Regula Praetoria
"Hoo!" The girl pushed through the door into the dining hall, shaking snow out of her long auburn hair. "It is cold out there!"
"Eva!" most of the men and women sitting around the table greeted her warmly.
With no idea who she was, Emma waved timidly.
"Hi!" She grinned broadly, waving at the assembled group. She suddenly caught sight of Emma and gaped at her, stormy grey eyes growing wide in awe. "Is…is that her?"
Emma glanced to the left and right nervously as the girl rushed toward her, taking Emma's hand in hers.
"I'd watch yourself," Constance warned.
"Oh! I wouldn't dare go down that rabbit hole!" Eva assured her with a giggle. "I just can't believe she is here. Right here! Right now!"
"Uh…" Emma looked up at the girl, no older than she was, in confusion, quickly glancing toward Constance for help.
"Now, now," Constance clucked, gesturing to the empty seat at the table. "There's plenty of time for all of that after you eat and we have some lovely conversation."
"Ah, yes, you're right, of course!" Eva laughed. "I'm sorry!"
"Oh, i-it's ok!" Emma waved her apology away with a giggle.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" Eva pulled off her heavy jacket and slid into the seat Constance had indicated.
"It looks like you already did eat a horse," Barrister teased her.
"Hey!" Eva snapped, pointing her fork at the man, "there is nothing wrong with a little fluff! Besides, I have to eat to maintain my boobs. They take a lot of energy, you know."
Emma nodded gratefully as one of the men arrived at her elbow and deposited a cup of dark green liquid in front of her.
"I'd like to see what you're energizing under there," one of the other men, a thin, almost haunted-looking man said with a chuckle. The entire table froze in place as if time itself had suddenly stopped. Even Emma, who had no real idea what was going on, was taken aback.
"That is not ever going to happen," Eva replied after a moment, blinking blankly at the man. "I'm not interested in men."
"Ah! You just haven't met the right one, yet! Come on! All you need is a real man!" The man persisted, chuckling. "I'll volunteer for the position gladly. I'll take you to heaven and back and make a real woman out of you!"
Emma caught the nearly imperceptible shake of her head Constance directed Kiley's way. The latter's face had grown distressingly red, and Emma doubted it was in embarrassment.
"Hmm." Eva tapped her chin, finishing chewing her pastry thoughtfully. "Actually, I could probably make a real woman out of you once I ripped every memory out of your head."
"Hey! Don't even threaten that shit!" the man snarled, getting to his feet angrily.
"Well, it's what Controllers do, pumpkin." Eva shrugged. "If you want to see firsthand, you can by all means continue. I'd really recommend you not, though. I'm tired from my trip and might slip up."
"You can't talk to me like that, bitch!" The man puffed his chest out indignantly.
"That's enough, Lucius," Barrister warned.
"This bitch thinks she can just go around—" the man named Lucius snarled indignantly.
"Which part of 'that's enough' didn't you understand?" Constance interjected coldly. "Your superior was trying to save you. You should listen to him. You're not in the guards anymore. If you want to stay here, you will follow the rules, or you will be removed."
"I-She— "Lucius sputtered impotently. Suddenly the man grabbed his head, grunting in pain. The air around Lucius seemed to change, almost as if it were becoming a solid thing.
"I suggest ye keep yer mutt on a tighter leash, Barrister," Kiley warned as Lucius' mouth opened and closed soundlessly, the air slowly crushing him like his head was in a vice. "Be a damn shame to pulp 'im."
"I will not have division in this group," Constance growled. "Maybe you don't know how things work in the ISS…Lucius, was it? We show respect for each other and deference to the chain of command. That respect is sacrosanct. If it is breached, there is punishment. Control your men, or I'll do it for you, Barrister."
"Understood." Barrister nodded.
"Let him go, Kiley," Constance ordered. The redhead sucked her teeth in displeasure, but a moment later, the grip on Lucius' head relaxed, and the man was left gasping.
"I do apologize. He's new to my group, and he's got a lot to learn." Barrister bowed slightly.
"See that he's properly schooled." Constance sipped her tea gingerly. "I will not have Praetoria devolve into this foolishness, again."
Barrister shot the significantly shocked and cowed Lucius a look of annoyance and nodded once more.
"No' a great introduction t' th' team." Kiley sighed. "I'm sorry, Emma. We're usually better behaved than this." Emma glanced around the table at the assembled group of people. Not including the three women, there were seven men. Barrister, who she'd already met in Bastion, the new man Lucius who did not look well at all, and five others.
"Ah." Emma nodded, no idea what to say. "The…the team."
"Have you ever heard of the ISS?" Constance asked, sipping at her wine while her attention was focused on Emma.
"Oh! Uh, yes." Emma nodded. "There's stories about them on the streets."
"I'm sure there are." Eva sighed, popping another pastry into her mouth. "I'm sure none of them complimentary."
"Ummm... Not really complimentary, no," Emma admitted sheepishly.
"I told ye, before, Connie! We're losin' the people's hearts and when tha' happens, we lose their minds, and it makes our job harder! We've go' t' grow our brand!" Kiley insisted.
"We are not in the business of 'growing our brand,' Kiley," Constance snapped irritably.
"Maybe if people weren't so fuckin' scared of us like we're some boogey man in th' dark, they'd be more ready t' talk t' us!" Kiley grabbed her glass of amber liquid and sagged back into her chair in obvious displeasure. "It's go' t' be a whole effort, I tell ya."
"Our job is to do our job, Kiley." Constance gestured pointedly at the redhead with her glass of wine.
"Yeah, yeah." Kiley waved her hand dismissively. "It's tha' kind o' thinkin' tha' almost cost us Emma, here, ye know."
"Anyway," Constance turned back to Emma, clearly disinterested in having what Emma assumed to be a conversation with the fiery redhead they'd had many times before, "we are Regula Praetoria, an ISS Hunter Squad. We were sent to find you and keep you safe. And that is precisely what we will do. No matter what."
"I…I don't understand," Emma finally admitted into the lengthening silence. "Why me? And what are you going to keep me safe from?"
"Not to put too fine a point on things." Constance regarded her with interest, as if judging her reaction. "The 'what,' is the Order of the Magi. I assume you've heard of them?"
"Oh, yes." Emma nodded emphatically. Everyone on the streets knew of the Order. They could be either your best friend or your worst nightmare, depending on what you could do for them. Emma had never had any dealings with them personally, but she'd known a few girls in her younger days on the streets who had been swept up by the Order and whisked away in the night to never be seen again.
"In your case, it's less the 'what,' though, and more the 'who.'" Constance swirled the wine in her glass irritably, the Order plainly a contentious subject for her. "The 'who' in this case being the Archon."
"Ah." Emma nodded. She'd heard of the Archon, of course. Everyone in Bastion and, she imagined, the world itself, had heard of her. The undisputed head of the Order of the Magi. A woman made up, it seemed, of as much myth and legend as skin and bone. She had zero idea why the Archon would be interested in her, but Constance obviously believed it to be the case, and who was she to question someone who plainly knew more than she did about these things.
Honestly though, Emma was more than a bit concerned and confused. Why would the Archon be interested in her? She figured the Order might take an interest after the incident in the alley, but the Archon herself? That was definitely more than Emma's meager understanding of how things worked could fully grasp.
"As for the 'why you?'" Constance sighed before smiling. "Tell me, love, what do you know about the Soul Render?"
"'Soul Render'?" Emma searched her memory for a moment. "Um, wasn't she a witch or something? Back in the war?"
"That's close." Constance nodded. "Long story short, she was probably the most powerful human in the history of the planet."
"Oh," Emma mumbled. "That's…impressive. But what does this person have to do with me?"
"Well," Constance seemed to search for the right words to say before finally deciding that simpler was better. "We believe you are the new Soul Render."
"…Pardon?" Emma stared at Constance blankly.