[Amari POV]
The cargo plane waited at the edge of the military yard with its rear ramp lowered and its belly open like it was already tired of us, and honestly, I understood the feeling.
Night had already come, but the yard was still full of noise from crates being moved and boots hitting stone. Two mechanics were arguing near the left wing while a handler tried to convince one of the loading beasts that the big metal bird was not going to eat it. The beast did not believe him.
Kitsuna stood beside the ramp with my notebook in her hand, looking like she had personally been betrayed by the concept of travel. Brenda stood in front of her with her arms crossed and her face calm enough to be suspicious, while I stayed beside them holding the mission packet and trying not to look like I had already checked it six times.
I had actually checked it seven times.
Kitsuna tapped the notebook against Brenda's chest, making her look down at it.
"What is this?"
"Teams," Kitsuna said.
Brenda did not take it immediately. "You wrote it?"
"Amari made it readable. Her words."
"That answers my next question."
"Rude."
"I am just being honest."
Kitsuna shoved the notebook into Brenda's hands. "Team One is mine. Team Two is yours."
Brenda opened it, and I watched her eyes move over the names. Team One had Kitsuna, Rin, Chinada, Apricot, Nekro, Ava, and Sarian, while Team Two had Brenda, Sirone, Brit, Toma, Mia, and Olivia.
Her eyebrow moved slightly. "You split Chinada and Sirone."
"I did."
"Sirone will complain."
"She can write a formal complaint and hand it to the nearest tree."
Brenda looked at her. "That is not a process."
"It is now."
I stepped in before Brenda decided to begin the eight questions Kitsuna had predicted. "Chinada is supposed to lead training for Team One when Kitsuna is not drilling them directly."
Brenda looked at me before returning her attention to the notebook. "Chinada?"
Kitsuna nodded. "She watches. She waits. She corrects without making people feel like they have to stab her. That is useful."
"She is also quiet."
"Exactly. Rin will hate it."
Brenda's mouth moved like she almost smiled. "That part might be worth it."
Kitsuna pointed at her. "See? You understand."
Brenda flipped the page once before looking back at Kitsuna. "Team Two is heavier on support."
"Because you can keep them alive while they make everyone else regret standing still. It will also force you guys to start working on your offence."
"That is almost a reason."
"It is a great reason."
"It is shaped like a reason."
"You are welcome."
Brenda read further. "Olivia with me."
"Yes."
"Because?"
"Because if she is with me, I will complain about the sound of her device until she tries to poison my breakfast."
Olivia's voice came from behind us. "I heard that."
Kitsuna did not bother turning around. "Good. Make it quieter."
Olivia walked up with her pack over one shoulder and her device case strapped to her back. "It is quiet. Your hearing is just fucked."
"That is why it is evil."
"It saves lives."
"So do shields. Brit does not make my teeth itch."
Brit had just arrived with Rin and looked at Kitsuna. "Thank you?"
"You are welcome."
Rin leaned over Brenda's shoulder to see the page. "Am I with Brit?"
"You will find out later," Brenda said.
Rin relaxed immediately. "I was ready to protest."
Kitsuna looked at her. "You were ready to be thrown out of the plane."
"I would have landed gracefully."
Brit grabbed the back of Rin's collar. "No."
"You did not even let me finish."
"I have known you too long."
Chinada arrived next with Sirone beside her. Sirone took one look at the notebook in Brenda's hands before looking directly at Kitsuna.
"You split us, didn't you?"
Kitsuna pointed at Brenda. "She noticed too."
Sirone stared at her, and Kitsuna stared right back until Chinada leaned closer to read the page.
"I am training Team One?"
"You are leading drills when I am not there," Kitsuna said. "No speeches. No soft hands. Fix what needs fixing."
Chinada nodded once. "Understood."
Sirone looked at her. "You accepted that quickly."
"I like clear work."
"You do not like being separated."
"No," Chinada said. "But I can survive training."
Rin raised a hand. "Can I survive training?"
Chinada looked at her for half a second. "Maybe."
Rin slowly lowered her hand again. "I suddenly dislike this plan."
Brit patted her shoulder. "You will grow."
"I am already tall enough."
"Not emotionally."
Rin gasped like she had been stabbed, while Kitsuna looked over at Brenda.
"See? Team Two has emotional damage already. You are ready."
Brenda closed the notebook. "I will review it properly and give notes."
Kitsuna frowned. "That means you will complain."
"That means I will review it properly and give notes."
"Same thing with better shoes."
Brenda tucked the notebook under her arm. "When are you back?"
Kitsuna glanced at me, but I answered before she could say something like when the north stops being annoying. "Depends on Helbram. We arrive after dawn, meet the count, and confirm what support he is willing to give."
Brenda nodded. "And if he gives none?"
Kitsuna smiled. "Then we learn how nice his walls look from the outside."
"Kitsuna."
"What? I did not say I would climb them."
"You thought about it."
"I think about many things."
"That is the problem," Brenda said.
The loadmaster shouted from inside the plane, telling us we had two minutes before the ramp closed, and that was enough to make everyone start moving properly.
There were no big farewells since the whole squad had already been told what was happening. This was not a deployment for them yet. They were staying behind to train under the new split and would probably start arguing about it before lunch.
Sirone stepped closer to me. "Do not let her pretend she is fine if her veins act up."
Kitsuna slowly turned her head toward her. "I am standing right here."
"I know."
"I can hear you."
"I know."
I nodded to Sirone. "I will watch her."
Kitsuna looked offended. "I am not luggage."
Rin grinned. "You carried cursed luggage last time."
Kitsuna pointed at her. "Do not bring the box into this."
Everyone looked at Kitsuna for a moment before she seemed to remember that we were supposed to be leaving.
"Oh, right, we will be back in a few days."
The loadmaster shouted again, and Kitsuna clicked her tongue. "Fine. We are going."
Brenda looked at me. "Lead investigator."
The words still felt strange, but I lifted my chin. "Second-in-command."
Brenda gave me one small nod, and somehow that mattered more than I expected.
Kitsuna walked up the ramp first because of course she did. The loadmaster saw her tails, her ears, the swords, and her face, then apparently decided that telling her to watch her steps was not worth the effort.
Smart man.
I followed her into the plane, where everything was metal ribs, straps, cargo locks, and practical discomfort. Two rows of fold-down seats ran along the sides, crates were tied down near the front, and a set of sealed field cases sat beneath a net marked with northern command symbols.
Kitsuna dropped into a seat and looked at the straps like they had personally insulted her.
"Planes are worse than carriages," she said.
I sat across from her. "They are faster."
"Being stabbed quickly is also faster."
"That is not the same thing."
"My back will disagree."
The ramp started lifting, and outside Brenda and the others stepped back. Rin waved with both hands until Brit pulled one down, while Olivia shouted something about her device not being evil. Kitsuna shouted back that it was a crime with a handle before the ramp shut and the yard disappeared behind metal and noise.
The plane shook as the engines built up. I had flown before, but not often enough for my stomach to pretend it liked the idea. Kitsuna leaned back with her arms folded and her eyes closed, looking like she planned to sleep through the entire world trying to vibrate apart.
"You are not bothered by this?" I asked.
"I am bothered by many things."
"The plane?"
"It is loud, ugly, and smells like oil. At least it is honest."
"That is your standard?"
"Most people fail it."
The plane lurched forward, and my fingers tightened around the mission packet before I could stop them.
Kitsuna opened one eye. "Is the packet still in one piece?"
"Yes."
"You keep checking."
"I do not."
"You do. If that paper could file a complaint, it would."
I looked down at it again. My name was still there beneath the Draig seal, along with the border clearance and authority that was mine, but only enough to make the wrong people angry if I used it badly.
"It feels strange," I said.
"What does?"
"Being the one sent."
Kitsuna closed her eyes again. "Better than being the one left behind."
"That is not helpful."
"It is true."
"You like those answers too much."
"They are cheap and usually correct."
The plane lifted, making my stomach drop before settling badly. Kitsuna made a small sound, and I immediately looked at her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You hate flying."
"I dislike metal boxes pretending to be birds."
"That is hate."
"It is a strategic dislike."
I smiled despite myself.
The flight did not give us much room to talk after that because the engines were too loud and the vibration turned every thought into something with rough edges. The loadmaster brought us water once, then apparently decided Kitsuna staring at him was enough service for the rest of the trip.
I opened the mission packet again anyway and went over the same names and problems that had been sitting in my head since the garden. Helbram, Leroy Helbram, the Wall of the North, increased monster attacks, missing scouts, and a request for confirmation.
They were clean words for a dirty problem.
Kitsuna eventually leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. Her tails had curled close to her legs in the tight space, which somehow made her look even more irritated than usual.
"If Leroy starts by talking to me, do not let him," she said.
I looked up. "You think he will?"
"Yes."
"Because you are Kitsuna."
"Because people like simple answers. A big problem arrives, a fox with swords steps out of plane, they decide the fox is in charge."
"That is not how command works."
"That is how humans work."
I looked back at the packet. "I will correct it."
"Good."
"You could correct it too."
"I could."
"But?"
"I would make it worse."
"That is honest."
"See? Planes are good for something."
We hit rough air sometime after that, and the plane dropped hard enough to make my stomach try to resign. Kitsuna grabbed the side strap and cursed so sharply that the loadmaster looked over from the front, but after one look at her, he decided not to ask.