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 Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 4:24 pm
The break, even if it was to be brief, was welcome. Aila removed the seat belt, stretching briefly, and turned for a second try at retrieving the jackets. Free from the belt's restraint and the worry of sailing off some inconvenient cliff the moment she turned her back, she was successful in her efforts this time.
Aila offered one of the jackets to Nyx, shrugging the other onto her own person. It was generic in its design in addition to being several sizes too big, but it was true that it would be unwise to leave scarlet blazing Rs in plain sight. The girl shook her arms slightly in hopes the baggy fabric would settle more comfortably.
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:30 pm
The jacket was sizes too big for Nyx as well. When seat belts were buckled, they took to the road again. Two small girls in over sized jackets. Nyx reached out and fumbled around before her fingers finally identified the air conditioning knob and turned it way up.
And so Nyx drove without speaking, listening to the sound of orchestras accompanied by the wooshing air.
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Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:09 pm
The radio sputtered and its music devolved to static. Aila frowned; presumably, they had entered one of the station's dead zones, or perhaps there was even some problem at the broadcasting building. She adjusted the dial in an attempt to recover the orchestra, but her effort was to no avail. As if offended, she shut off the noise and leaned back in her seat, folding her arms in her lap with an indignant huff. Hopefully they would be arriving soon anyway.
It only took a few minutes, however, before the sounds of rushing air and the hum of the engine became bothersome, almost unbearably so when coupled with the heat that soaked into the jacket despite the air conditioner's valiant efforts. All things considered, Aila was beginning to feel quite sick. She searched her thoughts for a topic of conversation to fill the silence and provide engagement.
"Might I ask why you regard me with such animosity?" Actually, she realized, that was really random. But she could not bring herself to care. And if Nyx brushed it off, she would simply talk to herself.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:30 am
Nyx sighed as the radio started to malfunction and was finally shut off. The white noise produced by the car's various functions didn't seem to bother her... but apparently bothered Aila.
"... For one, I'm not terribly fond of the snooty act." Nyx stated very manner of factly, no emphasis on any word. It was driving time. She was also a person who, after deciding something, was very hard pressed to change her mind. This included disliking a person.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:44 am
The distant haze began to take on a form, and it soon became evident that they were encroaching upon the city, to Aila's great relief.
She considered the response with a hum. It was not the first that a person had behaved bitterly towards her on the pretext of her diction, yet she simply could not fathom the cause of it.
"You mentioned that before," she recalled, "though in different words. 'Fancy act,' I believe was the choice. Allow me to reassure you that I am no actress. I merely speak as I was educated. It is not unlike an accent in this regard." Becoming enemies with this woman over something as inconsequential as her habits in speaking struck the girl as outright silly.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 1:21 am
Thank Arceus. They were almost there. Even though 'there' only constituted half of the total trip.
There were other reasons Nyx had for disliking the girl, though not all of them were able to be put in to words. It was like seeing a picture in an art gallery and not liking it. The painting was obviously 'good', or it wouldn't be in a gallery, but there was just something that struck you the wrong way about it.
Besides, even if the 'fancy act' wasn't an act, it still made the girl seem standoffish and uppity. Nyx shrugged. "You might want to try and learn how to not come off as..." She searched her head for the right word, "so arrogant. Like some sort of noble come down from the castle to allow the common folk to bask in your glory." It was interesting, Nyx the egomaniac didn't like arrogance. Though there was something to be said about similar personalities clashing.
Nyx turned this way and that down the city streets, sometimes going down the same street twice. They were on the outskirts of town, so there weren't many cars on the road; Fine with Nyx, more cars made her more nervous. Regardless, she didn't want to risk anyone following them... and the landmarks may have been getting mixed up.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:19 am
Her expression darkened at the analogy. "I will look into it," she said with every intent to hit the library on the matter upon returning to the base, "but I will not betray my upbringing." For all of the things Aila's mother had never done, such as finding work or sending her daughter to school, she appreciated even more the things she had done, like teaching her etiquette and proper form of speech - the very things that so seemed to peeve Nyx.
As she started recognizing the streets they were traveling, Aila began to wonder if they weren't lost. Or perhaps the driver had simply taken notice of her utter distaste for all things vehicular and was aiming to make this last leg of the trip as painfully drawn-out as possible. No, she reminded herself, this was not the last leg. This was merely the halfway point. Joy.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:57 pm
Thankfully, Nyx was concentrating on driving, so the conversation on her side died off.
Eventually Nyx parked the car in an alley that seemed like a 'park your car here if you can't find anywhere else' sort of alley. She stepped out of the car and started navigating the back alleyways, making sure not to lose Aila. As tempting as it was, Nadja would probably feed her to Moloch if she let anything happen to the trainee.
So Nyx led the girl to what looked like the entrance to an abandoned subway station, complete with questionable stair case.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:11 pm
Now here was some familiar territory. Aila had passed by the place once or twice before, but she had never thought anything of it. She found it surprising to think that Team Rocket had been there all along without her ever suspecting a thing. They were certainly well-organized compared to the descriptions she had found in assorted newspaper clippings.
Aila peered into the dark maw with a mild fascination. Questionable was a good word for those stairs, but the dim world beyond them was in a way enticing. She awaited Nyx's signal, seeing it only fit that the agent proceed before the trainee.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 4:07 pm
The first time she'd seen those steps, she'd considered grabbing Newton and gliding down, but for as terrible as they looked, they were strong enough to hold the weight of two girls. But still, it was always good to be cautious. Nyx grabbed the railing and started walking slowly down.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 4:12 pm
When coming down to the bottom of the stairs, a flashlight would greet them in the dark. There was a pause for a moment, since the two were wearing jackets over their uniforms but soon a voice spoke out.
"Name, rank, and ID numb-... Oh." Said a voice that Nyx would probably remember.
The flashlight turned down and a man dressed in a black grunt uniform, hat, and a visor covering his face, stepped forward. He straightened up and gave the white haired agent a salute. "Agent Nyx, right? You're here to pick up the supplies?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 4:20 pm
Nyx squinted as the flashlight shone in her eyes momentarily. Then that voice.
Oh... great... Will. At least he was saluting. That was new, and very welcome. "Yes, Agent Nyx. Eight two zero eight nine dash five five eight eight." With all the security compromise lately, you could never be too safe. "And yes, peroxidase and GFP."
She turned and looked at Aila as she reached the bottom of the steps. The girl could introduce herself. Get used to the procedures and all that.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 4:38 pm
She fumbled momentarily. She had an ID number. It was assigned to her on her arrival. And she certainly knew what it was. The long ride in the car had left her somewhat disoriented, though, and the amount of time it was taking her to dredge up those digits was likely making her appear rather suspicious.
"Aila. Trainee." A pause. Ah, there it was. "92376-5521. A pleasure to meet you." She gave a curtsy in greeting before proceeding down the stairs. What a graceless way to introduce one's self...
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 4:48 pm
The man nodded at the both of them, and gave Aila a smile. She was new, that was easy to see. "Pleasure's all mine," he said with a grin. "I'm Will."
The visored grunt then looked back to Nyx. "Can you find your way or do you need an escort, ma'am?"
Nyx was his superior now after all, and thus deserved the proper respect.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 4:59 pm
"I think I can find the room, but I think you should come help us find the boxes. And check their contents." Nyx still remembered the fiasco with the DNA. Not that it was solely her's or Will's fault, but she still held a grudge... Maybe it was the visor that made her distrust him.
Nyx started walking down the tunnel towards the innards of the outpost, and the lab. This time, she wouldn't leave without making sure everything was correct and accounted for.
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