there was someone else in the room.

Of course, the first thing that struck Goibniu was the strange way Kiara's uniform was turn, but then he noticed that what remained showed her to be an initiate, with made him gasp in surprise. "Oh my! Do we have a trainee here? Crikey, what happened to your uniform? Were you already sent to hunt down corrupted beasts?" He said, as he did a small chuckle. "Haha, I jest I jest. Officer Goibniu McCrae, at you service." He finished, as he extended his left hand to greet Kiara.

Kiara walked in boldly as she was called. That wasn't Claes' voice...which REALLY didn't bode well for her. Still, she was sure it would turn out okay. If she actually got the chance to EXPLAIN things, they might see things her way. If they didn't?

Well she supposed they would have to go on living in the wrong.

When she walked in and actually saw Claes, a bright smile spread quickly across her face. She made extra sure not to show teeth too! Apparently her teeth 'creeped people out'. She didn't want Claes to feel uncomfortable after all! Despite standing at attention, her hand would raise and wave furiously at Claes. Kiara was clearly overjoyed to see her.

Her bright smile, quickly turned embarrassed as the other woman spoke. She seemed happy to see her, which almost worried Kiara. "Same honestly! I really thought I'd found a nice compromise this time..." She shifted her body, dropping out of attention and placing a hand on her hip. She began to slip into thought as Claes suddenly asked a question. Before she could answer, someone NEW entered! Holy shit was he tall and...he was an enkidu! Oooooo! Stars shone in the girl's eyes as he entered and began to speak.

She'd never met many enkidu! She wondered what he'd think of her teeth! Also, she'd really like to use him for an experiment or two. She wanted to figure out how their roar worked and how to circumvent it. It would be useful for a police force to NOT have a crippling weakness after all!

His comment on her attire made her quickly look down. "I thought it looked cool..." She muttered. She had cool little capes on her arms now! Oh that's right! Claes asked her a question.

Wait.

The man wanted a handshake! That was weird right? He was her superior right? She had no idea how any of this worked!!!

"I'm Kiara Ferro! I'm a trainee here, it's really nice to meet you!" She'd grab his hand with her own and give it a vigorous shake. Suddenly though, she'd stand on her tiptoes and tilt her head. "Can you show me some of your tech sometime? I've been trying to reverse engineer some of it. Also! I have questions about the properties of the enkidu roar and how it might effect magic as a whole. Honestly there's not enough study going into it. If I end up writing up research papers I'd be sure to credit you for your assistance! I'd also like to test the strength of my cartic tattoos versus the enkidu roar. I have a spell in mind, though we should have some medics nearby if we...Wait...Just a moment!"

Claes asked her a question! She shouldn't keep her waiting any longer!

She suddenly swiveled, saluting. She was supposed to do that right? She hadn't gotten that far yet in training! It was all mostly orientation stuff.

"Well Claes-er maam? The outfit is restrictive. I have little to no access to my cartic tattoos, which is the most reliable way to defend myself and others should an emergency situation arise. By cutting into the outfit, I now have freedom of movement and easy access to my tattoos. I'm sure this is better than the alternative of me having to strip in an emergency situation."

Claes almost jumped out of her seat when Goibniu came bursting through the office door. Papers in hand, voice booming, and idiotic optimism oozing, the Enkidu couldn't help but make Claes twitch her eye.

Why does HE have to be here!?

It turned out he was hear to hand papers to the woman in the office, Sergeant Velhesca (Vella for short), who stood up to receive them happily.

"Ah, Officer McCrae!" she said. "These must be the papers the request by Commander Veiller on that Free Alchemist situation. Much obliged!"

Goibniu had also greeted Claes, but things went on rapidly fast when Goibniu greeted Kiara who seemed to take a liking to him.

Claes suddenly realized she was in a room with not one, but two sunshine-and-rainbow Expiate members who considered Claes their friend.

Ah...hell on earth... Claes thought to herself.

Whatever the case, Claes simply gave Goibniu a passive wave before turning back to Kiara who tried to defend her outfit change. On one hand, this was Kiara's third--no, was it fourth?--offense and Claes had to be strict. On the other hand, Claes found it a little hard getting mad at Kiara. It didn't help that she always had that sunny grin.

Claes settled for a neutral sigh.

"The Expiate uniforms were designed to provide efficient movement while also serving as protection for the skin," she said matter-of-factly. "However, since you mentioned your tattoos a compromise might be needed for them. That, the higher-ups are going to say that you should just do what everyone else does and memorize. For now, though, you're going to have to go through the typical ministrations. What is she going to be doing this time, Sergeant Vella?"

"Hmmm...?" Vella hummed as she read the papers. She then looked at the three as she adjusted her glasses. "Ah, that's right! Well, the original plan was to have her work in the uniform sector and force her to iron, fold, and whatnot--poetic justice and such. However, with what Chief's asking, I have some errands I need done. You're her designated guide, what do you think?"

Claes let out a small hum as she thought.

"That would work, yes. I should probably go along though, keep her out of trouble." she said.

"Wonderful! Why not bring Officer McCrae with you!"

WHY!? Claes' mind screamed.

A little quieter, she asked, "Is that...necessary? I'm sure you're very busy, are you not Officer McCrae? Plus, Cadet Ferro might not feel all too comfortable around new people."

Ha, lies, but these were desperate times.

The enthusiasm Kiara expressed was captured loud and clear by Goibniu, as the Enkidu merely smiled at the girl. As she kept talking, he turned briefly to Claes, and gave her a nod. "Hehe, an enthusiastic one! I like her already." He said, before turning back to Kiara to address her directly. "I'd be more than glad to show you some the technology I work on! Got some blueprints and notes you will probably enjoy perusing. And as for the Roar, I wouldn't mind! It's not like I am ethically or physically unable to perform it, perhaps it could help the Expiate gain an edge if they are ever confronted with other Enkidus as well!" While he wasn't able to match her in enthusiasm, as she was literally speaking faster than she was blinking, but it would be quite easy to detect his welcoming attitude.

The conversation then switched to Kiara trying to justify her uniform's rearrangement to Claes, which seemed to actually agree with her. Goibniu wasn't sure of how Kiara's magical tattoos worked, but if they needed to be exposed from them to work... then perhaps this was a good enough exception? "Orderly uniforms are paramount to show the public eye that we Expiate mean business, but it is also important to be as able as possible when we need to heed the call of duty. Ultimately I believe it falls on our superiors' decision, but perhaps they will consider your situation." He said, before he gave Kiara a slight nudge with his elbow. "Plus, you gotta be careful not to distract some of the other cadets, hoho!"

However, Velhesca wouldn't be able to be around them for long, as she mentioned she needed to perform some errands, leaving Claes with the task of accompanying Kiara throughout the HQ. And even extended an offer to Goibniu to join! "Oh! I would be glad to join in. Thankfully my schedule is pretty clean, so I wouldn't mind joining to show Cadet Ferro our installations. What do you think, trainee?" He asked, completely missing Claes' reservations.

At Claes' responded, Kiara was both happy and frustrated. Her salute dropped and she began to pout, her cheeks puffing out. "But I've already memorized the orientation booklet! I'm being told things I already know! If I could just get my hands on some of the actual training material I'd..." She paused, her face flushing for a moment. "I mean I should get through this process faster don't you think?"

She'd visibly jump back as her initial punishment was named. She COULDN'T do that again! She would go insane in there! Then again...She turned towards Goibniu and beamed. "Do you have the blueprints on hand!? I'd like to memorize them before I'm carted off to-er before I serve my sentence!" That wasn't any better..."The roar will have to wait...hmm. Let's plan a day in the future then hmm?"

Her excited look fell away at goib's pointed tease about her outfit. She tilted her head with a small frown. "Why would I distract the cadets?" She stretched out her arm and lightly traced a finger across the flowing tattoo. She had to be careful to not actually activate it. "I suppose the glow might be a bother..." Hmm..

No, it looked too cool to get rid of.

Suddenly, a decision was placed upon her. Kiara, naturally, completely missed what Claes was trying to convey. Instead, she beamed quite happily at the woman. "Claes! I'm really happy to know that you care about my own comfort!" She wanted to run up and hug her for being so nice. She knew better though. "While I'd love to spend some more time alone with Claes." After all, they really needed to catch up! She wanted to tell her about some adventures she had before actually being accepted into the academy! "I'd be fine with having officer McCrae join us!"

Claes' expression darkened when both Goibniue and Kiara figured it would be fun for everyone to be going together.

Ah...truly hell on earth... Claes thought to herself in disdain.

"Wonderful!" Velhesca exclaimed in delight. "I'll need you to go around headquarters today then to pass some papers around. Let's see...I need these reports re-examined by Officer Miris downstairs--she's head of our research department for those who don't know, I need to request an inventory from Medic Marthe since the head nurse put her in charge during her leave. Have her fill these checklists out.."

Velhesca started giving each of them folders and papers to carry, though she was doing so in such a fast manner that other papers started flying off her desk.

"I need you to PLEASE ask the people from the Special Ops department to give me their reports from last mission because they can be really stubborn! Ah, and last but not least, a letter to Chief Commander on the top floor. It's a personal letter so DO NOT open it or you'll all be turned into permafrost," Velhesca said, the last line a little TOO cheery for Claes' liking.

"W-wait, is this--"

"Yes, that is all for now! Come back later when you're done, I have to hurry with these papers or Chief will be furious! Tah-tah!"

Before the three could even ask more, Velhesca waved what looked like a letter opener and cast a glyph to usher them out the room. The slamming of the door followed shortly after. Claes looked at some of the papers she was holding.

"Well...I guess this is a thing now," she muttered. She then looked at Kiara and Goibniu. "Where do you guys want to head to first? Both the clinic and the Research Department are on this floor. It's best we go to these ones."

"But of course! We shouldn't take this organ for granted in terms of keeping records now, should we?" He said, as he tapped his head towards Kiara. "I wouldn't mind sharing some of them so that you can see, maybe you can learn a thing or two as well, haha!" He was very curious about whether she was able to actually manage to decipher the secrets of his race's Roar, but if she could, that would definitely be a plus for the Expiate.

And as she expressed confusion over his tease, Goibniu couldn't help but chuckle louder. "Haha, yeah, the glow might be distracting." He said, despite the fact it was clear he didn't actually mean that. Perhaps her innocent mind might not understand it well, so he opted to drop it. Once the unanimous decision was made that Goibniu would accompany them, Velhesca took the chance to explain to them that while he and Claes were showiing Ferro around, they needed to deliver some papers to some key members of the Expiate. Miris, Marthe, the Special Ops team, and even the Chief Commander!

"Oh my, that seems like a lot of correspondence for us to handle, Sergeant Velhesca." He said, as he eyed the papers they needed to deliver. "Nothing we can't handle, of course? Right Officer Alfson?" He added, as she mentioned where they could start. "Mmmmh... I'd say we could check on Officer Miris first, what you think Cadet Ferro?"

And just like that, Kiara received her very first mission. Despite getting booted out of the office, there was a sparkle in her eyes as they discussed a plan of attack. Though, she gave an odd look towards Goibniu at his words. "It's not too much at all, shouldn't take very long." She suddenly held out two fingers in a V shape and grinned wide. "Especially with me at the helm!" Suddenly, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded paper.

After a solid 5 seconds of unfolding she pulled out a map of the facility itself. She spun, leaning against Claes as she tried to give them both a look at the map. "If we need to do this fast, hitting the clinic first would be good. A checklist shouldn't take too long. Next we go to the research department. The reports needing to be reexamined may take a bit longer. The we could split up. One going to special ops while the rest go upstairs to deliver the letter." As she spoke, she traced out the best routes with her finger, clearly giving her all for this entirely mundane task.

"At most this will take thirty minutes, forty five if they are bad at their jobs."