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 Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:07 pm
The trainee breathed heavily as he lay down on the cold steel of the locker room bench. Cooling as the metal was against the back of his neck, the abrupt temperature change made the slender man shiver a bit. He smiled wearily as he stared up at the lights in the ceiling, sweat running down his brow. "Phew...that was almost as invigorating as a trip around the city. Not as much fun, though, when the obstacles are all in plain sight." He sat up, slouching over his knees for a minute before getting up to retrieve his coat from his locker.
As much as he felt the need to keep in physical shape, Izaya didn't enjoy the routine of the obstacle course the trainees were made to run. He didn't find much fun in the tasks that were expected of him; it was much more exciting to use improv and think on one's feet as one did with parkour. Without the fun of making his own path, all that was left was the rigorous stamina and endurance training that left him breathless and exhausted. He wasn't built with muscle; in fact he was a bit on the scrawny, short side, so this was not simple for him in the least.
"I wonder when we're going to get to the real training, he said quietly, appearing to speak to a tiny pokeball sitting on his neatly-folded coat within his locker. Withdrawing the ball, he placed it in his pocket before donning the fur-trimmed hoodie and retrieving a paper with his training schedule on it, using it to fan himself. "I hope we get shower time soon...all this sweat is disgusting me..."
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Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:22 pm
The trainee had no idea what short was. "Short" was what was waiting on the outside of the locker room, speaking to the one in charge of the base physical conditioning class for the trainees. She had pink hair, but her uniform was undeniably one of an Elite Agent.
"I need to speak to Trainee Nakura." It was all she needed to say to get the information from the other instructor about Nakura's current location. With that information in mind, the Elite walked to the edge of the locker room entrance. The pink-haired girl would not sink to actually entering the locker room. No. That was not her style.
Instead, she called into the locker room in a loud, clear, and demanding voice "Trainee Nakura, you have 10 seconds to vacate the locker room." For those who knew Kunai well enough, they knew that was a rather generous amount of time, since she usually only allotted half that time.
However, there was no further explanation than what she had called into the locker room. She just stood there with a kunai knife at hand, waiting. Simply waiting.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:40 am
Unfortunately for Izaya, he was not one of those that knew Kunai 'well enough'. In fact, he wasn't even part of the majority at the HQ who knew her at all. The sound of a young woman's voice echoed off the metal lockers and caused Izaya to smile.
"Only 10 seconds?" he repeated. "Is there a drill I didn't hear about? Or a bomb, perhaps?" With the owner of the voice out of sight, the ill-fated Trainee Nakura had no way of realizing he was talking back to an Elite Agent.
He ambled out of the room, hands tucked smugly in his coat pockets as he barely made his given time limit. "Well, well," he remarked, expressing mild astonishment upon catching sight of the pink-haired young woman. "This is a surprise." His gaze darted to her kunai knife and thin lips curved into a half-smile. "Trainee Nakura, reporting for duty." There was a slight inflection in hist tone that betrayed his inward laughter. "You called, agent?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:28 pm
There was no smile to greet the naive Trainee. The pink-haired girl's lips were pressed into a straight line. It was not a neutral expression on her, but more of a serious one. So far, this Trainee was far from impressive in any sense. Indeed, he was taller than her (as most people usually were), but his overly informal mannerisms were already grating her nerves. He most certainly was acting the role of the new recruit at the moment, which did not please Kunai.
However, his most grave mistake was how he addressed her. She gave no warning as she took the knife she had at hand and literally threw it in Nakura's direction. It whizzed right past his left shoulder, but was so close, it made it obvious she was not in the mood to be messing around. That was his warning. Next time, she wouldn't be nearly as kind.
In a strict tone, she clarified "You, Trainee, will address me as Elite Agent Kunai." Without shifting her gaze, she pulled out another kunai knife from her side pouch, as if she was waiting for him to screw up again so she'd have an excuse to make a pincushion out of him.
"I am not impressed," she said with brutal honesty. She cross her arms before giving him some simple directions. "Follow me." She then turned 90 degrees and began to walk, arms still crossed. Standing outside of the locker rooms was not an appropriate place to address the issues she needed to address. Some place with more solitude would work best.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:54 pm
Ouch. No humor on this one, either. Did no one know how to smile around here? Maybe I'd better play along until I know what this is about, he reconsidered, noticing the hard, thin line of her mouth. Before he had time to open his mouth again, though, her knife had flown so close to his ear that he'd felt the air rushing past. He heard it faintly as it buried itself in the wall behind. The message was clear enough, and he could respect a woman who knew her way with a blade.
"Elite Agent Kunai," he repeated, nodding. "Pardon my mistake." The trainee could not, however, will himself to wipe the smile off his face. "I didn't realize you had come here to be impressed."
With the silent understanding that he was to follow her without and more words, Trainee Nakura did as he was told. He kept his hands in his pockets, however, feeling somewhat threatened by the situation. Grinning as he was, the display was merely a mask to hide his insecurities in the presence of his superior. For all he knew, he was being led by her to a quiet room where she could execute him in silence.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:05 pm
None would ever accuse Kunai of being an amazing conversationalist in her spare time. She could muster up conversation if it was a part of a mission, but outside of work on the field, it wasn't in her nature to be personable. It would be a very quiet, tense walk to the elevators. The short ride in the lift was just as quiet and just as tense, and once they were at the proper floor, she walked down the hallway until she reached her office. Swiping her card to unlock the door, and in a sharp motion opened the door. Since there was movement in the room again, the lights switched on as she walked across the room to her desk. She settled herself into her chair, then glanced to one of the spare chairs set up in front of her desk.
"Sit." It wasn't so much a nicety as a command. In fact, for as long it took him to do as requested, her green eyes were practically glaring daggers at him. She'd only ease up once he was seated, glancing to her computer monitor as she tapped a key just to wake the machine up.
For as lacking as she was in the conversational area, it felt out of place for her suddenly to request "Tell me about yourself."
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:15 am
Though it wasn't in Izaya's nature to be quiet, exactly the opposite of the elite agent, he forced himself to keep his mouth shut during the trip as the thoughts in his mind threatened to slip off his tounge.
There was so much he wanted to say! So much to ask! Why was she so short? How old was she? How long had she been working with kunai knives? How long had she been a part of Team Rocket? How did she get to become an elite agent? Was she planning to murder him when they got to their destination?
Thankfully, Izaya wasn't as stupid as he came off to be and thus voiced none of these. However, he didn't give off the vibe of an anxious or nervous trainee being summoned to an elite's office as he probably should have. The skinny man kept his hands casually in his parka's pockets, playing with the switchblade in one of them. It seemed forever before they were finally at their destination.
Whistling in admiration at the motion-sensitive lighting of the room, Trainee Nakura took a look around before sitting obediently in a chair before her desk. Once he noticed her glare, however, he grinned sweetly in response, just as if she had cast him a flirtatious smile instead of a look of daggers. He gave a small giggle in response to her sudden, date-like question.
"Wouldn't it be nicer to do this sort of thing over lunch or dinner, Elite Agent Kunai? Or is this supposed to be an interrogation?" he asked, batting his crimson eyes at her. "I'll tell you one thing about myself - I like a woman who knows how to use blades to get what she wants."
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:17 am
"So you'd rather me enter into the database that you were dodging the question?" His question about asking such things over dinner (hinting at a date) went unanswered, but her own question did answer the secondary question the Trainee had. No matter how suave or clever this boy attempted to be, the girl with pink hair had a job to do.
With the same deadpan tone to her voice, she repeated her request. "Tell me about yourself."
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:33 pm
"Well if this was strictly an interview for database input and not because you personally wanted to get to know me yourself, you should have said so," the skinny man retorted, pretending to look put out.
He sighed before reciting, "Izaya Orihara - age 23, male. City of origin is Camphoreon. Specializes in information gathering. Prior occupation was an underground info broker selling valuable tidbits to street gangs, obsessed stalker teenagers, petty thieves, and the like. Skills besides gathering info include parkour and use of a flick-blade. Weapon of choice, however, is not said flick-blade, but words. Weaknesses include lack of physical strength, lack control over pokemon, and - some say - difficulty with social interaction. Though not in the way most people think," he added with a smile.
It wasn't like he was some wallflower who couldn't get himself to talk out of timidness. No, he just tended to say the things that provoked people the most, resulting in the fact that he had no friends. Not that he wanted or needed any. Personal connections as an informer were a no-no.
"Anything else, miss?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:13 pm
As he gave his response, the Elite began to type. One might have thought it was just merely recording his answers, but the matter of fact was that much of the information was already in the system. No, she was merely recording her observations for the way he responded to the question. He responded in third person, which spoke more about his character than he might have figured. Many Rockets would have taken such a question and had more ownership to their own descriptions of themselves. It made it seem as if he was trying to be political. Given his personal description of what he did prior to Team Rocket only confirmed such notions.
Once her fingers had stopped typing, she gave him another question. "In your short amount of time with this organization, what information have you managed to learn about me." Was this a test? Probably.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:32 pm
"Oh! One more thing - main hobby is human observation." As detached as he liked to think of himself from the humans he observed, third person seemed to be the most appropriate fashion in which to dispense his information; especially the type of information he was dispensing.
"I don't normally give my personal information out so freely - at least not without a price - but I figured you already had a lot of that in my files when I applied, so there isn't much use in lying to you, now is there?" There didn't seem to be much point in her asking him to tell about himself either, but if it was personal details she wanted, he wasn't giving any of that.
His ideals, motives, morals, and philosophies along with his past, family, and connections were his own business, not anyone else's. Besides, he didn't see how that could have pertained to anything she did want to know about him unless they had been on a date.
At her new question, however, the man's face lit up. His apathetic smile broadened into something more...hungry. A challenge. This was more like it. "Hahaha! So the Elite Agent Kunai wants to hear about herself, does she? Clever, disguising this personal boost of ego as a test for a trainee. Very well, I accept."
"Let's see...considering I've been here less than two weeks? I wonder..." He paused, studying Kunai a minute. "In all honesty, I really haven't had the chance to look up much about my fellow Rockets considering how hard they work us as Trainees," he began, starting to sound very much like he was giving an excuse. "I'll admit I've seen your name in passing on some list of higher-ups somewhere, though it did nothing to justify your...unique appearance." He chuckled. "Your knife, of course, was a dead giveaway. I knew who you were immediately after that."
"Mmm...I'm more of a talker," he admitted. "I get my information from my targets by coaxing it out of them. I'm no Sherlock Holmes and I'm not very good at jumping to correct conclusions on sight, but...I do enjoy observing." He tilted his head slightly, as if to see Kunai in a different light. "Your behavior so far has suggested you're not a very social person and you wouldn't stand for my kind of coaxing. You're as straight and to the point as your throw and your knives, and I'm guessing your temper has a direct correlation to your height. Tsk, tsk, tsk, no fun at all..."
He smirked. "I could make a guess at your age, but I don't think that would be wise of me to say of a lady. All I know is I'm probably older than you by a few years. Your youth suggests you're as insanely devoted to this organization as the young lady who recruited me, since you both seem to be putting your lives at the disposal of Team Rocket while in the prime of said lives. Almost unheard of."
Izaya rested an elbow on the desk and leaned forward to rest his cheek on his palm, growing closer to the elite. "Of course, that's probably why you're also both so high in rank already. Who knows at what age you were recruited. Kawaisō ni," the man sighed, pitying the pink-haired Rocket in his native tongue. "You're the head of the undercover department under which my recruiter, Agent Aila, works. Your piercings and preference of attire over the standard-issue uniform suggest a boldness in personality. You also seem to be used to getting your way. Am I wrong...? Feel free to stop me at any time~"
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:27 pm
All of the jest that the Trainee seemed to be directing towards her would go unappreciated. There wasn't even a hint of a smile that curled upon her lips as they remained in that straight line that was her default expression.
The start of his observations were pretty bare basic ones, nothing that would have been deemed impressive. Anyone who was half familiar with weapons could have figured out which Elite was the one called Kunai.
Yet when the Trainee gave her the permission to stop him, she lifted a hand to signal that he was indeed finished. She neither confirmed or denied any of his statements, since it had merely been a test.
"You seem to have decent skills with observation. It would also seem you have an understanding of psychology and how to manipulate it to your advantage." A lesser experienced agent might have attempted to correct the Trainee in his assessments to make themselves look like a better person. Kunai did not care what the other underling Rockets thought of her. Strangely, the horror stories weren't too far off from the truth.
For a moment, she paused to type in the observations she had made in his own observation work, then she turned her attention back to Nakura. "Agent Aila is the reason why I called you here today. In your paperwork, she recommended you for my department. Tell me, what do you feel you would contribute to my department. And, tell me what you believe are the expectations of working in this department."
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:59 pm
The trainee smirked, raising a brow. "Eh? You figured all that from what I just said, or are you just flattering me? I can't see how you could judge my understanding of psychology and manipulation from the mere few sentences I just improvised." He shrugged and sat back. "Perhaps you just value Agent Aila's opinion more than I thought. She's the only one I could think of at the moment who would portray me in such a...favorable light."
Laughing, he ran a hand through his hair as the elite continued. "Oh? Unfortunately, Elite Agent, I'm not entirely sure what the whole of your department encompasses. However, I'd like to think I'm fairly good at blending in with a crowd and 'disappearing' when need be. Staying alive is among my largest goals, so I can't say I would die for certain causes like you or Agent Aila might. However...I will say I've withstood a good amount of torturing on certain other assignments as an info broker prior to this." A giggle. "Can't be an info broker if you don't know how to keep a secret, ne?"
He hesitated before continuing. "Aside from outside jobs, I like studying people who I have better access to - such as my fellow teammates." Izaya leaned closer in an almost conspiratorial fashion, though no one else seemed to be in the room. "I can tell you which of your members are loyal and which have other agendas. Better yet, I can tell you which are cowards and which are fools enough to throw their lives away on command. It's a lot simpler to designate Rockets to certain missions and assignments when you know more about them, wouldn't you agree? Of course you as an elite agent can't be expected to know every single detail and aspect about all your underlings."
"I can give you inside information. What better source than a lowly trainee such as myself? No one will suspect me; they'll freely tell me whatever I wish to know as long as I ask as an ignorant and naive newbie. Also, I enjoy observing people as I've mentioned already, so it'd just be a part of my hobby. I push people's buttons and test their wills. I can find out what slightly irritates them and what really burns them up. Imagine what you could do with such information. Surely your Rockets are sufficient now, but with my info, you could make full use of their talents to maximum efficiency while working on those whose weaknesses are the biggest hinderence to the team."
The talkative, skinny man took some time before addressing the second part of Kunai's request. "...I can't say I know anything about your expectations other than the usual, 'sit down, shut up, and do as you're told' motto that seems to be going around here," he said frankly, "but I'm afraid that's another of my weaknesses. Not very good at doing what I'm told, particularly if it involves being quiet." He felt vulnerable without his words, though he'd never admit it aloud.
"While I can't say I'll probably ever manage to succumb to said standards, I will say this: as long as I know what needs to be done, I can get it done. It may not be carried out in the way one expects, as I have been known to resort to more unorthodox methods, but I like to have fun in my work, and that usually aids me in my success. If I'm allowed to do things my way and I'm left to my own devices, I can accomplish anything asked of me." He held out a hand inquiringly. "That is, in essence, what the primary expectation of this - or any department in this team - happens to be, correct? 'Get the job done, no matter the cost'?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:51 pm
As the trainee continued to flap his gums, the Elite once more began to type out what she observed from his words. She knew as well as the one talking that words certainly gave more information than their face value. So the fact there was a lot of typing meant that he was giving a lot of information with what he said and how he said it.
After he gave his offer of giving her information on the other agents, she stated flatly "I do not need inside information on other agents." If she felt so inclined to get inside information, she already had a guy for such a thing. However, it was not her interest to get to know the underlings, or even her equals or superiors. Nakura had spoken of the fools who were willing to throw their lives on command, and the thing he did not realize was that the girl he spoke to would have classified as such. Or perhaps he did realize such a thing and was merely tossing out such a statement to test her. Kunai would not give him the satisfaction of reacting to the statement in any manner.
Eventually, her fingers did stop typing, which signaled she probably had more to say to him. "I expect my department to put forward their best efforts at all times. My department requires the ability to blend in, but only when you are supposed to blend in. My department requires that each Rocket needs to be able to make those around them believe what they want them to believe. Each Rocket needs to be in top physical and psychological condition, able to resist any potential problems that might arise. Each Rocket needs to be able to do things that not everyone would be willing to do, including extreme changes to the physical appearance and cross-dressing to suit a role that might be required for a mission. My department needs to have a great pain tolerance and the ability to keep secrets to the grave." Some people might have offered a smile to hint that they were kidding about the statements that had been made. Kunai's expression had not changed.
"My department is the one that is actively on the field." There was a pause before she added "This department is not for the lazy."
She turned to her computer and used the mouse to click a couple things on the monitor. "Keep that in mind, Trainee Nakura. As of 0700 hours tomorrow, you are officially a part of my department. You will continue your work in the Trainee program, but after you have completed the program, you are officially under my jurisdiction. Understood?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:42 pm
"Are you suggesting that there are times when you don't believe your department is supposed to blend in?" the trainee asked, retracting his extended hand and sitting up seriously. He was sure everything had its exceptions, but he'd wanted to know from Kunai exactly what she wanted from her subordinates when she didn't want them blending in.
"I don't think that'll be much of a problem with me. I hate to brag, but I've had a good deal of experience with all those things since middle school." That was about the time he became labeled more or less a 'bad kid' after he had been taken into protective custody for stabbing a classmate of his. Nevertheless, he hadn't really had a problem with the police since then and had gotten better and better at learning to stay under their radar. Getting caught was one of the least worries on his mind...right next to cross-dressing.
"Sounds right up my alley. Informers don't have lives as safe as people make them out to be, you know. We have to do things to get certain information. There's little I could think of that could deter me from an assignment or a mission." Like an encounter with Shizuo, for one. Thank Arceus that was not likely to ever be on his to-do list. Still, a high tolerance for pain? Sometimes being a masochist came in handy. He'd been willing to lose a fingernail or even a whole finger that one time he'd allowed himself to get captured and tortured by that one woman known for her methods, but fortunately it hadn't come to that.
"Perfect. I don't like staying cooped up indoors all day. Being out and about is more my style. Especially around people. Did I mention I love them?" He beamed at her as she made her final statements, his smile widening with satisfaction. "Yes, Elite Agent Kunai. It'll be my pleasure working under you~"
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