afternoon business [cowt11 | week 02 | m2]

[hannyakoma]

Prompt: Morte nel pomeriggio

Word count: 805
Rating: sfw
Fandom: Originale
Note: //

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Catherine stared ahead from behind her desk, right at the three other people in her office. A Handler, an Enforcer in training and her Consul.

“So, you’re telling me that, despite the previous warnings and the tips your Handler gave you, you managed to almost make the organization exposed to our… ah, rivals?” Catherine’s sweet voice sounded calm, calculated, as she smiled at the two men before her. “It’s not exactly ideal, you know? For yourself and for us all.”

Both the Enforcer and Handler shivered softly, one gulping soundly and keeping his mouth shut. The other one was not as smart, apparently.

“Ma’am, with all due respect- there was incomplete information on the situation at hand! It was… It was a ride-or-die situation that needed quick thinking and-”

The young woman felt her hands twitch at that poor cover up story. Incomplete information, he said. Should that have been the case (and it was not), he still chose to thoughtlessly act despite the risks.

Hadn’t it been for the Cleaners, such a mistake could have really compromised their organization, which also meant huge losses -- human, money, prestige. Credibility, most of all.

That was less than acceptable.

Still, Catherine kept her pleasant and warm smile on her lips. She gestured at the Enforcer, the palm of her hand held upwards.

“We’ll get an investigation started right away. If your claims are proven right, then it means you’ve helped in the betterment of the organization and will be rewarded in kind. While we do that, please be around.”

The man tried to poorly cover up his sense of relief and the pride in being praised, by one of the bosses no less.

Both he and his Handler nodded, bowed to the high ranking Officer and hurriedly left the room. The silent Consul followed them with soft eyes, silently.

After the door closed and the steps in the corridor had grown faint, the quiet atmosphere dropped, suddenly changed into something more real.

Catherine sighed annoyedly, both hands going up to her temples to soothe the beginning of a headache and her head leaning on the backrest. “They’re so useless, aren’t they?”

“They are. Any newbie that comes into the organization through external recommendation usually is.” the Consul convened, almost happily. “I still wonder why the boss still listens to those pigs, but well. Politics. Anyway, remind me, darling-”

“Kat, please, can you not-”

“Who said that they could still be useful?”

Catherine snorted, sending a glare in the other woman’s direction. That was met with a satisfied grin, like the cat who ate the mouse. Such an expression… “Could you please stop doing that, even if you’re right?”

The Consul chuckled, moving from her spot against the wall and stepping closer to the desk. “I mean, I totally could, but where would be the fun in that?” she questioned, sitting on a free spot besides the papers and documents on the wooden surface. Her first words were full of sarcasm, a strong contrast with the honest and serious front she put up right after. “Cat, you have a great heart and perfect leadership skills, but that part of you that wants to see ‘the best’ of others puts you at risk. I respect you, but sometimes you worry me.”

Silence stretched for a long moment before the Officer talked again. “That’s why I have Milos and you, am I wrong?”

That comment was met with an eye-roll coming from the Consul, a smile coming up despite the focus on stopping it from doing so. Only half the annoyance shown was real.

A dismissing gesture chased the topic away. “Anyhow, I’m taking the matter in my hands. The two of them are out of the games.”

“Ah, sure. Have you already contacted Adwin?”

“Of course I have. Since those two have set foot into the building. You weren’t expecting them to also make it out alive, I hope.”

No, Catherine wasn’t so naive. She forgot that sentiment in such cases after the first time her partner dealt with such a problem. Also, Milos had made sure to knock the too-kind hearted aspect of her out of her system already.

The Officer stood up, walking around the desk and joining the Consul on her way to the door.

“Anyway, are you joining us for dinner? We’re having curry.”

Catherine considered the offer. It was still early in the afternoon and she had quite a lot of time to finish off her bureaucratic work. “Possibly I will. Thank you, Katherine.”

The two women smiled together and parted ways.

 

Catherine was kind of looking forward to finishing reading and sorting out the documents on her desk early, to join both Milos and Katherine that night.