( Triela woke with a start... )

Triela had slept off and on throughout the day. She's tried to be awake for her friends, but she was just so... tired. She was pretty sure she'd fallen asleep in the middle of at least one conversation, and she knew that was a bad sign ( Read more... )

The Social Welfare Agency was situated in a massive compound on the edge of the city. It had once been a boarding school. A very high-end one. A massive two-wing dormitory, gardens, classrooms, administrative buildings. Much of it had been repurposed: some of the gardens converted into shooting ranges, some of the classrooms into medical ( Read more... )

Triela sat at the table in the center of the room she shared with Claes. She didn't have anything to occupy her hands with since all of her stuff was packed in anticipation of returning to Fandom.

Even though she had no indication that she'd be making said return.

( Claes turned the page in whatever book she was reading today and glanced up. )

Triela had known as soon as she'd heard all the things Alessandro had wanted her to do that this moment was coming. There was no avoiding it. The other girls at the Agency were going to want to see her "dressed up". Petrushka already had, of course, she'd actually been quite helpful with the whole makeup thing, actually. But the others... well ( Read more... )

It almost made the entire ordeal worth it just to watch Hilshire's eyes nearly bug out. For a man so reserved and quiet, the sort who didn't do facial expressions, Hilshire had a truly epic "utterly shocked" face ( Read more... )

"Strip down," Alessandro ordered casually. Rather than complying Triela leveled a death glare directly at him. It was a rather good death glare, really. She had a lot of practice after all. Unfortunately Alessandro seemed unaffected. He just rolled his eyes at her. "I need to know what I'm working with before we can get started," he pointed ( Read more... )

Triela stood stiffly against the back wall of the conference room. Petrushka stood next to her, appearing far more relaxed, but the little glances she kept tossing toward Triela made it obvious that she was both more nervous and a better actress. Though Triela rather doubted Alessandro (she had to suppress a scowl at the thought of him) was ( Read more... )

Triela awoke with a start and tried to sit up. She wasn't sure where she was. And she was wrapped in... a blanket? And... lying in the back of a van ( Read more... )

Christiano lived in an old villa out in the Milano countryside. The only way in or out was a winding mountain road so there were teams set up about half a mile from the house in each direction to make sure no one interrupted the operation. The house itself was almost completely dark, as if the massive structure were unoccupied ( Read more... )