First Case as a Team

It was dark and cold outside the STIDE's house, even when you're wearing a white sweater and camel coat, that's what Clarice has been wearing. Galtero takes off his coat and put it on Clarice, to keep her warm. "Sorry for the delay, let's go in. You must be cold with all this weather" Galtero enters the code for the gate and the gate just open automatically. "I know I already said it, but! Welcome to STIDE" as they hear a metallic sound, the gate is open. Everyone enters the house, turns on the lights and the heater in the house

"Well, since we are already inside the house.. let's do the introduction.. my name is Galtero Ortiz, I'm the leader of STIDE, I can control steel"

"I'm Liam Lee Jackson, I can see the past, present, and future of someone. Dead or alive. All I need to do is touch them" Liam just wave his hand a bit while looking at Clarice

"Noah Harris, tracking" Noah who doesn't care about the recruit saying it coldly and not even looking at her

"Geez, Noah, that's not how you charm a girl" Tommy walk towards Clarice and shook her hand while giving Clarice a big welcoming smile. "Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Tom Wellington, but everyone calls me Tommy, I have a power of invisibility"

"Riku Takahashi, I can control fire" Riku looked at Koga who hasn't introduced himself, and then Riku smack Koga's shoulder to help him snap out of it, instead he just keeps staring at Clarice. Like the type of stare that wants to stab her in the eyes

Koga finally realized and go back to reality, he coughs a bit to clear his throat. "Sorry, jetlag gets me. I'm Koga Hiragi, I can predict things using my blood"

Clarice scoffs a bit, she can tell by how Koga's looking at her. Clarice becomes a detective since she majors in both psychology and criminology, and by the looks of it, Clarice knows that Koga does not agree with her joining STIDE. "Hi, everyone. My name is Clarice Attalantea, I'm a mind reader, but also a telepathic" Clarice's voice is deep and soft, but you can feel her friendly tone out of her cold words. Despite being a person that forcibly is there, she still grateful, since she still gets to be a detective. Different type of detective, but at least that's all she ever has. Being a detective is like being with family, it's all she has left.

Everybody shocked even Galtero since they don't even know what is her power, it was not in her case file. Alfred gave them as much information as he can gather, but it seems not nearly enough information. Galtero coughed awkwardly. "So, you can read our minds?"

"Don't worry, I have my headphones on, it prevented I'm using my power, most of the time. You guys probably read my file case that the head of the police department send you, but not all of the information" Clarice just said everything straight away, didn't even care about what might others think. Clarice was raised to be a straightforward person since he had a rough past, she has no fear of what will she say or what will cause her trouble.

"Okay, let's just end it for now. Everyone go to your room and just rest for today, we will have a meeting tomorrow morning regarding the new case, so rest up" Everybody just take their bags and Galtero looked at Clarice. "And I will take you to your room. Let me get your suitcase and show you your room" Galtero took Clarice's suitcase and walk to the 3rd floor. "I gave you the third-floor room to make sure you can adjust slowly.. I know that it might be too much for you since, you know, you suddenly living with six guys" Clarice didn't say anything and just followed Galtero as Galtero opened the door on the 3rd floor. "here you go, Clarice"

"Call me Claire"

Galtero chuckles a bit and smiles while looking at Clarice. "Well, Claire, get some rest" Galtero leaves the room and go back to his room to rest

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Morning finally come. The sun is rising and the wind is still cold as ever, well, it's not freezing cold, but still cold cause the winter is coming. Everybody is still asleep except Tommy and Clarice. Tommy just got home from his morning run while Clarice just go down from her room. Tommy was getting himself a coffee when Clarice walk down the stairs. "Good morning! Want some too?"

It's still early in the morning and Clarice's not a morning person, not to mention still trying to adjust in STIDE's house. "maybe some tea, if you have any"

Tommy chuckles a bit and heats the teapot. "We only have jasmine tea, is that okay?"

Clarice sit on the island seating in front of the kitchen with her sleepy eyes. "yeah, it's fine.. and to answer your other question, I sleep okay last night"

Tommy is confused and looking at Clarice, I mean, he thinks of it since he is worried about how is she holding up living in the new place, but he's not saying it out loud. Unless. "Hmm, did you read my mind?"

"Sorry, can't control it"

Tommy takes a sip of his coffee while hearing the teapot start to hiss high pitch. Tommy turns off the gas, takes the teapot, and pours a cup for Clarice, then he pushes it towards Clarice. "Can you tell me more about your power?"

Clarice sigh after taking a sip of her tea as if she's not ready to talk about it, which Tommy can see too. There are a lot of things that he doesn't know and he's afraid that he might cross the line. Clarice's finishing her tea and then looking at Tommy as she crossed her hands in front of her. "My power is different compared to you guys" as she plays around with her necklace. "My power is stronger, even when I wear my headphone, I can still hear what you guys think"

"Must be hard. You have to listen to what people think every time.." Tommy takes another sip of his coffee

"You have no idea"

Tommy smiled while looking at Clarice. "There is nothing much in this house, but we welcome you here, so please, consider it as your own home"

Clarice sighed with relief since she thought that everyone won't welcome her there, especially with her background as a member of Attalantea's family. "Thank you, I needed that, even only from you, it means a lot" Sometimes that simple words like what Tommy said, help clear bad feelings that Clarice might think in her head. Ever since her fellow detective found out that she is one of the mismatched, sometimes she wonders if she even belongs here with STIDE. Being one of the mismatched doesn't say that she's welcome to STIDE, especially with her background family.

"I wish Koga like that too since he doesn't like me, to the core" Clarice stand up and intended to go back to her room, but then she saw Galtero come out of his room with a file in his hand. Seeing the file in Galtero's hand, Clarice can tell that is a case file. Galtero waves at Tommy and Clarice as he enters the meeting room. Not long after Galtero enter the room, everybody woke up and join Galtero in the meeting room. It's already 8 am, it's time for a case meeting. Of course, everyone knows about that, except Clarice who is still new there. Tommy pushes Clarice gently towards the meeting room, so they can join the meeting too.

Everyone sits on the sides of the rectangular table in the meeting room, while Galtero as the leader sits in the middle facing everyone. Galtero gives everyone a copy of the new case file, as they open and read it, Galtero start tapping his fingers against the table. Clarice read the case file carefully and make sure that she understands the case completely when suddenly Noah put down his case file. "Matthew Harlart, cause of dead assumed heart attack. This case doesn't give us much, no witness, no security camera, nothing.. we will be back depending on Koga's power to find who is the next target"

"But we do have a dead body" Clarice saying it about of the blue, she then realized that everyone looking at her confusedly. "Sorry, what I mean is from the body we might see some kind of clue, maybe even compare it with another case, finding the connection"

"That's right.. Not to mention even though no one sees anything, the actual person who died still sees something.. Liam's power can see what the dead or live see in the past including before they died.. We can get more information" as Galtero stop tapping his fingers "Let's just start the case right away.. I and Liam will go and see the body.. Noah, Riku, and Tommy, you guys will be on watch duty.. Koga and Claire can go to the victim's family, and get to know more about the victim"

Tommy feels uneasy letting Koga and Clarice work together since Koga hates the idea of letting Clarice join STIDE. Even though he knows it himself that Koga always handles interviews with the victim's family, that's the reason why Koga always goes to the front line of investigation. Despite knowing his power does not fit being in the front line, Koga's good at doing it.

"That's all, dismiss"

Everybody leaves the meeting room while Tommy just stands there and looks at Galtero. "What is it, Tommy? Just say whatever you want to say" as he cleans up the case files on the table

"That's not a good idea, putting them together"

Galtero sighed and look at Tommy. "I'm well aware of that, but they will see each other pretty often since she is practically a member of STIDE.. So I take this opportunity to get them closer.. I think that they can work together pretty good"

Tommy wipes his face with frustration and is speechless knowing for a fact that what Galtero said is true, they do can work together really well, but when they got used to each other. But, Koga still hates Clarice because of who she is and no one even knows what will he say to her when they're alone.

"They will be okay.. Certainly, they won't try to slit each other throat.. Hopefully.."

Tommy scoffed and chuckles a bit as he heard Galtero's joke. "I hope you're right" as Tommy walk out of the meeting room

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It's in Vancouver where Matthew Harlart's parents live, Koga and Clarice stand in front of the house, waiting for Matthew's parents to open the door for them. "I'll do the talking," says Koga with a cold tone

"I'm not here to just tag along and have it easy, you can either accept the fact that we need to work together or don't, but I'm here to work" as they hear the sound of unlocking the door