At precisely 2am, Ashryn got out of bed and grabbed her phone, before heading out of the door.
She quickly tied her hair up into a messy bun as she walked, and she glanced at every door to make sure no one would spot her.

"Really, Blondie?
We have to stop meeting like this."

Ashryn rolled at Raphael, who was leaning against the door to Aoife's office, with his arms crossed.

"I'm already regretting this."

"Aww, come on!
Is that any way to talk to your partner in crime?", he asked, before opening the door.

Ashryn's eyes widened.
"You opened it already?"

"I figured efficency was key here."

Ashryn nodded.
"Maybe there's hope for you yet."

The pair went inside, and Ashryn immediately walked to the tech files cabinet, grabbing every file she could find, before handing them to Raphael.

"Have at it, Robo Boy."

Raphael took them.
"Thank you, my dearest Blonde Beauty."

Ashryn grimaced.
"Say that again and I'll punch you."

Raphael's mouth twitched, a smirk appearing on his lips, and a look of mischief dancing in his eyes.
Despite this, he didn't argue back.

Ashryn turned her attention to the drawer underneath the tech files.
She found a series of letters, all between the UAE and Harrowford Industries.

Some were regarding previous tech competitions, but Ashryn found a few that interested her.

Ashryn wanted to tear her eyes away from the pages of deceit she was reading, but she couldn't.

These letters confirmed her suspicions.

The agency were allowing themselves to be bought by large scale businesses such as Harrowford Industries.

This agency wasn't built on integrity at all.

"Ashryn?"

The sudden noise snapped Ashryn out of her thoughts, and her eyes widened when she turned to the side.

"Robo Boy, did you just call me by my actual name?"

Raphael shrugged.
"This is kind of serious."

"What is it?"

"Well, I was just thinking... you should really pay more attention in Eila and Caia's sessions."

Ashryn rolled her eyes.
"Oh shut up."

"No, I'm being serious."

"Why should I?
What can they possibly tell me that
I won't figure out myself when I get there?
This whole training thing is a waste of time."

"I understand tha–no, actually, I don't. They've experienced life in Agoraville. No other team has completed this mission, so we need all the help we can get.
You're good at fighting, but you need to work on using everything you know to your advantage."

Ashryn stayed silent for a little while, but she'd be lying if she said Raphael's words didn't sting a little.

She hated being criticised, especially by people that didn't really know her.

"Why do you care anyway?"

Raphael shrugged, and for the first time, Ashryn could see a tinge of red starting to appear on his face.

"You're the only one I can tolerate,
I suppose.
If you died, I'd be left with Makoto, who I don't really mind that much, but they're still boring.
And don't get me started on little
miss—"

"Not again!
Just let your drama with Rhiannon go. Why do you hate her so much anyway?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Ashryn turned around properly, so that she was facing Raphael.
She put her elbows on the desk and cupped her face with her hands.

"Try me."

★★★

Raphael turned away slightly, so that his body was at an angle.

"I was late to our first fitness session. Imelda and Finian... tested me.
They set up a hologram of them, and all of you... getting attacked.
It was so... graphic."

Raphael shuddered.

"I can't get the images out of my head."

Ashryn felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She knew it wasn't her fault that Imelda and Finian reacted that way, but if she hadn't told them about him falling asleep, then maybe they could've covered it up and said he was ill.

That guilt was quickly replaced by anger.
After what she had learned about the agency, she wasn't surprised that they'd pull this stunt.

"And it's all Rhiannon's fault", he snarled, his eyes turning dark.

"Nope, no way!
We're not doing this again", she said, but she wasn't as annoyed as she was before.
"We need to nip this in the bud."

"But she's the source of my nightmares!"

"No.
Imelda and Finian are", she corrected.
"Sure, what Rhiannon did wasn't cool, but that girl cr*ps rainbows!
I doubt she did it to hurt you.
Besides, she didn't force Imelda and Finian to do that horrible trick, did she?"

Raphael looked down at his hands, although Ashryn could see he was thinking about what she said.

"Why do you care about Rhiannon anyway?"

"I don't.
But she's on our team.
Don't make enemies out of people you need."

"I don't need anyone."

Raphael's words deeply resonated with her, mainly because that was how she had always felt.

She was a lone wolf through and through.

"It's like you said, no other team has completed this mission.
So we need all the help we can get."

Raphael chuckled, before nodding his head.
"I suppose."

She looked down at the files next to him, before pointing to them.
"Have you found what you were looking for?"

A small smile appeared on Raphael's face as he thought back to their conversation.

"Maybe."

Ashryn nodded.
"Let's hear the plan of action then."

"Well, I realised that it doesn't matter if I beat the other agents or not.
What matters is showing Minerva
I'm better than her."

"Hmm.
How did you come to that conclusion?"

"This agency won't change their stance on technology overnight, so it's almost guaranteed that someone with a boring idea will win.
But if I beat Minerva, then I can prove to her that robotics can be used for more than just boring security systems."

"Interesting tactic, Robo Boy."

He chuckled.

Raphael looked through a pile of papers, his eyes landing on one marked 'CALIHAN.'

"Oh my goodness..."

Ashryn raised an eyebrow, and she leaned closer so that she could read the file.

CALIHAN: The original founder of the Unit for the Abolishment of Evil.

"How is that possible?", he questioned. "This agency is so old... and Calihan doesn't look older than... 45?"

"It's more common than you think", replied Ashryn.

She pointed to the word 'Moulding'.

"Moulding is the process of combining your physical state with a freezing agent.
If he got the procedure done when he was, let's say 45, he'd stay that age forever, and his physical state would as well."

"How come I've never heard of it in any science books?"

"The procedure is outlawed in a lot of towns", she answered.
"But it says here, that he was born in a town where it wasn't banned."

"That's fascinating..."

"Oh no, I regret explaining this now."

"How do you know so much about it?"

"I told you, I've moved around a lot."

★★★

The next day, Raphael woke up to a message that today's combat session would be cancelled, with Caia and Eila's session taking its place.

"Yes!", he cheered.
He jumped out of bed and ran over to HoloBot, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"You can have a lie in today, my child", he said.

A knock on Raphael's door made him drop HoloBot.
He quickly picked him up and put him back in his makeshift bed.

Raphael opened the door to find Ashryn on the other side, with a large black bag in her hands.
She dropped it on the floor beside her.

"On your knees, Metal Man."

Raphael mock gasped, placing a hand on his chest for dramatic effect.

"Come on, Williams.
Take me to dinner first."

Ashryn scoffed.
"How many times?
You're not my type."

"Then why are you here?", he asked, before pointing to the bag.
"You're not moving in so soon, are you?"

Ashryn rolled her eyes and placed a hand on Raphael's chest.
She smirked, before pushing him further into his room and walking into it as well.

She kicked her bag into the room.

"I'm your new combat trainer, Robo Boy."

And with that, she shut the door behind her.

_________________

Hi.

Ok, first and foremost, I'm sorry the font for Aoife's letter doesn't match her previous letter. I searched for ages, but I can't seem to find the font anywhere haha.

The partners in crime duo have struck again, and this time they've discovered some very interesting things. Raphael's opened up to someone, so will things be easier for him?

What will Ashryn do with the information she has found?

What are your thoughts on Ashryn and Raphael's interactions?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest