>>5339092“Penny and Cheruem, I’ll have you both rendezvous with Sam at the Ikean Fortress.” You announce, hoping all three of their personalities can cut to the quick of whoever’s behind all this. Penny flips her knife into the air, leaning back in her seat before catching the thing on the tip of one finger with a smirk. Cheruem’s not thrilled, but the Hexane warrior holds her tongue in the face of an assignment that threatens to veer into some sort of body-horror buddy-cop flick. However amusing it may be, it’s a thought you shove to the sidelines as you turn to Dorian. “I’d like for you to accompany Hera and the Sororitas in the Hunt. Meanwhile I’ll have Silvis, Carmen, Zuè and Sval deal with moving ‘A’s house, with November there to both make some introductions and hopefully bring the Geschoss to bear in solving that issue.”
Dorian and November nod as you turn to meet Yurei’s glowering eyes. “You and Zahira will take Amara to help Orwell parse whatever data she’s wrestling with. Oh, and sweetie?”
Amara and the Sororitas freeze, realizing they’ve been caught playing with some sort of folded sheet of skin, though you spare only the briefest of glances at the…cootie catcher, if you were to hazard a guess…before giving out marching orders. “Amara, I’d like for you to give each team a handful of Joyous. They’re incredibly helpful, and we could use all the help we can get right now.”
The seven kids move as one to give you a sharp, communal salute, and with that you lean back in your chair, catching the eye of everyone whose names haven’t been called yet. “So. The Cord-bound team will be the largest one by far, and it’ll consist of me, GG, Rath, Julia, Francine, and our original Dream Team. Most of us have strong terrain manipulation abilities, and something tells me we’re going to need it if we’re going to make any solid progress.”
“I know everyone will need some time to prep, so I’ll work with Francine to get us some solid numbers on how fast the cancer’s expanding.” Gina adds, addressing your next point before you can even give it breath.
“Hey, open offer to get some custom gear going!” Rath announces immediately after. “Everyone’s new bodies kick some ass, but having a bit more versatility can go a long way! Also, I’m going to make the kiddo and whoever else want’s ‘em pair of fuckin’ shoes, ‘cause I’m sick of everyone going barefoot around here.”
Rath’s comment works as intended, breaking a bit of the tension inherent in giving marching orders to a group half-composed of people you’ve never commanded before…and your brawler knows it, shooting you a subtle wink when your gaze wanders her way. She smiles, and you could almost wear there’s something like a question in her eyes, straining against her chest before the sound of Uzu clearing her throat makes you turn.
(Continued)
