READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 78: Impressions
Once Zayn began sharing tales about his team, there were mixed reactions from Crisis, as they could not relate at all, even though they pretended to. Saint and Panda were the most eager to hear all about the Heartaches’ experiences, but both Candy and Tricky were only listening closely, while Frost just stood on the side and judged the other team in silence with a deceivingly attentive stare. He was at least subtler than Nitro, who was distracted as soon as he saw the young girls and couldn’t take his eyes off them. But as Zayn narrated more anecdotes and kept mostly everyone focused on him, Indie started distancing herself from the group to search for the other members who had gotten away.
–So yea, we have gone through so much, right? We’ve seen pretty much everything after fighting all these baddies. My hands hurt from swinging my sword so much, I could really use those guns some of you use…– Zayn quipped with a lively smile, almost a bit cocky, as he grew comfortable with his teammates backing him up. But as Crisis only nodded along to everything he was saying, other Heartaches stepped forward to contribute their thoughts.
–It does take a toll on you, let me tell you that. Sometimes, it becomes impossible to pick up that sword and fight back, but we keep going because we have to. Yea, we are tired, but at the end of the day, we do it for a good cause… and it’s pretty fun, so…– Nolyn added in a proud and firm manner, although he was more modest and thought his words through. And unlike Zayn, he displayed his exhaustion clearly, though he was still able to remain somewhat positive. He did show some slight remorse as he grew hesitant the more he talked, and while his teammates had no need to say anything, Crisis was only able to awkwardly stare while trying to think of something to add.
They became anxious when they noticed Indie was gone, Frost had blanked out, and Panda, who was mostly leading the conversation until then, was now only giving the same response in the form of a shrug and a forced chuckle. So, before they lost the Heartaches’ attention, Scott, Candy, Kiwy, and Tricky looked at each other back and forth in hopes of someone stepping in to say something. But since half of them were listening, only Scott seemed to consider the idea of speaking his mind. He hesitated for a moment, which was a second too long to prevent Nitro from speaking in his place.
–I once blew up a whole cave full of antipunk scum… It was crazy seeing such a huge and spectacular explosion. But I do get what you mean, it can be pretty exhausting sometimes…– Nitro commented smugly after seeing an opportunity to speak and taking it without a second thought. Frost immediately tried to pull him back and shut him up, but he and the rest of the squad were visibly impressed when they heard him come off as quite eloquent and charismatic. He did wear an arrogant grin that infuriated most of his teammates, but for a moment, it seemed like his nonchalance was able to charm the Heartaches. However, that quickly proved wrong when they all began giving him strange looks out of confusion.
–Umm, we defeated a dragon with swords… I don’t know if you’ve fought more than little soldiers, but I’m sure it doesn’t take much effort using dirty tricks like explosives…– Ryu replied disparagingly, using a mocking voice that prompted some laughs from his teammates, but on the opposite side, it quickly got rid of Nitro’s smile, which turned into a confused frown before displaying some anger that was rapidly building inside him.
–What? I didn’t use any dirty tri-...– Nitro blurted out indignantly as the Heartaches continued belittling him with constant laughter, but he was interrupted swiftly by Frost before he could say anything offensive. He stepped in front to take the lead once again, but not without giving a disappointed look at his teammates for failing to keep the conversation going. And with the Heartaches having stopped making fun of Nitro, Frost took a breath to compose himself, and by adopting a serene, accessible, and sympathetic demeanor, he approached the Heartaches to win them over with a different approach.
–Well, let me tell you... I remember when we first started as a team, and we had little to no experience… Not me, I was already pretty skilled, but the rest were just starting to fight, so we had to work hard to achieve our victories. It’s always nice to look back on those memories and see how far you have come, or how much you have improved, so I’m glad to see your team is close and shares your success despite your youth…– Frost proclaimed politely, playing intrigued and sincere to get a more positive reaction from the Heartaches, who were flattered and gladly listened to his praises, unlike his teammates, who almost seemed insulted by his approach.
But as heartfelt as he made himself out to be, his front to win the young warriors’ sympathy began crumbling when he mentioned their youth, causing them to react similarly to his teammates. The Heartaches began questioning his appreciation, with Ryu trying to argue with another witty retort. Frost noticed their expression change, and while he was able to keep his cool, he didn’t have much to say apart from keeping a smile to please them. But before any of them could say anything, Candy promptly jumped in to take over for Frost, which meant having to push him aside to shift the Heartache’s attention to her.
–We have some young people as well… For example, we just picked Saint to join us in our mission. He has only been working with us for a few weeks, but he has proven his usefulness and skill out in the field already. He is still learning a lot, but I’m sure he’ll catch up to us soon if he keeps it up…– Candy added in a slightly insecure manner as she had to face all of the Heartaches in front of her. But as she turned to Saint to draw some attention to him, as well, she turned confident and cheerful as always, even a little encouraging with a smile that he couldn’t ignore.
Her reassurance did make the Heartaches curious, even though some of them were just pleased to see her face, and her smile was enough to keep them listening. But she did make the mistake of putting Saint in the spotlight now that everyone was looking at him, including the squad, who just stared awkwardly in anticipation of his response. Even Frost looked back, and once he noticed the Heartaches were more interested in hearing about Saint than anyone else, he pressured him with a threatening look that he concealed behind that fake sympathetic smile.
The burden of giving a good impression and represent the entire squad was more than enough to overwhelm Saint and make him freeze, not knowing where to look or how to react. He was both flattered and frightened by Candy’s compliments, mainly the latter since she was holding him in such high regard, creating some expectation in the Heartaches that only further distressed Saint. But with Candy cheering him up and sparking the same optimism she was showing, he only shied away until Candy stopped speaking. And despite the seven Heartaches staring directly at him, Saint didn’t waste time to take advantage of the short moment everyone was paying attention.
–Yea, I might be young, but that only makes me quicker and more resilient. You probably heard that we saved the princess recently… That was actually me…– Saint replied with natural confidence, or at least bold enough to make the Heartaches eager to hear more of him, as he gave them a smug but inviting smile. Surprised by his response, Frost stepped back to allow Saint to talk, despite clearly growing nervous. But with him at the front now, Saint tried to live up to his teammates’ expectations and loosen up to get the best impression that Frost was looking for.
–I jumped in front of his crazy ex-boyfriend right as he was about to stab her heart. He literally flew like a couple feet, but no one saw it coming. It was almost like time froze in that second, and no one but him was moving. Even the princess just stood still, like she knew there was no escape. But I was too fast for him, and I blocked his knife with my sword like this…– Saint narrated with as much energy as possible, not holding back with his enthusiasm and cockiness, even being flashy with his movement to demonstrate his actions to the Heartaches, who were entranced by his words for every second and kept a close eye on him as he painted a fascinating picture.
–And bam! Before anyone knew it, he was down on the ground, with the guards on top, and all of them beating the crap out of him! So, sometimes instincts are more important than experience…– Saint added while cracking a couple of smiles of pure joy. He even captivated the rest of Crisis with his rendition of an event that most of them had completely forgotten about. Despite his tale being brief, he left everyone fascinated, or at least genuinely amused, and wanting to hear more. But most importantly, the Heartaches were left impressed and grateful after hearing his heroic act.
–Wow, thank you for your courage. Without you, we probably wouldn’t be here anymore… I bet you must always be on the lookout for danger in order to protect your team. I admire that commitment…– Zayn replied with an appreciative but slightly humorous tone, accompanied by an affable smile that only made Saint grin braggingly even more. But as he garnered the attention of the Heartaches for longer than all his teammates, Frost eventually noticed he didn’t have much more to say and stepped forward once.
–Yea, well, sometimes… He is still a kid. He has his mind on other things… He'll see the true value of experience now that he has a girlfriend…– Frost added teasingly as he pushed Saint to the side, who promptly turned embarrassed and tried to explain himself despite everyone already laughing at Frost’s joke.
–Hey!… I’m sevent-...– Saint exclaimed but was fully ignored by the Heartaches and even some of his own teammates. But with Frost getting a positive reaction from the other team at Saint’s expense, without showing any remorse for ridiculing him in front of everyone, he cautiously approached Zayn to wrap his arm around him in a congenial manner and continue their conversation.
–Why don’t we grab a couple of drinks and keep the party going… Shall we?– Frost asked with a charming smile as he turned to the other Heartaches, who did not object and solely listened to him now that he led them back to the table Crisis was using to share food and drinks. But with the rest of the squad seeing this as an opportunity to get into the conversation, they had to endure more forced chit-chatting to bond with the Heartaches, mainly because Frost kept checking on them and urging them to keep up the front.
Even though he was still embarrassed and slightly upset at Frost, Saint laughed it off and followed the group to the table, but on his way, he noticed Indie sneaking her way up to the second floor. He didn’t question it, as he couldn’t see that she was following Kayden and Agnus. Since the hall was filled with guests, it was difficult to walk through the crowd and keep an eye on them. But after spotting them together, Indie followed the two upstairs, which was still very crowded, but there was significantly less area to cover as the attendees were only allowed in the gallery right above the floor below.
But with the staircase connecting to a small hallway with different doors, as well as the gallery right next to it, Indie had to take a moment to look around the gallery first before checking all the rooms. She had to sneak in when no one was looking, pretending to search for something near the doors, and despite no one paying attention to her, she was uncomfortable peeping into every room on the second floor. One appeared to be the princess’s bedroom, which was locked, but she still tried to force it open. She knocked on other doors, which only drew more attention to her. But after a few failed attempts to open doors, with some rooms having no one inside them, Indie stumbled upon one small door at the end of the hallway, secluded in a corner, which was almost hidden as it was overshadowed by a large doorway to a much larger room.
After opening the door gently and seeing complete darkness, Indie was left bewildered, as it seemed completely empty even with the faint light coming from the hallway. However, since all the other rooms had their lights turned on, Indie was curious and decided to investigate. First, she stepped in, trying to keep quiet since the opening of the door wasn’t enough to alarm whoever could be found inside since the entrance led directly to a corner. She approached the end of the wall adjacent to the door, where she had to peek around to get a full view of the dark room, though she had to turn on the lantern hanging right above her to see anything.
But as soon as she reached for the knob, the wooden floor creaked, startling the people hiding in the room. The lantern turned on, and while it didn’t provide enough light to cover the entire room, it gave Indie a clear view of what was around the corner, as well as the people she was looking for. The room turned out to be a small office with a couch, a few bookstands, and a large desk at the back, which is where she saw two people hiding immediately after being exposed.
Indie took a second to react after revealing Kayden and Agnus in an unusual position. They panicked, with Kayden immediately running to hide behind the couch between the desk and Indie. He almost tripped as his pants were loose, but Indie paid more attention to Agnus, as it only took a glance at her to get a pretty good idea of what had happened. Agnus was sitting on the desk with her legs open, facing Indie, though they had now been closed and covered with her stockings to hide any evidence of the devious act she and Kayden were committing. However, as Agnus and Indie calmly stared at each other and pretended like nothing happened, the latter tried to hide the fact that she was disturbed and promptly turned around.
–I’m sorry for interrupting, I see it’s not the best time to talk…– Indie apologized politely and faced the other way, letting Kayden stand up behind the couch while adjusting his pants and trying to stand in front of Agnus defensively. But as Indie was about to walk away, Agnus got off the desk and began approaching nonchalantly.
–No, it’s okay… Kayden, you can leave, this might be important…– Agnus replied with a soft but resolute voice, getting Indie to turn back reluctantly but eagerly as she saw Kayden fully clothed and complying with Agnus’ request.
–Okay…– Kayden muttered submissively before he walked out of the room, but not before Indie followed him with her eyes, noticing his sudden change of expression, going from embarrassed and coy to stoic and slightly bitter. But after he left the room, it was only her and Agnus, but since she was still stunned by what she saw, Indie hesitated for a moment to look at Agnus as she spoke first.
–I assume you are the captain… Indie, right?– Agnus asked curiously but in a restrained manner as she took a good look at Indie, who managed to recompose herself and responded with a firm nod before stepping forward with more confidence.
–Yes, I’m in charge of the squad. You must be the general that Snake told me about…– Indie replied with an assertive stare, which Agnus returned alongside an enthusiastic grin that only lasted a brief second.
–Yes, he mentioned your name, but I haven’t heard much. I’m looking forward to us working together… But I’m guessing you want to have a private meeting before that, right?– Agnus asked self-assuredly but sincerely, much to Indie’s surprise. She was taken aback by her straightforwardness, as she had a discerning look on her face that she shared. But after a moment of consideration, Indie seemed to prefer going straight to the point and proceeded to take a seat on the couch next to them, prompting Agnus to do the same.
–Yes, I just wanted to… Well, I want to discuss some terms of our arrangement, to put it bluntly…– Indie replied in a similarly candid manner, but she chose her words much more carefully as she became slightly apprehensive. Her being on edge and checking on the door made Agnus a bit skeptical, but it also gained her interest to the point where she was willing to listen first. With Agnus showing trust with an otherwise wary look, Indie got comfortable and began explaining the terms of the arrangement between the two. This led to them discussing the topic for a long time, almost as long as the chat the rest of the squad had with the Heartaches as they tried to get along better. But they all shared the same objective, seeking what served their best interests.