The sun shines down on the pleasant earth as the greasy man walks through, a smile on his face. These little moments before good news always have him giddy, a pep in his step as he walks down the trodden, dirt paths. Sadly, he doesn’t get a lot of good news. The Initiative isn’t exactly accepting when it comes to agents, only accepting those with exceptional talent. Luckily, the two people in his little outposts care have a swathe of talent. A knight with a good grade on the Physical and an outstanding grade on the mental examination alongside a girl who, while an underachiever on the mental, dominated the physical. Looking down in his hand, two small envelopes lay, pristine in his sweaty hands. Acceptance letters. He smiles, imagining the smiles that would spread across their faces, the same smiles that spread across all accepted peoples. Every time he gets to do this, he’s reminded why this is the career he went into.

After a short, brisk walk, he arrives at the small cabin. It’s cozy, on the smaller side within the outpost. It has privacy, and that was simply the tradeoff one had to make. He ascends the stairs, the wood creaking as he arrives at the door, grabbing the handle.

The door creaks open as he peers his head inside. He opens his mouth, preparing to speak before he’s cut off, a strange scene before him.

“I’m not sayin’ im smarter than all the people who made chess, I just reckon it ain’t fair a lil’ pawn can turn into that big ol’ queen 'cause it took a gander cross the stupid board!” Liv says, shaking the table as she speaks. Her side of the board is completely ransacked, a sparse amount of her pieces remaining on the board. She’s clearly frustrated, nearly red in the face.

“That’s simply how it works. What would you learn if I went easy on you?” Charlotte asks, casually sipping her tea. From Liv’s vantage, it would seem she’s being dead serious; however, he can see the clear, smug grin on her face.

“I ain’t learnin’ when I'm losin’ so quick like! Yer pulling some bullcrap “Ein Pissant” and sayin’ I gotta take it!” She growls, the wood of the table creaking under her grip.

“En Passant, you mean.” Charlotte says, her smug grin growing by the second. She was clearly enjoying the anger of Liv, even if she didn’t care to admit it. “And yes, you do have to take it.”

Liv’s teeth audibly grind together, the muscles in her neck popping as she speaks, “Whatever fancy name you wanna put on it, it just ain’t fair. I should be able to-.”

“Ahem.” The greasy man clears his throat, Liv’s head whipping to look at him. Charlotte is far more composed, slowly turning her head, a practiced smile growing across her face as she acknowledges him with a small nod.

“Oh, uh. Howdy!” Liv says, her anger slowly draining from her face as she waves. Her head pounds as she tries to remember his name. Did she ask for a name? She can't seem to remember it if she ever asked, so she goes with a safe, sheepish response. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Fabio, it is wonderful to see you again.” Charlotte says, standing to give a quick curtsy, causing the greasy man known as “Fabio” to rub the back of his head as he chuckles awkwardly. Liv turns to Charlotte, her eyes wide as Charlotte looks to her, a false look of innocence on her face.

“Your letters came in. Congratulations to both of you.” He smiles as he hands them the envelopes, the logo of the Initiative emblazoned on the stamps. Charlotte walks up, grabbing both of them, handing the one with the name “Liv Boss” to Liv.

“Thank you, Fabio. You’ve been an amazing host to us, and I hope to speak to you again soon.” Charlotte says, doing another curtsy. Liv looks on before imitating the gesture poorly, having to stabilize herself by throwing her arms out to the side.

“Thank ya kindly, Fabio.” She says, her head hung low as another sting of defeat burns into her heart.

“It’s nothing. I wish you two luck on your journeys.” Fabio says, a smile on his face as he closes the door, descending the stairs, a smile on his face. It was nice to see the pair of them a bit more open, not as awkward or closed off as when they came in. He just hopes the two can continue like that down the line.

Charlotte laughs as Liv glares at her, both red in the face for entirely different reasons. Tears of mirth trail down Charlotte's face as she grips her stomach, wiping away said tears with a joyful glee. Liv, on the other hand, is clenching her teeth, her face awash with embarrassment.

“It ain’t funny.” Liv says bashfully, crossing her arms.

This causes Charlotte to erupt further in laughter, earning her a queen straight to the dome. This cycle repeats for an entire hour, every comment from Liv causing more peels of laughter to escape Charlotte's mouth. When she finally calms down, her eyes red from tears of joy, they finally get to packing. Of course, Liv only had the clothes on her back, but she learned Charlotte had a lot more. Clothes, cutlery, an entire tapestry, and polish for her armor, all stuffed into a box the size of Liv’s torso. The two trail out of the outpost, headed toward the exit, Liv frowning a bit as they approached the exit. Unfortunately, Alexis and his crew had left before she had the chance to say a true, proper goodbye. Despite their awkward interactions, she truly enjoyed all their company. She would have to catch up if she ever saw them again. One of those letters they talked about? Maybe.

Exiting the gate, a large bus awaits. It's a chrome grey, designed for use over comfort, the logo of the Hellfire Initiative emblazoned on its hull. The doors squeak open as Liv and Charlotte approach, a young man in the driver's seat, no older than nineteen. He sports a leather jacket, a white shirt, and jeans filthy with various stains from dirt and grass. A cigar sits between his lips, passing between either corner of his lips, smoke billowing up and out the open window at his side, ash caking his lap as it snows down like the first signs of winter.

“Get in.” He demands raggedly, his thumb jutting out toward the seats. His voice is rough, almost a croak, his cigar caught between his teeth. Charlotte and Liv oblige the request, taking the furthest seat to the back, away from everyone else as the bus screeches forward, taking off through the terrain. The bus has few occupants, but certainly not none. The seats are rough, sparsely cushioned, though the windows were clean enough to look out of. Liv takes the inner most seat, Charlotte sandwiching her in as Liv looks out the window. The bus lurches forward, Liv watching the small outpost fade slowly. The first place to give her a taste of outside life, the one with so many of her new friends, vanishing behind her. She pushes her hand up against the window, a mix of excitement and despair bubbling in her. She could only hope that wherever they were headed was even half as nice as the outpost.