f12yin

Mountain, some of the bounty hunters went your way! Quite a few of them, too!

Don't worry. I can handle this much.

Hmph, where did these guys come from? Rhodes Island, remember this! I'll be back for you, you motherf...

Unfortunately, this is as far as you go.

Don't you think you can take us all down just because you're big!

Lads, let's go!

Hmph.

Looks like there are quite a few bounty hunters over there. Let's go back Mountain up.

Eh, sure, but I'm not too worried about him.

I doubt these guys are any match for Mountain.

Huh, you think so? I mean, he looks pretty tough, but he's always so polite. He just doesn't seem like that kind of guy.

This is your first time on a mission with him, huh?

That's what I used to think too. I thought maybe he just looked strong.

But it didn't take long for me to realize I got the wrong idea about him. This new guy's something else.

I mean...

Mean what?

*Howls*!!!

Yeah...

What was that?

We'll talk about this later. Let's go around to his twelve and see if we can catch a few guys that slipped past him.

What a... monster...

I'm nothing compared to others.

Phew...

I suppose trying to take on this many without help is pushing myself a little too far.

Mountain, we caught a few of these shitheads that got away.

Much appreciated.

Whoa, look at them, all beaten to a pulp. Now I feel sorry for them...

And look at this tree, ripped apart right down the middle. Now I see why you said I shouldn't have worried.

Right?

My apologies. I'm not very accustomed to team operations yet. I should've contacted you to come assist me.

Oh, no harm done. You handled yourself pretty well.

I wouldn't say that. Our mission objective is to stop the bounty hunters from being a nuisance to the nearby villages. Had any one of them managed to escape, we would not have solved the issue at hand.

If it wasn't for you two, our mission would have been a failure.

Well, look at you. What a diligent fella.

I hope that isn't a problem.

No, far from it. It's been a long time since we've had a new guy as diligent as you.

Enough about that. Are you okay?

I'm fine. Only a few scratches here and there. They'll heal up in no time.

I'm not talking about your scratches. I'm talking about your digs.

My clothes?

Mountain, your outfit is all burned up. You're basically naked right now.

Oh, uh, my apologies. This is quite embarrassing.

I tend to lose sight of these issues while I'm in a fight.

Haha, no worries. The exact same thing happened last time, though. Are you sure you don't want a different uniform just for field ops?

It's a waste to have to keep replacing a formal getup like that after every mission.

I'm used to dressing formally. You have a point, however. I will consider it.

You want formal clothing that's suitable for combat... am I correct?

Yes, and naturally, if this is too unreasonable of a request, please don't trouble yourself.

Hmm... First, I'm sure someone has already told you, but your uniforms need a special application.

Right. My Logistics operator told me that because there is no standard uniform suitable for my size, I'll need to apply for one.

At the time, I did not expect that I'd find myself in so many battles as an operator here, which is why I've never applied.

And your outfit's been getting torn into shreds after just a few missions.

Right.

Doesn't it get expensive when you need to keep paying for those fancy outfits?

To tell you the truth, I spent most of my first month's salary buying myself new clothes.

Huh? No way!

I'd just broken out of... Ahem, just left home. The equipment that Rhodes Island provides is more than adequate. There's not much I have to buy at my own expense, so this isn't a huge problem.

Nonetheless, I can imagine it turning into one sooner or later.

I guess you could probably just wear something else in combat... and that would solve most of the problem?

Indeed, and as I've already mentioned, I'm not actually adamant about wearing this.

However, I am rather fond of this style of attire. I've also noticed that the operators get rather personalized with the way they are dressed, so I thought I would ask if it would be possible.

If it isn't, then I will apply for a more durable combat uniform.

Hmm... Well, we don't get requests like this that often.

Our operators may have pretty unique wardrobes, but their outfits don't get in the way most of the time.

In that case, forget I asked.

Wait, I'm not done yet! I said we don't get these requests often, but I never said I'm turning you down.

Hm?

We need to put together a new outfit for you anyway. It'll take just a bit more work. It's okay.

Oh, right. This is perfect.

Orchid?

What now? I'm busy here. If you want to have tea, try somebody else.

Oh, that isn't what this is about, Orchid. Actually...

Please, Orchid?

This is giving me a headache already.

Oh, don't be like that. Look, you're always complaining about how boring it is to work in Logistics. This might just be a lot more fun than sitting in an office.

I basically run this place by myself. I'm exhausted.

There's a bonus in it.

No kidding?

Of course. You'll be helping solve our operators' problems.

That's a fairly nice motivator, and it almost worked, but I'm at most a designer, not a seamstress. If you need someone to work on clothes, I'm not the right person to ask.

Eh...

Hah... Fine, it just so happens I know who to ask.

Your codename is Mountain, correct?

Yes, ma'am.

Ma'am... No need for that. My codename is Orchid, and it'll do fine. Come with me.

Thank you very much, Orchid.

Be sure to save a slice of cake for me this afternoon.

Okay!

Orchid.

Hm?

About that conversation, is there a dedicated dressmaker at Rhodes Island?

No, I'm taking you to another operator here. She moonlights as a dressmaker.

Is that allowed?

What do you mean?

From my time here, I've always thought of Rhodes Island as something like a PMC.

I've never heard of a part-time dressmaker in these organizations.

You haven't spent much time at Rhodes Island yet, then.

What do you mean?

You have a grave misunderstanding about us here.

Okay, maybe it isn't really a misunderstanding. When I first came onboard, I felt more or less the same.