[SOLO] APA

[Huni Pi]

It isn't too long after her exam that Ruth begins the notification to her Superiors. As the monitor blinks to life, the blonde's eyes travel to the calendar, recognition flickering at the date indicating that it's time. She keeps her face impassive out of habit, even if there was no one in the dorm room with her to see.

Her fingers dance across the keyboard with light clacks as she begins the first draft, unrestrained and uncensored, allowing the moment to guide her thoughts and words. She doesn't take too long to come to the end but she doesn't read through it, not yet.

Instead, she rises from her seat and beings to pack her things. She doesn't take too long to finish. She didn't have that much to begin with. Her personal effects consist of clothing, school supplies, and school texts, no trinkets nor photos nor anything of the like. Nothing that spoke of a personality or gave a hint of the owner.

Just as she was taught.

Be your residence temporary or permanent, leave no trace nor mark, she obeys her Superior's words an auto-pilot, folding and adjusting until the drawers are empty. The latch to her suitcase snaps shut, the sound echoes against the bare, sterile-white walls a little too loudly in her ears. Again, Ruth shows no emotion, no hint of the discomfort she's feeling at the way her dorm room looks.

She returns to the computer to revise the draft, deleting unnecessary words and sentiments, stripping any sense of emotional investment, until all that remains is as bare and devoid of identity as her room. Per her Superiors' standards.

Requesting permission to return.

And after she sends it, she begins to rearrange her room, again and again as she waits for a response.

The monitor flickers intermittently, alerting Ruth to the received message. A click opens and displays the response from her Superiors. It reads like a form letter, as all their correspondences do, but such is their ways and it's worked for so long, why bother with a structure upheaval? Unseen blue eyes jump to the portions that are pertinent: name, date of departure and arrival, location of transportation, and of course confirmation that she has permission to return to Headquarters.  

[Huni Pi]

The train ride home is uneventful, which disappoints Ruth, which in turn worries her. It suggests to the reaper that her time in Amityville has had more of an impact on her than she initially thought. This is a troubling revelation for a paranoia agent, even for a fledgeling destined to be the the bottom rung of the hierarchy ladder. To be so easily manipulated into having expectations speaks poorly of her resolve and will.

Expect the unexpected, after all. But maybe it's because she's expecting an attack, a kidnapping, some sort of hullabaloo that the sheer lack of events on the ride home makes it the unexpected. She's still rationalizing herself in circles as she alights from the train. Her training kicks in and she scans the platform for other creeple and finds she's alone.

No one came to fetch her.

She shouldn't be surprised and she isn't surprised. She doesn't mind the long walk home. Her luggage isn't heavy and it's a good opportunity to show that she kept up with the regiment as well as learned a thing or two of her own.

It isn't long until a trashbot is seen toddling towards Headquarters, carrying a suitcase while beeping intermittently. Ruth herself is nowhere to be found, but that can easily be explained by the numerous secret tunnels and entrances laid out in the environment. The B family servants and minipet guardians will take care of Ruth's belongings and the trashbot, which was doggedly bumping and crashing into the door with no sign of stopping.  

[Huni Pi]

Elsewhere...

"A unique distraction," Superior says, bringing out a clipboard and jotting her findings down.

"It confirms one of her claims at least," other Superior nods as he refrains from showing approval.

"Yes, but is it in line with the persona she's adopted?"

"She decently upholds Expect the Unexpected."

"Yes, but to what extent is it still unexpected? It's near impossible for someone of her age and experience to properly maintain true randomness. She hasn't been trained enough to resist unconsciously searching and establishing patterns."

"If that is the case, what new persona is she to adopt?"

There is the rumble of a filing cabinet drawer being opened and the rustling of folders.

"Are you truly suggesting that? For our daughter?" the amused snort is barely suppressed.

"Why not?" A brow is quirked but apart from that, the remaining features are blank.

"It's counter intuitive to the end-goal."

"She can still rise above her rank, the potential is still there even if she settled for that subpar weapon form."

"Alright, I shall defer to your judgment."

"You'll see I'm right. And so will she."  

[Huni Pi]

When Ruth is finally summoned to her Superiors' study, she is actually nervous. She doesn't show it of course, because it is simply not done but she still feels it all the same. She pushes is down, deep, deep, deep down to the point where she can convince herself she isn't nervous at all. Ruth knows she'll need every ounce of courage and confidence she can muster when facing her parents.