[attr="class","spiral"]"To procure tangible results in accordance to standardized risk assessment. It's more of a mindset than a set of rules but that's what makes it all the more challenging." There's no draft or formal way to present what Fernando has in mind but then again how else would be quantify wishing for a group of people who mimicked his outlook and behavior? The closer they are to mirroring him the better. Only then would change come, spreading from their influence, setting the standard of what a League member should be.

"Which is why I want to train them from the ground up."

[attr="class","spiral"]"You think so?"

A simper is the most Fernando can reveal without showing his hand. Although he could see Cait's concern, the whole purpose behind the initiative was to hang on the curtail of what was acceptable without toeing past the line of no return. "The objective is to highlight the League's best. The actions of those who bear our name do not represent the few of us that actually know what we're doing."

Cait's assumption is left to dangle. The directness of her response and behavior is unsettling, uncharacteristic. At least it feels as such and Fernando attributes it to their recent detachment.

"It would be ideal."

[attr="class","spiral"]Cait's body language is a story that starts and ends with a conclusion. He knows the end result — that much is obvious — but there's no exposition to explain how they've gotten here. Reading between the lines only takes him so far and he doesn't dare chance it with ungrounded inferences.

"Alfric?"

[attr="class","spiral"]Where did this come from?

Fernando is left flabbergasted by the sudden turn of his staunchest supporter. It takes a conscious effort to concave his features into an expression that matches his image. Knotted eyebrows, wrinkles, and narrowed eyes: the standard fallback to paint a picture of a confused Silph who openly questions her comments with a tell rather than words. It works for the most part but the slightest of twitches accentuates his jolt to attention.

"Alfric."

A confrontation now will only escalate the situation to a point of no return. He has to calm her down without neglecting her issues. It's a hard bite to swallow but Fernando opts for the diplomatic route. "What I want isn't black and white. I can't give you a single, rigid answer."

[attr="class","spiral"]"..."

He's lost her somewhere along the way. That much is clear. Fenando's still unsure of where he went wrong with his words, how she managed to misinterpret the path he wants to pave open, but he needs to steer her in the right direction. He is a man of law and order above all else.

"Incorrect. I want a team of exceptional individuals are willing to carry out operation by the books. They should act on sound reason and protocol rather than relying on their 'feelings."

Littleroot is not the first instance of League failure and it certainly won't be the last. But is the hump that broke the camels back. It's one thing for field operatives to fail. It's another to get in his way.

Power is taken — never given. So when a force interjects, obstructing Fernando from what should be his, the only recourse is the eliminate it entirely. If he cannot remove the incompetency in their ranks then he'll one up them; he'll render them obsolete.

Ran on the sharp edge of last year's margins, Fernando looks to run his portion of the League like a well oiled business. Demand is high and supply is low, hence their lackluster performance, but to 'trim out the fat and cut the caveats' he'll need a suitable replacement.

@iris, illeana reyes, cait alfric. Would that be enough to reach his end game? Probably not, but it's a start. And in order to reach phase one, he'll need to make sure his Pawn is promoted to Knight.

"Alfric, I am okay with letting suspects go due to 'insufficient evidence'. There are laws in place to protect us when people demand accountability. When we fail, which is inevitable, we can take a look at our processes and amend them. No one will blame us and I will defend you until I am removed from office."

Fernando plants his hand on his desk, causing the desk to clamor under his words. It's a sharp grab for attention used to accentuate his point.

"But it is unacceptable to disregard the law, endanger civilians as well as yourself, and causing nothing but damage and bad PR for a hunch. I thought this person looked like an 'enemy' because 'well, I just knew it' is unacceptable. I rushed in head first because 'I wanted to prove myself' without analyzing the situation is unacceptable."

And the most important of all.

"And letting this happen consistently without ramification is unacceptable."

[attr="class","spiral"]Watching Cait shrink back is sufficient to calm Fernando's bravado. The tempo of the conversation swings back into his favor and the largest hurdle has been handled. Thankfully, it had been easy to deceive her while still being honest. While everything he said was true, there's another underlying aspect that Cait had identified correctly. However, by the time she realizes it, it'll be too late. At least that's what Fernando's betting on.

"Ideally, yes. I should be able to defend the League without hesitation. However, these days, the complaints grow more valid with each passing incident. It's an embarrassment to the organization and all that we stand for."

He takes another deep breath, shoulders slack.

"What did you think I meant, Alfric? Why would I ever go against the very principles I built up?"