Liv smiles brightly as she walks through the halls of the Initiative, an unusually high pep in her step with a musical rhythm in the way she paces herself. Liv pats her pocket, feeling the clack of plastic against metal. It had taken a bit of convincing, a few promises, and a flexing of her rating, but she had actually managed to do it.

  She got a music player.

  Granted, it wasn’t a good one– far from. It had ten songs, most classical, though there was one classic rock and roll song Liv particularly enjoyed. They came with a pair of poor headphones as well, tiny earmuffs and a thread bear connecting piece making up the entirety of its flimsy structure. She managed to burn through the entire downloaded playlist on her way down the elevator, opting to let them loop as exited through the lobby.

  The promise she made wasn’t too grand either. She just needed to bring three Synth Weapons while occasionally coming around to help him test some things out. Liv knows Synth Weapons are rare, Alexis and his crew had all but drilled that into her brain– as did Ainsley in their brief conversation– but music players were also apparently rare. George had said as much, so she saw it as a fair trade, especially since she really wanted it. Granted, her last want turned out to be a massive scam that completely fell apart, but that was neither here nor there.

  Liv walks through the lobby of the Initiative with a grin, slowly pushing herself through the doors, the sun set high in the sky. It was a bit past high noon, but the new spring air was nice on her skin. She allows it to bask over her, the warmth a privilege Liv adored. The air smells fresh for a change, each breath a refreshing burst of oxygen that worms into her lungs.

  She meanders about the streets slowly, her hands falling deep in her pockets. She had quite a bit of pocket money since she saved so much on repairs, so she might as well get herself something nice.

  Liv allows her eyes to roam around the bustling streets of the Beta, her eyes roaming over the glass displays. She’s limited herself to one item that wasn’t expensive so she wouldn’t get scammed again. Anything to avoid what happened… Last time.

  Her eyes catch on a small bakery, pastries lined on pedestals. Her mouth waters. They weren’t very expensive, but she’d be a liar if she said they were cheap. Some of the higher costing ones had cinnamon, the most expensive of them all labeled “coffee cakes”. She didn’t care to learn for those, her eyes were locked on the sweet looking dough balls near the bottom.

  After a moment of shopping, Liv walks out the door with a small paper bag filled to the brim with the fried delights. Donut holes were their names. Liv pops another into her mouth, a hum of delight escaping her mouth. They were pretty damn good! She’d have to do this more often. Donovan might like them, but he wouldn’t pay for himself. Charlotte, perhaps? She didn’t like overly sweet foods though. Anthony, perhaps? She’d probably just bring them all if they weren’t overly busy.

  Even now, Liv could see some of the telltale signs of the Initiative in full throttle. Buggy’s trail down the roads, each filled with humans and luggage alike. Liv looks on. Her and her team should probably get to work on another mission. Even if she hadn’t unlocked that power she displayed, she still felt as if her improvement had jumped by leaps and bounds.

  Liv treks her way back to the Initiative, periodically tossing donut holes in her mouth. It was nice having a half quiet moment, though she did engage Bruno in the occasional conversation every now and again. It was a bit hard to focus with the same songs blaring in her ears, but she made it work. She loved the music, after all.

  Eventually, she walks back into the Initiative proper, making her way to the stairs. Once she’s crested them to the Initiative’s rooms proper, she cuts to Charlotte’s room, her fingers knocking against the wood. The door doesn’t take long to swing open, Charlotte waiting on the other side.

  “Ah, you’re here!” Charlotte chirps, opening the door fully to Liv. “Come in!”

  Liv slides in, the scent hitting her before her eyes ever register the scene before her. Anthony and Donovan sit at opposite sides of the table, each of them eating a delicious looking sandwich. The smell of freshly grilled egg still permeates the room, the pan that cooked it sat dirtied in the sink. If Liv hadn’t eaten already, her stomach would’ve growled.

  “Woman of the hour here!” Donovan calls, a smile creeping across his face. He suddenly cocks his head, gesturing to her head. “What’s up with the headphones?”

  Liv plucks the headphones off her head, the crest resting on the back of her neck. She runs them through her fridge’s unfortunate predicament, her conversation with Newton, and the new deal she made. Once finished, she pulls out her new music player with a smile, tapping the horrid display with her pointer.

  “Only got these ten songs, but I like ‘em! Whaddya all think?”

  Donovan had stood up halfway through, now openly gaping at the small music player. Anthony nodded slowly, a seemingly impressed look cresting his face. For some reason, Charlotte didn’t look surprised.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Is this some sort of karma ‘cause you got scammed?” Donovan questions. “That’s not fair!”

  “Well, it is three Synth Weapons.” Liv says. “Ain’t they rare?”

  “Quite a few already go to the architects.” Anthony pipes up. “It isn’t uncommon for people to bring them to the architects specially to curry favor.”

  “But never the top five.” Charlotte interjects.

  “They’re already assumed to have some favor.” Anthony retorts. “Especially since they’re usually from one of the bigger families. If you managed to get in the top five, I’m sure one would’ve come to you personally.”

  Charlotte rolls her eyes, her lip curling in disgust. “How utterly foul.”

  Donovan shakes off his amazement, his hand snaking down to snatch one of the donut holes from Liv’s bag. She pulls the bag away, but not before he pops the one he snatched into his mouth, a pleasant hum escaping his mouth.

  “That thing got a speaker?” He questions, snickering as she backhands him softly. Liv continues to glare at him for a moment before turning her gaze to the small machine tucked in her hands. Slowly, she unplugs the headphones, clicking the small button with a sideways triangle perched in the middle.

  Music slowly wafts from the music player's speaker, a grainy song of violins, violas, cellos, and bass’. It sounds positively ancient, far worse than George’s, and leagues worse than the live orchestra Liv had heard. Still, music is music, and music is a commodity most don’t get to experience– especially ones of the old world.

  The group of them sit at the table, slowly chatting as the day turns to dusk. Liv basks in the simplistic fun of it, the conversation shifting to all the little minutia of their days. For the first time in a long, long time, Liv feels as if she can relate to a conversation entirely.

  As dusk slowly winds to the overbearing night, Liv stretches, pushing herself from her chair. She scoops the music player up, clicking it paused once more, much to the dismay of her team.

  “Boo!” Donovan jeers, his face plastered with a large grin. “Bring the music back!”

  “I don’t want the battery dyin’!” Liv retorted. “Yer just gonna have to find yer own.”

  “How cruel, Ms. Boss.” Charlotte teases. “You would deprive your own team of such simple joys. What would George think if he were here right now?”

  “That's enough, guys.” Anthony says. “It’s getting late anyway. We should probably get to bed so we can do some more training.”

  “‘Bout that.” Liv interjects, her hand slowly clasping at her waist. Now was better than never, and running it by her team was probably for the best. “I was thinkin’ ‘bout startin’ another mission soon.”

  All three turn to Liv at once, most of their expressions a mix of confusion and tentative interest, though most of the latter was from Charlotte. The first one to speak up is Anthony, his voice cautious.

  “I don’t mind, I guess.” He starts. “But I thought we were going to train everyone up a bit more.”

  “Well,” Liv starts. “I reckon we’ll get stronger on the road, yeah? Plus, I, uh…” She pushes her thumbs together, her brain wracking with a way to phrase her true desire. She doesn’t find a good way to say it, opting to just speak as it is. “I wanna get to higher ranks. I… Kinda like bein’ at the top, y'know?"

  She could feel a hot flush spread across her face as their stares continued to bore into her, her eyes locked on the floor. The room remains in silence for a moment, each side waiting for the other to speak. After it becomes clear that Liv has nothing else to say, Anthony is the first to speak up once more.

  “That seems rash.” Anthony starts, his voice a bit rougher than he intended. He quickly corrects himself, clearing his throat. “What I mean to say is, I don’t really think that's a good reason to start. I mean, none of us are strapped for cash-.”

  “Cash never hurts, though!” Donovan pipes up.

  “...Most of us aren’t strapped for cash.” Anthony corrects. “And we all still need a bunch of training before I’m really confident in going back out there.”

  Liv slowly nods, ready to accept the rejection as just that, a rejection. Before she can, another voice pipes up.

  “I’m not quite sure.” Charlotte says. “While we have quite a ways to go, I believe most of our main issues have been solved. Even before, we still had quite a high completion rate and time.”

  “We also got pretty lucky with missions.” Anthony chides. “The world is unpredictable, and we aren’t ready for everything it could throw at us. None of you have aura’s, and none of us have Harmony yet. It seems rash.”

  “When will we ever be ready for everything the world throws at us?” Charlotte questions, her head tilting. “Shall we wait forever to train for every demon? We have no clue what may happen, sure, but sitting around forever does us no good. The greatest blades are never forged if they’re constantly shaped, they only take shape once they’re finally forged by flames.”

  Anthony stares at her for a moment, his eyes glancing at Donovan. Donovan shrugs, his feet kicking up on the table– feet that are quickly swatted off by Charlotte.

  “I don’t really mind either way.” He says, rubbing his now reddening flesh. “But I’d prefer to start sooner rather than later. I’m not uber rich like most of you.”

  “I ain’t-.” Liv starts, stopping as Donovan reiterates the “most” in his sentence.

  Anthony leans back in his own chair, a sigh escaping in his lips.

  “Guess I’m outvoted.” He says, the nerves bubbling in his voice. Liv looks on, her own nervousness slowly fading. He seemed… Scared almost; at least, something around that. With everything she knew about him, she supposed it made sense. Slowly, she sits back down, her hands finding their way to her lap.

  “Do ya wanna take a week to train?” Liv offers. “Reckon a week can’t hurt. Maybe we’ll make a bit o’ headway too.”

  Anthony stares at her a moment before nodding, some of the tension from his body melting like ice in the summer sun.

  “I think I’d like that a lot.” He says. “But we’re starting earlier. I have to cram a lot of basics into you guys in a short period.”

  The groan that escapes Donovan’s mouth almost matches the sigh that escapes Liv. Charlotte chuckles at both their discomfort, a small sparkle in her eye. Anthony stands, lacking any regard for their disdain for the new schedule. Donovan and Liv quickly follow, suddenly very interested in getting their rest. If he meant what he said, they probably had a few hours to sleep. If Liv was being honest with herself… They might have less.