Felix is stuck in a never-ending cycle of job applications, rejection letters, and the crushing weight of existential dread. When a job offer magically appears in his inbox with a salary so ridiculously high it could pay off his student loans and bu...
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Felix was starting to get the hang of things—or so he thought. Cain's "training" had mostly consisted of cryptic advice, random exercises, finally making a needle float above his head, and a lot of waiting around while Nix looked on with an unimpressed expression towards his supposed guide. But Felix couldn't deny that he felt a strange, growing connection with the two—especially the fox, like they were starting to understand each other without needing to say anything. Not that he had any idea what to do with that connection, but it was something.
Today, though, things felt different. Cain was unusually quiet as they made their way through the twisting halls of the organization's headquarters. The place was a maze of stone corridors and modern additions, with the occasional strange artifact or odd piece of furniture scattered about. Felix couldn't shake the feeling that the whole building was some kind of elaborate test.
"So, where are we going today?" Felix asked, trying to fill the silence. "Another round of 'stare at the magic fox until something happens,' or do I finally get to blow something up?"
Cain gave a lazy shrug, his hands deep in his pockets. "Something like that. We've got an agent joining today, and I figured it'd be good for you to meet them. See how you stack up against the competition."
Felix raised an eyebrow. "Competition? I thought we were all on the same team here. Theoretically."
Cain smirked. "We are. But a little friendly rivalry never hurt anyone. Besides, you might learn something."
Felix rolled his eyes. "Great. Just what I need—another person to make me look like a total amateur."
They reached a set of heavy wooden doors, which Cain pushed open with one hand. Inside was a large, open training room, lined with various weapons, practice dummies, and other mysterious contraptions that Felix wasn't sure he wanted to know the purpose of. In the middle was an open space, and the curved ceiling seemed to mimic the sky—a clear blue littered with clouds. In the center of the room stood a girl, maybe a few years younger than Felix, with short black hair and sharp, blue eyes that seemed to take in everything at once.
He was also too busy fanning his space to really get a good look at her, but the entire middle was surrounded with wisps of smoke. Does this place have no fire alarms?
The red head almost swatted her face when he turned his head just to find the same girl watching him. Kind of, what? Seizing him up? Well, he could do that too! He looked very pointedly at her weapon, which was unsheathed, and her sunglasses, because she was indoors. Her entire ensemble consisted of something a bit more futuristic; she wore a white jacket...vest with the Wishmaker's star, and her entire outfit looked layered as possible? At the very least, it looked like it was designed for combat, with various pouches, belts and straps that he bet held all sorts of nasty surprises. She held her sword in one hand, the blade's handle as gleaming in the light.
