The medical room near the training hall smelled like clean cloth, bitter herbs, and blood.
That last part was probably just Sirone working on someone.
She stood beside the examination table with a small tray of tools next to her. Olivia had a notebook open near the cabinet. Apricot sat on a stool by the wall with one blanket on her lap like someone had negotiated her down from three.
The puppet drone stood beside her feet.
It stared at me.
I stared back.
"I don't like that thing," I said, narrowing my eyes at it.
Apricot looked down. "It is being supportive."
"It has no face."
"It's cute though."
"It's not."
Sirone pointed at the table. "Sit."
"No greeting?"
"You walked here. That's enough."
"That sounds like a greeting to you?"
"It is."
I sat on the table before she could start sharpening medical tools with her eyes.
Nekro stayed near the door. Amari stood near the window, papers still tucked under one arm.
Sirone took my wrist first.
She checked the old pale curse marks on my skin, moved her fingers along the inside of my forearm, then did the same with the other wrist.
"Pain?" Sirone asked.
"No."
"Burning?"
"No."
"Pulling when you move your hands?"
"No."
"Any reaction when you reach for mana?"
"I am not going to test that."
"Smart idea."
Olivia wrote something down.
I looked at her. "Why are you writing?"
"She told me to write down anything you said in case you turn around and argue against it."
"Don't talk shit now."
"Note that down as well, Olivia," Sirone said.
"Already," Olivia said.
Apricot nodded.
I pointed at her. "You are supposed to be emotionally supporting me, not them."
"No, that's what the drone is for. I am the middleman."
Hearing her, I looked down at the weird puppet the floor, only to see it nodding by itself.
"Traitor," I said, glaring at Apricot again, who was now laughing.
Sirone picked up a small blue device from the tray and held it near my wrist. It stayed dull, no bright flare, no ugly pulse. She checked the other wrist, watched it for a few seconds, then set the device down.
"Stable," she said.
"Thanks for the checkup."
"Stable does not mean healed."
"I know."
Sirone stepped back. "Your mana veins are in worse shape than I thought, but they should heal over the next month."
"I know."
I looked at the door. "Why are they here?"
"It's for the meeting," Sirone said. "Everyone is bad at waiting."
"I am good at waiting," Rin said from outside.
"No," Brit said.
"I wait loudly."
"That is not waiting."
Sirone released my wrist. "The meeting is for you, so let's go."
"Fine, but I will be listening first before I talk."
Apricot lifted the blanket slightly. "Do you want this?"
"No."
"You sure? It's comfortable."
"She said no," Nekro said from the door.
Apricot looked at her.
Nekro looked away too late.
I hopped down from the table.
"Done?" I asked.
"For now," Sirone said. "If you feel pain, burning, numbness, pressure, or anything strange, you tell me."
"Fine. I tell you, Miss Healer."
'My healing is better than hers anyway, so no use arguing.'
Sirone nodded once. "Meeting."
The side briefing room near the training hall had been built for polite planning and had failed.
The squad had claimed it.
Two long tables had been shoved together. Chairs stood around them in uneven spacing. Maps were pinned to the wall. A chalkboard had been dragged close to the window. A rack of practice weapons stood near the door, and Olivia's supply stacks occupied one corner like a small paper fort.
It still looked like part of the Draig mansion.
Brenda stood at the far side of the table with her report folder in hand. She wore a clean black uniform and had her hair tied back too tight. She looked steady from a distance.
From close up, she looked like someone had told sleep to come back next week.
Rin and Brit sat together. Brit had one arm hooked over the back of Rin's chair, not touching her, but close enough to stop her from launching herself into stupidity.
Sirone sat near Olivia.
Chinada had a weapon case at her feet and a small notebook open in front of her.
Toma and Sarian took the far end.
Ava sat near the wall. Mia sat one chair away from her, which looked casual only if you were blind.
Nekro took the chair across from Apricot without making it look like a choice.
It was absolutely a choice.
Amari stayed near the door.
She was not part of it, but she was here to make sure I didn't fuck up.
I did not sit at the head of the table.
I took a chair on the side.
That got attention fast.
Brenda looked at the empty head chair, then at me.
I nodded toward the table.
"Start."
Her jaw tightened once.
Then she opened the folder.
"Mission report has been submitted to Lady Stacy. Short version for squad record: ruin entry successful. Artifact recovered. Federation contact confirmed inside and outside the ruin. The first enemy group neutralized during exit. The second enemy group was larger and better equipped. Black Ops intervention prevented a worse engagement. No squad fatalities."
No squad fatalities.
The room heard that part even if Brenda did not throw weight on it.
"No permanent injuries reported," she continued. "Gear damage moderate. Ammunition use was high. Two puppet drones damaged. Three rifles need repair. One weapon case cracked. Recovered enemy equipment has been transferred for inspection."
Chinada's mouth tightened at the rifle part.
Apricot's ears dipped at the drones.
Rin lifted a hand.
Brenda looked at her. "No."
"You don't know what I was going to say."
"I do."
"I was going to say the cracked case deserved it."
"Yes. No."
Brit leaned closer to Rin. "You are making the report longer."
"These meetings are annoying enough, so stop," Ava muttered from the back.
'Discipline for Rin will be needed.'
Brenda ignored them. "Command note: I delayed too long inside the ruin chamber while assessing artifact risk. Captain Kitsuna corrected the delay before enemy contact closed on us."
"Corrected," Rin said. "That's a nice word for walked over and did it herself."
Brenda looked at her.
Rin grinned.
Brenda continued. "Captain Kitsuna walked over and did it herself."
"Better."
Brit pulled Rin's chair closer with one foot. "Stop helping."
I leaned back.
Brenda was trying too hard to be formal, but that was fine. Formal gave people something to hold onto when the inside of their head was untidy.
She finished the report cleanly. Too cleanly.
Then she closed the folder and waited.
Everyone looked at me.
"So now you guys are waiting for me to say something?"
"Well, you just came back, so… you should?" Apricot said, hesitating.
"Fine. Brenda had command while I was gone," I said. "That means I can't just come in, take over, and know everything you guys went through."
The room changed.
Small things. Eyes shifting. Shoulders setting. Apricot looking down. Sirone going still. Olivia's pen pausing above the page.
Brenda's face stayed mostly blank.
Mostly.
"Captain," she said, "I was following standing orders."
"You led."
"I maintained command."
"You led," I repeated. "Do not make me say it again."
Brenda looked like she wanted to argue with the floor. Then she nodded once.
"Understood."
"Sit."
She sat.
Not relaxed. Brenda probably considered relaxation a form of enemy action.
But she sat.
"Short reports," I said. "No long speeches. No pretending everything is fine because you're tired of being checked. We are all tired. Nobody cares."
Rin lifted a hand again.
"No," I said.
"You didn't even hear it."
"I survived without hearing it."
She lowered her hand.
"Sirone."
Sirone had her notes ready. "Medical status: everyone is functional. Nobody is rested enough. Rin's side cut is closed but still pulls."
Rin opened her mouth.
Brit put a hand over it.
Sirone continued. "Sarian's shoulder is stiff. Toma's head wound is healed but should not be tested by impact. Mia can assist with minor healing only until she rests properly. Ava's shoulder is usable, not clean."
Ava frowned. "It is fine."Q
Sirone looked at her.
Ava looked away first.
I pointed at Olivia. "Supply."
Olivia turned one page. "Food stores are stable because the mansion is carrying extra weight. Medical supplies are strained due to recovered Black Ops personnel. Weapon repair materials are enough for squad readiness but not careless use. Recovered gear is being logged. Territory staff are already arguing about ownership, so I am ignoring them until someone with actual authority gives me a reason not to."
I smiled. "Good. Keep with that."
Olivia looked pleased with herself for half a second.
"Chinada."
Chinada opened her notebook. "Weapons are cleaned. Rifles need spring replacements. Two cracked barrels."
Rin leaned back. "Why did you look at me?"
"Because you touch tools when bored."
"I explore."
"You are prone to damage while exploring."
"I learn."
"You damage while learning."
Brit nodded. "Both true."
Chinada continued. "Captain's weapons are physically sound. Without mana, some features will not respond, but the steel is usable. Recovered Federation gear is useful. Some parts are better than what we have."
"Make a list," I said.
"I already started."
"Of course you did."
"Rin and Brit," I said. "Field condition."
Rin sat forward. "The mansion is boring, no enemy movement inside the outer walls, noble messengers walk like they expect the floor to apologize, and the inner yard is usable if we train."
"I asked for a report, not a complaint," I said, glaring at her.
Brit took over before I threw something heavy at Rin. "Outer paths are crowded because of recovered personnel and supply movement. If we drill later, the inner yard only. I need more shots before we leave for anything serious."
"Ammo status noted," Olivia said.
"Don't write needlessly dramatic things," Rin said.
"I write accurately."
"That is how drama starts."
"Recon," I said, before Rin could keep going.
Nekro looked up. "No hostile presence detected inside the mansion grounds. I can set inner watch markers if Lady Stacy approves. My own output is stable."
'Yeah, not really needed. Stacy's personal guards are better suited for that anyway,' I thought, a bit annoyed that they wanted to use our resources like this.
"Apricot."
Apricot straightened. "Two drones damaged. One repairable. One needs a new body. Wires are fine. Illusion support works for short spaces, not extended field work. Also, the little drone did not bite the clerk."
Olivia looked up slowly.
Apricot looked away. "It clipped him."
"With teeth?"
"Small teeth."
"So it bit him."
"It panic-clipped him."
Rin nodded. "I support this wording."
"No one asked you," Olivia said.
Apricot's ears dipped. "I'll apologize again."
"Again?" I asked.
"The first apology was to the drone."
I stared at her.
She stared back, serious as a funeral.
"Toma. Sarian."
Toma leaned back. "Earth work is available. Nothing fancy. I can raise cover, shift ground, and block paths. My head hurts if Sarian talks too much."
"Shut it. So your magic skills haven't improved since I last talked to you?"
"He has been busy."
"Shut up, Sarian," I said, glaring at the two and making a mental note to make sure they trained better things.
"Mia," I continued.
Mia sat straighter. "Support healing is limited. I can patch minor injuries and assist Sirone. I should not take primary medical work unless needed."
"Ava."
"Scout work available," Ava said. "I can run perimeter, message routes, and support if needed."
The reports ended.
No one was dead. Everyone was tired. Half of them were pretending to be better than the other half.
Normal squad condition after a bad mission, but bad for a squad that had a night of proper sleep.
I looked around the table and let the room sit.
Brenda was trying to be second-in-command without looking like she wanted the chair.
Sirone watched everyone like she was building a list of medical crimes.
Olivia had already turned the room into paperwork.
Chinada was calmer now that she had tools and numbers.
Rin and Brit sat like a unit. Too comfortable together. Useful, until it made them careless with anyone else.
Toma and Sarian were steady, but they leaned into each other's rhythm too easily.
Ava and Mia had distance between them that meant more than sitting close would have.
Nekro and Apricot were fine on missions. That was the important part. The rest was awkward furniture and old damage.
Fuck me.
It was not one problem.
It was a nest.
I did not say all that.
I liked my teeth where they were, and this room was already sharp.
I leaned forward.
"Now the part everyone is going to hate."
Rin raised her hand. "I object before hearing it."
"Denied."
"That was fast."
"I practice."
I looked at the room. "This squad has too many personal ties inside it."
The room stopped.
Rin's mouth opened. Brit grabbed her wrist without looking.
Apricot went still.
Nekro looked at the table.
Mia's face changed too fast.
Ava's shoulders tightened.
Toma and Sarian exchanged one look.
Brenda watched me.
Sirone did not look surprised.
Olivia wrote nothing.
That was probably wise.
"I am not banning relationships," I said. "I am not your mother. I do not care who dates, who used to date, who wants to date, who is pretending not to want anything, or who shares snacks and bad ideas after dark."
Rin slowly lowered her hand.
"The problem comes in when it touches missions," I continued. "It's a problem when someone trusts one person more than the squad. It's a problem when people avoid a partner because things are awkward. If someone bleeds, someone else might freeze in shock or worry. If a private discussion changes the fight mid-mission, that is a problem."
No one joked.
Even Rin kept her mouth shut.
Holy shit. I should have written that down.
"This is not an accusation," I said. "It is a warning. We are still functioning. I want it fixed before it becomes bleeding."
Sirone looked at Chinada for half a second. Chinada looked back, then both looked at me.
Rin finally spoke. "So what? Rules?"
"Yes."
Rin made a face. "I hate rules."
"You love rules when Brit uses them to stop you from getting stabbed."
"That is different."
"That is the point."
Brit gave Rin a look that said she would explain it with violence later.
I continued. "Rule one. Mission comes first. Always. If your partner gets hurt, you do your job first unless command tells you otherwise."
Apricot's hands tightened.
I saw it.
I did not stop.
"Rule two. If you cannot work cleanly with someone because of feelings, history, jealousy, guilt, or whatever other stupid thing people collect, you tell Brenda or me before deployment."
Ava's eyes narrowed. "And if there is no issue?"
"Then there is no issue."
Mia looked down.
Fuck, that one was going to be annoying.
"There is no punishment for saying it early," I said. "There is punishment if you hide it and it gets someone killed in the field."
Olivia wrote that one down.
"Rule three. No pair gets to become a squad inside the squad. You trust the unit. Not only the person you sleep beside, argue with, or stare at when you think no one notices."
Mia went red.
Ava looked at the wall.
Rin leaned toward Brit. "Was that about us?"
Brit said, blushing, "Shut up, you thick-skulled moron."
"At least someone was paying attention," I said.
"That was mean."
"That was generous."
Toma scratched the back of his neck. "Is this going somewhere, Captain?"
"Yes."
Sarian muttered, "Here it comes."
I nodded. "We may split into two teams."
The room went bad immediately.
"What?"
"No."
"Split?"
"Why?"
"That's not needed."
"Are we being reassigned?"
Rin stood first. "No. Absolutely not."
Brit stood because Rin stood, already trying to pull her down.
Apricot's chair scraped back. "You are breaking the squad?"
"If I get interrupted again, I am going to fucking stab someone, alright?"
Silence followed.
Deathly silence.
"Do I make myself clear?" I shouted this time.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now, as I was saying, we are splitting into two teams."
"Captain," Ava said, lifting her hand gently.
"Yes?"
Ava stood too. "If this is about trust, cutting the squad apart makes it worse."
Mia stood halfway, then sat again like she regretted choosing movement.
Toma pushed his chair back. Sarian did not stand, but her hand moved to the knife at her hip out of habit, not threat.
Nekro stood quietly.
Apricot saw her stand and looked away.
That was a whole conversation I did not have time for.
Brenda stayed seated.
Sirone stayed seated.
Olivia stared at the table like she wanted the wood to explain why people were like this.
Then Apricot left.
Not run. Not dramatic. She turned and walked out of the room with her shoulders too tight.
Shit.
Nekro looked at the door.
Then she followed.
Rin swore under her breath and stepped back from the table. Brit caught her arm.
"Do not," Brit said.
"Apricot left."
"And Nekro followed. Sit."
"Fuck sitting."
Rin pulled free and walked out too.
Brit looked at me, jaw tight, then followed her.
Ava pushed her chair in hard enough to hit the table leg. "This is stupid."
She left.
Mia stared after her, then she glared at me, and stood walking out following her.
Toma looked around the suddenly smaller room. "Well. That went smoothly."