Sweeper Trial (3)
Day Three

Once Train's gang collected the reward for the Dunn case, Sephiria was surprised to see them lounging around their hotel room the next day. Why weren't they springing up to their feet for the next job?

"Who should we catch next?" She asked.

Train leaned back and folded both hands behind his head. "For today? No one."

"Today's our day off," Sven said.

Eve nodded in understanding and with a small smile.

Sephiria, however, frowned. Days off were a foreign concept to her. As a Number, she had all her missions arranged and given out by the elders of Chronos. She had missions booked to the next year. She couldn't afford to just kick back and relax. Relaxing was not part of her vocabulary.

Clearly Train and his friends welcomed it as a part of theirs.

"Don't just stand around, Sephiria," Train said, "It's the day off, so do whatever you want."

"I would like to swim in the pool," Eve said.

Sven got up. "I'll go with you. A dip in the hot tub sounds nice."

The two gathered a change of clothes and headed downstairs, leaving Train and Sephiria in the hotel room.

Train turned to face her as he rolled over on the couch, and he laughed. "You should see the look on your face. You look like the old lady from that rich family in Downton Abbey who never worked a day in her life, so she looks around all confused like 'What is a weekend?'"

"I happen to really like that show," Sephiria muttered. She understood the reference he was trying to make, and that made her rest both hands on her hips. "I am capable of enjoying a day off just as much as you. I am determined to make the most of it."

"Make the most out of doing nothing? Sephiria, you're trying too hard. You have to unwind. You ever just take a nap without setting an alarm, and not worry about when you wake up?"

"And waste precious time when you could be doing something more product—"

A pointed look from Train silenced Sephiria for a second, then she said, "Okay, I see your point. I'll go take a nap, then."

She never took naps. She found them to be a waste of precious daylight, and it disrupted one's circadian rhythm. Going to sleep should only be during the evenings. But for the sake of mingling with Train's group for the time being, in an attempt to get a taste of their way of life, she tried to nap on the hotel bed. Easier said than done. She tried what seemed to be a hundred different sleeping positions, but all that did was worsen the itch to get moving and get things done.

Sephiria threw back the blankets and sat up with a frustrated huff. She peered over at Train. He was curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow to his stomach and snoring softly. Sephiria snuck past him on soundless footsteps, but she couldn't do anything about the door that creaked when she opened it. Fortunately Train didn't stir. He merely turned over and snored louder. Sephiria let out a sigh of relief as she went down the hall and took the elevator down to the lobby.

Do whatever you want, Train said. She was going to do just that, whatever she wanted. But Sephiria never made it to the wall covered in wanted posters. Train beat her to it. He spun around much more dramatically than necessary to point at her shocked face.

"Aha!" Triumph glittered in his golden eyes. "I knew it! I knew you were going to try taking a job."

Sephiria lurched to a halt. "What? I thought you were—"

"Sleeping? I'm a light sleeper. I heard you tiptoeing across the floor before you even cracked open the door."

"But how did you—"

"Get here before you did? Jumped through the window, of course."

"But we're five floors up."

He winked. "Like I said, cats always land on their feet. Good old fashioned free fall into the hotel pool went faster than your elevator ride down. I scared the crap out of Sven and Eve in the process."

"Huh. No wonder why you're soaking wet."

Train glanced at his drenched, sagging clothes and the growing puddle under his feet before returning his smug gaze to her. "I sprinted in from the other side of the lobby, and here we are. You are not allowed to take jobs on our day off, ma'am. Not on my watch!"

Several guests in the lobby turned to stare at him and Sephiria. She briefly rested a palm over her face. "We're making a scene. Come on." She led him by the arm out of the glass double doors, then pinned him down with her best cross, indignant look. "Heartnet, you are unbelievable. You accuse me of trying too hard, but you seem very determined to ruin my day off."

Train put up his hands in defense. "What are you talking about, Sephiria? And again with calling me Heartnet? I'm trying to save you from that workaholic mindset drilled into you by Chronos. It's always work, work, work under them. One of the many things I don't miss about being a Number. So napping doesn't work for you. How about a walk? From the sound of your tossing and turning earlier, you seemed like you were itching to get moving."

Sephiria drew in a breath through her nose to let it out through her lips as a gusty sigh. "I could use a nice scenic walk," she conceded.

"Me too. I'll come with you." Train looked up and squinted as he held a hand over his eyes. "It's sunny today, so I'll dry out while we walk."

Sephiria didn't object to his company. The hotel overlooked the famously gorgeous Crystalwater Beach, so she and Train removed their shoes to let their feet sink into the soft white sand with every step.

The cries of seagulls and the steady, rhythmic beat of waves rolling up against the shore filled the silence between the former Number and current Number. Train knew that his ex-captain wasn't one for small talk and mindless chatter, so he was content with just walking alongside her.

Sephiria appreciated both the beach scenery and Train's unspoken understanding. A long, deep breath of salty air did wonders to instill calmness within her. She was a fast walker and her strides were quick and long, but Train kept up along with her just fine.

It wasn't until they returned to their room from the beach that Train broke his silence. "You feel better now, Sephiria?"

"Yes." A small smile graced her lips. "I enjoyed that."

Train stretched, yawned, then ran a hand through his unkempt brown hair. "Well, I'm all dry and tuckered out. Time for another nap."

She shook her head in disbelief. "You are such a cat."

"And you are like a dog."

She raised a delicate eyebrow at him, and he quickly added, "Dogs like walks, you like walks...that's what I meant."

Amusement twinkled in her blue-grey eyes. "Well, cats like naps and so do you." She watched Train settle into the couch with a content sigh. "I understand that you want to be as spontaneous and laidback as possible today, but may I at least know what we're doing about lunch?"

"We'll take you to the Sweeper Cafe," he replied. "Sweepers only, of course, as the name implies. No Erasers allowed, but for this week, Sephiria, you're not an Eraser."

She nodded at that, and as Train slipped into a second nap, she decided to take another walk through the beach, this time changing into shorter pants so she could wade deeper into the water almost up to her knees. As the name implied, Crystalwater Beach had water so crystal clear that she could perfectly see her feet half buried in the sand and tiny fish dart around her legs.

Sephiria couldn't stop thinking of Train's remark about her being like a dog. She was more than someone who enjoyed walks. She was tied to a leash, too. Tied to Chronos. Unconditionally loyal, obedient, and answering to her superiors' beck and call. Like a good dog. The leash was looser than usual on her this week, but only for this week. Soon she would feel the tug, answer to it, and return to her masters. The image somewhat soured the beach's beauty surrounding her, and she kicked at the water harder than she meant to.

Sephiria thought about Train being transported to the land of dreams from his place on the couch. Cats didn't wear leashes. They went about doing whatever they pleased. They could sleep away the whole day and be happier for it.

As promised, Train, Sven, and Eve took Sephiria to the Sweeper Cafe, which was over at the next city and very much a hole-in-the-wall open only to Sweeper clientele.

Sephiria's arrival and appearance attracted many stares, some doubtful of her Sweeper status and others undressing her with their eyes. She ignored them and kept following Train, Sven, and Eve to where they stopped at a large table seating a gathering of familiar faces. Well, familiar to everyone except Sephiria. She watched with amusement as the Sweepers practically tackled Train and Sven in greeting.

"Hey, good to see you three again!" Silphy exclaimed.

Sven grinned and returned the hugs with matching enthusiasm. "Good to see you too, guys."

"Hello, everyone," Eve said politely.

Kevin was the first to acknowledge Sephiria's presence with a wide-eyed questioning look. "Oh? Who is this?" He asked. Then he said in teasing singsong, "You got yourself a girlfriend, Train?"

The Black Cat snorted. "Very funny. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Sephiria Arks: my ex-boss."

The gathered Sweepers looked either wary or intimidated, but none of them delighted to meet her.

"So you're the head honcho of the Numbers..." Mundock said it as he sized her up, as if he couldn't believe it.

River scowled and folded his arms across his broad chest. "You must be the scheming mastermind behind the Sweepers Alliance."

"Actually, it was Lin Xiao Li who proposed the idea to me," Sephiria said. "I approved it, so I suppose I share the blame."

River's discontent vanished as quickly as it came. He waved it off. "We're over it now. We all came back in one piece, so no hard feelings towards you or Chronos. For now, anyway." He gestured to the large table. "Feel free to join us, if you want. We won't bite."

Train and Sven let Sephiria sit between them, and she hung back as an observant listener while the Sweepers caught up and gossiped among themselves. River Zastory, Kevin McDougall, Silphy Deacroft, Mundock, Toma Fudo...it was a lot of names to take in and remember at once. They all competed with Train and Sven to see who had the best criminal-catching story. By "best," Sephiria realized, they meant the craziest. Train seemed determined to take first place as he animatedly recounted the wild goose chase to hunt down Dr. Dunn.

"Sephiria here jumped out of our car going at a hundred miles an hour, and stabbed her sword right into the taxi's windshield. It looked like she had killed the guy."

River leaned back in his seat and let out a low whistle. "Damn, that's crazy."

Mundock, meanwhile, leaned so far against the table that its edge dug into his wide girth. "You said 'looked like,' so she didn't actually kill him, right?" He asked.

"Fortunately our guy survived and we collected our reward," Sven said, then he guffawed. "You should've seen the look on Train's face when he thought Sephiria impaled the guy, though. He thought she ran him through like a shish kabob. He was righteously fuming!"

"And righteously so," Silphy said, and the sole female Sweeper at the table darted a distrustful glance at Sephiria. "There goes your reward if you violate the no kill policy."

"But she didn't violate it." Train casually draped his arm around Sephiria's chair, almost across her shoulders. "She knew what she was doing. She's a professional."

Sephiria didn't feel the need to defend herself. She had nothing to prove to these people when she knew that she had gotten the job done properly. Still, she appreciated Train coming to her defense and she spared him a small smile.

"By the way, how's Lin?"

River's question was directed at Sephiria, inviting her into the conversation for the first time. The other Sweepers appeared to echo his curiosity as all eyes fell on her. She was intrigued by their genuine inquiry of her colleague's wellbeing. "I'm afraid I can't say much. Our activities, everything from our tasks to our whereabouts, are kept strictly confidential. However, I can say with certainty that he's doing very well. When he heard I would be a Sweeper for a week, he told me to wish you well on his behalf, in case I ran into any of you." She noticed how pleased they all looked. Frankly she was surprised that they bothered to wonder about him in return. "Thank you for asking," Sephiria added. "I'm sure he'll appreciate your concern."

"We look out for each other," Kevin replied. "It's what Sweepers do."

Sephiria wanted to say that was the case for Numbers as well, but she wasn't sure if those around the table would believe her. She cared for every member of the Numbers, particularly Belze and Anubis, but given their dangerous profession that never guarantees seeing the next day, she had to be ready for the worst, the death of her fellow Numbers, and what came next, replacing them. She cared, but was careful not to care too much.

A gentle nudge of Train's elbow against her ribs jerked her from those somber thoughts. "Hey, waiter's taking orders. You know what you want yet?"

"What's good here?" Sephiria had been so distracted by the Sweepers' conversation that she didn't have time to look at the menu.

Train tapped a finger to his chin. "Hmm, if I had to pick one thing, I'd say the short ribs with grits."

"I'm not sure if I can believe it, since I've seen you can eat anything and everything."

"Hey, I mean it when I say the food here's to die for. It may not be what you're used to, but you'll like it."

True to Train's word, she found the food surprisingly good, especially the short ribs and grits, as he had recommended. It had been a long time since she indulged in casual dining. Most of the Jipangu restaurants she frequented tended to be on the expensive side—elegant and formal, very different from this modest cafe that the Sweepers loved.

Train grinned at Sephiria. "See? I told you it was good."

Eating made everyone more open and relaxed, and she wasn't the exception as she felt more emboldened to break the ice between herself and the Sweepers.

"What do you do when you don't take up jobs?" She asked them.

River shrugged. "We do whatever, really."

"It's not about being productive," Kevin replied. "Sure, money's important to us, since it's how we make a living and get by, but it's just as important to have fun and some time to yourself."

"Fun, huh?"

"What do you do for fun, Sephiria? You know, when you're not lopping the heads off your targets?"

She ignored the barbed tone in Silphy's question. "I don't have time for fun," she admitted.

"Sounds awful," Kevin remarked.

Sephiria shrugged. "It's not so bad. I keep myself quite busy. I suppose my idea of fun, however, is honing my saber skills."

"Honing your skills, huh? That's my idea of fun, too." River forgone all eloquence and reservation to boldly declare: "Sephiria Arks, I challenge you to a fight."

Sven snorted. "Wow, he didn't even ask. He just went ahead and said it."

Eve pouted. "I asked her first."

Sephiria patted the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, little princess, this won't take long."

River looked offended. "Hey, I can put up a good fight. I'll give you a taste of Garbell Commando. I'll make it worth your time, lady."

Sephiria beat him by a long shot. In less than a minute.

River hit the ground sprawling on his back and he cried, "Stop! I give! I give!"

The commander of the Numbers stayed her blade in mid-swing, and she reached out with her other hand to help him up.

River winced as he cradled his red, throbbing fist. "Owww...damn, you're good. My Sonic Fists and Cyclone Grenades didn't do anything." He looked back at Train and managed a lopsided grin. "No wonder she was your boss, man. I totally got my ass whupped."

The Black Cat chuckled. "That's Sephiria for you. Not counting Creed's unfair god-man power-up, I've never seen her lose to anyone."

She patted the dirt from her uniform and returned Christ to its sheath. "Is this still your idea of fun?"

River shrugged and regretted the motion as he grimaced from the pain. "Yeah, I guess you can say that." He massaged his sore shoulder. "It sucks that I lost, but I'm glad I got to fight you, Sephiria. I love the thrill of fighting strong people. Easy victories are no fun at all." He huffed a resigned sigh. "That must've been the case for you. I'm sorry I couldn't match up to you in a battle...I must've been a waste of your time."

"Quite the contrary...you have no need to say sorry, River. I also had fun. Thank you."

"Sure. Anytime."

Sephiria turned to the rest of the Sweepers who had gathered to watch the sparring. "Anyone else?" She asked.

She tried to ask pleasantly, not as an arrogant challenge, but the Sweepers either shook their heads or backed away. Kevin spoke up on their behalf. "No, thanks. River's the best among us. If he couldn't beat you, we don't have a snowball's chance in hell."

Train drained his bottle of milk, wiped off the milk mustache from his upper lip, and hopped into the dirt everyone had set aside into a makeshift arena at a nearby park. "I'll take up your offer, Sephiria." He whipped out Hades in a flourish and circled her. "Don't go easy on me just because we're fighting for fun."

One corner of her mouth twitched upward as she circled him and pointed Christ between his head and chest. "When have I ever gone easy on you?"

Their playful banter went no further as they lunged at each other. Orichalcum met orichalcum with bright sparks, metallic rings, and not a single scratch on either weapon. Train and Sephiria countered each other in sync, with frightening precision and speed. All eyes were riveted at the spectacle before them. Neither combatant looked willing to give in to the other. The fighting prowess of Numbers were truly on another level.

The tables abruptly turned when a very familiar newcomer joined the ring of spectators. "Hey, Train," she called.

"Rinslet," he exclaimed.

In the split second he paused to acknowledge her, Sephiria tackled him to the ground and poised the tip of Christ an inch over his nose.

Instead of quailing at having the sword so close to impaling him, Train scowled up at Sephiria. "Hey, not fair. I was just saying hi to a friend."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "That could've gotten you killed in a real fight."

"We're still fighting for fun, right? Spare me the 'real fight' lecture, Sephiria."

She returned his joking smirk and helped him to his feet.

Rinslet pulled away from Sven and Eve's embrace to echo the comments made among the Sweepers. "Hey, that was intense. You're sure you two were just playfighting? Because that looked an awful lot like a fight to the death to me."

"Sephiria and I are not trying to kill each other," Train assured her.

The thief-for-hire glanced nervously at Sephiria, who sheathed her blade and walked up to join them. "What's she doing out here with you guys?"

"She's on what you might call a 'Sweeper trial,'" Sven replied.

"She's spending a week with us to see what it's like to live and work as a Sweeper," Eve said.

Rinslet's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh. How about that. And what do you think of it so far, Sephiria?"

The commander of the Numbers struggled for words. "It's...interesting, to say the least."

"What are you doing here, Rinslet?" Train asked.

"I was going to hang out at the shopping district, then I couldn't help noticing the commotion here, so I had to snoop around. You look like you're on one of your days off, right?"

"We sure are," Train said.

Rinslet's gaze darted between Eve and Sephiria. "Since that's the case, I was thinking that we could do a girls' night out. Eve, how long has it been since Train and Sven took you out to buy new clothes? You've been hanging out with guys for too long." She winked at the girl. "You need a woman's touch once in a while." Then she smiled at Sephiria. "You can come, too. Somehow I don't think you've ever strolled through a mall like a normal person."

Sephiria chuckled at Rinslet's remark. "I don't mean to sound presumptuous, but there's no need for me to visit a mall. Everything is provided by Chronos so I don't have to go shopping."

"Hmm, but Chronos isn't here to provide for you this week, right? We don't have to buy clothes. We can try on makeup and get our hair done. I don't think Chronos provides those kinds of services."

"No, they don't," Sephiria admitted with a chuckle.

"Go and have your girls' night out," Train said. "Sounds like you'll have a great time. Sven and I are going to chill with the guys—plus Silphy—for the rest of the day."

At the shopping district, Rinslet took the lead with her superior knowledge in all things feminine as she suggested the best clothes and accessories Eve and Sephiria could try on and buy. Back at Rinslet's hotel room, they had a ball with the makeup and hair styling.

As Rinslet sat Eve in front of the bathroom mirror and worked on braiding her knee-length hair, she bit down on her bottom lip. "Sephiria, I can't help but ask...how's Jenos doing?"

"I can't disclose exactly what he's been up to, but I can tell you that he's 'bursting with energy,' as he had said once. That's often the case, as you might know." Sephiria couldn't resist adding in a light tease for good measure: "Why do you ask? You seem to care a great deal about him."

Her question had the desired effect as Rinslet flushed and averted her eyes. "What? It's not like that. I was just wondering because he's usually up to no good."

"He talks about you all the time. I know he can be a bit capricious, but he genuinely cares for you, Rinslet. I haven't seen him feel that way about any other woman. Trust me, he has been with plenty. For you to earn his attention and care is something special."

"...Thanks, Sephiria."

Rinslet didn't expect to warm up to the commander of the Numbers this way. Sephiria was so different from other women her age. Dignified, thoughtful, and intelligent, a far cry from the many airheaded, shallow, and ditzy women Rinslet had the misfortune of knowing. If it weren't for Sephiria's anchored and unshakeable duty to Chronos, perhaps in an alternate universe, they might've been good friends.

When Rinslet tied the last braid for Eve, she let her hands flop to her sides. "Whew, all done. You have a lot of hair, Eve. My arms are sore. But you look like such a doll!"

A rare smile graced Eve's face as she scrutinized the new hairstyle in the mirror. "Thank you, Rinslet. I like it very much."

Rinslet turned to Sephiria. "Do you ever style your hair?"

"Never saw the need to."

Rinslet clasped her hands together. "Would you let me do it? Just for fun? Honestly, your hair just screams to be braided."

Again with the word "fun." But what was the harm in that? "Help yourself," Sephiria said. She replaced Eve before the bathroom mirror. She shifted and turned to the side so she could see how Rinslet braided her wavy ash-blonde hair.

"You've got such lush, gorgeous locks, Sephiria. It's a shame you don't play around with it."

Sephiria resisted the urge to shake her head. "I don't have the time for such things. I don't see the appeal in investing so much of your time into it."

"It's hard to explain. I can't put it into the right words. I don't know...it's a girl thing. You'll understand soon enough once I'm through."

Minutes passed, then Rinslet lowered the hairbrush and stepped back. "There. What do you think?"

Sephiria almost couldn't recognize herself. She had always kept her hair down, never adorned it with ties, clips, or bands. The magic Rinslet worked into her hair enchanted her beyond belief. Her hair had been tied into a French braid and tucked in an elegant updo. Until now, Sephiria had never felt so...female. It was a good feeling. "This is amazing," she finally said.

"You're not just saying that to be nice?"

"No, I really mean it. Thank you very much, Rinslet."

Rinslet's cheeks flushed as she beamed. "Sure thing." Then she gasped. "Hey, Sephiria, Eve, let's show the guys your new hairstyles. Their jaws are gonna drop to the floor!"

Later that night, Train and Sven's jaws didn't drop to the floor, because that was biologically impossible, but they did drop as far as biology could allow.

"Eve, you look so adorable," Sven exclaimed in a way a proud father would.

Train didn't struggle to find the words, because they were quite easy to find, but he struggled to let them out. "Sephiria, you...you look so beautiful." Then he waved his hands wildly and went on, "Not that you weren't beautiful before. Not that you being beautiful is all I think about when it comes to you." He scratched at his scalp and turned away with embarrassment. "I should stop talking now."

Sephiria hid a laugh behind her hand. "I know what you're trying to say, Train. Thank you."

Sven clapped a hand on Rinslet's shoulder. "You've outdone yourself tonight. These ladies are just glowing."

When Train turned back to face Sephiria, curiosity replaced his previous expression. "So did Rinslet put you up to torture or did you have fun?"

"I had fun," Sephiria assured him, and the incredulous looks from Sven, Eve, and Rinslet added to her amusement. "I've had fun all day, really. I'd call this day off a successful one, if I do say so myself."