VALORANT: Stories

Beyond Reality 001 (Fade x Neon)

Beyond Reality 001

Personnel bustling from one point to another, the thumping of crates and the noise of the wheels coming from the container carts filled the hangar. There was also an audible thud of steel colliding with another as the platform of the aircraft officially opened and allowed its passengers to disembark, their ongoing conversation barely comprehensible among the idle ruckus transpiring around them.

The new agent from Turkey briefly narrowed her eyes at the workers and soldiers that came and went past them, rolling the minimal tension in her shoulder and cracking her neck to the side. Unlike the three other operatives at her right, despite being welcomed to contribute to their discussion, she chose to keep her thoughts to herself and silently listen to whatever they were discussing.

"Are you certain you are well, Neon?" came Sova's query, followed by the sound of what seemed like a pat on the mentioned duelist's back.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I told you guys a hundred times already."

Fade finally took her gaze from their surroundings, directing it to the trio beside her. It was just in time for her to witness Neon shrug the Russian's hand off her shoulder, also dodging Sage when the healer reached out and tried doing something similar to what Sova had initially done.

"You have been rather sluggish recently." Sage pointed out, concern lacing her words. "Are you sure?"

"Ugh..." Neon stopped directly in front of them, halting not only Sova and Sage, but Fade as well. She stood right at the very bottom of the open ramp, and though they still had a fair amount of space left to walk around her, the group stared back at the blue-haired agent and waited for her to state her own case. "Is it just me or have all of you been keeping me under close watch?"

With Fade not exactly knowing what that could mean, she turned her gaze to Sova, who somewhat copied her gesture. But, instead of meeting her heterochromatic gaze, he redirected his own gaze to Sage. Based on the healer's sigh, it would seem that Neon may actually be on to something with her question.

"It's nothing like that, Neon. We are merely considerate of your well-being."

"You weren't this considerate when I first joined. What changed?"

"Neon," Sova, despite being on the same boat as Fade when it comes to discussing Sage's concerns, started. "maybe Sage here is just worried. Earlier, you were nearly shot."

"But you covered me!"

"What if he hadn't?" Sage queried back. "Your senses are not as alert as your usual, and it is concerning."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

"Well..." Sage spared a short look at both Sova and Fade's direction, but the two didn't seem to have any suggestions for an alternative explanation. "Are you... getting all the rest that you need?"

With the way Neon visibly stiffened, Fade's attention was immediately piqued. She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing as she scrutinized the appearance of the duelist before them. A handful of details was quick to catch her attention, each one of them serving as a wordless confession to what the Filipino was hiding.

The way Neon flicked her eyes at her for a second before returning to Sage, the hint of shadows underneath Neon's eyes, and speaking of her eyes, they looked heavier than normal. A clear set of signs that the sleep she was lacking might just be caused by Fade. Maybe if the initiator was Jett or Raze, she would've immediately pointed all those things out. But, as someone who was new to the Protocol, she was not the type to give out such a brash and outright statement.