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 Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 1:17 pm
Toby laughed. Sure, manatees weren't the prettiest creatures around.
"Uh, well, apparently. They say that the sailors of old were seeing manatees and mistaking them for mermaids. I think Annie would be offended." He continued looking on the computer, looking for the lake by his house. Oh, he could...help her? Uh?
"What, are you thinking about staying in Arizona?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 1:48 pm
"That's stupid. Sailors had better eyesight than most, they were always watching the stars to navigate. They would mistake those for mermaids!" Maia shrugged. To be honest, she wasn't sure if she was staying. But she was fond of Toby, and right then she didn't want to be too far away from him. "For a while, I think. Until I get better at being in this form."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 1:53 pm
"Well, that's what we're here for," Toby said with a smile. "Of course we can get you relocated as soon as you like. Usually we suggest human appearance, but it's not absolutely required."
"It's kind of fun, though," Dari responded, "and it garners more respect."
Toby gave a thoughtful face and nodded. "That's probably true, if you're interested in human respect."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 2:17 pm
"I'm starting to like this form. I've spent most of my life in my other form, but I think I ought to make use of this one. Besides. I can make fun of you more effectively." That was definitely a perk to being human. And she'd made friends.
"Eh, I don't know if I'm too keen to be respectable in the eyes of people who think manatees are mermaids. I like this form because I've got you guys. Humans make friends so much more easily than seals do. And it's easier to communicate above water."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 2:23 pm
"Well, that's good," Toby replied with a nod. Really she could have chosen to be a seal for the rest of her days and he'd have said it was 'good.' Everyone was entitled to live their lives exactly as they wanted. He laughed at the recurring mention of manatees, though.
"It can be helpful if you're walking around like one of them." Plus he had been able to call her out from the way she ate a cheeseburger, so she had some body language to work on. "Is that true? Huh." He imagiend that being a female seal come breeding season couldn't be fun, not that a selkie would ever mate with a seal, regardless of how scientifically interesting their children/pups would be.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 3:16 pm
"Harbor seals only gather on the beach, apart from breeding season. They prefer to hunt alone and they're not particularly interested in me unless I'm calling out a warning. Well. One other time too. But then it's usually young males, and I'm faster."
She made a face. "Prepare to get ice cream!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 3:19 pm
Toby pulled a bit of a face at the mention of being pursued by young males. As far as he knew, selkies didn't mate with seals. How would that even work out? He shook his head to clear the mental image and laughed at her persistence.
"Soon, soon! That's not exactly something we have to prepare for, really..."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:26 pm
Toby didn't have to wonder, because as Maia would have told him, it never worked out. And would never. Could never. Ew. Blegh.
"Sure you need to prepare. Do you know what flavor you're getting? Or if you want a regular cone or a waffle cone or even a bowl?" Maia shook her head at him. "Or if you want one or two scoops, or sprinkles even. Why wait till we get there to decide? We have all sorts of things to see!" Wasting time making decisions when they had time to make them now seemed pointless to her.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 11:59 am
Toby gave a little snort of laughter and nodded.
"Sure, I guess you have a point." Of course to him it seemed a great waste of time to think about ice cream before you reached the parlor, but they were of two very different worlds.
The flight went by rather quickly, all thing considered. Toby and Dari had fallen into easy ribbing and offered constant distractions. Even a couple of the other agents came over to chat. Eventually the seat belt light came back on and the small group landed at an Arizona airport. They exited quickly, all of them holding the same formal facial expressions and flashing badges here and there. In the end, Dari, Toby, and one of the other agents joined Maia in Toby's car and they were off to HQ.
As it turned out, headquarters didn't look like much of anything. It was a one-story building out in the desert, surrounded by various planted fields. It was a government-funded agricultural center, and a functioning one too. The agents parked in the lot and began down the path with the sun beaming down on them. Toby smiled softly and gave Maia a reassuring touch to the shoulder. This wasn't nearly as intimidating as it was going to get.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:19 pm
Maia supposed the other agent was there to make sure Toby and Dari didn't get competitive again, though she wished they hadn't come. While she had adjusted fairly quickly to the two, it hadn't been by choice. It'd been for survival, and they'd become friends. She reached for Toby's hand.
This wasn't as bad as the flight had been. She was on the ground, and the fields intrigued her. She had expected a desolate expanse of burning sand, but this. It was kind of nice. She put her hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the sun. "So this is where you work when you're home."
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:30 pm
"More or less," Toby replied with a little shrug. He let Maia keep his hands as they approached the front entrance. Inside the workers were either dressed in expected lab coats or casual wear. Some smiled and others didn't even acknowledge the appearance of the agents.
"Hello, Mister Aikley. Mister Waverly. Dari."
Toby smiled and nodded back. In the beginning there had been a more complex series of secret greetings to even get inside. Otherwise one was treated as a tourist or some actual official for the agricultural center. The workers got to know your faces, though, and it all got much easier. This was Toby's preferred mode of entry, but there were several more within the compound, some on different roads entirely.
The group continued down the hall and across to a room marked "Storage." Toby opened the door without need of a key and held the door open for the others to enter. Dari took Maia's hand to lead her in.
Once the whole group was within the room, surrounded by wooden shelving and rakes, hoes, hoses, fertilizer, everything a storage closet may need, Toby went back to the little pad by the door. It appeared to be an alarm, but it was not. He typed in a code, waited for the beep, and then typed in another.
Behind the group, against the far wall, rose a small podium. It was white, clean and seemed to belong in a lab more than a storage closet. He typed in another series of codes and pressed his hand against the cool surface. Not glass, he didn't think. Something like it. A blue light glowed beneath his palm, scanning him in. Then what appeared to be a worn security camera in the corner bathed the room in white light, scanning the people inside. Toby watched it, emotionless.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:57 pm
Maia was rather surprised by how unsecret headquarters this place seemed. And was rather alarmed when they entered a closet. She tensed, stiffening against Dari when he took her hand. What was going on? Everyone seemed to know them, but-- and what was that?! Maia had just noticed the white podium. She dropped Dari's hand in order to hide behind him. She didn't know what was going on, but that thing had suddenly appeared and it was doing something.
Definitely doing something as the room was bathed in light. And she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 1:02 pm
Dari wrapped an arm around the selkie to try and comfort her, but in moment she had dodged behind his back to hide. Yes, even entry could be a little intimidating the first time. Toby turned and noticed Maia's nerves and offered her a smile. This was the worst part, she was going to be fine.
Hydraulics hissed and released. The floor began to sink. Some supplies came with them, others remained hanging from their pegs on the walls, and the group was lowered quickly to a pair of glass doors. People could be seen moving within, some dressed for business and others in suits, mulling about like in any office.
Ah, home.
Toby smiled and came back to Maia, offering his hand.
"We're here."
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 1:25 pm
The floor sank, things continued to hang on the walls, and Maia had renewed her hold on Dari. She didn't return Toby's smile. Instead she watched as they were lowered and made a face. She guessed the secret headquarters was under ground, under the fields. She released Dari's hand when the floor seemed to come to a halt.
When Toby came to her side, she frowned at him. "I don't think much of your closet entries," She informed him. She took his hand, though.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 1:33 pm
"Unfortunately all of them are sort of like this," Toby said, nodding and beginning inside. He held the door open for the others, who nearly all thanked him in return. "What with the 'top secret' and all."
He and Dari began to walk together toward their office.
"We have to drop off your paperwork, then we should be able to show you around," Dari said. Toby nodded in agreement.
The HQ was a sprawling business building, done up in a sort of clean, futuristic style. Halls led down in various directions and there were several levels beneath the building itself. It would be impossible to show Maia everything, partially because of the size and partially because of the security limits of a new entity.
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