" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

iv | assistant

yuanfen.
act four, chapter four.
"assistant"

_

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, the sound of knocking on her door pulled Dahlia out of her thoughts. Her eyes burned, her body begging her to get some sleep, though she did her best to ignore it as she trudged over to answer the door. She had no idea who she expected to see waiting on the other side, however she knew for a fact that the one she least expected was Sojourn. Her eyes widened as she stood face to face with the Captain, the events of the night before rushing to the forefront of her mind once more.

She knows, Dahlia thought with an inwardly groan. She's going to send me away, I just know it.

"I would like to speak with you in my office," Sojourn said to her. Her voice was hard, her expression unreadable. Dahlia swallowed nervously, nodding, and followed the Captain out of her dorm. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, her head spinning as countless scenarios swarmed through her mind. She recalled Genji's words from the night before: "She already does not trust you." If Sojourn did know about her being out past curfew, Dahlia had a feeling that she would not get the chance to properly explain herself. Whether or not there was trust established, being caught snooping through confidential files never ended well.

Despite the early hours, the base was already bustling with activity. As Dahlia crossed the courtyard with Sojourn, she was able to see McCree and Lena standing in front of a group of recruits near the training facility. Lena looked full of energy, moving her hands around as she spoke to the group in front of her; McCree, on the other hand, looked as though he was about to fall asleep on the spot. His tawny hair was messy, his eyes drooped, and his fingers fumbled lazily with an unlit cigar that he held in his hand. Dahlia wanted to call out to them in greeting, though she was far too afraid to open her mouth with the Captain walking beside her. Instead, she opted for a small wave in their direction that she was certain went unmissed by both of them.

Sojourn's office was located on the second floor of the HQ, with large windows lining the far wall that overlooked the courtyard. As Dahlia followed the Captain inside, she was surprised to find that the office wasn't empty. Dr. Ziegler sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk; Brigitte was behind her, and Winston stood off to the side in the corner of the room. They all perked up upon noticing Dahlia's arrival, and Dr. Ziegler shot her a warm smile in greeting. Sojourn gestured for Dahlia to take a seat in the empty chair beside the doctor, and she did so. She couldn't imagine why the Captain felt the need to have other people here while she was scolded, unless she enjoyed completely humiliating people.

Or, perhaps, it was for her own safety, and she expected Dahlia to lash out aggressively.

"So," Sojourn began as she took a seat behind the desk, pulling Dahlia out of her thoughts. "Dahlia, you've been with us for a little over a week. I believe it's time to finally assign you a permanent job with us."

At her words, Dahlia visibly relaxed, and she left a breath of relief. Maybe Sojourn didn't know about her excursion to the file room the night before.

"As you may know, you have four units to choose from, Miss Blackrock-" the Captain continued. "-Medical with Dr. Ziegler, Laboratory Science with Winston, Research and Development with Brigitte, and Combat with me. You've already expressed your reluctance to fight, and we will respect that. How do you feel about your own training?"

"It went well, I think," Dahlia said nervously. It was true, she believed that her training with Dr. Ziegler went well; she enjoyed working with Winston, although she knew that she'd have a hard time working in the lab after the previous incident (the constant reminder of her uncontrollable urge to kill would not make a good work environment.) She turned to look at Brigitte, shooting the young engineer an apologetic smile. "I feel guilty for not being able to train properly with you, Brigitte."