[Open] Watershed

[pace_tua]

Hotels were always strange for Peace. There was, of course, work to be done. Expectations as a member of the Illuminati to be maintained (do order room service, do not order pizza), while she waited for her assignment to come trickling down. Miklos was busy, had been busy for a while, and while Peace was generally glad to not have to shove her hands into someone’s body, relive their memories, it was easy to get bored. Who knew where Anna and Calen had gotten off to? Since their break up, it was awkward to deal with either one of them. In fact, she hadn't even seen Anna, having been told to go to Agartha first and take the nearest portal to their targeted city.

God-in-Heaven, was she ever bored.

She spun around in the chair, clutching her knees to her chest and letting the centrifugal force move her ever-faster, one foot on the floor, kicking the carpet. It was nice to let her deep blue hair just fly around her head sometimes, instead of pinned up into a fancy side bun. She watched hours of mindless TV, then shut it off when the commercials started to hurt her eyes. Peace slept, off and on, unsure of how to handle this free time without Sir Pugsley barking to be let out for a potty break, or lick her nose for attention, or curl up in the curve of her legs as she slept and let out a little puggle sigh of content.

Really, if she had to admit it, Peace was kind of jealous of her dog’s ability to just be. No responsibilities (but, then, she had so few), nothing like the End of Days to worry about. No swallowing a bee. It must’ve been great to be a dog.

As she dozed off, she heard a click at the door as the magnetized lock came undone and immediately rolled off the bed and under it, glad for the thinness of her body, how easily she fit. Maybe now she wouldn’t have to be so bored. Her breathing stilled and she waited to see who it was that had decided to come breaking into her room with no announcement.

This probably would work out better for her, she thought in hindsight, if she'd been dressed properly in clothes and not sleeping shorts and a t-shirt.

Comments

[psycelliums]

He had a duffel bag in one hand and his room key in the other, expecting nothing out of the ordinary as he entered the room. It was just another mission as far as he was concerned and he assumed if anyone else had arrived beforehand they had already been briefed on the fact they were not alone.

Reiner glanced around a moment before he dropped the bag, letting the door shut behind him. He might have been more wary but he didn't see a reason considering there should be no one but fellow agents there.

[pace_tua]

Peace was very still, but it wasn't like she was completely defenseless. She twisted her fingers into the carpet, let the magic reach out and grab the intruder's feet, changed the trajectory of the path (because what good was being a melee fighter if one could not ensure near-impenetrable safety?) and tugged Reiner's left boot behind his right by only a few centimeters. Enough to trip him and give her the time to launch a proper attack.

[psycelliums]

In his surprise he only had time for one expletive as he tripped, catching himself by reaching out and grabbing a hold of the wall. He looked down at the carpet at once, unsure of what his boot had caught on that had caused him to trip, ultimately distracting him just as she'd hoped.

[pace_tua]

Peace rolled out from beneath the bed and used the bed to launch herself at the intruder, one arm drawn back to punch the man in the face.

For several long moments it did not occur to her that she was more or less underdressed for this encounter. It especially did not occur to Peace when her fist connected with his face.

[psycelliums]

The last thing he had ever expected was a small, mostly-undressed girl appearing to hit him. The blow was enough to stun him, at least, giving her time to get past if that was her objective.

Of course, hitting him bare-handed was at least enough to pass along his native tongue as well as quick flashes of memories that would likely be difficult to make sense of given their brief contact. She would recognize the inside of the Labyrinth's morgue where it appeared, at least.

[pace_tua]

Peace snatched her phone off the TV stand as she passed - her brain filling with images she just didn't understand and would sort out later. Head spinning, she nearly yanked the door off its hinges and sped out into the hallway, then down into the stairwell.

By Peace's calculations, she had about three minutes to get out of the hotel and to a safer place. But first.

Her fingers dialed the number by memory, rather than scrolling through the contact list and the phone began to ring.

When the person on the other side picked up, Turn-From-Evil-and-Do-Good-Seek-Peace-and-Pursue-It Gregory, Illuminati Agent and Actual Adult,shouted into the phone, "WER IST IN MEINEM ZIMMER?!

[psycelliums]

It took Miklos a few seconds to parse the German that exploded from the phone but even then he was silent just a bit longer.

"I see you've made contact with your roommate," he said, stating the obvious. "What's happened?" He actually sounded somewhat curious and perhaps.. amused? It was different from his usual neutral tone either way.

He liked it when plans came together.

[pace_tua]

"Das ist voll nervig!" she shouted into the phone. Not only could she not understand what she was thinking - and so words came out of their own volition, matching the heated anger in her voice. "Ich bin einfach abgedreht!"

Then a hiccup and what might have been a sob. "Ich habe keine Hose..."

[psycelliums]

"... I'm sorry?"

He didn't really sound sorry. At all. But no one could ever say the attempt wasn't made.

"You do realise this isn't the first time you've shared space with another agent, don't you?"

[pace_tua]

"Ich verstehe Sie nicht," came a terse, unhappy reply. "Du hasst mich. Du hasst mich wirklich, nicht wahr?"

[psycelliums]

"We've been through this before. No, I don't hate you. How is having an extra hand on your assignment a sign of hatred? If you're referring once again to the matter of the bucket I will remind you yet again that that was not my doing."

[pace_tua]

"Ich verstehe Sie nicht," she said again, even unhappier. The lights in the stairwell flickered dangerously and her phone made a distinctly whiny noise.

"Du hasst mich." Clearly this was the work of a handler that wasn't handling her properly. Then again, considering how strange he'd been acting towards her lately, maybe he was just tired of dealing with the medium and wanted out of his contract by making Peace break it on purpose. "Ich hasse diesen so sehr."

[psycelliums]

Once again there was a bit of extended silence on his end of the line, perhaps to ensure she was done. He knew how she could be when she was simultaneously upset and speaking in tongues.

"I do not hate you," he said again, more firmly. "I don't understand why you continue to insist on that but you are mistaken. You called me so clearly you want me to do something about it. Before you even consider it -- no, I can't reassign you or cancel. So what else would you like me to do about it? Or am I just here for you to vent in the general direction of until you're satisfied?"

[pace_tua]

Peace checked her phone. It had been all of twelve minutes. She couldn't order her thoughts in English, she was vaguely certain Miklos was telling her he couldn't do anything.

And maybe that he didn't hate her (which was clearly nothing to do with the bucket and everything to do with the fact he'd said nothing to her about expecting a partner). But the jury was still out on that. "Ich weiß nicht, was zu tun ist."

A beat as the phone again whined, slightly shrieky with a throbbing undertone. "Wer ist das?"

[psycelliums]

"You do similar work, though in very different ways. Thus, you make for a useful combination," Miklos began, though he fell silent as he could hear the voice calling down to her from the hall.

"What the fuck was that? Took me a minute to figure out that what just happened had actually happened and now I'd love an explanation. Still going to be pissed off but at least I'll have that much.." By now Reiner's face bore a visible mark where she'd struck him that he knew was likely to hang around for a few hours until it healed fully. The sting would drop out of it much sooner but breaking up a bruise was still a more time consuming process even with the accelerated healing offered by the bees. At least it was only hours and not days. He had things to do.

Miklos hadn't hung up on her, at least, but he didn't offer any further explanation either. Ultimately she was a big girl and he trusted she was capable of sorting out her own mess.

Even if he'd technically made the mess via omission.

[pace_tua]

"Sie sind unhöflich. Und nicht zu klopfen." Peace said simply. "Auch ich bin der Hoffnung, die Sie verstehen können. Sie sollten, seit ich dich geschlagen und diese begann mit mir geschah."

A pause, "Miklos, hilf mir."

[psycelliums]

Reiner stared at her as she spoke, folding his arms. He decided then that he no longer felt guilty for having a general preference for working with dead things. ".. Yeah, I can understand you. And I had a key. Why would I knock?" He muttered something under his breath she wouldn't understand given her inability to do more than speak the language. By his tone though it sounded unpleasant.

"You still haven't specified what you expect me to do exactly." Miklos said once he had a lull in which to speak. "You do not want me to attempt to mediate this situation."

[pace_tua]

"Aber ich weiß nicht, wer er ist," Peace huffed, exasperated. "Und Sie hat nicht gesagt, ich sollte hier jemand mit mir rechnen!"

She stomped her bare foot against the cold, slightly sticky stairwell and refused to let her lips quiver, though they did anyway.

[psycelliums]

Reiner raised a brow as he watched her while she continued complaining into the phone. "He could tell you who he is, but by all means keep that up," he said dryly, debating on simply leaving her there and heading back to the room. He wasn't obligated to talk her down, he just had to be civil until they were finished.

Miklos let out a short sigh and then responded. "... Which we have established, yes. I will forward you the pertinent information, if it pleases you. Otherwise I trust you will hold this against me for the next several weeks as well."

[pace_tua]

She wasn't sure who she was angrier with - Miklos for conveniently forgetting pertinent information, or the man before her who she could hardly understand, but apparently had no qualms understanding her.

Maybe what it was - and she was certainly starting to sense a trend - was that all European men were collossal dildoes. "Ja."

Whether it was in reply to Miklos's promise of further information, or the fact that she'd be salty for weeks wasn't clear.

[psycelliums]

Her phone alerted her to having received a new message even though she'd only just replied. Miklos was willing to make good on his offer either way.

"Settle down now, yes? Find your pants. Relax," he said.

Reiner, meanwhile, had made the choice to leave. Eventually she'd either have to follow or go home in what she was wearing.

[pace_tua]

"Meine Faust tut weh," she mumbled as she started back to the hotel room. "Ich habe nicht erwartet, meine "andere Personen im Raum 'Nachtwäsche müssen. Und ich schlug ihm."

She did sound a little abashed at that and tried to make her shorts a little longer.

[psycelliums]

"It's good to know you're on your guard. As you should be. And I would bet he is hurting worse than your fist.."

[pace_tua]

Peace huffed and checked her phone again. 20 minutes down, 40 to go. "Ich will nicht, Deutsch zu sprechen," she complained quietly. "Ich klinge wie ich in einem Hustenbonbon Handels gehören."

[psycelliums]

"You know it's not permanent. Give it time and then you can yell at him all you like in your native tongue.."

[pace_tua]

Peace sighed at Miklos, "Nun, in Ordnung."

She rubbed her face as she stalked back to the hotel room. "Ich werde mehr in 30 Minuten zu schreien."

[psycelliums]

"... Why? Is that necessary?"

[pace_tua]

"Ich fühle mich besser, in meiner Muttersprache schreien," she replied. "Ich rufe dich an, nachdem ich fertig bin mit ihm zu reden."

She stopped at the still-opened hotel room door and looked inside cautiously, "Yoo-hoo."

[psycelliums]

"Alright," Miklos said evenly before he let her go and returned to whatever he'd been doing.

Reiner had moved to his side of the room to settle in. He didn't unpack his bags considering they wouldn't be staying forever and it helped keep everything in order. He was seated on his bed, leaning against the headboard as he idly played around with something on his phone. He didn't bother looking up when she called for him.

"I'm in here. So no more hitting, ja?"

[pace_tua]

"Keine Versprechen," came Peace's terse reply. She didn't like sharing space with people she didn't know. And didn't make much of a show when she dove into bed. It was important to hide the scars on the backs of her legs, at least to her.

There were times where looking like a waif helped her, but now wasn't one of them. Her stuff was already put away, after all, and she had made a pile of pillows and the soft white comforter her protective fortress. Safe from prying German eyes, Peace scrolled through the message that Miklos had sent her, trying to parse it out.

[psycelliums]

The report was laid out as usual, beginning with his personal information.

His name is Reiner König, born and raised in Berlin. His parents [redacted] are heavily involved in pharmaceuticals and invest in companies all over the world. They are rumoured to have age old ties to the Templars.

He hadn't left all that long ago but his devotion to the Eye in the time he's been us them raises no questions of loyalty.

Reiner glanced over in her direction. "Do you fault everyone that follows orders?

[pace_tua]

"Nein," Peace mumbled from inside of Ft Kickass her blanket nest. She checked her time again. "Aber das wird einfacher, in 30 Minuten zu sein, wenn ich weiß, was ich sage."

[psycelliums]

"Thirty minutes? Then we wait.." He propped his head up again on one arm, toying with his phone again.

"Dreißig Minuten und nicht mehr umständlich kreischend mit amerikanischem Akzent.." he muttered half under his breath.

[pace_tua]

Essen Sie meinen ganzen Arsch, she thought bitterly and then aloud said, "Ich kann nicht verstehen, was ich sage."

Thirty minutes passed faster than she would have liked, flipping through the rest of the text and playing a game. Which lasted all of five minutes before she dozed off for the next twenty-five.

[psycelliums]

That was perfectly acceptable. Once he had grown bored of whatever app had entertained him previously he got up, setting his bag down on the bed and rummaging through it. It was half-taking an inventory and half-looking for a suitable change of clothes. It wasn't like making the trip was anything like conventional travel but he simply had a weird quirk about trying to relax in clothing that he'd worn in the midst of extra-dimensional travel. Or whatever they wanted to call it.

A few things in hand, he headed for the bathroom. A shower might do nicely to help him settle down after his unpleasant welcome (see: not likely. but it was a nice thought). She would inevitably wake up at some point and have more words, presumably in her own language. Which was just thrilling to consider. He could only picture some sort of a tiny, angry dog. Like a chihuahua.

[pace_tua]

Peace slept for a while and then woke, sitting up in her nest of thick hotel comforters blearily about an hour later. She grumbled to herself, then fell forward into the space between her bent legs and stayed there.

Immortality was great, but it didn't make one less impervious to the horrible sleep-death that came with too-long naps. "Mmph."

[psycelliums]

Reiner had taken his time but had still managed to finish before she'd woken up again. Which didn't surprise him as he came out of the bathroom -- which was now hazy with steam and sauna-like since apparently he had nothing against searing hot water -- and headed over to his bed again. His hair was still damp but he was fully dressed, nothing too fancy on account of the fact that he didn't anticipate going anywhere.

He looked over at her and then checked the clock a moment. "Should've set an alarm. Twenty-six minutes."

[pace_tua]

"NASA naps aren't appealing," came Peace's muffled - and thank goodness, in English! - reply. "Didn't actually intend to fall asleep."

She stretched, reaching for the end of the bed, though her fingers fell well short of the mark. "Okay, so now that I can kind of understand you again..." She turned her head - peering at him through a mass of blue-dyed hair. "Miklos didn't tell me you'd be coming, and I'm kinda sorry about punching you. But in my defense, people who just waltz into other people's hotel rooms usually mean bad news, and I was not walking from the anima well to get revenge in my shorts."

Also I kinda saw some things but I can't focus on what they were at the moment.

[psycelliums]

"They are when you're on a time limit, have a quota, and desperate.."

He peered at her and raised a brow, but didn't look for very long. Somehow he got the feeling that wouldn't be well-received even if she was still mostly covered in blankets.

"I didn't waltz in. I had a key. I'm also guessing you're more the 'hit first, ask questions later' type?" It was kind of a big thing to leave out accidentally. "If so, you should ask your friend there to just tell you when to hit someone because I'm sure it would have been a lot less traumatic.."

[pace_tua]

"I am the 'defend self, then ask handler what just happened type',so yeah, kinda."

Peace shook her head and her spine made several pleasing popping noises while she continued to reach for the end of the bed. "Miklos gave me your file, but I don't know why he didn't say anything. He's really on top of telling me to expect someone. He doesn't like it when he has to do up additional paperwork."

[psycelliums]

"I'm sure. I doubt it was an accident. More.. passive-aggressive. Though I don't see the point. Who really suffers here?"

[pace_tua]

"Did you call him an angry Scandinavian Viking lately?" she asked rolling to her side to look at him. For a very brief moment, the ugly, angry-looking scars on her thighs could be seen, but vanished under a thick coverlet the very next. "Ooh, or a robot. He hates that. I mean, he basically is and just needs to accept the truth of it in his life, but he hates it."

[psycelliums]

"No. Well. Not to his face, anyway. Robot. Not the Viking bit. It's less obvious when you're not-.." He paused to consider his words. "Tall blondes are not that uncommon in my country. So the Viking bit is lost on me."

He was curious about the scars but it was one of those things that common sense suggested he maybe didn't want to bring up. It was debatable if it was the battle scar sort of thing. In his experience it was in too specific a place to fall under that category.

[pace_tua]

"Then I dunno. He spies on texts too, at least according to what he says sometimes about mine." Peace shrugged. "But he's been less friendly with me lately, and I'm not sure why that is."

Peace frowned. If she could touch him, the answer would be hers in seconds, but he'd been even less affable than usual and (she hated to admit it) it stung a bit. Maybe he was unhappy with her performance lately, and so this had happened.

Who knew?

[psycelliums]

"You could ask, couldn't you? Or is that not allowed?" Reiner made a face. "I'm only asking because it affects me. Like I've said, I like to know what I'm dealing with and you hit me, so I think the bit of information is fair, don't you?

[pace_tua]

"He doesn't like to explain himself," Peace replied with a shrug. "I mean, I could ask, but that doesn't mean he'll really say anything about it."

As it was, he was barely willing to tell her why he didn't mention a mission partner in the briefing. Peace's eyes started to grow heavier as she laid there. "I like Miklos, but he's kinda ridiculous about stuff like that."

[psycelliums]

"Right. Aloof type. Got it. Anyway.. let's change the subject, yeah? Neither of us is very happy with, Mr. Roboto right now so whatever. What exactly is it you do? Gives me a better idea what we're in for here. How we can make this go more efficiently.."

[pace_tua]

"Ah, let's see..." Peace sat up, and with the blankets pulled around her, she looked an awful lot like a scoop of ice cream. "I'm a retrocognative psychic medium, I guess? Object reading, is what I guess you could call it at its basic point. Whatever I touch I kind of see in seconds. It lasts a lot longer for me, though."

Unless she was terrified. "A side-effect of that is that I can't touch people, at all, ever."