"Home sweet home."

It was around ten at night when you arrived back at the main AEI building. To get rid of the fatigue in your muscles, you did some light stretches. Despite the late hour, you weren't tired since you slept like a log in the car (you accidentally used Finn's shoulder as a pillow and just missed his chest what a shame).

"I guess I'll do some training."

You'll probably feel sleepy after a good workout. Lyle would be proud of this decision.

After getting changed into your usual attire for training, you set off to the training area. Expensive equipment and an aesthetic building really helped with the motivation to exercise (and also the fact that it was a key component of your job to be physically active).

You slipped your hands into your jacket pocket, making a mental note to buy those pocket hand warmers as the weather was growing colder, as you sauntered down the hallway. Your gaze drifted towards the windows that lined the walls. It allowed you to see the corridor on the opposite side of the building.

Though the windows were slightly clouded thanks to the cold weather, you were able to spot a familiar figure.

Oh! It's Caleb.

As if he had some sixth sense, Caleb suddenly stopped walking. His eyes met yours and it didn't take long for it to light up in excitement. Caleb waved energetically to you and mouthed 'Miss support!'. You returned his energy with a wave of your own.

Then, Caleb used his finger to write something on the condensation clouding the windows.

You're cute ♡

It took a bit of squinting to read the message properly, but when you registered what he wrote, your face warmed up and you squealed internally. Caleb smiled pridefully at his successful flirting attempt before gesturing one finger up, silently motioning for you to wait where you were.

After a few minutes, you heard rapid footsteps coming from behind you. With a stupidly cute grin, Caleb ran up to you.

"Back already?" he asked.

"Are we gonna ignore what you just did?"

"I was going to be courteous and let it slide to not embarrass you, but I'm down to talk about it."

You rolled your eyes. "You're very bold, aren't you?"

"We're not together, but that doesn't mean I can't flirt," Caleb teased. "Unless you're uncomfortable, of course."

"No, no. I'm a hundred percent cool with it."

"Perfect!" He grinned. "Prepare to fall for me hard then."

You couldn't shake off the fond smile on your face even if your life depended on it. Your attention was then shifted to the plastic bag in Caleb's hand.

"What's that?"

Caleb gestured to his hair, the tips that were dyed green. What used to be a nice vibrant colour has now faded into a muted shade.

"I thought I'd touch it up."

"I see, I see." You looked inside the plastic bag. "Why do you have so many things?"

He smiled excitedly. "I'm not the only one dying my hair."

"Don't tell me it's Amias."

"How'd you guess?"

"I don't think anyone else trusts you, Caleb."

"That hurts, but fair." Caleb's expression lit up. "We're doing it in my room, join us."

"I'd like to keep my hair as it is, but I'm down to observe."

"You'll be joining Cecil, then."

"Cecil is there as well? Is he gonna help?"

"Nah, he's here to make fun of us if things go south."

"Wow."

You decided to ditch your initial plan to train (sorry, Lyle) to join Caleb instead. He offered you some chocolate that he made and you happily obliged.

"How was patrolling the edge? Encounter anything special?" Caleb asked.

The silver apparition. But you'll keep that to yourself for now.

"A nice bakery."

"Better than my pastries?"

"What if I said yes?"

"Then I'd be hurt." Caleb feigned a sad sigh. "Would my dear Miss Support cheat on me like that?"

You tried to keep a straight face. "If you were to make me breakfast tomorrow..."

"Done and dusted."

The two of you continued that light hearted banter until you both reached Caleb's room. When you entered, you were greeted with a Cecil lying upside down on the bed. His hair was almost touching the floor.

"Oh?" Cecil's eyes met yours before he sat upright. His jade green hair was down in a half up half down style. "Didn't expect such a pleasant surprise."

"Seems like your flirting is the same as ever," you teased.

Cecil had on a loose black tank top, allowing you to see his tattoos in all its glory. You've only ever gotten a glimpse of the snake on his arm and now you were able to see the full thing; it was done in black ink and with striking detail. Not to mention, you were caught by surprise upon seeing his muscles. Cecil was on the leaner side compared to everyone else, but you could see the fruits of his training ever since he became an SF member.

Caleb's room was warm and well heated, so you took off your jacket.

"I'll hang that up for ya." Caleb took your jacket. "You haven't explored my room yet, right? Feel free to stare all you want."

"If you find any missing cash, it wasn't me. Blame Cecil."

Cecil feigned an offended gasp. "I love money, but I have standards in how I earn it."

"I hate how that is a valid argument."

On the walls, there were plenty of posters of different games and shows. The way Caleb organised the posters on the wall... could use some work. The walls were painted a smooth black, which allowed the bold colours of the posters to really pop.

It was impossible to not notice the mountain of plushies on Caleb's bed. The one that caught your attention was the funny looking goose. The idea of Caleb drowning in plushies while sleeping was too cute. His bed was a playful chaotic mess of colours as the sheets were mismatched with the pillow case and the blanket. However, somehow, it worked aesthetically.

Caleb's desk was surprisingly tidy; sleek black surface with a few green accents. Dominating the space was a dual screen monitor. His keyboard, which glowed a neon green, looked heavenly to type on. Your fingers were itching to sit on the desk and waste away hours playing games and writing stories.

The door opened behind you and revealed Amias.

"Caleb, I brought the––" Amias paused when he saw you and his gold eyes lit up in pure joy. "You're back!"

He ran over to you like a puppy before pulling you into a hug. You laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Aw, they're so sweet," Cecil cooed.

"A healthy friendship?" Caleb laughed. "Disgusting."

You rolled your eyes at the two. Caleb and Cecil got along way too well.

"I heard you were dying your hair?"

"Yes! I'm getting highlights underneath my hair," Amias replied, lifting a lock of his hair. "I'm getting it bleached."

"Oh!" You got way too excited for a moment. "That'll look so pretty tied up! I'm so excited!"

"R-really?" Amias smiled bashfully. "I'm getting pretty excited now, too!"

"Mhm! Your hair is also getting longer, huh? It looks good."

"Should I let it grow out?"

"Yes."

Maybe you answered that too quickly.

Video game logic meant that characters' hair always remained the same length no matter how much time had passed. To cure your desire for long haired Amias, you turned to fanart. But now you're getting the opportunity to see him not only with longer hair, but also dyed??

"Caleb," you said, tone stern as if you were barely hanging on by a thread. "Don't mess up his hair."

Caleb laughed with a lazy smirk. "Aye, aye captain."

While Caleb and Amias were setting things up, you and Cecil made yourself home on Caleb's bed. Cecil managed his social media pages whilst you alternated between reading stories online and watching shows on your phone. Having a well paying job meant you could finally access stuff legally.

Caleb began separating the layers of Amias's hair, humming a joyful tune as he did so. Amias was sitting straight, an adorable and polite smile on his face.

"Caleb actually looks like a professional?" you commented.

"I was totally expecting to have to swoop in and save the day." Cecil was just as impressed as you. "If it goes well, I may even ask him to do my hair."

"I'll be charging money strictly towards Cecil only," Caleb said, glancing back at you two. "And expect a hefty price."

"Trying to scam the business man, are you?" Cecil chuckled. "Say, let's put on some music."

You leaned over his shoulder. "Ohh, what kind of songs are in your playlist––"

You caught a glimpse of Cecil's more... steamy playlists.

Cecil smiled and sent you a flirtatious glance. "Interested?"

"I feel like I saw something I shouldn't have."

You guys ended up blasting classic childhood hits. Well, childhood hits for Cecil and Caleb. As an outsider who didn't experience a childhood in Anomalous, you had no idea what the hell these songs were.

Eventually, Caleb was finished with Amias's hair.

"Alright, Done!"

You gasped when you saw the finished product. You were so used to the default black hair and mid ponytail Amias that this small change made you more happy than it should've.

"You look so good!"

Cecil whistled. "Mind working at the bar for a while? You'll attract some new customers for me. I promise I'll pay you well."

"No you won't," you said.

"I won't."

Amias blushed at the compliments. He then turned to the mirror, a content smile on his face.

"Thanks, Caleb."

"No problem~ You can use this. It's my gift to you." Caleb handed Amias some purple shampoo. "Aren't I such a good friend?"

"Oh, thank you!" Amias gratefully accepted the items. "What does this do?"

"Overtime, your blonde highlights will turn brassy. This helps the colour stick to a cooler tone. Use this on your dyed parts once a week and you'll be solid."

"How do you know this stuff?" you asked.

"I've been through a few hair dye disasters. Ask the sleep deprived scholar for details."

Caleb really loved giving Elias a new nickname every other day.

Whilst Cecil took bunch Insta worthy photos of Amias (the guy was actually a really good photographer), there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Caleb shouted, in the middle of re-dying the green parts of his hair.

The door swung open with much vigour. Your attention quickly snapped to the new presence and it didn't take long for you to sit up from the bed and exclaim,

"Sara!"

"(Y/n)!" Sara's friendly smile quickly turned into a frown. "You three hogged her from me all this time? I was going around everywhere looking for her!"

"Did you need me for something?"

Sara smiled widely and nodded. "Girls night!" She pointed at Caleb, Amias and Cecil. "Meaning, you three are off limits!"

"What! I barely got to spend time with Miss Support," Caleb protested.

"Spend time with her later!"

With that, Sara dragged you away before closing the door with a huff. She then turned to you with a smile.

"We're heading to my room, let's go!" Her voice was bouncing with excitement. "Jade's got everything set up for us."

Sara's room, huh? This isn't the first time you've been in it, but it was a first hanging out in it. A late night hangout with your girlfriends... The thought made you feel more giddy than it should've.

On the way to Sara's room, you two became engaged in a heated conversation about pet peeves in romances.

"And I was so shocked! Like—he's literally right there." Sara threw her hands up in frustration. "Why the hell would you go for the obvious red flag?"

"Right? That's why I can't with love triangles sometimes."

Sara sighed, opening the door to her room. "Seriously, when will the childhood best friend win?"

The moment you entered Sara's room, you almost screamed. Jade was in the middle of putting on a sweater. Prior to putting on said sweater, she wasn't wearing anything underneath. MEANING, you saw a glimpse of her abs. Oh my god you saw––

"Oh, pardon me," Jade casually said as if her accident didn't turn you into a rainbow. "I wanted to change into something more comfortable."

Jade's hair was down in comparison to her usual low ponytail. She also had a cute grey hair band that slicked her hair back. Ugh, she's as gorgeous as always.

"You're all good! Make yourself at home in my room," Sara said. "I've been telling you that countless times now."

"Right, right." Jade chuckled before smiling at you. "Welcome back. Are you tired?"

Thankfully, the short exchange between Jade and Sara allowed you some time to calm down and you were able to respond without outing yourself.

"Not as tired as I should be."

"Great!" Sara exclaimed. "Use that energy for tonight––Oh! Should we have a sleepover, then? We can bring out the blankets and pillows onto the floor."

You looked around Sara's room. Oh, yeah. There was plenty of space for the three of you to comfortably sleep. The floor was carpeted with a pink-rose colour. It blended nicely with the wall, which was a paler version of the same colour.

"That sounds like a good idea," Jade said.

"Sweet." Sara turned around and opened the door. "I left some stuff at Elias's office. Be right back!"

The idea of Sara showing up to Elias's office unannounced and suddenly dumping all of her shopping bags whilst Elias simply accepted his fate was amusing.

"What are we doing anyway?" you asked Jade.

"Self care night, as Sara likes to call it," she replied, handing you a warm drink. "I'm honestly not sure how it works, but it seems fun."

You thanked Jade for the drink. "Knowing Sara, we'll finish tonight feeling like absolute goddesses."

While glancing around Sara's room, you saw that there was a mini mountain of shoe boxes in the corner. Some had the lids off and were knocked over; from what you could see, there were heels, platforms, and flats. You chuckled. There must've been a sale. Sara's messiness when it came to her shopping items shared some similarities to Elias's messiness when it came to his desk.

The stack of magazines on Sara's nightstand caught Jade's attention. She took one and flipped through it.

"How to know if your crush likes you?" Jade mumbled. "Is this information true?"

You laughed at her confused expression. Jade's blue eyes were analysing the magazine as if it were a textbook.

"It's just some fun, don't take it too seriously."

"Ah."

"I'm back!"

Sara returned and dumped an onslaught of products onto the bed. Face masks, nail polish, skin care products you didn't know existed––there was no end to it.

"They were all on sale," she said proudly. "Feel free to use as much as you want."

Sara lit up a scented candle and played some trendy pop music in the background. She also forced you to get dressed into something more comfortable (which was fair since your clothes were intended for training before you ditched that plan and joined Caleb).

"Alright, girls." Sara clapped her hands together. "Tonight, we focus on ourselves."

After the months of training, fighting apparitions, worrying about life and death, this was exactly what you needed. Tonight you weren't an exorcist or someone who had transmigrated into this world, you were just some person hanging out with her friends.

Sara was sitting in front of the vanity. The mirror was decorated with lights and the desk had cute fake potted plants. And, of course, there was an array of makeup products.

"I definitely had an online shopping addiction at one point," Sara said, taking off the face mask she had on. "The coupons they give you? Literal traps. It made me buy way too many clothes."

You were in the middle of reading the instructions on some beauty product that was supposed to make your skin shine or something. "Oh, I get that. You think you're saving money, but in reality you're not."

"Right?"

Jade sipped on some tea as she reached out for the remote. "Should we put something on to watch?"

Sara raised her hand up, gesturing for Jade to throw the remote over. After a clean throw and catch, Sara asked,

"Do... you guys know the actress Rose?"

There was a sense of hesitation in Sara's voice and you understood why.

Rose, someone who was a famous actress. Note the word 'was'. Rose has been deceased for some time now. She didn't have the most desirable personality and was the type of actress you either hated or loved. However, no matter your feelings towards her, you had to acknowledge her talent for acting.

"Yeah, I do," you replied. "Who doesn't?"

Jade nodded. "I remember watching a few movies she starred in."

"Yeah... It's hard to bring her up because of her..." Sara paused for a moment. "Unknown cause of death." She then shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

You and Jade exchanged glances in mutual understanding.

"Girl night includes sharing our worries and stresses, right? I don't see the problem talking about this." Jade then furrowed her eyebrows slightly. "At least... that's what the magazine says. I could be wrong."

You and Sara laughed, the mood was quick to grow light.

"Nah, you're right," you said. "Keep talking, Sara. I have a feeling you've been bottling that up for a while now. Rose was part of the SF, you and her must've been close."

"We were very close. She was the only other girl." Sara chuckled weakly. "No shame to the guys, they're great. But, aside from my brother, she was the closest person to me on the team. I just... I just can't believe that I can't recall her cause of death. It makes my grieving feel incomplete. And sometimes, a naive part of me thinks she is still alive because I can't remember how she died." Sara furrowed her eyebrows. "It feels like there's a gap in my memory."

"I... I feel the same," Jade mumbled. "I never really thought about it. Strange, why is it like that? I knew of Rose and I knew that she passed away, but I never stopped and considered how."

A blanket of silence draped over the room.

"Maybe it has something to do with the unknown seventh SF member?" you brought up.

Jade and Sara looked at you like you've just discovered the meaning of life.

"Why haven't I thought of that?" Sara whispered.

Jade nodded. "It makes sense. No one remembers the seventh SF member. If they're somehow related, then it would explain our hazy memory."

"Related... As if they played a role in her death?" Sara mumbled.

It took the universe's strength for you to not backflip in protest. No, no. Your dear sweet Kein would apologise to a table if he accidentally bumped into it. He did not cause Rose's death.

"Well, there are many ways they could be involved. We shouldn't jump to conclusions." You smiled. "Seems like we've got a mystery on our hands, huh?"

"It doesn't confirm that Rose is alive, but the chance for closure makes me feel hopeful." Sara smiled at you and Jade. "Thank you."

Jade returned Sara's smile with one of her own. The way her blue eyes softened with warmth and affection made your heart melt.

"Tell me if I'm wrong, but tomorrow we're all only on patrol, right?" Jade inquired. "If so, what if we go out together? Just us girls."

Sara nodded. "That sounds great!"

"Oh!" You snapped your fingers. "Can I invite Ness and Lily?"

Jade smiled. "They're your friends from your support team, right? I don't see why not."

Sara grabbed her phone and began typing furiously. "May recommend a bunch of stores. I'll make a groupchat."

May! You haven't seen her in ages. She was the woman you met during the banquet after the first phase of the SF trial. A fun yet motherly figure.

"Sorry for the abruptness, hon." She cocked her head to the side, her shoulder length magenta hair following her movements. "But you needed to get away from those slimy men, right?"

The woman's eyes, which was the same colour as her hair, held a tender and motherly gaze. She wore a tight fitted dark red dress that accentuated her curves and you had to remind yourself several times that her eyes were up there.

You smiled appreciatively. "Yeah, you really saved me there."

"No need to thank me. When a fellow girl needs saving, why wouldn't I step in?" The woman extended a hand. "I'm May. I'm assuming you're (Y/n)?"

Sometimes you'll see glimpses of her in the AEI building on her way to a meeting, but you never get a chance to properly talk to her. She was a busy (and hot) woman, after all.

"I'll text Lily and Ness now if they will be free," you said.

Just as you were about to reach out for your phone, there was a knock on the door. The three of you exchanged suspicious glances.

"Elias is busy in his office," Sara said.

You slowly nodded. "Finn told me he was out for tonight."

"Lyle would be training as usual," Jade mumbled.

You sighed, getting up from the bed. "I think I know where this is going."

When you opened the door, you nodded to yourself. Ah. Yes. Yup. You knew it.

"Oh! What a surprise." A deep, but very convincing act of a feminine voice gasped. "I didn't know you girls were hanging out."

Cecil. It was Cecil.

With a playful twirl and a flirtatious wink, Cecil smiled at you. His jade green locks cascaded down his back thanks to the hair extensions, which only gave him an added flair you could only dream of achieving. Cecil already had naturally feminine features, so the touch of make up he wore only elevated his features. Some red eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and red lipstick. In terms of clothing, Cecil wore an oversized sweater and shorts, showing off his long and toned legs.

In short, Cecil would easily pass as a tall hot woman.

"Let me join in as well! The more the merrier, right?"

Oh my fucking GOD.

Okay. Caleb just looked like Caleb... but in a wig. Plus, his attempt at a female voice was hilariously high pitched. The duality between the effort Cecil put in compared to Caleb was hilarious.

Cecil and Caleb both tilted their heads, hopeful for your response.

You sighed. "Get out."



===



"Shopping spree!" Sara pushed up her pink tinted glasses and grinned. "And I have plenty of coupons to spend."

Jade, Sara, Ness, Lily, and yourself. The five of you were in one of the biggest shopping malls within the city.

"Technically, we are on a patrol," Ness said with a wink. She had her honey blonde hair tied into a high bun today, the hair style made her orange highlights stand out perfectly. "We're just doing some... side quests during our patrol."

You laughed. "Side quest is a good way to put it."

You were wearing your usual AEI gear. Though, the jacket was pretty stylish in and of itself already, so you still felt drippy in the shopping mall. Back in your world, you even bought the AEI jacket as merchandise. Have you ever worn it in public? No.

The five of you walked past a music store and you noticed Lily looking at the displays.

"Do you play an instrument?" you asked.

She jumped a little, not expecting you to ask her a question. "Y-yeah."

"Oh?" Ness grinned. "Piano? Saxophone?"

"... An electric guitar."

Ness blinked. "Lily dearest, could you repeat that? I thought you said an electric guitar for a second."

"I did say that."

Everyone gasped. Even Jade and Sara who were in the middle of gushing over some animal onesies snapped their attention to Lily.

"You play an electric guitar? We should perform together!" Sara exclaimed, pointing to herself. "I sing."

Ness raised an eyebrow. "Like pop songs?"

"Metal."

There was a pause.

"Like... screaming––"

"I decimate my vocal chords."

"What."

Sara grinned. "Surprised?"

"Still picking my jaw up from the ground."

After that revelation, the five of you went around trying out clothes, makeup, shoes; you physically felt your wallet hurt. Yes you made money, but you definitely weren't used to splurging so much. That broke uni student mentality was still in there somewhere.

It was also pretty funny seeing so many heads turn at the sight of three speciality force members shopping together. A few people here and there stopped you guys to express their admiration and thanks.

By the time shopping was over and you all had exhausted Sara's coupons, everyone's hands were full with bags. You five sat by a fountain and rested.

"Actually," you mumbled. "I wanna quickly check out this book store, it won't take long."

"Okay!" Sara smiled. "We'll do some research on where we should stop by for lunch."

"Hand us your bags," Jade said. "We're gonna call someone to drive our stuff back to the AEI building."

"Sounds good to me."

You hummed a soft tune when you entered the bookstore. Though you adored hanging out with your friends, this brief moment to yourself was just what you needed to recharge your social battery. In the midst of browsing through the fantasy section, a sudden discomfort weighed down on you.

Something was wrong.

A dangerous presence had entered the mall and they weren't trying to hide their presence.

The moment this thought entered your mind, screams and panic flooded the shopping mall. The peace and tranquillity of the bookstore shattered as confused and concerned chatter swept across the space.

You rushed out of the store with the intent to rejoin Sara and the others. You ran to the railing and looked down at the bustling crowd and your eyes widened at the snowstorm that swept the shopping mall. You haphazardly looked around, searching for your friends. You couldn't find them. Time felt short, so you ditched finding an escalator or stairs, it was probably crowded with panicked people anyway. Your instincts screamed at you to jump down.

And jump down you did.

You sprang onto the railing and steady yourself, eyes catching sight of fabric that draped from above, before leaping off of it. You caught the fabric and managed to hold yourself up. Your upper body strength has definitely improved over the past months. And, thankfully, the gloves the AEI supplied you with were both sturdy and had a solid grip. It prevented you from slipping off or burning your hands when you slid down.

You made a safe (and badass) landing. The moment you did, you were almost swept away by the frantic crowd. You ditched your initial plan to rejoin your friends in favour of trying to find the source of the chaos instead. Though, you already had a pretty good idea on who this intruder was.

From the distance, you saw a certain apparition with white hair and silver eyes. Even under all the chaos, he managed to find your eyes as a sly smile graced his lips.

Shen.

You chuckled wearily under your breath. You formed an alliance with him for the weapon announcement, that didn't mean you were allies. And he really took that information to heart.

Seems like I couldn't prevent this part of the plot from happening.

You took in a deep breath before exhaling to calm yourself down. Alright, it was time to get into action.