Jester had a feeling the Commander had just insulted him, but he let it go. Mostly because he was too guilty to feel offended at being called foolish, when overwhelming evidence that proved it true (in the form of an unconscious Alisa Vega) was right in front of him. Jester pulled out a chair and set it down beside the bed. He sat there contemplating the Commander’s words, and he realized the old lady was giving him hints.Really, Jester thought to himself. I’ve been an idiot lately.Resolving to end his streak of idiocy, Jester closed his eyes and called for an old friend he hadn’t summoned in a while.Holly, Jester thought coaxingly. I need your help.He felt the air stir beside him. He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on a creature stretching itself out on the carpet by his feet. It was roughly as big as his head, and had the appearance of a baby elephant—if baby elephants had lilac fur like

Don’t judge me. But after hearing Jester’s explanation, I felt a little bit better.Why? Because things are finally starting to make sense!I had always assumed that Jester must have suffered through some sort of emotionally-scarring past relationship (though I could not find any evidence to support that theory) from which he still hasn’t recovered, and that was the reason why he seemed so averse to forming a new one with me. I thought he was being so focused on his work at the AG, because he needed a productive alternative that would allow him to vent his emotions by slaying monsters, and that would have been a very lucrative way to go about it. Thinking that maybe he had suffered from a poor love affair and that he still couldn’t get over that girl (or guy, I don’t know) quite frankly hurt my pride. He must have really loved her—or him—so much that even advances from someone such as myself got a lukewarm reception.I h

As I glanced at the people around the table, I was reminded of something Jester had said. The Fourth Special Unit was supposedly a gathering of individuals with a specific skill-set. I had assumed that meant they were all people who were physically skilled, had combat experience, and were powerful Mages—you know, like Jester. That’s why I thought to myself that I might look out of place.But it looks like I’m not the only civilian who got captured by the Commander.Agent Boris (I was told it was a custom to call Agents by their last name, but for some reason no one calls him Agent Bailer) sat with Agent Kaye and a slim girl that looked around my age, with red-hair in a pixie cut and sharp eyes. She looked kind of familiar, but I’m positive I’ve never met her before. I’d surely remember that face and the distinctive dislike in the feel of her gaze as she looked at me. She probably knows I’m an empath, so I know she knows that I

After the meeting, Jester and I went back to his office so I could get my stuff and prepare for the mission. This meant getting an AG uniform for myself and being taught how to make the best use of it. This was Freya’s job, though, so while we waited for her to get my uniform, Jester gave me a peace offering.“I’m going to have Holly stay with you,” Jester said. The purple ball of fluff scuttled up his arm and sat on his shoulder, her snout pecking at his temple. “I still think that you coming along to this mission is a bad idea. But I can’t keep you out of it unless you withdraw yourself, or you are otherwise incapacitated.”I gave him a look at that, and he shrugged. “Of course, both scenarios are impossible. Shouldn’t get my hopes up. So, I have to do the next best thing.”He raised his right hand and drew a figure in the air with his index finger. The figure glowed a pale purple, and looked to me li

Even though it would be too early for me to make up my mind about Freya’s personality, I am grateful that she is professional enough to do her job properly despite her obvious dislike of me. The combat gear she taught me to wear and use saved my life today.We were outside when the explosions happened, about fifteen meters away from the nearest glass window. Still, if it weren’t for the suit’s built-in defensive capabilities, I’d be bleeding by now. I saw how the protective magic was activated the moment stray pieces of glass shot towards my face. Any projectile—magical or physical (you will not believe how many mages still get shot to death by actual bullets)—aimed towards my person that exceeds a certain velocity will be automatically repelled by an invisible shield that robs them of their kinetic energy, thus making them harmless. Or so says the bit of the manual I managed to read in the little time I had before we left for my first miss