Chapter Text
Last mission went well.
Too well, in fact. VALORANT Protocol wouldn't be a thorn in the Legion’s side for a long while. Spirits were high, morale was good. It was time for a little break. Brimstone and Viper understood that all too well. And so it was decided. There would be a month-long vacation for all the agents.
Now of course, there were some who didn't know where to go, or what they should really do. Namely Cypher, Omen, and Brimstone and Viper themselves. After a good while of discussion, they decided that the classic bowl of paper slips with random locations would be used for the decision. And so a bowl of paper slips was readied, each slip holding a random location where an agent would go, some slips holding duplicates too.
Jett got to go to Honolulu. Phoenix and Yoru would be going to Brazil. Chamber got to go to London. Deadlock and Breach would be going to Norway, much to Deadlock’s happiness at returning home for once, even if it was with her friendly rival. Harbor, Skye and Astra declined the offer, stating that they wanted to visit multiple places, mostly some cultural sites in India and Ghana, and safari in the forests in Australia. Brimstone, KAY/O, and Cypher settled for fishing in the countryside.
Meanwhile Iso, Omen, and Vyse would go to Japan. Where in Japan? That was up to them to decide.
Omen didn’t participate in the discussion, stating he had no issue in whatever location was picked, so Iso and Vyse took it upon themselves to pick the perfect location. Tokyo was scratched off the board immediately. They toyed around with Yokohama, Hokkaido, Hiroshima, and many other places, but eventually circled back to Tokyo, simply because neither of them could agree on any other location at the same time.
With the tickets booked, luggage packed, and casual clothes put on, the trio made their way to the airport. They took a cab, Iso and Vyse sat in the back, with Omen in the front passenger seat, only speaking when prompted or to add some of his insight. Iso and Vyse chatted along, forgetting their connections to the Scions of the Hourglass for the time being.
“I can't believe we really are going to Tokyo after all,” Iso said, as they neared the airport, his expression betraying his interest despite his uninterested words. “Yeah, if only YOU listened to me on going to Osaka. It'd have been more chill,” Vyse quickly answered back, though she didn't seem to mind their current destination too much either. It's almost as if they were just glad to not be stuck in constant shootouts and intel work for Legion.
“You both forget that there are other cities close to Tokyo,” Omen spoke up, his sight trained on the road, “and if Tokyo becomes too boring, we can just go to other places via trains.”
Vyse immediately put up a finger, ready with a retort, but conceded, realising that she did miss that simple point. “I.. did forget that too,” Iso said sheepishly, running his hand behind his neck, “I was just too engrossed in picking the perfect location. I think Vyse feels the same.” Vyse didn't answer this time, choosing to look out the window instead as she sighed, the mysterious gas coming out of the two holes in her helmet.
Soon enough, the cab drove into the drop-off zone of the airport. The three of them stepped out, and Vyse headed to the back of the car to take the luggage out. Iso and Omen followed moments later to pick up their bags. Once they were ready, they made their way inside through check-in. Omen and Iso passed without any hassle, but it took a little bit of explanation as to why every siren blew up when Vyse passed the metal detector, due to her unique biology. The security understood though, and let her pass relatively easily.
Vyse snapped as soon as they had some semblance of privacy, “This is why I hate airports.. and stations.. and malls. In fact, this is exactly why I hate any place with a metal detector.” They settled down in the lobby, waiting for boarding to begin. “This happens every single fucking time. Nothing irritates me more than this,” she continued. “Why are we famous if I still have to explain everything every time?”
“Relax,” Omen said, “it's over now. No point in fussing over it. Just enjoy the vacation.” Vyse sighed again, but calmed down, knowing that what Omen was saying was right. She didn't need to get herself worked up when they were on holiday.
The three of them waited for boarding time, sitting on the beam seats. Iso sat in the middle, scrolling on his phone, his earphones plugged in. Vyse and Omen sat on both his sides, with Vyse resting an arm on his shoulder as she leaned in to watch whatever Iso was watching, despite not hearing anything from his phone. Omen picked up a nature magazine from a nearby table, quietly reading about plants. His mind went back to his little bonsai, hoping that Sage would take good care of it. She had taken it home with her, promising that it'd still be healthy once Omen returned. He was glad to have her as a friend, even if he never really mentioned it.
A few minutes later, the PA system crackled to life, announcing that the flight to Tokyo, Japan was ready for boarding. “Finally,” Iso yawned as they stood up, stretching his joints, “Thought I'd fuse with the seats after all this waiting.” Vyse quickly teased him, not the one to miss a chance, ”And you aren't even metal. I wonder if you'd have become the chair itself if you were.” “Ha ha, real funny,” Iso replied as they made their way to the bridge. Their excitement finally seemed to escape their expressions. Vyse visibly relaxed her shoulders, even if just a little. Iso looked like he was trying to take in everything through his eyes, his face a little brighter. Even Omen’s face slits seemed to glow more. They were excited, and no one bothered to tease each other or defend their own excitement.
Aboard the flight, the trio took their seats. Omen took the window seat, wanting to be away from the passing passengers and staff as much as possible. Vyse and Iso took the middle aisle, with Iso across Omen, Vyse to his left. As usual, Iso took his phone out, watching some show he had saved beforehand. Vyse leaned over too, watching with interest, even if she couldn't hear anything thanks to Iso using his earphones. A few minutes into the flight, Iso glanced over at her, then wordlessly switched on subtitles. Vyse noticed his glance and silently felt glad for his thoughtfulness. "Thanks," she said softly. "Don't mention it," Iso replied without looking up from the screen.
Omen chose to quietly look outside his window, watching the clouds soar past and the ground far below. He didn't think much of the trip at first, but some part of him felt oddly relaxed for once, not including the times he was knitting or taking care of his plants. He was enjoying the momentary peace when a child walked up to him, holding a paper and a pen. "An autograph, of course," he thought to himself. He didn't mind his fame from being an agent, but he found replying and pandering to fans extremely tiring. He was lost in thought for a moment when Iso spoke up, his voice polite and friendly, "Hey kid. Don't disturb the big scary man, hm? He's a little tired." He gave the kid a fond smile, then added, "If you want, I can give you an autograph." The kid seemed a little hesitant at first, but then approached him, handing him the paper and pen. "Thank you," the kid said softly, like he couldn't believe this was happening. "Don't mention it," Iso replied kindly, then handed the items back. The kid took the items, then gave a quick, small bow before waddling back to his seat.
Omen watched the situation fold out without a word, though his gratitude was present. "You didn't have to do that," he said once the kid was gone. "No biggie. I know you don't like all this stuff," Iso said with a soft scoff. "Even so," Omen replied, "but thank you." Iso did a slight wave of his hand, then went back to watching his show. Vyse had watched the whole exchange quietly, then went back to watching the show with Iso with a soft exhale.
The rest of the flight was relatively uneventful, with Vyse and Iso watching shows while Omen looked outside or read magazines. The trio ate some food as well, with Vyse opening a small slit in her helmet to eat while Omen just seemed to consume his food into darkness. Iso looked at them both while eating with a fond expression, but he didn't say anything.
After thirteen long, painful hours that were starting to get boring, the plane finally touched down on Japanese land. They remained seated as they waited for deboarding to begin. Once they were off the plane, the made their way around the airport, chatting amongst themselves and taking in the sights for the first time, even though the it was nothing too different from any other airport. Once they were out of the airport, they needed a cab to reach their place of stay, a hotel in the Shinjuku region of Tokyo. Yoru had told them that it's a good place for first timers to stay in. Fortunately for them, there was a number of cabs waiting outside the airport. The trio quickly found a driver, a friendly man presumably in his fifties. After the initial language clash, Iso stepped forward and explained the driver in Japanese that they needed to go to a hotel in Shinjuku, even if he wasn't fluent. The driver understood and guided them inside, then packed their luggage in the trunk of the car.
On the ride, Vyse asked, "You know Japanese?" Iso made a sheepish expression, then explained, "Alright look, I'm not proud of it anymore, but back when I still worked for the Scions, they had me go to multiple places for various jobs." He paused, waiting for any objection. When none came, he continued, "I picked up some languages on my way around, you know? To make it easier to navigate. I'm not fluent, not at all. But it gets the work done." The other two contemplated his words for a while, then Vyse spoke up, her words slightly disapproving, "You couldn't have told us that before we landed?"
"Well I didn't feel the need to! But hey, no harm done, right?"
Vyse scoffed, but didn't push the issue. She knew she was being a bitch just to be a bitch. She looked outside the window, watching the lights go past in a blur. Omen spoke up next, "It's alright. Now both of you, we don't need to discuss anything related to work. The Scions may have been related to us before, but that's it. The past. Focus on the present. Enjoy the holiday. We don't get many of those." Iso replied with a small "yeah" while Vyse simply hummed in agreement.
After a short ride, they reached their hotel, a tall and magnificent building in Kabukicho, near Seibu-Shinjuku station. They paid the driver, then made their way inside. The receptionist greeted them with a polite bow, then gave them directions to their room. The three of them made their way to the 13th floor, as directed by the receptionist, with a housekeeping staff member bringing their luggage behind them. They thanked the woman as she left, then made their way inside.
The room was spacious and elegant, complete with a huge glass window providing a beautiful view of the city. There were two beds, a single bed and a double bed. Vyse immediately sat down on the single bed, claiming it as her own with a smirk. The other two didn't object, with Omen sitting against the bedpost of the double bed while Iso just faceplanted into the bedding, exhausted from the long journey. Vyse laid down on her bed as well. The three of them just rested for a few minutes, then Omen spoke up, "Do any of you plan to do anything tonight? The city is right there." Vyse answered with a quick "no", leaving no room for argument. Iso replied in a muffled voice, his face still buried in the bedding, "No, not tonight. I don't think I could even if I wanted to." Omen thought for a moment, then answered back, "Very well. I'll rest too. Both of you have a good night. We'll have lots to do tomorrow." He then slid down the bedpost, his head resting against his pillow. Iso just showed a thumbs up. Vyse voiced her agreement as well, "Sounds good to me. Have a nice night boys," then turned over to sleep.
The three of them, finally finished with the long journey and in the comfort of their beds in the hotel, quickly fell asleep. For them, this was the easiest sleep they ever had in a long while, away from all the work, the fights with Alpha VALORANT, the occasional fan meets, everything. They were finally in Japan, and the vacation hadn't even truly begun. A month of neon-lit nights, fancy food, sightseeing, and all sorts of entertainment awaited ahead. It was going to be one long, fun month.