Chapter Text
CROSSBELL CITY - ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT
CROSSBELL POLICE DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS
“Detective Crawford? Come in.”
Juna pushed open the door to the Chief of Police’s office, wondering what she was in trouble for this time. She entered and saluted.
The chief indicated to one of the chairs in front of the desk. Juna sat, mentally rehearsing her usual defense of conduct speech - it was an emergency, there were civilians in danger, there was no one else there… It wasn’t Juna’s fault that terrorists had attacked Orchis Tower during the trade conference. Again.
“You’ve been in the department for how long now, Crawford?” The chief said, clearly looking at Juna’s personnel file.
“Uh… two and a half years, I think? Chief.”
The chief nodded. “And you have had seven reprimands for failure to follow command and procedure in that time.”
Juna bit her lip, trying very hard to stay calm and collected. Rules existed for a reason. She knew what she was risking in each and every one of those instances, and yet she followed through on her gut instinct to help. She was going to have to deal with the consequences.
“Your commander gives you his highest recommendation on your field work and emergency response aptitude, but says - and I quote: ‘Her paperwork is late, haphazard, and reads like it was written by a Sunday School student who read novels about police work.’”
Now she was staring at the ceiling. She knew that she should have asked for someone else to read her reports, but with how busy things had been since she joined the force, proofreading had always fallen off the list. Crossbell had only been independent for three years now, and there was a lot to clean up from the years of Imperial Control and the two wars that had been fought on its soil.
Juna took a deep breath and looked back at the Chief, resolute again. She had been doing the best she could, given the circumstances. She had nothing to be ashamed of.
The chief shuffled a few pages. “...it says here that you transferred out of the Police Academy?”
“Uh…” Juna said, any attempt at maintaining her cool lost in her attempt to figure out what in Gehenna was going on here.
“To a military academy in Erebonia.”
“Yes, but it was during the occupation, and I…” Juna’s voice drifted off, remembering why she’d transferred to Thors in the first place.
“Your academic history at the academy is… spotty.” The chief raised an eyebrow.
Juna winced. She really hoped that her Thors transcripts would override what she’d done before. Guess that was what she got for coming home.
“And yet you graduated from Thors in the middle of your class, with full marks for your special coursework.” The chief set the file down and folded her hands. “From what I have heard, that particular school is known for its academic challenge, which would make your middle rank still impressive.”
Juna just nodded, just trying to follow along, feeling as though she was in trouble for something entirely different than her tendency to go rogue.
The chief tapped her finger on one of the pages. “What do they mean by ‘Special Coursework’?”
Juna shrugged, knowing that the full extent of her time in Erebonia was going to be impossible to explain. “Thors - the military academy - is divided into classes based on aptitude. When I was going there, the Erebonians were in the middle of ramping up their military, so the classes were in alignment with army divisions.”
“And what class were you assigned to?” The chief had just the slightest eyebrow raise, apparently somewhat used to the weird ways of imperialism.
Juna gulped. “Special operations.”
It always sounded so shady when put that way. Stupid Erebonian schools and government and…
“I see.”
There was a long, agonizing pause, then: “So, you are very experienced working outside of Crossbell, with a variety of agencies and NGOs.”
“Yes… chief?” She was completely confused now.
The chief sat back in her chair and nodded. “What are your career plans, Detective Crawford? Where do you see yourself in five, ten years?”
“Still in Crossbell, of course,” Juna said assuredly. She stopped, not sure if she should mention how badly she wanted to be in the SSS. She’d told Lloyd and the others that she wanted to really learn Crossbell again after being away for awhile, which was why she’d joined the CBPD as a regular officer. She didn’t feel like she deserved to be a true member of the SSS. Not yet.
The chief waited for a moment, arms crossed over her chest. “Crawford, you’re aware of the current position Crossbell holds in international relations?”
Juna blinked at the sudden change in topic.
“As an independent state, Crossbell is uniquely positioned to negotiated between Calvard and Erebonia. Its location and access to the Transcontinental Railway make it an advantageous trading partner to Liberl and Remiferia, who do not have direct access. The septium veins in Mainz are projected to output at current rates for at least another fifty years. However, because of its size and limited natural resources, it will always be extremely vulnerable to instabilities from unrest and conflict in the bordering nations.” she rattled off, at a speed that would have made Allie proud.
The chief blinked a few times. “And you are well versed in geopolitics.”
Juna smiled weakly. “I spent a lot of time researching possible paths to independence while I was in Erebonia.”
“Clearly.” The chief cleared her throat. “Crossbell was long prohibited from developing organizations to deal with the outside world by the nature of our situation, but now we find ourselves scrambling to create institutions to fill those gaps. Institutions that would, under normal circumstances, take decades to come to fruition.”
Juna forced her shoulders to untense, trying to just listen without drawing any conclusions.
“But, one of the advantages of being a small nation-state is that we can use the same group to accomplish many goals, without needing to create complicated systems to manage them.
“The council has determined that we are in dire need of some kind of intelligence gathering operation, to make sure that we are forewarned of any foreign problems. Furthermore, Speaker MacDowell is concerned that, while the establishment of the embassies is still under discussion with the governments of Erebonia and Calvard, our citizens will have no recourse if they find themselves in trouble with either of those nations.”
The chief cleared her throat. “I’m sure you can imagine the kinds of things the Erebonian government will do to someone they presumed guilty, especially without any oversight.”
“I’m aware,” Juna said grimly, staring a hole into the desk.
“As such, I have been authorized, and allocated funds, to establish a group to do both of these things.” The chief folded her hands and leaned on the desk, catching Juna’s gaze directly. “And I would like to head it, Detective Crawford.”
Juna’s mouth fell open. “You would like me to do what?”
“We need someone with experience in dealing with international groups, particularly Erebonians. You not only studied in Erebonia, but you attended a military school during one of the most aggressive expansions of their military in living memory. That school is prestigious enough to have alumni in many important fields, giving you connections across a wide network of institutions. And from what I hear from Detective Bannings, you have some Liberlian and Remifarian contacts from your ‘special ops’ missions.”
Juna laughed nervously. “I don’t know if I can be considered an expert on Erebonia, and I really don’t have any more knowledge of Calvard than anyone else from Crossbell.” She frowned at the ceiling, remembering. “I mean, I met President Rocksmith once, but those were really special circumstances.”
The chief waved this aside. “We don’t expect you to be an expert on foreign relations right away. We need someone who understands enough to adapt and learn quickly, which you have shown aptitude for.”
She smiled wryly. “We want you to find a team that can cover as many bases as possible. Preferably from outside the department, we’re already short-staffed and under-experienced.”
“Of course, it’s not like I haven’t been crazy busy since I started,” Juna muttered.
She took a deep breath and froze. “But hold on. Recruiting? Hiring?”
The other woman nodded, a proud smile starting to cover her face. “For this we’ll even take non-citizens, especially from countries of interest. Feel free to spread your net wide.”
Juna rubbed her forehead. “Right, okay, uh huh…. When would I start?”
The chief slid a packet of papers across the desk. “If you accept the assignment? Today.” She grinned. “This qualifies as a promotion, Crawford. Senior Detective. Although you may prefer ‘investigator’ for the new job.”
Juna picked up the envelope, raising her eyebrows at the label. “Special Support Section - Foreign Investigations Unit?”
“The thought was that particular division would be better known outside of the city.” She shrugged. “It also made more sense based on the nature of your duties. This will put you and your team under Chief Sergei, now Division Chief Sergei. I felt it would be a better fit for the unique mission of your unit.”
Juna shook her head in disbelief for a moment, then stood and saluted. “I don’t know what to say, this is…” She squared her shoulders. “Assignment accepted.”
“Good,” the chief said, standing as well. “It’s not much, but you will have your own office space. The address and security code for the door are in that envelope.”
Juna clutched it a little tighter.
“I expect to see requests come in within the next few days, so you might want to get a move on with recruiting. Maybe start with a communications officer?”
She neatly piled a few of the papers on her desk. “Chief Sergei has explicit instructions to review your budget and operating reports, so I expect you to be more diligent with those.”
Juna nodded sheepishly. “Yes, chief.”
“And if you’re not very good at them, I suggest you hire someone who is,” the chief said, looking at her severely. “Delegation is an important skill for a leader.”
Juna nodded again, extremely grateful for the hint. There would be a lot of things she was going to need help with. Might as well get started now. “Chief, I should probably-”
“Dismissed, Senior Detective. Save handing off your existing assignments and arranging for your desk to be moved for tomorrow. You’ll want to review the details of your new assignment this afternoon.”
Juna almost ran the few steps to the door.
“One last thing.”
Juna stopped in the doorway.
The chief came over from behind the desk and held out her hand. “I know this is going to be a difficult challenge, but I think you’re up to it. Good luck.”
Juna shook her hand, overwhelmed and desperately hoping she wouldn’t screw this up.
CROSSBELL CITY - EAST STREET
VANDER TRAINING HALL
Kurt was teaching class when the door to the street clattered open with a bang. His students all turned to glare at a completely unapologetic Juna, who only slowed to make her way up the stairs to the gallery. He held back his smile, grateful that Juna’s energy hadn’t been diminished since they graduated.
Since she’d gone up to the gallery instead of heading for him directly, he assumed that it wasn’t an emergency. He returned his focus to his class, running through forms calmly, correcting postures and grips wherever he needed to. He’d been a martial arts teacher for several years now, but this training hall was his alone, and that responsibility still hung heavy on him.
He ended class, the students departing with a bow, and saw Juna clambering down the stairs. A few students meandered a little more slowly towards the changing rooms than usual, clearly curious about the strange woman in the CBPD uniform. Kurt ignored them and went to intercept Juna before she walked all over the mats with her street shoes.
“You’ll never believe what just happened,” Juna said, excitedly waving a packet around.
“The senior detective from Vice you have a thing for finally asked you out?” Kurt said, looking over the training dummies and swords to make sure they had been put away properly.
“No,” Juna said, indignant. She frowned at him. “How do you know about that?”
“At what point has the love life of any member of Class VII not been common knowledge?” Kurt responded drily.
“You don’t see me asking about what’s going on between you and Sully Atraid.” Juna crossed her arms.
Kurt raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to realize that she had proved his point.
“Ugh, fine. I wouldn’t have said anything about that to you anyway.” Juna held out the envelope so he could see the label. “Take a look at this!”
He squinted, reading slowly because Juna was very bad at holding still. “Special Support Section: Foreign Investigations Unit.” He looked up from the envelope. “What is that, exactly?”
“It’s a new division at the CBPD,” Juna said, beaming. “I’m getting transferred.”
Kurt looked up from his inspection, smiling genuinely now. “Congratulations, Juna, that sounds like a perfect fit for your talents. What will you be doing there?”
“That’s the craziest part! They asked me to be the head of it. Me, in charge.” She shook her head, staring at the envelope in slight disbelief.
“You’re going to do well.” Kurt placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re an excellent leader. You’ve pulled the rest of us together before, and under much worse circumstances.”
“Thanks, Kurt.” Juna looked at the ground so her blush was less noticeable.
“Hey, Master Kurt, is that your girlfriend?” A stage whisper called from the direction of the training rooms.
Now Juna was thoroughly blushing. “Uh, no, we’re not- we’re just, you know-”
Kurt turned calmly and stared disappointedly at the three students leaning on the back wall.
One of them, an ex-gang member from the old Downtown District who reminded him a lot of Ash, shook his head. “I told you, she’s so not his type. Quiet, elegant, dignified, model hot - that’s more his style.”
Kurt was distracted for a second trying to figure out where that impression possibly could have come from, hoping they hadn’t heard about his relationship with the principal dancer of Arc en Ciel.
The student on his right whacked him on a shoulder. “Come on, Blaze, don’t be a dick. She’s probably just a former student.”
Blaze snorted. “Her? Little Miss Pink in a too-big uniform? I doubt it, everyone knows CBPD can’t fight for shit.”
Juna stepped sideways around Kurt so she could glare at him. “Excuse me?”
“I ain’t saying anything everyone here doesn’t know, all the cops in this town are good for is chasing tourists around and taking bribes.”
“Instead of running your mouth, why don’t you run over here, so I can demonstrate what the cops in this town are good for?” She nodded her head at the ground in front of her in an invitation.
Kurt sighed, wondering why Blaze wanted to see Gehanna so badly. “Juna…” he started, hoping to stave her off.
“What? I’m allowed to ask your students to spar, aren’t I?” Juna said, setting her bag down and the envelope on top of it. She reached for her tonfas.
“Like a traffic warden would be any kind of match for me,” the student said, still leaning casually against the wall.
Well, at least Juna’s temper could be turned into an excellent learning opportunity. Kurt sighed. “I don’t see any issues with it, just as long as you stick to the tonfa side.”
Juna turned to make a face back at him. “I know how to spar.”
He shrugged. “I thought the CBPD has you focused on street tactics these days, not structured combat.”
“They do, but I’m not that rusty,” Juna scoffed.
“Are you going to accept her challenge?” Kurt turned to his student.
The man pushed himself off the wall, shaking out his arms. He was a good head and a half taller than her, probably Eastern, wearing his attitude like armor. “I don’t see why not. A little exercise before dinner would be real nice.”
Juna cracked her neck and moved to the center of the floor. “I was in such a good mood before this too. Do me a favor and go down quickly.”
“You’re a real testy bitch, aren’t you,” he said, swinging his shoulders loose as he stepped up to the mat.
One of his buddies tossed him a pair of training swords, which he caught, and whipped through the air around him a few times, in a move that would have intimidated most people. Juna just smirked.
Kurt looked between the two of them, shaking his head. “I’ll referee. Please do try to refrain from serious bruises, concussions, or broken bones; the ride to St. Ursula’s is long.”
“Don’t worry Teach- Master. I’ll be gentle with her.” He grinned at Juna, now flirting instead of posturing.
Juna rolled her eyes.
“That wasn’t directed at you,” Kurt said, his face completely neutral. “You may begin.”
Juna didn’t have as much of a need for her weapons these days, especially since the Bracer Guild was around again to take care of the monsters. She still practiced like there would be fights around every corner though, mostly because she had gotten in the habit of if during stressful, dangerous times. The times were far less dangerous, but she was still very stressed. Her tonfas were a comforting reminder of things she could control.
The student was good: fast, tight movements. His swings were fluid and controlled. But he was definitely not up to the level of Kurt. Juna had energy to burn, so she she let him try going all out, laying back and blocking where she needed to.
Kurt noticed a flicker of motion by the door: the rest of his students, filing out of the locker rooms to watch. He was surprised Juna was letting things drag out. She must have been very pissed. He watched her duck and bat off one of the swords like she was swinging a racket. Or she was bored. She was clearly enjoying herself.
With the rate she was improving, she would leave him in the dust in no time. He smiled to himself. It was good to see his old partner doing so well.
Once Juna could see Blaze starting to falter - his swings slowing, his breaths going ragged - she took mercy on him. She started moving at her full speed. Her two quick steps forward and change in stance must have been telling, because she saw a flicker of fear cross his face.
She took two swipes to knock the swords from his grasp, and because she was feeling particularly petty, hooked a tonfa around his knees, sending him tumbling to the ground.
There was a long moment of silence.
Kurt cleared his throat. “I believe we can considered that settled then.”
The room was filled with raucous cheers. Juna stepped back and looked up, now noticing the room full of martial arts students cheering her on in awe.
“Detective Crawford wins,” Kurt said, addressing his students. “I hope you all payed close attention, there was much to be learned in that match.”
Like not underestimating strangers, or how to fall. Kurt was barely holding back his grin. It hadn’t been a graceful defeat; Juna had really knocked Blaze on his ass.
“Since when are hits below the knee fair?” Blaze grumbled from the ground.
“They are in her martial art,” Kurt replied. “Maybe you should consider that before offering challenges to strangers.”
Juna reached down and held out her hand. “Good fight, although I really hope you’ve learned your lesson about saying dumb and rude things about other people to their face.”
He stared at her, bewildered, but let her pull him to his feet. “You’re a strange one,” he said, still hanging onto her hand. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”
“It’s a long, complicated story,” Juna shrugged. “Mostly I fought a few too many jaeger corps and spent a lot of time on the wrong side of the Imperial Army during the Great War.”
He started to laugh. Then he realized she was not kidding. He suddenly smiled, now warm instead of hostile. “The name’s Blaze. It’s a pleasure to meet you… Detective Crawford, was it?”
The blast of charm took Juna aback. She dropped his hand. “Senior Detective Crawford, as of today.”
“Well, Senior Detective Crawford, the way I see it, I owe you two beers: one for trouncing my dumb ass, and one to celebrate your promotion.”
Kurt sighed. And this was why he reminded him of Ash.
Juna looked him over. He was a year or two older than her, but still a little bit of a punk. He was also tall, with a nice body and an even better smile. Plus, with lines like that he definitely wasn’t interested in anything serious.
“I usually hang around Long Lau when I get off shift,” she said, casually swinging her tonfas over her shoulder. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“Maybe,” he said, watching turn away, a grin spreading over his face.
Juna ran to grab her bag and then flew by Kurt on her way out the door. “Bye, I’ll call you sometime about the schedule for the Mishelam reunion.”
“Goodbye, Juna,” Kurt said, shaking his head at her retreating back before turning back to Blaze.
The other man shrugged. “You weren’t going for it, so I thought I’d shoot my shot.”
Kurt stared at him in disbelief. “Do not pretend that was your intention this entire time.”
“No, man, I was really just being a jackass,” he snorted. “And I did not see that coming. Short girl cop? That should have been an easy fight.”
Kurt shook his head. “And now you know not to judge an opponent’s capabilities by what they’re wearing. Juna- Senior Detective Crawford- is a much more advanced fighter than you.”
“Really-” Blaze thought for a moment. “How would she do against you?”
“We haven’t sparred for a few years now,” Kurt sighed. “Judging by that performance, I might be able to win against her in a straight match, but in an actual fight she’d beat me.”
He was getting too comfortable, only training in the same place, without any matched opponents to keep his skills honed. Maybe he should ask Juna to spar himself.
The other man whistled. “I guess she could. When she gets going, it’s like an avalanche. Her focus, the intensity - the girl burns hot.”
Kurt had no disagreements with that.
Blaze jerked his chin towards the door to the street. “Where’d you meet her anyway? The two of you seem real chummy, especially if you’re not doin’ it.”
Kurt ignored the crude part of that question. “School. We were classmates at Thors.” He noted the blank expression on his student’s face. “It’s a military academy in Erebonia.”
“Seriously? I can’t imagine her in military school.”
Kurt shrugged. “Our situation was… unique. Although she did get herself in trouble with alarming frequency.”
“Sounds like the kind of girl that would keep things interesting,” Blaze said, clearly fantasizing.
Kurt left the mat, not interested in that particular topic of conversation, especially with Blaze.
CROSSBELL CITY - EAST STREET
VANDER TRAINING HALL
There were three more classes to teach that day, but Kurt was distracted through all of them. On the one hand, whatever had just happened there was very much not his business, Class VII gossip aside. On the other… well… Juna had played the whole thing cool and casual, but Blaze was clearly trouble.
It was still bothering him when he was cleaning up after the last class of the day, so before he locked up, he sat on the stairs to the gallery and pulled out his ARCUS.
Normally for Juna issues he would have called Altina, but he got the feeling that this was beyond her expertise. Musse would make it weird, and then she would tell absolutely everyone, and Juna would murder him for the embarrassment.
Which left Ash. Kurt stared at the ARCUS for a long time before he finally pressed the call button.
Across the continent, Ash Carbide heard a buzzing form his pocket, and excused himself from the Lamare Council meeting with a nod to the Dutchess Mildine. He flipped his ARCUS open and raised an eyebrow when he saw who was calling.
“‘Sup, Pretty Boy?” Ash answered.
“Hello, Ash.” Kurt sighed. “I… I need your advice.”
Ash laughed a little too loudly, drawing a glare from a passing butler. “Oh, this is going to be good.”
He started walking towards a less public part of the Cayenne Estate. He’d been working as Musse’s Head of Security for almost eighteen months now, and he’d reached an uneasy truce with her very proper staff. It didn’t stop them from being petty. “What advice could the great Kurt Vander need from little ol’ me?”
“It’s about Juna,” Kurt said, ignoring the posturing.
“Juna?” Ash’s voice lost the edge. “Don’t tell me Wild Filly’s gotten herself in trouble.”
“Not yet, but-” Kurt let out a sharp breath. “I’m not sure it’s my place to interfere.”
“And this is why you called me instead of Musse?” Ash grinned. “I’m touched. What exactly is she getting herself into?”
Kurt paused. “She… I suppose ‘met someone’ is the most appropriate phrase?”
Ash whistled, forgetting how loud it would be through the speaker. “Even Juna’s getting some these days, lookit her.”
Kurt winced. “Well…”
“...but I’m guessing you’re not sure about the guy. It is a guy, right?”
“I wouldn’t have called otherwise… oh.” Kurt furled his eyebrows. “Is there something I should know about?”
Ash laughed. “Nope. I was just thinking, for all that she’s an open and transparent book ninety percent of the time, she’s never mentioned anybody romantically. Ever.”
“There was the other detective from Vice…” Kurt said, racking his brain.
“Musse never got the details, Juna clammed up too fast. We all assumed, but you never know.”
“Huh,” Kurt said, now realizing that Juna had never actually admitted to dating anyone. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“It’s interesting, isn’t it? Turns out she can keep some secrets,” Ash shrugged. “But that’s not really the point here, you’re pretty sure she’s into this new guy, which means she’s at least into men.”
“Do you have these conversations about everyone?” Kurt asked, suddenly concerned.
“I spend too much time with Musse these days,” Ash grumbled. “And yes, we know about your little dancer friend.”
Kurt stared up at the sky, wondering why all of Class VII was horrible at staying out of other people’s business.
“Anyway, back to this guy,” Ash said, barreling on past Kurt’s embarrassment. “He older? Sleazy businessman?”
“Not by much, and I am not certain what his profession is.”
“Okay?” Ash said.
Kurt could feel the skepticism through the ARCUS, and decided to start from scratch. “Juna stopped by the training hall today to tell me about her promotion-”
“-what promotion?” Ash interrupted.
“I’ll let her tell you about that. While we were talking, one of my students asked if we were dating-”
Ash snorted. “Sorry, continue.”
Kurt went through the events of Juna’s visit, repeating the conversation almost verbatim, trying not to feel self-conscious about the amount of discussion his love life was getting today.
Ash was silent for a moment at the end of the recitation.
He took a deep breath. “Okay man, I’m gonna need you to be honest with me for a second.”
“What?”
Ash stared at the sky, wondering why he was wading into this dilemma. “What exactly about Blaze are you worried about?”
For once he wasn’t being snide, which was enough to unsettle Kurt. Ash was only nice when things were serious.
“Do you think that he’s gonna take advantage of her somehow? Do you think he’s mixed up in something nasty that could spill over to her?”
Kurt hummed, thinking.
“Or is this bothering you because you’re starting to realize you have a thing for her yourself?”
Kurt’s brain skipped a track. “I- uh- ”
Ash shook his head, the effect lost over the ARCUS connection. “Here’s the thing: even if she hadn’t already beat his ass, you know just as well as I do that she’s more than capable of handling herself, especially against normal people with no weird drugs, supernatural abilities, or magic.”
Kurt nodded, agreeing completely with that.
“So, if you’re being honest with yourself,” Ash continued, “you need to figure out if you’re feeling wigged out because you’re jealous of the guy, and then you need to talk to Juna yourself. If not, well, it’s none of your business, and you should stay way out of it.”
Kurt rolled all of that around in his mind for a minute. “...all right.” he said. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Ash grinned. “No need to give me an update, I’m sure the grapevine will have news for me soon enough.”
“Til later then,” Kurt said, ending the call. He closed his ARCUS and stuffed it back into his pocket.
Ash was right. He was being weird about this. Kurt sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. What if he was jealous of Blaze? What would happen then? But it wasn’t completely unlikely that his concerns were valid, what he knew of Blaze’s past was not exactly comforting. It wouldn’t be out of the question to not want his friend and former partner to not get involved with someone so questionable.
He sat, thinking, for a long half hour before finally standing and heading for the door, still uncertain of what he should do.