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 Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:34 pm
Kunai was the sort who expected punctuality.
She had arranged for one of the newer members of her department to meet with her in her office today. In expecting punctuality, it required the Elite to also be just as punctual. The short girl was in her rather nicely padded rolling chair, with the paperwork already sorted out, the necessary files on her computer screen, and a large strange suitcase tucked away in the corner of the room. The wall of her office had shelves filled to the brim with psychology books, several quite worn from years of studying. Others seemed quite new and crisp still, most likely new purchases for other Rockets to read upon her request.
Now all the Elite needed was for the Grunt Catherine to open the door to her office and enter. Her green eyes were focused on the bottom corner of the monitor of her computer, looking at the small clock set on military time.
It was now 1500 hours. Those eyes of hers expectantly looked to the door.
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:00 pm
No later than the turn of the clock did the office door swing open and the expected grunt enter, smoothly pocketing her Rocket 'dex, likely from watching the seconds on the display tick down to the hour. She announced her name and rank, gave a standard salute, and awaited instruction to sit or otherwise. Formalities. More importantly, Catherine began her fervent survey of the room and its occupant. The office, at its most basic level, was about the same as anyone would expect. The suitcase was a point of intrigue, but she abstained from drawing any early conclusions from it, instead filing it away for later reference. The psychology books would have been deemed some degree of eccentric were Catherine not aware exactly what department Kunai oversaw.
Kunai herself was just as interesting as her office, if not much more so. Again, the grunt reserved judgment based on appearance, opting to first witness her personality before drawing any suppositions. One thing that could be clearly and easily observed, however, was that the elite held herself to at least the same standards as her subordinates. Catherine had known various figures of authority throughout her life to set times for appointments and be busy with paperwork or on the phone or otherwise occupying themselves when the time for that appointment came, and it said a lot about the elite that she was waiting just as much as the grunt had been waiting outside the door. One could also conclude from this that Kunai took her job - or at least her appearances - quite seriously, though that led to some disparity when paired with her physical image...
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:25 pm
The girl behind the desk was marginally impressed by how thorough the girl had been with her entry and introduction. However, it was refreshing when compared to such idiots as 1337. There was no shift in expression upon her face though, maintaining her usual default serious expression. In a crisp tone, she stated "You may be seated, Grunt Catherine."
There was a less luxurious chair in front of her desk, which was clearly meant for any visitors of her office space. Once the taller girl had occupied the seat, Kunai pulled up one of the many files that was opened already on her computer screen.
In a rather impersonal manner, the pink-haired Elite started with a basic prompt. "Tell me about yourself." She folded her hands upon her lap and seated herself upright with proper posture, green eyes seemingly interested in what this girl had to offer.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:30 am
Catherine seated herself, noting as she did the difference in make between the chairs she and her superior occupied and how they left no question as to who between them was the higher rank. Hierarchy had always been very important at the Johto base, and it seemed the same could be said of the Kodo headquarters. That was to be expected, though, and any less would have indicated a far more laid-back demeanor than Kunai appeared to exemplify.
The question struck Catherine as interesting, though she made no outward indication of it. The elite had access to her files, and she indeed suspected the shorter girl had them open on the computer at that very moment. This probably wasn't a genuine desire to get to know her underlings, then. More likely, it was a psychological test to see how Catherine described herself and marketed herself. The grunt chose to skip details on her previous involvement with Team Rocket or her origins or school life; Kunai had all of that information already, and it affected little. What was important was what made Catherine any kind of asset to Team Rocket, her abilities and disposition.
"I am a skilled actress and a keen observer. My most significant drawback on the field is that I tend to think analytically better than creatively. I experience no emotional extremes." Quick, concise, and to the point.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:21 am
Catherine was not the only one analyzing the goings on in the room. The girl had read the purpose of the request quite easily, but even in seeing through the purpose, she still gave plenty of information. Her answer, despite being thorough and straight to the point was also heavily guarded. It was not a bad trait to have in this industry, but it was still something the Elite had to note. She reached out to her keyboard and easily typed in the notes she needed to make. Once her fingers had stopped moving along the keyboard, they soon enough found themselves folded between themselves upon her lap again.
"Do you have any extensive training in self defense or with firearms, Grunt Catherine?" Though it was an important question, it was still asked in the same nearly monotone serious tone as before.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:47 am
For someone with as many psychology manuals as Kunai, Catherine highly doubted the steady typing was to note only the words given in her answer, and she assumed the action to confirm that she was being analyzed as dutifully as she was analyzing. She didn't mind it, of course, but it was interesting to be on the other side for once.
"No, my training in those areas was cursory. The program I underwent focused on pokemon as a primary means of offense and defense." Catherine's tones were similarly flat and matter-of-fact, despite her immense dissatisfaction with what she had said. The Johto branch had assigned her to the acquisition of pokemon more than anything else, so it made sense that they would drive excellence in pokemon training more than individual fighting ability. Rumors from other regions, though, made it amply clear that relying exclusively on pokemon was a fine way to get oneself killed.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:26 pm
Moving her hand to the mouse, she clicked three times upon various boxes and icons on her screen. She offered one word in response. "Noted." It was common practice to use the tools one had at their disposal for their work, so using the Pokemon for the jobs was a logical choice. However, it wasn't exactly the only thing which the Elite liked to see her department rely upon.
"Do you have a preference to self defense or to firearms?" Though Kunai had a preference of her own, she was careful to not allow it to be evident in her own tone as she asked of this girl's preference.
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 6:45 pm
It was refreshing to interact with someone so concise with their words. Catherine was accustomed to being reprimanded or otherwise criticized for her reticence, and though she didn't mind it, it was interesting to observe someone with presumably similar values in conversation.
"No, but I am better suited physically for firearms." Projectile weapons allowed one to strike from a distance, granted some amount of time to analyze and judge the most effective course of action. If it was a matter of preference, however, she had none. Catherine was accustomed to doing no less than what was asked of her at any given time.
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 8:36 pm
A couple more mouse clicks later, the Elite informed the Grunt "You will receive training in both areas." There was no room for argument (though Kunai already suspected that this girl was not the sort to argue back). There were values to be learned through training in both areas. All Rockets eventually found a preference once they learned what they could grasp through both sides.
Having taken care of the formalities, the shorter of the pair moved onto different business. "I have gone over the assessment you took recently about your aptitude for my department, Grunt Catherine." It was an assessment chock full of psychological analysis in varying scenarios. Certainly, there were other aspects to infiltrating, but many of those skills weren't necessarily something she'd test "on paper," nor expect someone coming straight into her department to know.
In a neutral tone, the pink haired Elite asked "How do you think you did?"
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:52 pm
Catherine nodded silently once, substituting any excessive words with the action. Kunai was indeed correct to surmise that she wouldn't have argued either way. The young woman was exceptionally lukewarm on most matters.
In an equally neutral tone, Catherine responded to the question, "Above average." Her classic training in school had been in theatre, but that certainly didn't mean she hadn't been studying surrounding topics on her somewhere in the area of a decade. It had been quite some time since she'd taken a formal assessment, though, and she was unsure whether or not the conciseness of her responses would help or hurt or score, but neither her posture nor expression betrayed any nervousness over the address of the subject.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 5:34 pm
There was nothing boasting about Catherine's response, easily reflecting a previous statement she had made about a lack of emotional extremes. Most people when responding to that sort of prompt would have fell victim to pride and at least bragged ever so slightly about their assumed excellence. Some might have assumed it was the girl just being modest. Kunai was not so easily convinced it had to do with modesty.
"Your prediction is accurate." The elite's tone wasn't celebratory by any means, just another informative statement. The fact of it all was that the marks were in the top 5% of scores on such an assessment. It was something to note on the files, but not something the elite was going to share openly.
Seeming to be done with the computer for now, the short Elite stood herself up then made her way towards the suitcase at the corner of the room. It did not have any sort of wheels on it and seemed comically too large for Kunai to handle on her own. However, Kunai was easily able to handle herself despite her size-issues.
"Grunt Catherine, I would like to see your skills in acting in motion. It will test your ability to think critically as well as creatively." It didn't seem to be an issue to the girl that the Grunt had confessed to a weakness to creativity. A pair of green eyes were focused upon the brunette as her gloved fingers touched the edge of the suitcase. "In this case you will find the necessary tools for a costume. You will have 20 minutes from the time I show you to the restrooms to put on the costume, come up with a persona for said costume and return to my office. It is improv at best, but you will find it to be a necessary skill in the future."
In a quick motion, the pink haired Elite had snapped the handle of the suitcase out and lifted up the large suitcase without hesitation. In the same neutral tone she had taken this entire conversation, she asked "Do I make myself clear, Grunt Catherine?"
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 6:46 pm
Catherine reacted to Kunai's affirmation with equally little pride as had been present in her prediction. The words the elite gave were not praise, and they warranted no such pride. The grunt was pleased to know, though, that her habit of being short with words wasn't being counted against her for once.
She watched and listened avidly with a gaze that was nearly unblinking in the depth of its attention. Interesting. Peculiar that she was not being assigned a character and requested to act as that archetype. She could understand that route, though, given that it was also called a test of creativity. The young woman stood fluidly, her keen attention never falling from her posture. "Understood."
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 8:55 pm
Now that she was lifting an object that was definitely a decent weight with only one arm, the small Elite easily gave the order "Come" the moment she saw the taller Grunt stand up in an obedient manner. Despite the mismatching sizes, the girl was able to still walk with the same dignity she seemed to have when she was unburdened.
Since only one arm was carting about the weight, she used her other hand to push open the door. She didn't bother to close it behind her since she had someone following her who could do just that. Out of her office, she made a crisp 90 degree turn while somehow managing to keep her balance. Eventually they came to a doorway with the common place keycard slot. The pink haired girl reached into a pouch at her side, pulled out her own card, swiped it, and the door clicked open. Her small hand reached out, twisting the knob to open the door, then shoved the case between the door before it could close, easily releasing her hold on the object.
Even with just the crack open, it was easy to see that it was the restroom. It wasn't quite the level of executive restrooms, but it definitely was better maintained than some of the other restrooms in the facility.
"You are to close the door behind you, and when you leave, you will leave the suitcase and your belongings in said suitcase. I will return with you to unlock the door again once this exercise is over." A pair of green eyes looked intently at Catherine, waiting for her to get in to put on the school-girl costume awaiting her in the suitcase. Should the Grunt desire to change up her hairstyle, there were several accessories to assist with such an endeavor, and even a couple wigs if she really felt like changing things up.
It did not seem as if the Elite would be budging until that door was completely shut again.
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