Risk and Rebel's Guide Book

SNAG > EXCERPT

LASAR HQ

--

"It could've been worse," Nix was saying; "She could've broken something."

"She also could've not given me a black eye," Jaguar muttered, holding the icepack to her face.

Nix shrugged, the gesture a mix of it is what it is, and general agreement.

Meanwhile, Under was addressing Snag in a quiet voice, the tone so low that both of the other young women couldn't catch what she was saying. Snag looked largely unapologetic, her arms crossed defiantly across her chest, her typically mischievous eyes currently hard as stone. 

Under was affected by none of her outward displays of defiance.

This was not the training room. This was the recreational room, where they were allowed to actually pretend they were normal kids, playing video games and darts and ping-pong . . . which typically went fine. Except today, Snag had gotten to bickering with Jaguar, and then the bickering had turned to shoving, and shoving turned to Snag utilizing her powers in a manner Boss would've referred to as 'inappropriate.' 

And so Jaguar had a black eye.

Snag was one of the youngest agents of LASAR, and arguably the most determined to hold onto her youth. She had never been above juvenile pranks or immature name calling, though typically she kept the physical altercations in check.

She really wasn't fully aware of what she was capable of, and if she wasn't careful, she could break bone with a single punch. Maybe not Rebel's bones, but not everybody was Rebel.

So for Snag fighting outside of the training room was a definite no-no.

"She didn't mean it." Under had this wise, maternal air about her that made most of the other LASAR agents listen to her. 

"I don't care," Snag said, glowering at her shoes now. She seemed quite content to look anywhere except at Under.

Under refrained from forcing her to make eye contact, and instead gave a weary sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "If she apologizes to you, will you apologize to her?"

Snag peered up at Under suspiciously. "Yes."

All right, Under could definitely work with that. "Fine," she said, turning and heading back toward the couch Nix and Jaguar were currently seated on. "Jag, come here, please."

Jaguar arched a brow at Under with vague disbelief on her face, but rose to her feet all the same. She shuffled toward them, giving Snag a suspicious look before looking warily toward Under. "What?" she asked, shifting on her feet in visible discomfort.

"Apologize to Snag for calling her a baby," Under said. "It was rude, and you and I both know you were instigating her." 

Jaguar's eyes widened fractionally before she gave a huff of a sigh. Under wasn't wrong . . . but then, Under never was. Jaguar turned her attention to Snag. "I'm sorry I called you a baby."

Snag seemed to shed most of her stony exterior at that, a hint of surprise now glowing in her eyes. Her arms fell back to her sides, and this time when she glanced down at her shoes it was sheepish. "I'm sorry . . ." she looked back up at Jaguar with an apologetic smile, "for giving you a black eye."

Jaguar hummed at that. "All right. I'll take it."

"Good," Under said. "Now if we could all keep from fighting each other long enough to make it through at least one level of Super Mario, that'd be great."