All Good Things Come At A Cost

[Myuka]

As the two team members wandered the bazaar Rosue nudged Myu on the arm, grabbing her attention as he motioned his head towards the palm tree in the center of the merchant town. To an outsider it would simply look like he was motioning that he wanted to move to the other side of the shop or to rest under the small amount of shade the hot bazaar offered, but Myu knew better.

Her eyes met the young looking boy who seemed like he was asleep at the base of the tree. What really threw her off wasn't how he could seem so defenseless in such a public place, but how he obviously looked anything but human in such a human dominant area! Those were some sort of branches on him, weren't they?! That could only mean that she and Rosue were the only people in the crowded area that could actually see him, or at least that she knew of. How to have a conversation with someone in such a public place without looking like such a lunatic?

She gently pulled Rosue by the arm, as if looking and taking the public role of a gentle girlfriend simply out shopping with her bored boyfriend as he rolled his eyes at her and didn't say a word. They walked towards the center of the Desert Bazaar, resting themselves in the shade of the palm tree. Myuka actually took a similar position to who she could only assume at this point was Celtic, sitting on the ground with her back against the tree. She held her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, looking a bit too relaxed for the situation they were in. Was it a false sense of security? Rosue decided to stay standing, his arms folded neatly across his chest and an un-amused look on his face at her relaxed gesture. If this man known as Celtic was facing South leaning against this tree, then Myu was facing East, not making eye contact with the stranger.

"Hey, did you see the pair of copper daggers on the way in? Ya know, the ones with the dragon carved hilts?" Myu questioned her counterpart as she looked up at him, he wasn't exactly sure what she was getting at but did his best to go along. He was never as good at these things as Rylee and Cadalena were.

"Yeah." It was a simple short response that Rosue was pretty famous for. After that, there was a good seven seconds of silence between the two before Myu's fake emerald green eyes were straight at Rosue in an almost piercing manner, prompting him to continue a conversation. "What about them?" He tried to hard to keep a conversation going, it was uncomfortable for him. Rosue wasn't a talker.

"They were pretty, it would be a great decoration." She continue, finally taking her eyes off of him and wandering her gaze around the bazaar once more. "They were asking eight hundred dollars for the pair." She made up a fake number to Rosue, though it was hard to tell if Rosue knew that number was fake or not by the surprised tone in his voice.

"Eight hundred? Isn't that a bit much for copper?" Rosue asked, still holding his same stance as earlier.

Myu shrugged. "Maybe, but I mean... 'all good things come at a cost.'" She didn't move her head but she shifted her eyes at the man next to her, wondering if it would trigger any sort of reaction.

 

[Crono]

A moment of silence passed. Then the boy slowly turned to Myuka, a smile on his face. "That was very clever. I liked that." His voice was soft and almost tired sounding, and his eyes... Where the irises would have began there was a mass of pale blue like a cold sky, and they stared straight ahead, not at the woman he was speaking with. The eyes were blind.

"I'm assuming you would like to speak in a more private area, as to not look like you are insane and talking to nothing. Follow me please." The boy hopped soundlessly off of the base of the tree and stopped for a molment, carfully sniffing the air. He then motioned for the two to follow him and made his way though the crowd, managing to not touch a single member of it even with his branches. Eventually he led Myuka and Rosue into a bar thick with the smell of alcohol, the boy made a face but continued until he got to a table in the far corner of the place.

The boy felt the top the table until he touched a card that said reserved on it, which he then pocketed. The boy took a seat at the table and motioned almost at the other chairs. "You may sit, or stand if you perfer that, but I think it would look suspicious personally. I will answer any questions you have, I'm Celtic by the way." The boy seemed to realize he was babbling and looked down nervously. "Um... I'm a little uneasy, no offense. I don't do well in the," he gestured up at the air, "heat."

 

[Myuka]

Myu was surprised by the boys' tone of voice, it was more calm than she expected. He sounded young, possibly younger than her? Or maybe they were the same age and she just had the misfortune of adding a few mental years to her status which made her feel and sound older sometimes. When he mentioned that maybe they should move locations she mentally agreed with him, watching him stand up and begin his movements. Since she did not see his eyes just yet she was thrown off when he momentarily paused and sniffed the air, what was he exactly? A bomb sniffing dog? She couldn't help but smile slightly at her own mental thought.

She stood back up and began following the boy, which Rosue easily followed as well. Once they made their way into the bar Myu and Rosue seemed to instantly take note of their surroundings. People, but not a packed bar. Too early for them to be completely trashed... okay except for maybe that one man by the jukebox. He didn't seem to be a threat though, he could barely stand. No one seemed to have eyes on them as of yet, all preoccupied with their own doings. Seemed like a safe location for now.

When Myuka and Rosue sat at the table it was the first time she noticed how blank his eyes look. Now the sniffing earlier made sense! His blank eyes reminded her a lot of how Cadalena's looked, though she could only assume he was actually blind, unlike her team member who could see perfectly clear. She listened to the boy babble on for a little while until he finally stated his name, thankfully she was correct and he was actually Celtic. Good to know. When he finally finished his mouthful of words she found a good time to finally speak directly to him.

"So the few things I know about you so far; you're name is Celtic, you seem like you can't see worth a damn but to make up for it you can smell like a dog to avoid running into obstacles as long as those obstacles have a scent, and you don't like heat. That's a pretty loaded list for the first three minutes." Myuka somewhat joked, but also couldn't help but see the handicap this might bring later when push came to shove in getting the artifact. What was more important to her employer if it came down to it; getting the artifact or keeping Celtic safe?

"You'll have to forgive us since we are a bit new in the situation. I'm assuming you know more about our employer than even we do.," gesturing to her and Rosue. "So I guess the things that would be important to know are any information about you that is important in the upcoming case. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Do you work well in high stress situations or do you fall apart?" She began with questions for him, and then after a brief pause leaned back in her chair and thought more. "Also if you know any information on the artifact that we might not know yet. We're currently looking into it's possible location and overall form. But if you happened to already know of these things, it would save us a lot of time." She was curious if he knew anything that they weren't already informed of.

 

[Crono]

Celtic didn't quite get the joke and spent a good few minutes thinking it out as he listened to the woman speak. Could it be that she was commenting on his excessive blurb of information or perhaps it was sarcasm about how worthless the information was? He would have thought it over more had he not been prompted to speak. "Hmm... My strengths, and my weaknesses? Well let's see..."

The boy seemed to turn this over in his head a bit before replying. "As you said before while I can't see I can hear, feel, and smell better then most creatures with sight, I can pick up things that normally would go unnoticed, however without sufficient time to survey my surroundings like running without a guide I can get lost and trip over things. As you must have noticed by now I am generally light footed and humans can't hear, see, or smell me, while demons are unaffected. I am capable of healing magic and so long as I can sense them," he reached his pale hand down to hover over a wilted bit of grass poking out of the floorboards. The grass then turned green and heathy, "I can control plants."

Celtic paused briefly. "Fire is a terrifying thing to me and it can damage me severely. I've delt with a fair bit of stress in my life so I can remain calm or at least reasonable in most situations. I'm afraid Mr. Simon did not inform me on the nature of the artifact, just that I would have to hold it for you and not to mess up. He did tell me the location of one of the peices though." His fingers tapped against the table, he feared the theives would laugh and mock him, as Mr. Simon's coworkers had. Maybe they wouldn't even let him go with them, he didn't want them to die from the artifact's magic so he hoped not.

 

[Myuka]

Myuka listened intently to his list of strengths and weaknesses, as if trying to think of how she could use these to advantages and how they would be disadvantages. She didn't look directly at him when he spoke, but her eyes did shift when he managed to turn the small piece of grass growing from the floor into a very healthy piece of the earth. It would make sense then that if he had these abilities that he would not like heat or fire, hopefully these could be things that could be avoided, though even her home base was in a pretty dry area. Though that wasn't technically fire, maybe they could just stick his feet in water like a plant and he would be fine?

"I wonder if Rylee would be able to help him with his sight." She mumbled to Rosue, though it was loud enough for Celtic to hear, it was just more of a loud thought. Rosue simply shrugged in response, he really wasn't much of a talker unless it so required. "Though I worry that if we try and restore something that you've learned to adjust without that it would mess with your other senses. Would it really be worth it?" Mumbling thoughts again. When Celtic mentioned that he might know the location her eyes lit up, not that he could probably tell.

"Well? Where is it?" She asked with a bit of excitement in her tone. Hopefully the fact that she didn't laugh at him or even bring attention to his fire weaknesses would prove that she was willing to work with him. She knew she needed Celtic for her task, she was going to have to learn to work with him, and she was damn sure willing to try. If this Mr. Simon was going to pay up she needed to do her part.

 

[Crono]

Celtic's fingers clenched at the thought of restored sight. What would it be like? Would it be untold beauty as he had fantasized as a child, or something he simply didn't understand? "I feel it wouldn't be... heathy for me if you somehow allowed for me to gain sight. I would have to adjust to that and it would probably be more of a problem then simply going without." He spoke hurriedly, as to solidate his choice more to himself before he began to doubt.

Celtic mentally relaid the information to himself very quickly before replying. "The first peice is currently in possession of a human. His name is Bastien Avidite, but he just goes by Monsieur Avidite. The man is a extremely rich collector of ancient artifacts, the prize of his collection being the relic in question. It's normally very heavily guarded, except for when he is having a party to show off his wealth. The relic itself will not be on display but most of his guards will be distracted by the party, one of which is happening in two days."

Celtic reached into his coat but then relized that the paper would then be visible to the humans. "I have a blueprint of his home but I can't show it to you here, the humans will see it." He his surroundings a listen, just in case. The mumble of drunken voices, glass on wood, grainy music, dripping of something spilt, and the hissing of a snake, somewhere.

 

[Myuka]

Myuka didn't say anything to Celtic's refusal to an experimental trial of sight, but she nodded in understanding. She couldn't blame him for his choice, she would have probably done the same thing. If she had been blind her whole life and had learned to adapt her other senses to these levels she would probably want to keep things how they were as well. She was already worried about the ramifications they could possibly cost, but she was willing to give it a try if need be. Her attention quickly switched when he started mentioning their first target.

"Two days to get our name on that list and figure out the best course of action." She said with a slight smile, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs, she looked like her mind was running a million thoughts all at once. She wanted to discuss the plans more, but maybe this wasn't the best area. It was funny how not long after that thought popped in her head Celtic mentioned having blue prints but it would be better to move locations. She looked at Rosue, as if silent communication before he simply shrugged, again, typical response from the man.

Myuka stood from her seat and stretched a bit, looking at the exit. "Then I guess it's time we take our leave. Important things to do, important places to be." She said with a smile, looking at Celtic once before making her way out of the bar scene, making sure Celtic wasn't too far behind. Once they were back in the bazaar area it was as if Myuka was retracing her steps from earlier, walking through the bazaar and making it to the other side and leaving the crowded area. There were still a few people around, some leaving the area like they were and a few just entering the bazaar, so she knew she still couldn't speak as freely as she hoped.

"What do you know of the party? I'm guessing fancy ballgown type deal?" She questioned Celtic without looking back at him.

 

[Crono]

Celtic quickly followed after the scents and sounds of his new allies, trying his best not to get lost in the crowd or touch any of its members. When they broke free of the sweaty mass of people the boy seemed relived, he took a deep breath and looked attentively at the woman's general area. "Yes, the fancy, high class, ballroom dance type. While I do dislike the blaringly loud version of human parties I would rather sit though one of those then a fancy party."

Celtic went on, "it's certainly nicer music but the conversations they have are ridiculous! They just go on bragging about how wealthy they are to each other, every patron hates the other! How is it ment to be a celebration if, if," he quieted down, realizing he was babbling again, "sorry."

Celtic scratched the back of his head under its hood of black hair, looking slightly down. "Um... Do you want the blueprints now Miss-" he suddenly realized he did not know the woman's name, or that of the mostly silent male that had followed her around. "Ah, I'm afraid I'm not aware of your name, or shall I just call you Madam?"

 

[Myuka]

Myuka slightly laughed at his babbling, it was a funny quality Celtic seemed to possess. It didn't quite bother her, she was never sure when he might babble something important! She tried to keep track of the smallest details, little did he know his babbling might actually help her out. They talk about their wealth and hate each other? Talk to the right person about the wrong person and she can move her focus off of her and onto gossip about others easily.

No, the name! She always had a hard time when it came to her real name. She was a wanted criminal after all. It was obvious that this Mr. Simon guy didn't give Celtic her name earlier, so should she? She rolled her eyes at her own thinking failures, would Celtic really turn around and go turn her in? Even if he tried, she was pretty sure she could catch him before he ran to far... or just trip him if he tried.

"I'm Myuka. Most call me Myu." She answered back, motioning to her counterpart even though she knew Celtic probably wouldn't notice, just habit. "My silent but deadly friend is Rosue. Expert in anything martial arts and fast moving. Pressure points? He knows them all and knows how to paralyze, knock unconscious, and I'm guessing under extreme circumstances instant death?" The last part seemed like a question for Rosue, who simply narrowed his eyes at Myuka's question. Myuka however, simply shrugged. "But if you haven't been able to tell already, not very talkative."

She knew a few more minutes and they would be at their destination, so just a bit more small talk until then. "You'll probably hear more voices once we get to base. There's three more members, all with unique abilities. Normally I'd let them introduce themselves, but that seems like it will waste time. I have Rylee, my techno nerd that can hack a good 98% of anything and everything. Some things he can create with simple programs and wires I question to be ethical choices, but regardless he knows what he's doing. Then there's Charu, my gunslinger and cowboy. Heavy artillery and sniper if need be. Also historical knowledge and he's got the muscular look down if I need it. Finally my baby member, Cadalena, the most mysterious thing I've ever met and sometimes she gives me the creeps if I were to be completely honest. Eyes look like yours, though she can see just fine. Practices and performs dark arts on anything that has a pulse and doesn't seem to feel pain, which is a blessing and a curse at times. She'll keep going if I don't stop her." Myuka muttered the last part as she shook her head. She continued walking until she stomped her foot into the sand, hearing a slight tin noise, she found it. While Rosue dug up the source of the noise, Myuka looked at Celtic, her tone of voice seemed to change. She was aware she never answered his question about the blueprints, more important things were on her mind.

"I've disclosed a lot to you, that's not something I take lightly Celtic." Her voice almost seemed darker than before, it's lost it's charm. "Understand I will do whatever it takes to protect my team, even if that means breaking my silly little contract with this Mr. Simon. Do you understand where I'm getting at?" She questioned him. As she waited for his response, Rosue finally dug up the metal door that seemed to be hiding deep in the sand and pulled it up, revealing an underground stairway in the middle of the desert, far from the bazaar.

 

[Crono]

Celtic seemed to freeze momentarily as Myuka mentioned her compainon could paralyze or kill people instantiously, his branches twitching slightly. The boy quickly continued moving and managed to hide his fear, really? With a single strike this Rosue could render him frozen in place or dead on the ground, and he seemed like a man who did not enjoy people in his way. The worrying fact that these people were criminals with probably as many morals as Mr. Simon's coworkers came back to his mind.

Then Myuka went on to discribe the other members of her team, each more frightening then the last. Rylee didn't sound that bad, but Charu unfortunately bought to mind the one time Celtic had been shot. It was the most sudden, loud noise he had ever heard followed by his heart stopping as scorching pain consumed his arm. But then there was the one called Cadalena, the boy thought of his feet burning as they were lowered into a scalding brew, or his body attacking itself beond his own will.

When Myuka turned to coldly question him Celtic was shaking like a leaf, holding back tears of fear. He could only imagine that the leader must have some terrifying ablities of her own and he immediately broke down before she even finished speaking. He quickly brought his hand to his heart and raised the other to the air. "Yes! I understand completely! I swear on my life I will not speak a word of you or your team for any reward or under any torment! Please don't kill me..." The last part was quieted and ment to be a thought, but the boy would stand there in that pose until the woman gave him some form of confirmation.

 

[Myuka]

Myuka was surprised by Celtic's reaction to her, well what she could really only properly call a threat. She expected maybe an 'okay,' or a 'you can trust me,' not this panicked life threatening scare she had actually given him. Huh, she must come off scarier than she thought. That wasn't exactly her intention, but regardless of his reaction she got the answer she was hoping for and she felt that she could at least proceed. Maybe she could play on this for a little longer, or is that mean?

"Glad you see it my way." She said jokingly with a smile before motioning Rosue to walk down the stairs and then hoping Celtic would follow the sound down the stairs. Once the boys were down the stairs she followed and closed the hatch. Once inside the base looked like a home with pure white walls, metal that kept the base from collapsing under the pressure of the desert sands and lights that illuminated the entire base so that it was not dark and depressing. The base had a living area where the team could sit back and relax, two huge couches with an ottoman in the middle so that they could put their feet up and relax while watching the big screen TV. The kitchen was neat and clean thanks to one of their more tidy members and they had a dining room table though it was hardly used for eating and more for planning. From those room there were two separate hallways, one to the left and one to the right. The right hallway lead to three bedrooms and two bathrooms, assumed to be the boys rooms. The left hallway had a bedroom with a bathroom, and a master bedroom with it's own bathroom, assumed to be the girls rooms.

"Welcome to the home!" She said to Celtic, even though she knew he probably couldn't see much around. She was hoping the open layout wouldn't be too much of a hassle for him and his blindness and if anything help him so that he wouldn't trip over much. She walked over to the dining table and pulled out a chair, purposefully scrapping the legs of the chair against the tile floor to make that squeak noise so Celtic would hear where she was and what she was expecting. "Why don't you take a seat so we can look over those blueprints?" She offered.

"Myu's home!" A small girls voice could be heard down the hall as her small footsteps ran to the open layout living room and dining room. Cadalena didn't even have shoes on and she wore a simple gray dress with no patterns that tied around her neck. The only other piece of clothing that could be seen on her was a small red pendant that she wore around her neck as a beautiful necklace. She wasn't in disguise since she didn't feel the need, she was home. She stopped running and looked confused, tiling her head as she looked at Celtic. "You brought home a... walking plant?" She asked.

"It's rude to call people plants Cadalena." Another male voice explained as he calmly walked from the other hallway. His hair was a mess, he fixed his glasses and fixed up his hoodie so it fit more properly than before. He looked skinny, almost like he just woke up. He leaned against the wall and didn't bother introducing himself as he looked at the newcomer and Myuka.

"Where's Charu?" Myuka asked.

"Sleeping off his hangover." The new man replied.

"Go figure." Myuka muttered. "We might not need him for this anyways, so for now leave him be. As for everyone else. Take a seat, we have blueprints to look over!" She explained as she also took a seat. Rosue, Cadalena, and Rylee all did the same. Myuka looked over at Celtic, a smile on her face. "So, Celtic, what do you know of the blueprints or the overall event that might be helpful?" She asked him.

 

[Crono]

Celtic exhaled when Myuka confirmed she would not execute him after they had been together for at most five minutes. It wasn't until he was following the sound of the two's footsteps down some metallic stairs that he became to think about how ridiculous he had acted, but mentioning it then would have been awkward. The boy lagged behind as they descended, his blindness and small stature forcing him to be incredibly carful not to fall down. Eventually he made it to what Myuka called 'home.'

Although he couldn't see it and the place was fairly well kept and clean Celtic could feel the aura of a home. The essence of safety, the smell of a small group of people ingrained into the air, the calm wave of saftey. He seemed stand at the entrance taking it all in with a smile on his face until a young voice spoke. A walking plant, what a interesting observation- wait that was Cadalena? The boy expected something more like the true voice of Miss. Telephone, a sadistic demon who enjoyed trapping Celtic in her labyrinthian room and using her sound manipulation magic to lure him into walls or sudden frights. Instead this girl seemed around his seeming age almost, and he remembered that Myuka had said she was her 'baby member.'

This of course did not fully bring Celtic's gard down, Miss. Telephone often made her voice sound sweet and musical while she was secretly cruel and fiendish. "Oh, it quite alright," Celtic assured where the other voice was coming from, he then bowed in the direction of the voice and then Cadalena's, "I've been called much worse. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss. Cadalena and Sir." He then made his way to the scraped steat and placed his hands to the table's end.

Celtic withdrew a large sheet of paper from his ragged coat and laid it onto the table, on it were detailed schematics of a massive mansion. While the schematics had written notes they also had small sections with large numbers of tiny bumps in seemingly random placement. Celtic felt down the paper until finding one of the segments and placed his hand onto it. He continued to feel each of the Braille segments until finally withdrawing back to his chair.

"The party is one to show off the owner's abundant collection, and consists of three parts. The majority of the party will take place in the main hall," Celtic pointed down at a large room with a tall ceiling in the center of the mansion, three giant chandilers hanging from the roof. "After a while the people will be moved to the more exotic displays in the 'basement.'" A gesture to a slightly smaller room under the main hall which moved to what appeared to be a domed room with a label on its walls saying '1ft steel.' "This is where the relic is kept, as a grand finale Monsuire Avidite will reveal the relic to the party goers. Once that happens it will be near impossible to get the relic because everyone will be looking at it and the guards will be fluxes on it. So we have until the big reveal to obtain the relic and excape."

"The main entrance has two guards who check if your on the list and the crowd has six monitoring them at all times. Two more guards protect the door to the basement stairs and four patrol the basement its self, none will be in the relic room until the reveal. Ventilation shafts run throughout the entire manor, although the only non exposed access is from the roof and as you can see to get to the basment there are considerable drops that might cause noise. The basment entrance requires a key that both of its guards have and is also in the noble's office, which down this hall and up this staircase. The office has a balcony we could use to enter but the garden below has a guard dog that has smelt intruders from a mile away, has a bark that can be heard from inside the building, and almost mauled two potential thieves to death. Finally the relic room needs a key card to be opened, which is in the possession of the four basment guards and Avidite himself, it is electronic so that Rylee person might be able to hack it. The relic room has a reflected laser defense that will sound a alarm if touched, but it able to be maneuvered through and when the crowd moves to the basment it will be deactivated."

Celtic rested his back on his chair. After all of that talking and gestures he had managed to confuse himself. "So I suppose it's your task to figure out how you want to go about this. Take your time, we have two whole days. By the way, all of the guards are extremely trained in some way or another."

 

[Myuka]

As Celtic explained the layout of the rooms Myuka seemed to be listening and internally thinking of strategies that might best fit this situation. It seemed tough, probably one of the trickier cases she's decided to take on. However, not impossible. There could be a way.

"So, we will need Charu for this." Myuka muttered, as if thinking to herself. She looked over at Rylee, figuring out exactly what she expected him to do first.

"Here's what I'm thinking. Since it's in two days, the list is still out. Put Charu and I on the guest list so we can walk in no problem. Charu has enough knowledge and overall interest in historical artifacts that I believe he can keep the crowd of people in the main room for longer than Monsuire Avidite intended. I just want to be a second body in case things go wrong. After you do that, put yourself on the work list, a caterer or something for the party. I've told you many times, if anyone explains they've never seen you before you have to sound confident and explain the straight facts you know. 'I switched shifts with Joe Blow on iShift two days ago, said he wasn't feeling well.' Sound confident enough and no one will question you." As Myuka paused Rylee nodded, writing down a few notes as she spoke.

"Once you get into the back room here's where things get tricky. You need a full blown snack cart, one large enough for Celtic since we need to have him physically in the basement. Make sure you run back outside to grab him as well as your laptop before taking the cart and heading to the basement. Since Charu and I will still be on the main floor you shouldn't run into any guards, at least that's what it sounds like. But just in case he does..." Myuka turned her attention to Rosue.

"Celtic mentioned you can get to any room through the ventilation system, but some of the drops can cause too much noise. Shouldn't be a problem for a tiny framed and trained martial artist like yourself, right?" She questioned, to which of course he gave absolutely no response. "Through the ventilation system I want you following Rylee and Celtic, just in case they do run into any people or guards that might be standing in their way. Rylee's not much of a brawler, but you are."

"But before we can do any of this we need the key to the basement." Rylee interjected.

"Right, sorry, I thought I covered that already." Myuka shook her head before looking at Cadalena. "You have to understand I don't know much about what you actually do. But using the garden entrance to get to the balcony of the noble's office to get the basement key seems like a better option that dealing with the guards. Can you use your abilities to deal with the guard dog?" Myuka questioned.

Cadalena seemed to take a few seconds to think about it before shrugging. "I used to practice on animals all the time... but it never turned out well for them." She ended her sentence in a sad tone.

Myuka narrowed her eyes. "That dog needs to stay alive, Cadalena."

Cadalena thought about it more. "I can do it." Myuka looked like she was still questioning the young girl. "Really! I can!" The baby member argued.

Myuka sighed. "Fine. Once you get the key meet Rylee in back when he goes to pick up Celtic and he should have everything he needs to transport everything too and from the basement without any problems. Obviously your safety comes first. If anything goes wrong don't hesitate to press the button on your communicators and we'll all be out of there as fast as possible. We can always try to get the relic again, but I can't find any other good team members."

Myuka looked over at Celtic. "Do you see any problems so far?" She questioned him, since she knew he understood more about the layout than she did and if there was a flaw in her plan she figured he would find it.

 

[Crono]

Celtic payed full attention to Myuka as she explained the plan, even pulling away from the odd sent the map carried. He assumed that the smell was related to the fact it could have brail and left it at that. When the one called Caldalena was defending her ability to subdue the dog without killing it the boy found himself supporting her in a very soft tone. "I believe she can do it," he near wispered, realizing he was technically talking back to the leader of a group of people that could each kill him instantly.

And why was he defending the witch? Celtic had just got done thinking about how scary she was, now he was defending her ability to be scary? Perhaps it was because he was looked down upon by Mr. Simon's coworkers so much, he doubted it was that bad with these people, they seemed to live like a family. Still, it wasn't nice to doubt people before they had a chance to prove themselves.

Regardless of this side thought he made mental notes of the full plan, he honestly found it incredibly genius and was going to compliment Myuka on it if she had not asked him if he had seen any flaws. "The guards in the basment might find the snack cart suspicious even if we tell them we're preparing for the crowd to move. Rosue might need to dispatch them, which in tandom means hiding them from a large crowd of people if we cannot hold them off long enough for us to escape." He felt slightly sick saying that, but he was also warmed by Myuka's finishing words: 'We can always try to get the relic again, but I can't find any other good team members.' It solidified the notion that they were much more than a team of people, and although Celtic knew he wasn't part of this team, it was nice to know how she valued them anyway.

 

[Myuka]

Myuka was surprised at the whispered belief Celtic declared when she had her little back and forth with Cadalena. With the thrown off comment her head quickly turned to look at Celtic and her hand quickly dropped to the table, probably making a louder thud than she originally intended. She didn't look incredibly angry, but maybe slightly irritated, what a small temper for such a positive comment. None of her other three teammates interrupted her when she opened her mouth as if looking like she was going to address the comment, but before she did she stopped herself. Her eyes softened up and she took a deep breath and sighed, as if mentally counting to three before replying.

"You have to understand, safety is the number one priority in these situations. I only want ninety nine percent certainty that things will run smoothly before going into something this big. I would say one hundred percent, but we all know unexpected things can happen, and that's when the button is pressed and we leave as fast as possible." She put both arms down on the table, as if looking relaxed. "In this situation, something as small as Cadalena killing the dog can cause too much suspicion and ruin the rest of the mission. Someone comes to feed the dog twenty, thirty minutes later and it's dead, imagine the panic and shift in guard spots that we won't expect. The place could possibly even be put on lock down, with some of us stuck inside and some of us stuck outside. It's not that I don't trust her, if I didn't trust her I wouldn't ask her. She knows how big of a deal this is, I'm leaving this choice up to her. She's great at what she does, however, her power is huge and I'm assuming it can be hard to manage. If she feels this has a chance of failing she needs to let me know before we continue." It seemed odd for Myuka to be talking about Cadalena and her abilities when the small girl was sitting in the same room, but when Myuka's eyes shifted to the small girl it seemed like that was Cadalena's hint that she was being asked a second time; is this something she could handle?

"No one will have any clue that the dog was even toyed with!" Cadalena smiled and gave Myuka a thumbs up. She kept that gesture for a good ten seconds as she stared at her boss, who didn't change her questionable posture or look for the same amount of time. Cadalena's smile slowly started fading, not sure if Myuka believed her or not.

"Perfect." Was the only confirmation Cadalena seemed to get that Myuka finally trusted that this issue could be dropped before moving on. Myuka kept her elbows on the table put lifted her hands to her head, resting her head on top of her hands. "Two scenarios Celtic, which one would work better for the basement guards?" She began her question, "One; Rylee can bring the snack cart down before the crowd. Laptop will be under one dish cover, you will be underneath the cart. Rylee will have a plate of drugged pastries, explaining that he wanted to bring a few to the guards before the crowd came down. Hoping that the guards think it's a nice gesture and that they don't start their break until after the crowd arrives anyway, they have a high chance of accepting the offer. The sedative will take a good two minutes to take full effect, which Rylee can keep conversation for during that time. That gives you and Rylee just a few minutes to find a place to hide the bodies before Cadalena drops the key down the ventilation system where Rosue will give you the key."

She paused for a few seconds, making sure that Celtic understood the first scenario.

"Or two; I send Rosue to take care of the guards. I'll tell him to do what he must to make this mission a success. He knows not to make a mess, but the outcome of the guards will be up to him."

Even if Celtic could see the expression on Rosue's face at that comment, he wouldn't see much more than a stone wall look. Rosue has never been one to show emotion or really talk through his feelings, though he follows orders very well.

"What's your opinion, Celtic? What will work better?" Myuka asked him.