Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aila studied her maps carefully. This corridor was not on it. Not only that, it didn't properly fit into anything she had recorded so far. Where was she?

She advanced at a meandering pace, her eyes glued to the papers in her hands instead of the path in front of her. She had never made such a glaring error in any of her reconnaissance efforts. How had this happened in the first place?

She tilted the maps slightly, inclining her head at a similar angle. She turned them over completely, shifting her head in the opposite direction. She had only to reach the end of the hall and see where she emerged, she decided as she approached a corner, redirecting her footsteps accordingly without ever removing her eyes from her work.

A small cry escaped Aila as she was struck with... whatever she was struck with. She staggered out of the way, tumbling unceremoniously to the ground and landing flat on her bottom with several sheets of paper fluttering around her. She stared up at the offending obstacle, dumbfounded, as she fought to regain the breath that was knocked from her.

...It looked awfully familiar, actually.

Ah, and now it all fell into place. The man from the bank. This was the Seth she had researched so fervently to no avail. How fortuitous that they should meet once more. She lowered her head slightly, turning her gaze upward to meet his.

"I apologize for my negligence," she said. "I trust you are unharmed?" A genuine sentiment. This Seth was of great interest to Aila, after all. She would regret it deeply if she were to be responsible for any injury. She rose from the ground and crouched over the scattered papers. "Would you like me to collect these... sir?" She was not yet accustomed to the idea of ranks and superiors, but her reading indicated that respect was most properly demonstrated through both actions and words.

It was her favorite glass cutter, too. She had despaired to lose it.

"As pleasant as ever," she observed with a faint smile as she gathered the papers, arranging them accordingly where a sequence was apparent. She separated her own maps out of the mess and set them aside - a frown tugged at her expression when she realized she had failed to label the floors and would have to retrace her steps if she wished to return them to their proper order.

"Shall I see to the papers so that you may more effectively transport your machine?" she offered as she finished collecting the many sheets. Anything to keep him in her company, even for a brief while longer. Seth was a source of complete fascination to the girl.

"My apologies, sir," she replied, her smile never leaving her lips. Something about the obscenely tall man put her at ease. Perhaps it was simply because she had met him prior to joining Team Rocket. It certainly wasn't due to his personality, that much was assured.

Aila moved to join him at his side before remembering a certain passage from a text she had read the other day. She dropped back a few steps, a gesture she could only assume from her studies indicated recognition of one's inferiority - or rather, as she interpreted, recognition of others' superiority. Even with complete disregard to rank, it was inarguable that the Seth's prowess in the training and battling of pokemon was far above her own, and if she could, Aila hoped that she could learn from him some day.

The girl proceeded in silence, rifling through any number of topics in an attempt to pinpoint one that would be met with anything less than hostility. It was a difficult process indeed, especially since Aila herself was not generally one for idle conversation. She lowered her gaze thoughtfully.

The silence, Aila presumed, was far less awkward than any forced conversation would have been. She followed quietly yet quickly, the length of her stride requiring two steps to match one of Seth's. She watched him swipe the card, and her eyes lit up when she realized that this was a place she had not been. Not only that, it was a place to which she had no access on her power. She immediately thought back to her maps - they were out of order. She would never find the right floor onto which to amend this discovery. It mattered not, she resolved. She would map it first and find a place for it later.

"Would you object if I recorded this area? ...Sir?" she solicited, still not quite used to adding on the address. It didn't look like a particularly classified sort of place, especially not if Seth had so nonchalantly permitted a trainee to enter, but she felt it only proper to ask.

"Reconnaissance," she replied simply. "I wish to know the place in which I reside. I have documents detailing every area I am able to access. Since this is the first I have seen this place, I would like to record it."

She watched the unfortunate grunt receive the computer and stagger away with it. A realization struck her: this man was her superior, and from the conversations she had overheard, he was fairly high in the chain of command. She began thumbing through the many papers in her arms in an effort to locate the particular map of which she was thinking.

"Also, although I am not certain if it is of concern to you, I noticed in mapping the second floor that there is a relatively large gap in surveillance in the corners of the halls," she informed. Small fingers retrieved the sheet and displayed it on top of the others. Dotted lines formed circles detailing the approximate range of the visible security cameras in the corridor. Aila pointed to the small spaces between the lines, "They may appear inconsequential, but a person of the right stature and speed could easily navigate through these areas virtually undetected."

"They are intangible," she justified. "I prefer to rely on something I have compiled through my own observations."

She flinched slightly as the paper was torn from her hand. She listened carefully to Seth's critique and hummed thoughtfully at the response. In truth, she had not expected anything more.

"Elites begin as trainees, do they not?" she said with a coy smile. "But I shall cede to your better judgment. I apologize for my mistake." She lifted the bulk of the papers slightly to indicate them, "Where would you have me place these?"