Raphael groaned as he hit the ground, a sharp pain shooting up his back.
"That was torture!"

"Thank you very much", grinned Ashryn.

"That's the kind of force we want to see!", exclaimed Imelda.
"Lanky, you took that like a champ. Keep working hard and you'll be as good as Ashryn."

"Yeah.
This is only your fourth combat session, so you're not going to be as good as your fellow trainees", admitted Finian.

Raphael sighed.
"Great."

"Chin up, Petal", said Finian.

"Yeah, you've got the best combat trainers in the world", added Imelda.

"I can't believe you called me Petal", said Raphael.

"Why Petal?", questioned Makoto.

"He's fragile like a flower in the wind", revealed Finian.
"I thought that was obvious."

"Imelda!
Finian!
Catch me before Alessa gets me!", exclaimed Faizah, running towards the pair.

She had a severe limp, and although she tried to cover it up, Makoto could see that her face was riddled with pain.

Imelda and Finian held their arms out, and Faizah stumbled into them.
Alessa followed closely behind, an annoyed sigh escaping her lips.

"What the h*ll, Faizah?"

"I'm sorry, ok?
I know you said not to disturb them when they're teaching, but I need to know."

"Need to know what?", asked Imelda.

"Are you entering the Chili Contest?"

Imelda's face lit up, and a mischievous smirk crept on her face when she turned to look at Finian.
A small smile appeared on Finian's face, and the pair continued to look at each other, seemingly having a conversation with just their eyes.

Imelda turned to Faizah again.
"H*ll yeah I am."

"Chili Contest?
What's the story there?", asked Rhiannon.

"It's nothing that concerns you", said Alessa.

"Aww, come on, Lessa!", exclaimed Faizah, before turning to face Rhiannon.
"It's an annual contest where a bunch of agents compete in three rounds of Chili eating, each round more intense than the last."

"The winner is the last person standing", said Imelda.

"But how do they eliminate people?
If there are a lot of people participating, are three rounds enough?", questioned Rhiannon.

"The first round is about eating as much as you can.
Those that don't eat up to a certain mark are eliminated.
Then it's all about who can handle the heat", said Faizah.

"But this isn't useful for you to know", said Alessa.
"Faizah and I are leaving now.
Get back to work."

★★★

Rhiannon still wasn't sure if her friendship with Makoto was more of a convenience thing for them, or if they had intentions of opening up to her.

Regardless of that, Rhiannon still spent most of her time with them.
After all, Ashryn and Raphael only seemed to speak to her when they had to.

"Makoto, hey!", she called out, stopping in her tracks when she saw Raphael with them.

"Hey!", beamed Makoto.

Their enthusiasm didn't seem genuine, possibly because they were trying to overcompensate to make up for what happened the other day.

"I'll just go over there", said Rhiannon.

"Don't leave on my account", said Raphael.

Rhiannon let out a forced laugh, their eyes widening and eyebrows furrowing out of embarrassment when they did so.

"Ha!
Ha!
Me?
Leaving because of you?
Nooo..."

Raphael suppressed a laugh, but nodded.
"Uh-hm, yeah, sure."

"What are you morons doing here?", asked Ashryn.

"Just moron-ing about", said Makoto, earning a groan from Raphael.

"The competition's going to start in an hour, we need to prepare", said Ashryn.

"Oh, do we need to pre-book tickets or something?", asked Rhiannon.

"No.
I entered us in the competition."

The trio's eyes widened at the same time, with Rhiannon and Raphael's jaws dropping as well.

"You did what?", questioned Raphael.

"Why would you do that?", asked Makoto.

"You've seen the way the other agents look at us!
Entering this competition will prove to them that we're not to be messed with", explained Ashryn.

"It would make them see we're on the same team", said Rhiannon.

"Ew, f*ck that.
This is about wiping the smug looks off their faces", said Ashryn.

"I don't think I should enter.
I'm terrible when it comes to spicy foods", revealed Rhiannon.

"Then stock up on extra toilet paper!", exclaimed Ashryn, before ignoring the frown of an embarrassed Rhiannon.

"I'm not sure about this", said Raphael.

Ashryn sighed.
"Look.
All of our trainers will be there.
And so will Agent Arden.
We can make her respect us."

Raphael didn't object after hearing this. He couldn't resist on opportunity to knock Agent Arden down a peg or two.

"Alright.
I'm in."

"I've actually been craving Chili since
I walked past the kitchens", admitted Makoto.

The trio turned to Rhiannon, who was hoping the ground would consume her. However, she was well aware that this could be one of the only times where they'd get to bond.

"I can't guarantee I won't fall at the first hurdle, but I'm in."

"I'll stock up on toilet paper then, I guess", said Raphael.

★★★

"Come on, man!
Please, just drop out!", begged Imelda.

"No way", said Finian.

"You beat me every single time.
Can't you spare me this year?"

Finian grinned and shook his head. "Nope!
It's not my fault you can't handle your spice."

Imelda exhaled sharply, before narrowing her eyes at Finian.
"I regret teaching you to be cheeky."

Astra, Oren and Faizah walked into Imelda's room, after being invited by her.

"What's all this about?", asked Astra.

"Finian won't drop out of the competition.
I need you lot to convince him to quit."

"Uh, why?
We all know I'm the one to beat", said Faizah.

"Are you sure entering is a good idea?", asked Oren.

Faizah nodded.
"I checked it with Moira at the Clinic. She said it won't negatively impact me, so beware b*tches!"

The group laughed at Faizah's comments.

"Well, I for one want to see Imelda beat Finian this year", said Astra.

She grabbed Imelda's hand.
"Come on, I'll help you prepare."

Imelda grinned.
"Thank you, Astra.
Glad to know someone's on my side!"

★★★

Sophia prodded her fried egg sandwich with her finger, not particularly keen on eating it.

A tall woman entered the room. 
She had blonde ringlets, that perfectly framed her face, and ran down her back like waves in an ocean.

She carried herself with an unparalleled sense of maturity Sophia could only dream of possessing.

"Hi, Olga!", beamed Sophia.

"Hello, Sophia", she replied.

She looked around the room, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion when she didn't see anyone else.

"Where's Astra?"

"Hm?
Oh, I'm not sure.
She's an hour late.
She'll definitely be here though.
She always gives me a special pep talk before the competition."

Something about Sophia's tone indicated that she wasn't so confident in her response, and Olga picked up on this.

"How have you been?"

"Me?"

Olga nodded.
"You've been through a lot with the case you just completed.
And whenever I see you in the Fuze, you don't have your trademark smile."

"You... you noticed that?"

"Yeah.
When I was your age, I thought everyone and their mother's were out to get me", she joked.
"But you've got this kindness, this... energy about you that's hard to miss."

Sophia smiled sweetly, a tinge of red appearing on her face.
"Thank you, Olga."

Olga smiled.
"Why don't I help you out?
I participated in my first Chili eating competition when I was your age, you know?
That was seven years ago, but I'd like to think I've still got some tricks up my sleeve."

Sophia chuckled.
"I'd really appreciate that.
Thank you."

Olga smiled.
"Anything for you, Sophia."

____________________

Hi.

There will be flashbacks and high stakes Chili eating in the next chapter!

Rhiannon still isn't sure about her friendship with Makoto, but she's more than happy to keep things civil.

How do you think the group will do in the competition?

Who do you think will win—Finian or Imelda?

You've met Olga! She's a 29 year old agent who you'll be seeing a lot more of.  Based on first impressions, what do you think of her?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest