The elevator dinged, and out stepped Cassie and Pedro With a young girl walking along between them, looking about the same age Lila was when she vanished. She wore a crisp school uniform: black skirt, white blouse, tie loose like she didn't give a damn. Long white hair flowed down her back and her eyes? Pink, glowing faintly even from across the room, like neon signs.
And hovering above her head, clear as day, was a golden halo, Shining weakly. Seed blinked hard.
"Oh, what now? An angel?" he sighed under his breath. He was too tired for shock anymore. Ghosts, gargoyles,ink bugs, halos—what next, is someone going to ride in with a unicorn or is jesus going to appear? Part of him wanted to laugh while the rest of him just wanted some more coffee.
"And what the heck are you looking at, old man?" the girl snapped, her voice annoyingly sharp like the kind of voice from an anime girl. Her Pink eyes locked on him, her halo tilting slightly.
"H—hey, I'm not that old!" Seed shot back, straightening up. Old? He was thirty-two, for Christ's sake. Prime age of a man, he was fit as fuck too.
"SEED! MY MAN! YOU CAME!" Cassie yelled, spotting him with a smile that split her face. She punched Pedro's arm lightly. "Told you he'd show."
"Of course I came, you threat—"
"Shush." Cassie slapped a hand over Seed's mouth, her palm tasting likemint gum. "Now's not the time for your jokes, haha" She pulled back, wiping her hand on her trench coat. "I didn't introduce you guys yesterday, but this is Pedro." She jerked a thumb at the slick-haired man, his goatee trimmed neat. "And this is our little queen, Mirabella. But Call her Mira."
"Oh. Hi. I'm Wallace, Seed Wallace." Seed stuck out his hand to Pedro first. A gentlemanly gesture as usual.
Pedro gripped it, squeezing hard enough to make Seed's knuckles pop. "It's not a pleasure to meet you, hair boy," he said, smirking. Cassie must've spilled about his Ghost Hair demonstration at the park. Seed shot her a glare, but she hid her face, shoulders shaking as she held back her laughter. Pedro let go and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping his hand like Seed was carrying some contagious disease.
"I don't approve of you, but the higher-ups take in just about anybody with a whiff of paranormal. So, welcome to the MMA, I guess."
Seed rubbed his hand, forcing a nod. He turned to Mira, hand out again. "Nice to—"
"Shut up," Mira cut him off, arms crossed, the halo shine flickering like a bad bulb. Her pink eyes narrowed. "Don't touch me. Don't look at me and DON'T talk to me"
Seed dropped his hand, half-smile frozen. "Right. Got it." He turned back to Cassie, rubbing his neck. "So, what now? Paperwork?"
Cassie chuckled, leaning on the reception desk. "Close. MMA's simple: We pair up in twos for missions. Solve paranormal crap; hauntings, rogue psychics...or fight the bad stuff causing mayhem. No big teams, just you and your partner, out in the field. Keeps it fast and keeps it quiet...the higher ups love everything to be QUIET".
She then sighed, glancing at Pedro. "I'm stuck with this stick-up-his-ass, but the bosses paired you with an awesome newbie." She gestured to Mira, who huffed, arms still crossed, halo hovering steady above her head and her foot tapping like she was counting down to something.
Seed's stomach dropped. "Wait, her? She's... what, in high school?"
Pedro snorted. "You'll be paired with her from now on. Missions, training on the fly. there's no supernatural academy to teach you tricks. You learn by doing and getting your hands dirty." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded paper, slapping it into Seed's palm.
"That's your first gig. Go check it out,solve it. fix it. If its not too much for you and if it is, call Cassie. We'll bail your ass out."
Seed unfolded the paper, scanning the typed lines:
C-rank Report of poltergeist activity. Abandoned site, recent fatalities (6 laborers). Unsecured beams shifting, echoes of screams. Possible entity feeding on grief. Resolve immediately.
"oh brother. Here we go again"