Max didn't make any notable progress in his investigation for the rest of the day. He visited more of the sites, but it was just more of the same. Another scorched address, another taped-off ruin, and still, no one around spoke to him. He moved through the ashes and melted bricks with his hood up, staff in hand, and took more photos. The pattern was consistent across all of the sites. At the epicentre of the scorch marks in every ruined building lied more bones, and not just any bones. They were all Association agent remains. As much as he hated to admit it, Max had already gotten used to seeing the bones. That sick feeling in his chest was gone, now replaced with a steadily increasing sense of dread. Association agents were being targeted. And that meant Max was being targeted as well. Max decided that he'd gathered enough information for the day, shook off the feeling of being watched, and headed back to the Association building to submit his report on the case.
By the time he returned to the Association headquarters, the snow had started again. Thin flakes of white shone in the streetlights, and a light layer of snow carpeted the whole street. The moonlight reflected off of the snow, illuminating the street in a cold winter light. This city had its drawbacks, but it was also beautiful sometimes. Inside, the building was the opposite, boring as always. Concrete, metal, fluorescent lighting, it all gave the place a bleak atmosphere. Despite all of that, it was somewhat comforting to Max. It may have originally been forced on him, but it was his home now. Max swiftly walked through the halls, following the corridor signs on the ceiling. He stopped just outside of a doorway with a sign above reading "FIELD INTAKE - INCIDENT REPORTS", before walking into the room on the other side.
The intake office smelled like paper and burnt coffee. A few analysts buzzed around, copying papers, retrieving files, all in a rush. Max stepped up to the central desk. An older woman looked up over thin-framed glasses, and she set down the metal flask she'd been in the middle of sipping. Max looked over at the small metal plaque on her desk that, in a bold font, said L. HSU. "Agent Calder," she said, voice flat. Max didn't know how to feel about the new title. "Yeah. I'm here to file a report on the recent fires." Her eyes flicked to the training staff in his hand, then back to his face. "Details, please." She said, clicking a pen and scribbling something down on a notepad. "The Flux element has been confirmed. And there would appear to be a pattern of dead Association agents at the sites I visited." That got her attention, and she looked up with surprise. "Really?" She said, "You have evidence?" Max nodded, and slid his phone across the desk. "Photos and notes. Location data. I marked the melt points as well." Hsu took the phone, plugged into a dock on her computer, and tapped through the files. When the photo of the charred bones came up, she paused. "Human remains," She said quietly, almost a whisper. "Yeah, and based on the pin, it was an Association agent. A fairly high ranking one at that." Max said, his voice shaking slightly. The association pin he saw belonged to a senior member, someone of Devon's status. Whatever took them out was definitely powerful, and Max was chasing after it. "Melted masonry…" She muttered. "That confirms it. This wasn't a normal fire." Max nodded again. "Did you get any witness statements?" She asked, still scrolling through the photos. "No one would talk to me." He said, shaking his head. "It seems like the residents of that area are wary of the Association. Maybe something's been stirring up distrust lately," Hsu finished uploading the files, disconnected Max's phone, and handed it back to him. "We'll send someone to look into that," she said, writing something down on her notepad. "What do I do now?" Max asked, shifting slightly. "Continue your assignment. File your reports with me every 24 hours. And remember to call in for backup if you encounter any active threats." He nodded. "Okay." Hsu hesitated, before lowering her voice. "Calder" Max looked up. "Be careful." she warned. "This could be extremely dangerous. I don't want to have to file the paperwork for your death."
The training hall was louder than the corridors, the air full with the sounds of metal striking metal, wood on wood, and heavy breathing. Training usually took place in the central courtyard, a slice of the outdoors enclosed by the tall steel walls of the Association building. It was like a fighting pit from the Roman empire, but, being exposed to the elements, wasn't ideal for training on particularly cold days such as today. The training hall was indoors, safe from the biting cold, and had the added bonus of training mats. That, and the infirmary wing was right across from it, something that came in handy when duelling Ren. She was in the middle of a match with one of the more experienced agents, wielding her sword. Training matches with open edges were fairly rare, but helpful for specialists that generally used one type of weapon. Her opponent was someone twice her size, a muscular man with a long one-handed blade. Ren was clearly winning, easily dodging attacks and perfectly countering his strikes. She makes it look so easy, Max thought, before approaching Devon, who was leaning against the wall, arms folded, watching the fight.
Devon's gaze flicked over to Max. "Where exactly have you been all day?" Max gave a tired half-shrug. "Been busy." Ren's attention switched to Max for a second, and she barely dodged a slash from her opponent. "With…?" Devon asked, impatient. Max hesitated, realizing he never told Devon and Ren about his new mission. "I got a solo assignment," Max said finally. "From the Director herself." The room went silent, as Ren stopped her match and turned to listen to Max. The man she was training against also looked surprised, sheathing his blade and crossing his arms. Devon's eyebrows lifted. "Director Edris?" Max nodded, fingers tapping on his staff. "Yeah." Devon's arms unfolded slowly, and a concerned expression spread across his face. "Since when do they give rookies solo field work?" Max grinned, proud. "Since today, apparently." Ren stepped off the mat without dismissing her sparring partner properly, and sheathed her katana. The man looked irritated for a split second, before shaking his head and calling "See you around, Halcrow" over his shoulder, and walking away. Ren walked towards Max with measured steps, face calm, but there was anger behind her eyes. "What kind of assignment?" She asked, voice low. "Arson," Max said. "Police didn't find any accelerants, and one of our agents noticed a Flux signature at the scene. I'm supposed to investigate, and catch whoever or whatever is responsible." Devon's eyes sharpened. "Could be a demon. A powerful one at that." Max nodded. "Yeah. I hope that's not the case, but hey, they're giving me full autonomy for this mission! I can go anywhere, anytime now!" Ren's voice stayed level, but her eyebrows furrowed. "And you went out, on your own." Max glanced at Devon, then back at Ren. "Well yeah, I was told to. By our boss. It's not like I had a choice in the matter." Devon looked like he wanted to argue, but decided against it. "Well, what'd you find?"
Max showed them the photos on his phone, and explained his findings. Technically, he was actually supposed to delete them once they were in the system, but he forgot to do that on the way to the training hall. Upon seeing the charred remains of the Association agent, both Max and Ren went very still. "That's…" Ren started to say, her voice uncharacteristically small. "Weaver." Devon whispered, grief taking over his voice. "That's his pin. He was… a good friend." Ren's eyes lit up with anger and fear. "Max, if something killed Weaver…" Devon's hands shook. "I'm going to submit a request to get you a reassignment. Or at least to get you a team." Max stepped forward, irritated. "I'll be careful. I'm fine." "For now." Ren cut in. "It's your first day on the job, Max." Max's temper rose up, and his hands tightened around his staff. "I'm going to complete my mission, I have to. I have to prove myself to the Director. And… I'm definitely not letting go of this new freedom I've been given." Ren's voice rose. "Max, you could die. They never should have sent you out on your own, not this early. I don't-" She stopped, and calmed herself down, her face going back to its original flat expression. "When are you going out again?" She asked, head down. "Tomorrow," Max replied. "I'm going to request camera access for the surrounding blocks tonight." Devon nodded with approval. "Good thinking."
Later that night, Ren knocked on Max's door. He looked over at his clock and groaned. "It's 1:30 in the morning, what do you want?" He got up, and opened the door. Truthfully, he was wide awake anyways, unable to sleep with the mission stuck on his mind. Ren stepped inside, and Max immediately noticed she had a training staff in hand. Leaning against the door, Ren looked over at Max. "You up for some training?" Max rubbed his eyes, glancing over at his own staff, which was leaning against his bed. "Right now?" Ren nodded, and a small smile formed on her lips. "I guess I could do with some extra practice," Max said, throwing on a sweater and grabbing his staff.
"Are we even allowed to be doing this?" Max asked, as they walked out into the courtyard. The snow glittered in the moonlight, beckoning them. "Probably not," Ren replied, twirling her staff. She had a smile on her face, a stark contrast to her normal, almost robotic demeanor. "You ready?" Max's breath steamed in the cold air, and he grinned. "I'm a little sleepy, do you mind if I hold back?" Ren almost laughed. "For your sake, you better not." Ren attacked swiftly, the side of her staff swinging in a clean arc aimed for Max's head. He blocked, reinforcing his staff, and counterattacked, sweeping his staff low, almost clipping Ren's knee. Ren laughed, the sound piercing the crisp quiet of the night, as she spun her staff with a fancy flourish. Something felt off about her today. Ren never really smiled, and definitely never laughed. She didn't normally waste energy on unnecessary flourishes either. It was almost as if… She was having fun. Max smiled, and gave it his all. He and Ren flowed into a tight rhythm, wood clacking against wood, with clean hits and parries. The courtyard lid up with the red glow of Flux being channeled through their tools, and for the first time, it felt like they were equals. She's probably holding back, Max thought, blocking an attack aimed for his forearm. But why? Finally, Max thought he found a window to attack, to win. He lunged, with a diagonal strike aimed for her shoulder. Ren's eyes shone as she grinned, and she didn't bother to block, instead slipping just past the arc, and sweeping his leg with the end of her staff. Max hit the floor on his back, laughing through the pain, and admitted defeat. Ren sat down beside him, leaning against a ruined stone pillar.
"I don't like this, Max." Ren said, looking up at the sky. "Just a week ago, they tossed you into the middle of a war with the most dangerous criminal organization in the city. Now they're sending you out on solo missions?" Max stared at the snow collecting on his gloves. "I can handle myself." "I don't doubt that, Max. I'm not blind. But that doesn't change the fact that they sent a rookie into active duty, without backup. It feels… off." Max drew a circle in the snow with his hand. "I didn't really have a choice though. Was I supposed to say no to the Director?" Ren's mouth tightened. "Sometimes, you have to set hard boundaries, even with the boss." Max sat up, and looked over at her. "Would you have said no to her?" Ren didn't answer right away. She kept looking up, as if she was searching for something in the stars. "I have before." Max looked down, deep in thought. "You always talk like you've been… doing this forever." Ren went quiet for a long moment. Snow landed on her long black hair, mirroring the starry sky above them. "It feels that way…" She said. "I've been a part of the Association for so long… It's my entire life now." Max looked up at the sky. "Do you miss what it was like before? Your family? I know I do, and it's only been a few months since I joined." Ren looked over at Max, and there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry-" He started to say, but she stopped him. "I don't remember, Max. None of it. I don't know what 'normal' means anymore. How can you miss what you never had?" She looked away, wiping her face on the sleeve of her sweater. "The Association is my family now. You, Devon… You're all I have left." Max was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to that, to any of this. He went dead silent, then he got up and sat beside her. He couldn't say anything to comfort her, but he could at least be there. They both looked back up at the sky, and the moon seemed to stare back. "Max… Don't die out there." Ren whispered, trying to get her voice back under control. "If you're ever in danger out there, call me. Please." Max rested his head against the pillar behind him. "Alright, Ren." Then they sat there in the snow for a while, together, both looking out into the void.