Meet Andrei here.

See his first day at the office here.

See his adventure before this one here.

Arrived at 8:13 am – Nerf gun on my desk..?

Andrei stared at the neon orange and navy plastic toy that laid before his keyboard. He quirked a pale brow before placing his bag and coat on his chair. The lean man glanced around the office. Aside from the morning crew, there were no familiar faces. He picked up the handgun and eyed it.

He unhinged the revolver mechanism and smirked. “Loaded?”

It was the sound of the wind that tipped him off to the incoming fire. The clicking that followed from behind, he ignored as he ducked. But the dart connected and stuck in his ear as he crouched down.

“Ack!” Andrei cried as his face twisted.

The dart had stuck to the inside of his clean ear. He pulled on it, and it popped off. He blinked at the little navy and orange foam dart and groaned.

“I fought in all the great wars, and now this?” He groaned, so low that no one could hear. “How undignified.”

Andrei heard Ryan’s delighted cackles from his hiding spot. He glanced over the edge of the desk he hid behind and ducked back when another dart flew his way. Andrei crouched down and leaned against the leg of his desk. The lean man closed his eyes as his breathing threatened to get out of hand. Memories of battlegrounds long committed to the annals of history flashed in his mind’s eye. He took a deep breath, chased away images of the Revolution, and mustered a grin. He looked at the revolver style toy they had gifted him.

“There are six darts. Only two of you.” Andrei declared.

“Three, actually.” came tiny Tina’s voice.

Andrei grinned. “That means two darts per victim!”

Andrei darted around, keeping low. Ryan cried out as their new teammate singled him out first.

“ACK!” Ryan cried as the first dart got him in the nose and the second one in the neck.

Andrei kept moving. Tina called out from her hiding spot. Andrei zeroed in on her next.

“Beware! He’s a ninja!” Ryan cried as he peeled the dart off his nose. “How did that even stick that hard?!” he mused.

Tina peaked out to see where Andrei was. She got two darts to the forehead. She fell back on her butt with her eyes screwed shut.

“You’re our only hope, Obiwan Lars-nobi!” Tina cried as she dusted herself off.

Lars remained silent.

Andrei stayed low, eyes darting from desk to desk. He kept facing in the opposite direction, where the other two had hidden. It wasn’t fair to Lars that his opponent could hear his heartbeat and smell him from across the room. It also wasn’t fair to them that Andrei had fought in every major war in the last 200 years. But these were Nerf battles, and they would define his ‘cool’ rank in his team. And Lars needed a lesson. Andrei stood and walked over to where Lars was hiding. Lars, in a last-ditch effort, jumped out and shot his darts. Andrei weaved like a boxer, and all darts missed him. A few of the morning crew had stopped working and stared on, slacked jawed. Andrei raised his gun and shot his two remaining darts on Lars’ stunned forehead.

“What the hell was that?” Lars croaked out.

“Boxers weaving?” Andrei replied.

“You dodged all of them.” Lars breathed.

Andrei shrugged. “I boxed back home. Held a title for some time. Know a good gym?”

Lars took off the darts that stuck to his forehead. “No, but I should.”

Andrei gave a genuine smile. “I could show you the basics while I find a good place.”

“You’d teach me how to move like that?” Lars asked, wide-eyed.

Andre nodded. “Why not?”

Ryan and Tina rushed them. “What the hell, Andy! What are you?!”

“A ninja, Tina, he’s obviously a ninja!” Ryan replied.

“Ah, no, that was some Matrix-level shit!” Tina butt in.

“SHHHH!!!” one of the morning crew whisper-screamed at them.

They all froze.

Tina grimaced. “Okay, guys. Back to work.”

The day went on. Tickets opened and closed. But now even Lars bantered with Andrei. He noticed Tina stealing glances at the two of them, getting on, and smiled back. Andrei missed the clicking of Lizzies’s infamous heels. But they did not click today. She and Ambrose were out meeting with a client.

Left the office at 5:15 pm – must find a way to ask out Lizzie tomorrow.