Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Xiao Tian sat at his work table, trying to do his work, though that is evidently impossible when a familiar Draco is sitting on his desk, wearing her service uniform, and tugging his arm with her serpent tail.

Xiao Tian froze as Aya's mischievous grin widened, her tail wrapping a fraction tighter around his arm like a particularly affectionate pet snake. Her emerald scales glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window, and her eyes sparkled with an impish gleam.

"Sir," she purred, leaning just close enough to invade his personal space without completely shattering it, "you work too hard. Surely you can spare a moment for a... little break?"

Xiao Tian's mind raced as he looked up from his device, trying to make sense of her. Is she flirting? Or is she trying to get more budget for Squad Artemis? Both seemed equally possible.

"Aya," he began, his voice steady but betraying a hint of weariness, "I am trying to finish this report. You are not helping."

Aya tilted her head, her expression one of mock innocence. "Helping? I'm simply concerned about your well-being, sir. Stress is terrible for your health, you know."

Xiao Tian chuckled. “I am 32, not 72,” he said, reaching for his cup of tea. Aya’s tail gave a playful flick, grabbing the cup holding it just out of his reach.

“You already had too much caffeine today, sir!” she said.

"Give that back," he said, his tone firm but not unkind.

"Only if you promise to take a break," Aya countered, her smile turning sly. "We could go for a walk, or..." Her voice dropped to a teasing whisper. "...you could let me guess what your favourite dessert is…”

Sean immediately looked away, deciding that he has to stop things before they escalate. "Report!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Hearing this Aya immediately slid off Xiao Tian's desk, sitting down at the sofa in the office.

"Come in!" replied Xiao Tian. Sean stepped in, giving a salute, trying his best to control his laugh.

Aya jumped from the sofa and rushed to Sean, "Sean!" she exclaimed, extending her arms.

Sean quickly moved out of the way, causing Aya to hug the air. She pouted and turned to Sean again, "what, you don't love your Big Sis anymore?"

Sean relented, standing still. "Welcome back!" she said, giving him a bear hug.

"Good to see you, Aya," greeted Sean.

She pinched Sean's ears. "You promised me that you'd quit smoking last year in September!"

Sean groaned in pain at the gargantuan strength of his Big Sis that far surpassed his.

"I am sorry!" muttered Sean in pain as he tried to break free. "Damn it, that snitch Phineas must have ratted me out!" Sean cursed in his mind. Even though Sean had effectively ghosted the entirety of Squad Artemis when he left, Aya had somehow found Phineas and managed to spam Phineas enough that he became her channel to Sean.

"Alright, leave the poor kid alone, he is an adult after all," said Xiao Tian, looking at their dynamic with an amused smile. "Frankly, I think Sean and the others should call you mommy instead of Big Sis."

Aya turned to Xiao Tian with an exaggerated gasp, her hands on her hips and her serpent tail curling indignantly. “Mommy? Excuse me, Sir, but I am clearly the cool, approachable Big Sis, not some overbearing mother figure!”

Sean, still recovering from the ear-pinching, muttered under his breath, “Evidently not…”

“What was that, Sean?” Aya’s eyes narrowed, her tail flicking ominously.

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Sean raised his hands in mock surrender, trying not to laugh.

Aya huffed dramatically, turning her attention back to Xiao Tian. “And you! What’s with throwing mommy into this conversation? Are you saying I’m old? This is damaging to my image!” 

Xiao Tian smirked, leaning back in his chair. “Your image was already damaged when you were coiling me like a python”

Aya’s face flushed a deep shade of crimson, and she stammered, “I-I was just making sure you weren’t overworking yourself! It’s called team bonding, Xiao Tian!”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Sean quipped, earning a glare from Aya and a chuckle from Xiao Tian. Aya buried her face in her hands for a moment before rallying her energy. She spun back toward Sean with renewed vigour. “Fine! Enough about that! Sean, you didn’t answer my question earlier—why are you still smoking?”

Sean scratched one of his Chinese dragon horns. “You see Aya, it’s…a process.”

“A process?!” Aya crossed her arms, her tail coiling slightly in anger.

Xiao Tian couldn’t resist chiming in. “Careful, Sean. She’ll probably do spot checks in your room now.”

Aya gasped, her face lighting up as though she’d just had the best idea in the world. “Xiao Tian, you’re a genius! Sean, from now on, I’ll personally do surprise checks!”

Sean groaned. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

“Absolutely,” Xiao Tian said with a grin, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

 Knowing that Xiao Tian needs to settle administrative work with Sean, Aya excused herself. As she sashayed toward the door, her tail flicked one last time, grazing Xiao Tian’s table top. She glanced back over her shoulder with a wink. "See you at dinner, sir. My treat—if you dare." She bid Sean farewell, leaving.

 Sean turned to Xiao Tian. “Sir.”

"Xiao Tian will do," he smiled, looking at Sean with an interested stare. His sharp, keen eyes seemed to drill a hole straight into his mind, though it does not feel intrusive at all to Sean, instead feeling a calming friendliness, an aura of interest and understanding.

Xiao Tian guided Sean to the sofa, and he sat on a chair opposite.

"Didn't know Aya is finally looking for a guy to screw over," Sean joked. This trip back home has been full of new surprises. “And that technique of hers? Straight out of Nanami’s playbook,” he remarked.

“So, are you giving her a chance?” asked Sean, folding his arms.

Xiao Tian raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair with an amused smirk. “A chance? For what exactly?”

“You know,” Sean said, pointing his dragon tail suggestively. “Dinner, dessert… a future of being tangled up with her for life.”

Xiao Tian chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Aya’s enthusiasm is… endearing. But I don’t know. In fact, I still don’t know why she even like me in the first place. But now that you mention it, my mom is pestering me to get married. I will see how things go.”

“Typical Chinese parents,” laughed Sean.

Both laughed. 

"Let's talk business regarding your re-enlistment," said Xiao Tian.

Sean is puzzled, asking what is there to talk about. After all he is simply returning to Squad Artemis. 

“Well, Squad Artemis, being the group of specifically created super soldiers, is a Tier 1 unit, that means we can’t just let anyone in. You were a civilian for 2 years,” replied Xiao Tian. 

“Hence, we need to retrain you before re-deploying you back in Squad Artemis," continued Xiao Tian. 

"You will be sent to the South Africa camp with this year's cadets that are applying for Tier 1 units on the selection course. If you are successfully selected, you will go back to Squad Artemis,” he said, sending the necessary materials onto Sean’s device. 

“And if I don’t?” asked Sean. Xiao Tian shrugged, “then I guess you go back to building Mechas, but this time as a military mechanic in our hangers, not the factories.” 

"Confident?" smiled Xiao Tian.

"I will do my best," replied Sean.

Xiao Tian threw an amused grin at him. Sean too maintained his smile. 

“I know what you are thinking, “I don’t have a choice in this, so I will just do whatever.” All of your siblings call Aya Big Sis, but only you call her by name, and I believe that before you left you also called her Big Sis…Intriguing." 

Sean smiled. Ever since that Katya's death 2 years ago he had decided that he no longer wants anything to do with Squad Artemis, because they all blame him for it, and rightfully so. Despite Aya, Frederica and Vasily remaining friendly to him and welcoming him back, he knows they are in the minority. This is why he resigned the moment he recovered from getting his legs blown off and regrown, as he knows, with him around, this proud unit of UNSSD SOC will be forever a house divided against itself, making it doomed to fall. 

And most importantly, he cannot forgive himself. 

Xiao Tian's sharp gaze softened as though he could see through Sean's carefully maintained facade. "You’re carrying a lot more than just the weight of re-enlistment, aren’t you?" he said, his tone almost unnervingly calm.

Sean’s smile faltered, replaced by a wry smirk. “You psychoanalysing me now, sir? I thought we were sticking to business.”

Xiao Tian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Call it what you will, but you’re not fooling me, Sean. You think you’re doing everyone a favour by keeping your distance—like you’re some kind of plague that Squad Artemis needs to avoid. But let me tell you something: running doesn’t fix anything. Katya’s death isn’t your fault.” 

Sean’s eyes darkened, giving off an aura as he started to subconsciously absorb the surrounding Cosmic Energy, matching his emotional state. “Tell that to the others. They didn’t exactly throw me a welcome-back party.”