"The…team?" Ashton mutters, a thick ash-colored eyebrow raised as he looks up, meeting eyes with a surprisingly calm looking Mad Dog. Mad Dog nods his head, shoving his hands in his pockets as he tilts his head to look up, like he's lost in thought.
"Yeah, our class, is what they call it, or sum." Mad Dog said, his voice sounding stale, like he's already bored of explaining.
"All executioners work in groups." The small lady said, her back facing Ashton as she elegantly strides forward, almost like she's skiiing on ice. It surprisingly takes Ashton a lot more speed to catch up with her and Black Bulter, was it? So does everyone get nicknames or something? "Often you will work in pairs, but sometimes I do pair a executioner with someone else, vice versa. Executioners also do solo missions as well or group missions, but it depends on the mission and circumstances."
"I mean you shove my ass to the gutter all the time." Mad Dog said. "And half the time I don't even have back up, so."
"Well now you have the perfect owner to hold you leash." The small lady—Boss—right, Ashton almost forgot, said under her breathe. "Look, wishes do come true."
Ashton snorts, but he quickly clears his throat, avoiding a glare coming from Mad Dog's direction.
"Anyways," Boss said, turning another sharp corner and walking straight ahead. Jeez, there are so many corners. "You're specific team consists of six other agents. Two are currently on a mission, so introductions for them will be reserved for another time."
"Ah, Corpse Princess and Golem still away, I see?" Mad Dog asked, looking as if he's lost in thought. "Why didn't we wait? They should be back soon."
"We have no time." Boss said, standing in front of a large set of doors. "We must ready Incinerator to train and be prepared to go on his first mission with you, Mad Dog."
"I-who's wait, that's me?" Ashton said, pointing a finger to himself. "When did I get a nickname? And why do I kind of like it?"
Boss snickers, which causes Mad Dog and Black Butler to do a double take and watch her with large eyes.
"It's fitting, I presume." Boss said, motioning for Black Butler to open the door, which he nods, turning and using his strength to push it open for them, only to reveal a new set of large doors. "Don't worry. The only ones who knows your true name is amongst us currently. Before First Shooter and Killer Brigade left, I made sure to take care of them."
Ashton blinks, confusedly nodding his, but he doesn't comment further, not until Black Bulter strides forward, pushing through another door and another door and-Jesus Christ, where's the end-?
"Was all these doors necessary?!" Ashton exclaims, sliding though another large door to keep up with Boss' quick pace. Boss shrugs, motioning Black Butler to open the next one, which he nods, striding forward to push through, yet this time, there's a large light that almost blinds Ashton to tears.
"No." Boss said. "We are here." She said.
Ashton blinks. Standing in a black and white checkered room with a long table and many—too many—chairs. The room is tall enough to feel like Ashton is drowning in it, and the further Ashton steps inside the room, he feels like he's almost sinking, too.
"Wow! It took you long enough, huh?" It's a high, familiar voice that snaps Ashton out of his stupor. It's the short girl with the black bob and brown eyes, the one who called him short.
"Hey, to be fair, Brigade, getting to this room takes so much work." It's the taller girl with aqua hair and matching eyes—First Shooter, if Ashton remembers correctly, that speaks. "But I'm glad you made it here safely!"
Ashton opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn't know what to really say, so he softly grunts and mutters out a thanks.
"This is your teams' meeting room." Boss said, interrupting Ashton's awkward moment, which he's heavily grateful for. Boss suddenly raises her small hand, motioning to the long table. Across the head seat, which Ashton assumes is reserved for boss, and a few seats down to his left is a seat with a pile of items in front of it—items, Ashton presumed, that may be for him. "You can take your seat right over there. We've included your uniform, as well as a set of training gear for you."
Ashton nods, awkwardly nodding his head to the girls in acknowledgment before he slides to his seat, pulls his chair out, and sits down, awkwardly shuffling as all eyes in the room shift to him.
Mad Dog sighs, softly rolling his eyes as he pulls out the chair from next to Ashton and sits down, lazily hanging his head and swinging his arms as he relaxes.
"Where is Vinci and Red Genocide?" Boss turns her head, her attention pinned on the girls. First Shooter nervously shifts in her seat, peaking between Killer Brigade and Boss, until Killer Brigade sighs, putting her plump cheek in her palm.
"Vinci is running a few minutes left. He overslept. Again." Killer Brigade said.
"Again, huh?" Boss said, her tone soft, yet her eyes become bright, unyielding. "I assume I'll need to have a chat with him about that. And Genocide?"
"Oh-I don't know." Killer Brigade said. "He's everywhere and nowhere man. I can't keep up-."
"I'm actually right here..." A soft voice interrupts the conversation, one that is awfully too close to Ashton's ears. Ashton blinks, slowly turning his head to meet wide red eyes too, way too close to his face for comfort.
Ashton, shocked and suddenly spooked, lets out a very unmanly scream.
Ashton jumps back, forgetting he's in a chair, and he readies himself for the hard fall, one that never comes, because Mad Dog is quick, grabbing the back of Ashton's chair by one hand and holding it up with enough strength to prevent Ashton from smashing his head.
"T-thanks…" Ashton mutters as Mad Dog pushes his chair back up, averting his eyes as he nods his head, like he understands. Ashton keeps his eyes on the table, but he feels his ears burning with heat.
"He does that, so get use to it." Mad Dog said. "He has no presence until he goes crazy in a fight."
"No-huh?" Ashton whips his head around, noting that the red eyes and pale face from before is no where near him anymore. Ashton almost panics, trying to find the mysterious person who almost made him shit his pants, but he can't find him, to no avail.
"Red Genocide." Boss softly said, letting out a sigh to match. "Please reframe from hiding in the corner and sit down. We are having a team meeting."
Ashton whips his head around, noticing the glowing red eyes focused on him in a dark corner, the corner dark enough to hide the figures body and face—but jeez, are those eyes beady and menacing.
"I…apologize. I did not mean to scare our newest. I am sorry, so so sorry." A soft, shaky comes from the corner. "I wanted to arrive early to greet the newest one. It appears as I overdid it."
"You think?" Mad Dog said, rolling his eyes. "Why didn't you just come with Vinci? He'd least make you come here normally."
"As you've found out, he overslept no matter how many times I tried to wake him, so I decided to part ways and arrive early." The soft voice said. "However, too—far too early in fact, because no one was hear until now."
"I'm scared to ask how early you came…" Killer Brigade said, but she grunts soon after, shooting First Shooter a soft glare as she nudges Killer Brigade's side.
"Enough of this, Red Genocide. Sit. Now." Boss said, pointing to a random seat for Red Genocide to sit at. There's a quick moment of awkwardly silence before there's a soft grunt from the corner, followed by a tall man with pale skin and bright red eyes and hair. He's shying holding his arm as he walks out of the corner and begrudgingly at the seat Boss points to, which happens to be the one directly in front of Ashton.
"Apologizes for earlier." Red Genocide said, his voice soft and his red eyes decorated with large dark circles under them. "I tend to do that by mistake."
"It's…it's okay." Ashton awkwardly said. "I-."
The door burst open to present a tall man with jet black hair, wearing a painted, colorful kimnono and an all black suit underneath. He's gasping for breath, one hand on the door and another on his knees with a cigarette illuminating smoke from his pale fingers. The man looks up, his black eyes wide and twitching as he gasps for breath, coughing up a storm until he clears his throat and leans against the door, his face sweaty and tired.
"I…made it." He said, sliding down the door and leaning against it, shakily lifting his hand to take a swig out of his cigarette. "Fuck, I made it."
"You in fact, did not make it." Boss said, waving the new visitor off as she turns, motioning for Black Butler to pull out the head chair for her to sit in. "You're late. We'll chat about that later. For now, get in gear. We have things to discuss."