how about some baddie screen time

[aphelionix]

The Seventh Circle was a mess when Joel and Quelorie arrived. (Just the way the Commander liked it, really. All the easier to scoop it up into their palms, and drink from it what they needed.) Information was being leaked and tossed like chicken feed; intel soaked up from the double agents by the ones who shouldn't be hearing it; incorrect information sent back to them. And the puny Circle members not at the center of the Seventh were none the wiser.

What pleasant chaos, Joel thought. Though it was a shame that they had to wear the Circle uniform while present. (Teal wasn't his color.) He couldn't help but wonder if this was how the double agents of Circle Seven felt, hiding in plain sight.

The waiting room was circular (fittingly) and quiet while the Commander and Quelorie waited for the agent they were to meet with. They were to receive intel on the weak points of the other Circles, as well as the ones who would help with further infiltration. A large file, Joel was sure.

"So," he spoke up, sipping the coffee they were served. "What do you think of the Circle?"

Comments

[aphelionix]

Quelorie got a pat on the shoulder for that.

"Have I mentioned lately how great you are?" said Joel flippantly as he veered her into an unoccupied hall. He pulled the tablet from under his arm, and stuck his hand on the surface. A beam of teal light (ugh, always teal with these guys) scanned his hand, then it flickered on, displaying a single search box and a keyboard. "Why don't we test it out for ourselves?"

In the box, Joel typed, 'Seventh Circle security checkpoints.'

A map popped up, glowing blue against a gray background. One by one, in accordance with the tablet's vicinity, the checkpoints lit up, framed in red. A number hovered above each of them, varying from one through five. One was the lowest level of security, and five was the highest. The center circle's security point, however, was marked with a triangle with a circle in the middle.

"Ah, here's the one we came through. Clearance Level 1, though." He pointed to the dock doors where they had come in. "We're allowed up to Level 2. How about we try one? Just for fun."

[kobacake]

“You haven’t mentioned it lately.” Quelorie noted as they rounded the corner. She watched as the information displaying the security checkpoints appeared on the display. At Joel’s suggestion, the fins on the side of her face ruffled slightly (the equivalent of a small smile). “That does sound like fun.”

She found their location on the map and searched for the nearest Level 2 checkpoint. “If we continue down this hallway and take a right here-“ she pointed towards a corridor on the map, “we should reach one.”

[aphelionix]

Joel had been around Quelorie long enough now to understand the meaning behind the small movements of her fins and tentacles. Upon seeing her 'smile', a smirk grew on his own face.

"Excellent," he said, turning the tablet off. He slid it into a pouch on the side of his leg. Even by Gladsheim's standards, Joel was rather chaotic, but they couldn't afford to lose him. He enjoyed pushing his limits far too much, and considered himself very lucky indeed that his partner never questioned it. She had certainly been in the military long enough to know it wasn't the norm. The poor bastards probably thought they were assigning him a balance, only to give him a catalyst. "Also, you're great. I think I'll call you Quelorie Magic from here on."

With that, he started down the hallway.

[kobacake]

To the average person, Quelorie probably seemed dull and uninterested—or, rather, creepily robotic—with her lack of human expressions and her monotone speech. Yet in reality the opposite was true. She was curious and mischievous and had a very deadpan sense of humor that most people mistook for ignorance of human customs. (Well, that wasn’t to say she wasn’t ignorant of human customs. She absolutely was. She tried so hard to understand them but she still wasn’t quite there yet.) Somehow Joel understood all this and perhaps that was why she was so willing to go along with his plans. They were, she thought, in fact quite fun.

“Quelorie.. Magic?” She questioned, following down the hall behind him. “What is ‘magic’? Is this something that should be a compliment?”

[aphelionix]

"Oh, yes, definitely," he assured. "Only wizards use magic, after all."

Sometimes it was fun to take advantage of Quelorie's ignorance of things, Joel had to admit.

[kobacake]

"What is a 'wizard'?" Quelorie asked. She was well aware when Joel was stringing her along, but it never bothered her. It just gave her all the more opportunity to learn about human things. "How does someone 'use' magic?"

[aphelionix]

Joel smiled. "I'll tell you later. Remind me. Man, this hallway looked shorter on the map."

[kobacake]

"Hmm.." Joel had really got her wondering what 'wizards' and 'magic' could possibly be, but she managed to muster up enough discipline to bring her back to the task at hand. Quelorie noticed a small alcove to their left and, remembering having seen it on the map, determined their location. "The hallway we're looking for should be four doors down on the right-hand side."

[aphelionix]

Joel nodded, his steps light. He even began to whistle an idle tune as they walked. It brought a question to mind, though.

"Say, do Aquilos make music? Or is it just a bunch of noise to you guys?"

[kobacake]

"Not like human music." Quelorie shook her head (not a natural gesture for her, but she'd adapted it). "Those kinds of sounds can't be made underwater. What is "music" to us relies less on sound and more on..."

She trailed off, gesturing one of her hands in the air as she searched for a proper word. "Rhythm? I'm not sure how to explain..

"I like human music though." She turned her glance towards Joel. "Your whistling. It's nice."

in b4 innuendo

[aphelionix]

"Oh? Good," he said, looking down, always pleased when Quelorie enjoyed something he did. "You'll have to show me your music sometime."

Would he really want to hit that?

[kobacake]

"It would have to be underwater." Quelorie noted. She was fairly certain it wouldn't sound like anything but odd clicks to him, anyways.

She stopped when they finally reached the corridor, tugging Joel's sleeve as she turned the corner to get his attention. "It's this one."

onto the grill maybe yum

[aphelionix]

"Ah, I already see the checkpoint," he said, turning on the heel of his boot and squinting down the hall. Two guards stood on the sides of the doorway. Joel pulled a card from his pocket. "Got your Circle ID ready?"

i bet her tentacles are delicious

[kobacake]

"I have it here." She nodded, procuring her ID card from her pocking and holding it up with one of her tentacles. When the two of them approached the checkpoint, Quelorie didn't bother stopping. She simply tapped her card on the sensor as she walked through, acting as natural as if she'd done in plenty of times before. The sensor beeped in affirmation and the gates opened, allowing her to pass through to the other side. It seemed their information so far was legitimate.

mmmmm

[aphelionix]

Joel did the same, much more used to this routine than Quelorie - but it didn't hinder her ability to blend in at all. The guards barely batted an eye at the two, having given them a cursory nod as they approached, and that was all. They were only there in case 'situations arose.'

They both passed through with no trouble, and keeping up their casual appearance, Joel continued down the hall they were let into.

"While it's only one simple little checkpoint, the tablet seems to have it right."

[kobacake]

"What else should we check?" Quelorie asked. An innocent question on the surface, though what she really meant was something closer to 'what other stuff can we test out and explore while possibly running into trouble or other such hijinx?'

[aphelionix]

"The map did say there was an information storage room around here," he said, pulling the tablet out again. The map popped right back up, and as Joel said, there was a room exactly one step forward and to the left labeled 'INFO STORAGE'. He looked up to the door on their left. "Oh, excellent."

Is it boss lady time?

[kobacake]

Quelorie tapped her ID on the panel next to the door, and just like when they'd passed through the checkpoint it beeped and the droopy opened. She looked towards Joel, waving a hand in the direction of the entrance. "After you, Commander."

yes after this and lol "the droopy opened"

[aphelionix]

Joel stepped inside, giving an impressed look around despite the dark. Only a pale bar of light bordered the ceiling, lightly illuminating the room. Computer screens lined the walls, separate stations set for each. Oddly, though, one of the screens was lit. Joel held his hand out in signal to keep Quelorie from advancing, tilting his head to assess if someone was there.

[tactician]

Not a beat after their footsteps stilled, a voice sounded from the high-backed chair in front of the furthest wall, silhouetted only by the single screen above and a little to the left of it, where what looked like the surveillance camera right outside this very doorway, the one that Quelorie and Joel had been standing in front of not even moments prior, now displayed an abandoned hall.

"I heard you two caused some trouble out there," said a deep, feminine voice, two feet unfolding before the click-click of boot heels hit the metal floor. "Usually in the art of information, it is better to be discreet, but maybe that's now how things are done on Gladsheim."

[kobacake]

As soon as Joel signaled her to stop, Quelorie reached for her gun. She didn't draw it immediately, waiting to assess the threat level before acting rashly. (Again.) She paused, tentacles tensing, as she heard a familiar voice. Even so, she didn't release the hold on her gun, nor did she relax.

[aphelionix]

Joel's hand fell, and he clasped them both behind his back. The voice was familiar, but they had never met her face-to-face. She was very careful about concealing her identity. In the center of all that information, he imagined it was a great advantage to remain anonymous.

"Pleasure to finally meet you," Joel said with a smile.

[tactician]

"It would have been more pleasurable without the weaponry," said the woman.

A high-gloved hand reached out from behind the chair and tapped something idly on the input board before it, a rapid procession of keys and symbols that didn't even display on the screen, let alone give moment for pause. At least thirty keys must have been pressed before the hand was withdrawn, and the screens on the far wall all lit up at once, replacing the drab image of the Seventh Circle hallway with a myriad of screens all depicting, in some angle or manner, bits of Gladsheim. The surveillance infiltrated even as far as the entryway outside the Gladsheim War Room.

The chair turned around.

The seated woman, half-cast in shadow, didn't even allow her eyes to gloss over Joel. They slid directly to Quelorie. "Put the gun away. Weapons aren't allowed in this room."

[kobacake]

Quelorie's glance flitted to Joel and then back to the woman before she released the grip on her weapon. She didn't take lightly to being threatened, and she knew that a threat was exactly what those images were meant to be. We're watching you. We have eyes in the depths of your organization. Don't fuck with us. But Joel seemed to know her, and that was enough reason for her to stand down (at least for the time being). Quelorie didn't relax, however. Her body tensed like a coiled snake, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

[aphelionix]

Joel laughed, landing a hand on Quelorie's shoulder.

"Easy, Quelorie. She's not against us. It may not look it, but we're likely outnumbered."