Tour

When lunch comes around, Noelle always makes sure she gets a healthy and balanced diet. She usually puts meat and vegetables in her lunchbox alongside a side just for pleasure. When it comes to her company, it is either by her lonesome or with her brother.

Today she is by her lonesome since her brother is not in the mood to be with her. She internally scoffs, finding her brother's 'tantrum' about the morning to be foolish. She is right that people need to take their work seriously, even if there are no cases to be done for now.

The woman takes a bite of her lunch, grimacing that the food didn't taste that good because of her ruined mood. 'There goes a nice lunch.' She thinks to herself before closing the box to leave the cafeteria. Until that plan is out of the window from a familiar voice.

"Hi Noelle." Xing Tian cheerfully greets her while holding a box of baked rice. "Can I sit with you for a chat?" She proposes and silently hopes the woman would accept her request. She wishes to get to know her anyway.

Noelle thinks about the proposition for a moment before giving a noncommittal nod. The girl's face brightens and plots herself opposite of Noelle. The girl begins eating the baked rice to use the extra small time to think of a topic to chat about.

Well, she has one! "Miss Noelle, I am officially a full time officer in the Faunus Police Department. So I guess you are my senior?" Her experience with other part time jobs tells her she has to address anyone who has more experience than her senior.

The woman gives an approving smile when the girl hears she accepts the job. "I suppose I am your senior. I am quite happy you call me Miss." If the girl calls her ma'am, she wouldn't mind either but it will make her feel old.

The woman continues, "And since I am your senior, I have the responsibility of teaching you everything of what our work entails." Xing Tian nods enthusiastically, eager to learn new things for her experience.

"Then I will be in your care," she nods before noticing the woman is not eating her lunch. "Did you already have your lunch already, miss Noelle?"

The woman hesitates to tell her about her mood, as her instinct informs her it is a poor idea. She instead chooses to open her lunchbox to reveal the unfinished food. "I was going to move to somewhere more comfortable to eat." She lies as she picks up her utensils once more. "But with your company I guess I wouldn't mind eating with you."

The pair continues to have their lunch while having small talks to each other to bond. Xing Tian is more than happy to know more trivial information about her senior. She gets to know her senior likes to keep a healthy diet, she is 23 years old and lives with her brother for a very long time.

When Xing Tian asks about her brother, the woman cock an eyebrow before narrowing her gaze at the girl. "Are you having a crush on that idiot?" The woman would throw a fit if she does. As if the fanboys and girls for her brother is not enough, there is going to be one more person vying for his attention?

The girl innocently shakes her head in denial. While the man is cute, she feels that they would rather be friends than a couple. "I just want to know about him just like how I am trying to know you."

Noelle tries to look into any possible lies from the girl, who seems to be very earnest in her answer. She wouldn't put it past Xing Tian to develop feelings, but she would give her the benefit of the doubt. "Well, I could only tell you that we are twins, and he is the younger of us."

"Is this why you are the more responsible one?" Noelle shrugs at the question and answers, "Perhaps. I have seen some where the younger one is more responsible or neither are." The woman takes a bite of her lunch before continuing. "But if you want to know more about him, go and ask him about his private life. I am in no way responsible for that one."

Xing Tian nods in acknowledgment and finishes her lunch. "Well, last time he and I hung out, I was the one who did most of the talking. Maybe when I have the chance I will talk to him more."

Now Noelle becomes curious about their dinner. "Speaking of the dinner, do you mind telling me what happened that night?"

Her brother never tells her anything about the dinner date at all, only that it is between him and the girl and he gets to learn quite a few things about her. Thankfully, the Asian decides to regale her about that dinner.

From what Noelle could understand, the girl is in the city to find her past and treating this city as her final destination for her journey. She is hoping that she could stay for a year to find out her past.

"Noelle, do you know any information about the ruins in this city?" Xing Tian leans forward curiously with hope for an answer. Noelle shakes her head to signify her lack of information. The girl feels disappointed once more before sighing in defeat. "I guess I need to look for the right people."

Noelle thinks about how to comfort the girl in front of her, skimming through her mind for possible people who can help her. There is someone she has in mind. 'Maybe…'

"I think there is someone who knows the ruins…" The girl snaps her head up with glitter in her eyes, a new hope burning in her heart. "He's name is Tom, and he is the head scientist of the Anti-Glitch Squad. You can find him later when I give a tour to teach you everything you need to know."

The girl nods before checking the time, noticing the lunchtime is over. "I suppose we can start the tour now?" Noelle nods before packing up her lunch with the Asian.

When they left the cafeteria, most of the staff had returned to their stations. The older woman begins the tour with a professional smile, telling the girl which part of the building is responsible for what kind of work is expected.

In Xing Tian's opinion, there are many things similar to office work in the police station. But there are some definite differences. Traffic segments and barracks are the two she remembers the most during the tour.

The work room, or the 'bullpen' from somewhere she heard, will be where Xing Tian is stationed. While her deployment time will be flexible, she is required to do some office work such as reports and interrogation as per being an officer.

Turning to the next corner, another hallway greets Xing Tian with a sign on top saying it is the R&D section. "This is the R&D section of the building. This is where most of our weapons and armor development for our squad is done."

"Will I find Tom here?" Xing Tian couldn't help but ask since they are in the section where the mysterious person worked.

"Patience girl, we will be seeing him soon." Xing Tian nods at Noelle's answer and calms her nerves. She wants to see the scientist soon so she can begin her search in the city. But if she has to be patient, then she will be.

She can see different rooms are dedicated to different research, from chemicals to forensics. But from the pace Noelle is walking at, she could tell there is one particular room she wants to show Xing Tian.

The weapons development laboratory. She has to see it twice to ensure she is seeing things right, as not many people in the right mind would bring a junior officer to a place like this. The woman didn't hesitate to knock on the door before opening it.

In the room, various scientists are busy on their computers and files, calculating and thinking of designs for their next weapon. However, Xing Tian zeroes in her vision on a particular man who looks familiar to her.

'Is that… the commander's boyfriend?' She recalls the familiar face that she saw in the car park during the Slammer's attack and the day that dinner date happened. 'Yeah, it is him.'

Noelle approaches the man before greeting him as Tom, the same name as the person she is looking for!

The man notices Noelle before greeting her with a smile. "Hello Noelle, you're here for something?" Tom knows she is here for a reason, and he just so happens to be calling her soon.

The woman nods before presenting Xing Tian to him. "I'm sure you know who she is, but I will introduce once more. She is Xing Tian, the user of Defender." The girl waves to him with a smile. "From today onwards she is working with us full time."

The man stands up and offers a handshake to Xing Tian while introducing himself. "I am Tom, the head researcher of Anti-Glitch Squad." The girl introduces herself in kind. "Nice to meet you too, mister."

"So what brings you here besides a tour?" The man asks.

Xing Tian takes out her wallet and takes out the photo of the ruin before showing it to the scientist. "Do you know anything about the ruins?"

The scientist is speechless.