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 Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:43 pm
A couple weeks after the last raid disaster, Seth was finally feeling up to walking around for a decent length of time. Despite his stubborn attitude and his extreme boredom, even he didn't complain at the fact that he would have to be off duty for a while. But that didn't mean he couldn't at least discuss business with associates.
That was why he was at the small cafe located on a different floor from the main cafeteria. It was mostly just an outlet for Rockets to take short breaks and get coffee and such to recharge their batteries between meals.
After ordering a particularly strong latte, Seth settled himself down with a grunt in a cushioned chair next to a small table. Even the walk there had worn him out, and it was clear that his strength was only a fraction of what it normally was. His skin was still pasty and his eyes a bit dull, but he was alive and functioning.
Glancing at a wall clock, he knew the person he was meeting would be there any minute.
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 10:58 pm
Said business associate was heralded by the brisk click of heeled boots and some agents and grunts glancing up at the arrival of another elite. Nadja paid them no mind; she had one objective in this place. Possibly two - one depended on the other.
"Coffee. Black. Two shots of espresso." The redheaded woman fixed the grunt at the bar with a direct look that jolted them into action, then glanced up at the clock as she waited, checking the time - or counting the seconds as the espresso machine hissed to the time a steaming cup was placed on the counter.
"Wonderful, you're alive. I'm amazed anyone in this base is." Nadja slid into the chair opposite Seth, her words clipped. Resting her elbows on the table, she bowed her head, eyes closing as she inhaled the fragrant steam.
"Well." The woman canted her head to side, took an actual look at Seth, and asked in a much more conversational tone, "How are you?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 11:13 pm
As Nadja came over, Seth was in mid sip of his own coffee and merely addressed her with a drawn out grunt. His expression clearly one of annoyance at her comments. Damn woman.
He then put the cup down and stared at her evenly, giving her a look as if asking... 'is that a serious question'? He snorted and shifted in his seat. "Take a guess." He responded ruefully before popping a couple pills into his mouth and taking another sip of coffee.
If Seth was a grouch before, he now put himself to shame.
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 7:16 pm
"Perturbed," Nadja replied over the rim of her coffee cup. It was a fair bet for Seth on any day ending in 'y.' "As anyone might be."
The nature of the invitation to coffee oh so many weeks ago had been vague, citing only 'business', which - depending on the intonation and angle of eyebrow - could mean anything. The elite took advantage of the chance to sit down, at least, and each sip seemed to drain a bit of tension from her shoulders, which relaxed from rigid to their natural slope.
Still, business was business. Nadja cradled the ceramic cup between her hands and got to the point.
"What did you want to discuss?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 7:23 pm
There was a simply snort at that. Perturbed seemed to be putting it mildly in his opinion, and she was probably doing so intentionally.
His blue gaze merely watched Nadja sip at her coffee for several moments, almost studiously. However, the question caused him to look away as he lifted his own cup to his lips once more. He took a leisurely sip before making his reply.
"My legendary for one."
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 8:38 pm
"Mm," Nadja acknowledged, and considered the desertscape out the window before replying. Outside, a sirocco spun a veil of sand under the harsh noon light. She narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to make something out, then looked back.
"In a word: unstable." The summary was punctuated with another sip.
The redhead tilted her cup, gently swirling the coffee as she continued. "The aggression needs to be dealt with before power enhancement can proceed safely. Allen has a few ideas, but they.. require your participation."
Nadja had another sip and met Seth's gaze, a brow arching. "The personal touch, as it were."
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 8:58 pm
Seth made a displeased sound as she mentioned unstable. That wasn't particularly what he wanted to hear. He had hoped that some progress had been made by now, but from the sounds of it... it hadn't.
Exhaling through his nose, he propped his chin up in his hand while taking another sip of his coffee. Brows knitted in aggravated contemplation.
But as Nadja continued, his gaze slipped back towards her and he lifted a brow. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked, eyes narrowing at her slightly.
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 9:40 pm
"It means you need to be involved." Nadja's lips curved over the rim of her cup, unperturbed by her conversation partner's bad attitude - and perhaps privately amused.
"Useful as it would be to produce 'pre-packaged' clones that only obey Insert Name Here, it seems some interaction with their intended is an inescapable requirement. In passive moments your clone obeys anyone, and when raging, no one." She took a sip and added, rather dryly, "The technicians are calling it 'Thrasher' and, I believe, draw lots for maintenance duty."
"Some of Allen's proposals are rather daring, not to mention potentially permanent; there's a range of options. But they all require you to be in the lab with the creature to form the desired bond and, we hope, reach a middle ground."
"You won't have to worry about this for a few weeks, though. Not until everything's moved back in place." Nadja's mouth thinned at that mention. "Time enough for a few consultative meetings."
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 9:54 pm
Seth glared at Nadja as if she had just insulted him, which in his mind...she probably had. She was telling him things that he already knew and seemed to be insinuating that he'd had no involvement in this clone's development at all. Which couldn't be farther from the truth.
"I'm well aware of how it has been behaving. Before you even arrived here, that damn thing "thrashed" my entire team unexpectedly and sent us all in for a visit to the infirmary. So you could say I have had interaction with it, even if in futility."
Seth's cool blue gaze was now alight with anger, or at least as much as it could be considering his condition. The man leaning forward as if to emphasize his words.
"I would have thought by now that some sort of solution would have been reached. Allen and his team of imbeciles are dragging their feet and have yet to have anything to show for it!"
The elite snorted and sat back in his chair with a wince, snatching his coffee and downing the rest of it quickly.
"Telling me that it will still be a few weeks doesn't change my opinion."
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:53 pm
Much like she had done in their first meeting, Nadja chose to wait Seth out, listening while she studied him from half-lidded eyes. Her mouth quirked to the side as the tirade went on. When the brunette leaned forward she raised her coffee cup and had a sip, watching him over the rim.
"I'm familiar with the reports and your involvement, if you think I'm implying otherwise," the elite replied, continuing on in her murmury tones. "There is potential progress - and you're required for it to proceed."
"As for the few weeks, that has more to do with a complete overhaul of the department and revised security measures. We could start this tomorrow if obfuscating stupidity wasn't running rampant. I see why you had your doubts about my transfer," she added in a mutter.
Nadja finished her coffee and let the empty cup dangle from her fingers, a faint smile hovering around her lips.
"In the meantime, you can get your stitches out."
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:01 am
Since Nadja had the decency to wait him out, Seth was silent as he listened to her. Albeit he was staring with a rather cross expression.
That is until she mentioned an overhaul of the department, which drew a raised brow. That seemed to cause his hackles to lower and he relaxed a bit.
He huffed indignantly at the mention of his stitches. All damn 21 of them and he was reminded every time he moved. The day he got them out was one he was looking forward to.
"Fine." He relented, his tone still laced with irritation. The reason of which was voiced soon after. "You are infuriatingly reasonable."
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:21 pm
The redhead smiled wittingly as she rose from her seat and gestured with her free hand at Seth's empty cup. "Refill?" she offered.
Whether he accepted the offer or not, Nadja headed to the counter for one of her own, visibly more relaxed than when she had come in. While she waited, the woman brushed a lock of hair back into place.
Apparently it was very good coffee.
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:46 pm
His eyes followed her as she got up, but her question drew a simple nod. Seth then watched as she made her way to the counter, monitoring her closely as his hand moved to his side. Brows furrowed slightly as pain throbbed through his abdomen.
The little outburst had been a bit aggravating to his injury, and he gritted his teeth in annoyance. Once she started coming back his hand would go back to where it was, but his unusual silence would continue.
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:13 pm
Nadja exchanged a few words with the grunt on barista duty as he slid the cups over the counter.
"They must have you on strong painkillers," the woman commented as she returned, first drawing close to Seth's side of the table to set his drink down before returning to her seat. It was a latte, brimming with foam - same again. Either she was observant or the staff made a habit of keeping elites' orders in memory. Maybe both.
"So." The redhead paused to sip her drink, eyes closing briefly and brows lifting at the taste. "Who's overseeing the department in your absence?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:42 pm
Seth was starting to think maybe black coffee would have been better as she set the cup down in front of him. He didn't say anything, merely stared at the cup intently for a few moments. After a few moments though, he reached for it and took a sip then set it back down with a grunt.
His gaze snapped up towards her once more. "Hayes." To an extent anyway. Some stuff would just have to wait for his return. "He's the least likely to screw something up while I'm gone."
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