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Master Gojaro, with a shrug that conveyed both his lack of knowledge and a hint of amusement at the facility's complexity, replied, "I don't have the information about how this place was designed. Shoot, I still find myself getting lost trying to find my way around all these years later."
Jade, finding humor in Gojaro's admission, chuckled and remarked, "Yeah, this place is a maze, isn't it?"
Upon opening the door to DB1, they were greeted by the sight of both Oscar and Rosa. The two were seated on cushioned chairs, engrossed in some paperwork, jotting down information on paper, fully immersed in their preparations for the upcoming debriefing.
Rosa's attention immediately shifted as the door opened, and her expression transformed into one of sheer happiness upon seeing Jade enter with Gojaro. It was a moment of genuine warmth amidst the otherwise tense atmosphere of their environment.
Jade returned the sentiment with a friendly smile, expressing her hope for Rosa's well-being, "I hope you had some good sleep."
With a touch of humor and exhaustion, Rosa replied, "Well, I could use an extra day to be honest, but I will take what I can get." Her candid response underlined the relentless pace they had been keeping up with.
Turning to Gojaro, she greeted, "Good morning, Master Gojaro. Glad to see you're still tired as well." The light-hearted jest at their collective fatigue brought a slight smirk to Gojaro's face, acknowledging their shared ordeal.
"Yeah, we will get caught up eventually," Gojaro responded, his voice carrying a mix of optimism and realism. He then proceeded to hand a clipboard to Jade, instructing, "Just fill this out and wait for about 15 minutes until the director calls you all in."
Jade, taking a seat and acknowledging Oscar's deep focus on his writing, offered a cordial "good morning" before he momentarily paused his task, tilting his head upwards as if seeking a brief respite or perhaps a few more moments of rest through closed eyes.
Turning her attention to the clipboard handed to her by Gojaro, Jade scanned the questions laid out before her. They were straightforward yet required careful thought:
"Detail everything that happened"
"What were its abilities?"
Rosa, reflecting on Jade's words, placed a hand over her head. "Yeah, there are always more questions than answers here, that's for sure."
The conversation took a slight turn as Jade broached another topic. "Speaking of questions, you didn't always have those ears and fox-like appearance before, right?"
Rosa's response shed light on her unique transformation. "Yeah, this kinda just came after my ritual. I haven't fully understood it, but there is not much I can do about it, regardless. So until I figure out why, but it's okay because I can hide the features from normal humans from seeing them."
Intrigued, Jade asked, "Oh, how is that?"
Rosa looked at Jade, slightly confused by the question. "Well, the same way we can hide our entire visibility from them."
Jade, now even more puzzled, admitted, "Master Gojaro didn't mention that being an option."
Realization dawned on Rosa's face, shifting from confusion to understanding. "Ah, that makes sense. He's always terrible at explaining things,"
"Pretty much, you should learn how to use your energy to mask yourself to those who aren't able to use their energy, to put it in simple terms.
But generally, here everyone is always using their energy in a way, so before, you weren't able to see us, other than those like Master Gojaro and Master Ash—" Rosa's explanation, aimed at demystifying the mechanism behind their ability to remain unseen by ordinary humans, was cut short.
She was interrupted by the door swinging open, and Oscar emerged from his debriefing. The woman in the grey suit appeared once more, her gaze settling on Rosa as she announced, "Rosa, you are up next."
Acknowledging the summons with a nod, Rosa said, "We can discuss another time," as she sprang to her feet and moved towards the door. She offered Jade a brief wave goodbye before disappearing into the room for her turn at the debriefing.
Oscar, now free from the scrutiny of the debrief, approached Jade. With a tone of genuine gratitude, he said, "Thanks again for saving our hide out there. I will figure a way to repay you eventually." His words carried the weight of an acknowledged debt, a promise of reciprocity for Jade's actions that had tipped the balance in their favor.
Before Jade could muster a response, Oscar had already made his exit, leaving her in the quiet of the hallway, alone with her thoughts and the lingering questions about her own abilities and the mysterious nature of their world.