Amiya sat as still as possible as she watched Ch'en pace back and forth. 

 "So. Let me piece this together." Ch'en said, casting a quick look at Amiya. She tensed and tried not to fidget. "You expect me to believe that Texas, Lappland, Exusiai, Croissant and Sora all decided to go on vacation? Together? Without informing anyone?"

 Amiya averted eye contact. She had promised Texas that she wouldn't tell anyone where they were. It wasn't often that Texas included her in a mission such as this, so she was determined not to screw it up. Texas had put her trust in her. Her natural caring attitude about her teammates and her friends made it hard to keep secrets. She always wanted to talk. She knew Ch'en would find her sudden quietude a bit suspicious. Amiya bit her lip and nodded slowly.

Ch'en looked over her, her red eyes seeming to peer into the girl's soul. Ch'en didn't take Amiya for a liar. The two have worked together for many years. Ch'en and Amiya never keep things from each other unless it's either personal or could hurt the Logistics. While Ch'en sometimes embellished the truth to get her points across, the never flat out lied. Her honesty was one of her strong features.

But this was different and a little alarming. Texas would never leave Rhode Island unless there was a pressing matter that could not be ignored. Texas was stubborn when it came to helping people. By nature, she wants to protect everyone. If course, there's nothing wrong with that. But at the moment, the Logistics was in a sitch that was at the utmost importance. What could possibly be so important that Texas had to leave without informing anyone?

Amiya looked like an egg about to crack. Her face was red and she wouldn't stop bouncing her left leg. Ch'en noticed this and sighed. "Amiya?"

 "Y-yes?" Amiya replied a little to quickly.

Ch'en leaned forward until their faces were mere inches apart. Amiya's big blue eyes were wide in fear of spilling an important secret. Ch'en smiled sweetly and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Amiya. Would you care to tell me where Texas went?"

 Amiya gulped. Damn.

                                                       ×××

 "Ch'en, I'm sorry! She told me not to tell! I didn't want to make her mad!" Amiya hurried after the Lung, practically running to keep up with Ch'en's long strides.

 "So instead, you decided to refrain from sharing this important information just to make Texas happy?" Ch'en said. She was struggling to remain calm. One had things happens and five of our Operators go missing. She clenched her hands into tight fists as she stomped through the main hallway that connected the briefing room and the dorms. Fellow Operators were chatting behind their closed doors, others hanging around the hallway with nothing else to do. One of them was Provence, a disaster relief worker. Her considerably large tail rested against the ground, stretching to the opposite wall of the hallway. Ch'en stepped over it with a huff, still ranting on to Amiya about honesty and the attributes of a Rhode Island staff member. 

Provence saw Ch'en walk past and abruptly ended her conversation with her close friend Skyfire and hurried after them. "Hey, Ch'en. What's got your tail in a twist? Other than the shutting down of the Logistics, which is a real shame in itself. I wonder what we'll all do once we no longer work here. Will we be homeless? Just thinking about living on the streets gives me shivers. Hey, when we no longer work here, can we start our own homeless shelter? I think that would make a lot of people happy, don't you?"

Ch'en held up a hand that immediately silenced the Lupo. "Not now, Provence. I don't have time to talk right now. Texas, Lappland, and other Operators have left Rhode Island for some 'mission,' according to Amiya, who took it upon herself to not tell anyone about it."

 Provence looked behind her at Amiya, who looked pretty guilty. The Chimera kept her gaze on the ground as they walked. Talk about the walk of shame, Provence thought.

 "And now I have to go and search for them in who knows where, so who knows how far they've gotten. Texas is smart. She won't leave even a speck of a trail I could follow. The fact that this is happening right now, right in the middle of all the drama, is bad enough." Ch'en didn't know why she was still talking when she said she didn't have time for it. She just felt like she needed to vent in order to remain calm. She knew Texas well, so she knew that she most likely wouldn't do something stupid or reckless. It was the people she was with  that would cause trouble.