Chapter 14: 14. Introduction

Rise Lavinia

Rise talked to both Damian and Kenzo yesterday, and told them about the agreement. She was surprised to see that Kenzo was borderline enthusiastic about Fate joining, so he didn't take much convincing—he easily agreed to help convince the others.

Damian was not such an easy task for Rise.

At first, he was firmly against it, claiming that it was too dangerous and risky.

When Rise explained how important it could be in finding the killer, he eventually relented, and gave his consent. He also promised Rise that he would help persuade everyone else to agree, under the condition that he'd be allowed to help look after Fate during his time with them.

Rise's currently feeling incredibly nervous, she's walking towards the task force headquarters with Fate in tow.

When Rise first talked with Fate in person about helping the task force—she was very worried. Fate looked as if he were deathly ill. His skin was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was constantly breaking out in a cold sweat. She was close to forcibly taking him to the hospital, because Mayumi wasn't home at the time.

But by the time of his birthday, and summer starting, Fate looked back to normal—much to Rise's relief.

While walking next to him, Rise can't help but stare at him. Just last year, they were about the same height—Rise might have even been a bit taller. But now, Fate's taller than her. It's strange seeing him grow up before her eyes.

She's even smaller than Fate now—to her slight chagrin.

And his eyes...Rise can't help but feel like they're...colder? She's unsure, but she just feels that something's changed. He's probably just nervous about joining the investigative task force—and he's putting on a cold look to hide his anxiety.

"Is there something on my face?" Fate suddenly asks, causing Rise to be startled.

He wasn't even facing me, how can he always tell?! 

Am I that obvious!?

"Uh, no. No, nothing. Sorry. I wasn't staring, I swear," Rise responds sheepishly.

"Oh...okay. We're almost there, and you've been so secretive this entire time. Can you tell me what exactly it is you want my help with?" His voice also sounds deeper, more mature.

Rise can't help but notice that his voice carries a certain sense of self assurance—confidence. Something that she never possessed.

"Well, um, I need you to come to HQ with me every day, starting today," Rise says hesitantly. "Chief Lynden approved me bringing you into the task force, there's a specific case that I want your help with."

"A case? What sort of case is it?"

Rise smiles shyly. "You'll see soon enough."

***

Rise leads Fate to the front doors of the police building. There's many police officers and investigators mulling around outside. As they walk through the doors, Kenzo, and Damien are waiting for them.

"Hey Fate! How's it going?!" Damian greets cheerfully, waving like an excited parent.

"Good morning, Sir." Fate replies politely, lightly nodding his head respectfully.

Kenzo gives Rise an odd glance, but doesn't say anything.

What's his problem?

"Kenzo. Greetings." Fate gives a polite greeting, but it's clear they don't get along.

"Yo." Kenzo replies curtly.

Damien looks between Rise, Fate, and Kenzo curiously, and raises an eyebrow.

"Welcome to the task force," He offers warmly, while they shake hands.

"Thanks, I'm still not sure what you'd need me for though." Fate replies quietly, looking away.

As soon as the two investigators hear his words, they both stare directly at Rise. She immediately begins nervously glancing in the opposite direction.

"I thought it'd be best to tell him once he met the task force." Rise explains apologetically.

Damian glances over at Kenzo—who acts as if he doesn't care, then turns back to Rise.

"Okay. Well, best of luck—the first case is always rough—this one will be particularly rough. Hopefully we will all get along well together."

With that, Damian walks past Fate and Rise, heading to the elevator.

***

With everyone standing in silence together in the elevator, Rise wipes the sweat on her palms onto her skirt. The ride up is agonizingly quiet—everyone appears to be lost in their own thoughts.

She can't help but look at Fate again. He looks completely at ease. Not a care in the world. Meanwhile Rise's doing everything she can to remain calm—and not worry about how she's going to explain this situation to everyone.

Figures, it's Fate, after all.

H-He is my student after all, he must have learned it from me.

He's somehow able to remain confident when he's about to join a police task force, even though he's just a kid.

The elevator stops, and the doors open. Everyone follows suit and exits the elevator.

Fate and Rise follow closely behind Damien and Kenzo, who lead them to the main area of the task force. When they enter the large meeting area, everyone stands up simultaneously.

"Ahh..." There's a collective gasp of surprise, and shock. They all seem genuinely shocked by the sudden appearance of Fate.

Everyone stares at him, mouths agape.

"U-Uhm e-everyone—" Rise steps in front and tries to give an introduction. It does not go well for her. She's never been charismatic—especially at times like this, and having to try and explain the absurd situation caused her to freeze up. This causes her to stumble over her words, and ends up sounding awkward.

"Ahem...hi, uhm, this situation is a bit complicated, but please listen. This is my...student, Fate. He'll be helping in our investigation of Painter. So everyone, I know the situation may seem a bit weird at first, but please do your best to get along, and please look after him." Rise finally finishes her sentence.

There's a few moments of uncomfortable silence before someone speaks up.

"Wait...what? A kid? Are you serious? Why would we let a minor participate in an investigation?" George and Avery both ask the same questions.

George seems to be the most vocal, while Avery is quieter.

They must think I'm joking...

Rise can't help but cringe internally—they're treating Fate like some kind of circus act.

"I don't think that minors are allowed to be involved in police investigations—it's not very safe." Liliana says while adjusting her glasses.

"Mhm she's right." "Yep." "Well..." Everyone adds their approval, or rather, disapproval towards the idea of Fate's help.

This is bad...really bad. Rise tries to come up with something to say—she looks over to Fate, and notices that he's about to start speaking when—WHAM!

All that Rise sees is a blonde blur dart in front of her—right before slamming directly into Fate. It becomes quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The only noise is the combined breathing of Fate and Aria, but then:

"IT IS V-VERY NICE TO MEET YOU! MY NAME'S ARIA! IT'D BE GREAT IF WE COULD GET ALONG!" Aria exclaims loudly, making everyone jump.

She's so loud!

Rise blinks, trying to process what happened.

Fate is lying flat on his back on the ground, and Aria has landed on top of him—practically pinning him to the floor.

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"I'M CURRENTLY TWENTY YEARS OLD! UNMARRIED! AS YOUR SENIOR OFFICER, I'LL LOOK AFTER YOU, SO PLEASE DO NOT WORRY! I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU!"

Her tone is so high pitched that it makes Rise wince.

"fate reylin...nice to meet you...the pleasure's mine.." Rise hears the muffled—half dead—half dazed voice of Fate.

Everyone is now staring at the pair, stunned speechless.

"...W-wait a minute, hold on." Rise tries to help lift the girl up, but by now, almost every investigator in the room is hovering around the commotion.

"Well, I guess Aria's not the rookie anymore. She has a junior of her own now—they grow up so fast!"  Kristopher says while lightly laughing.

Rise watches helplessly as everyone starts talking amongst themselves about the newest recruit, ignoring the fact that Fate and Aria are still on the floor.

Mayumi's going to kill me...

***

After another five minutes, everyone finally calms down and sits back in their chairs.

It takes several more seconds for Rise to stop glaring daggers at Aria for nearly knocking Fate unconscious.

Once everyone settles, Chief Lynden clears her throat to gain everyone's attention.

"Thank you for coming here today. Now that we've all had a chance to meet Fate, I believe introductions should be made."

Lynden nods to herself, before continuing.

"First off, I'd like to welcome Mr. Reylin, our new member—our new intern. Rise believes that his insight could prove helpful in the Painter case—and since we've had no progress in the last six months—I thought that it was worth a try."

"That's why I came here?" Fate questions, smiling weakly.

"Yes, it is. You will be working alongside Damian and Rise during your time with us, which means you'll be spending a lot of time with them—but you'll be working alongside all of the task force, so ensure that you keep all members updated on any progress."

"Understood." Fate replies calmly. Rise's about to start speaking—but the Chief continues.

"Now, Rise—you mentioned earlier that this isn't the first time Fate helped out with an investigation?"

She's trying to help him be acknowledged by the team.

"Right, yes—this is actually the second time that Fate has assisted me with a case. Back in February, Fate was helping me investigate the assault of Miss Loraine Mack. No attacker could be found, but after interviewing witnesses and examining evidence that was months old, Fate managed to find the culprit—so I wanted to see if he could find something we missed in this case."

That assault was investigated by the task force. But they couldn't solve it.

Rise hears a few people give sounds of acknowledgement upon learning that Fate was the one who helped solve it.

"So you brought him here specifically for this case Chief?" Kristopher asks.

"Yes. I don't expect him to work alone though, so he'll be joining the rest of the task force. However, due to his young age, there are some restrictions regarding his involvement. For example, he cannot use firearms, nor carry weapons. Also, he can only assist other investigators within the task force. In addition, he won't be permitted to handle dangerous suspects or criminals, and he is forbidden from investigating criminal cases without permission. Lastly, he's not allowed to interrogate anyone without myself being physically present."

Rise nods, listening intently.

"I understand, Chief Lynden. I don't think that I'll be much help to all of you, but I'll still do whatever I can." Fate says in a humble tone.

Rise feels relieved to hear those words—he's not upset, or mad at not being an equal member.

"Excellent, thank you Fate. Please take notes on any information that might help with the current investigation. And remember, you're not restricted from assisting anyone else on the task force, so feel free to talk to whoever you want." Lynden tells Fate.

"Got it. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to work with you, I'm very grateful." Fate replies.

"No problem Fate. We hope you enjoy yourself here with us. Oh yeah, one more thing," Lynden states, turning towards Rise.

"Yes?" Rise responds cautiously.

"Are you planning to show him the crime scene files?"

The second she mentions that, the entire room becomes dead quiet. Everyone stares directly at Rise.

Rise pauses, considering the question carefully.

She knows what's in them, and how bad they are.

"Um, well..." Rise hesitates, unsure how to answer.

Is this really okay?

She looks over at Fate—who simply shrugs his shoulders.

If I refuse to let him see it, will it make things worse?

Will he be okay? Is he ready for seeing that kind of thing?

Or am I just worrying too much?

Rise decides to play it safe, and answers honestly.

"Yes."

The silence continues to drag on. Almost all of the investigators nervously glance at Fate, worry evident on their faces.

"You're sure? If you have doubts, perhaps you should reconsider letting him see these files." Chief Lynden suggests gently.

"I think he can handle it." Rise responds—she does her best to sound more confident.

But inside, she's worried sick about whether or not she's making the right decision.

"Alright. So be it. Fate, please don't hesitate to speak to me at any time—I'll listen to you no matter what time it is. Feel free to get acquainted, meeting dismissed."

Chief Lynden dismisses the room.

When the meeting is done, everyone slowly waits their turn to speak with Fate. RIse doesn't want to seem overly protective—so she walks away a bit to grab coffee.

She watches the way Fate interacts with everyone in the task force. She watches how he listens attentively to people's conversations, and how he smiles when he laughs.

She wonders if she's making the right choice bringing him here.

Watching him though—she can't help but admit, he's amazing.

He's acting polite as a junior, but also friendly—the perfect balance between respect and friendliness. It's only been a few minutes, but it's clear that he's making friends with the task force members—he's even able to talk to the shy ones, like Liliana.

He seems fine...better than fine. It took Rise years to interact with her colleagues at a decent level—she never knew the right things to say, or the right way to act. But watching him—it seemed effortless. She feels awed watching Fate—but also a bit dismayed at how much easier it is for him, compared to her.

He knows exactly what to do—better than I ever did. I guess that this is the difference between a genius like Fate, and a common person.

Rise sighs, realizing that she's probably being too hard on herself.

Maybe I shouldn't have hesitated to bring him here in the first place...

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