HIBUBA

CHAPTER 8

"Hello Al pif," he said with gritted teeth, slowly turning around to face his long time nemesis.

"How are you? Mr not fit to be a leader," he jabbed crossing his hand over his chest with a smug look on his face. Al was tall, extremely tall, infact he was taller than Adrian and that was saying a lot. He had brown hair cut almost down to his scalp. The perfect buzz cut.

His thin yet pink lips were drawn into a line and his brown eyes were as cold and as calculating as Adrian's. The only difference between them was their skin color, hair color and he was more muscular where Adrian was wiry.

"I'm doing great and it's nice to see assholes will always be assholes. Was getting scared of too much change around here," Adrian replied without missing a beat.

"Very funny, seeing as I am about to wipe that high and mighty look off your over privileged face," he smirked, clearly enjoying their banter, there was definitely something there.

"Seeing as this over privileged face has been able to beat you in every combat both intellectual and physical I'd say you were sent here to make me feel shame, but we both know I lack it. Upside to being a bloody, what was it you called me once again," Adrian paused for dramatic effect, absently stroking his non-existent beard.
"Ah yes, mongrel," he said with a blank expression on his face while Al stiffened for a few seconds before regaining his composure.

"I implore you to shut up, you don't want to upset your new team leader," Al pif said.

"The only thing you lead at is failing."

"I could say the same for you Yi pa," he snarled before facing the rest, he paused. He could have sworn that he saw one extra person.

"Someone is missing." He stated.

"No one is, unless you're going senile at a tender age," Sofia spoke up which seemed to spur everyone out of their initial shocks. It had been fun watching them exchange pleasantries but only Sofia knew how much it was hurting Adrian that they had sent his arch-nemesis as his replacement.

Kind of like a kick to the balls.

"I know what I am saying, I counted five people now I'm seeing four," he said waiting for an explanation. When he saw none was forthcoming he scowled visibly before ordering for them to go back to the inn house to write their reports of the incident.

Pers nearly died of fright as soon as they left. Leaving her behind in the cemetery for whatever was out there to eat her, so she ran as fast as her legs could carry her back to her house. She climbed up the window and burrowed under the covers, shaking as the adrenaline left her body.

"I want you all awake at 4'oclock and ready at 4:30, do I make myself clear?" Al said after a long moment of debriefing them as the new leader. He was yet to learn.

"Sure," Trent said. He was sitting on the purple sofa, arms spread wide with legs slung over the armrest.

"Hmm hmm," Aria and Sofia said absentmindedly, they seemed to be discussing something important but all they were doing was whispering nonsense to each other just to annoy Al. Adrian only smirked knowingly, this was the exact same treatment he got when he first directed the team. But after a few weeks he got the trick which he was confident Al would never get.

"You let your team to go, they lack respect and their response time is abysmal. How exactly did you think this would go on for long?"

"I have no idea, you tell me," Adrian bit the hook, he liked riling Al pif off, his big ears turned red and he puffed his cheeks, exactly like his father's.

"You don't have control of them, it's your team."

"Was my team," he corrected.

"Must you make this hard Yi pa," he scowled, obviously tired.