When Leddy finished working through the situation in his head, and then out loud, Carrow smiled...and that was a rare sight indeed on the usually-dour company man's face. It was like they'd passed a test of sorts, and while he was sure there would be real ones coming, but he'd gotten a foot in the door and a place for his people to stay. It was a start that would have to do for now.
"Glad we're in agreement...and it goes without saying that those two can stay in the dark about the whole 'toss you off a building' deal. The Marine has a history of service, but he's still in his twenties, and the kid's a kid....no reason to spook them, at least until they settle into this kinda life. They both think it's an exciting new employment opportunity, better to keep it that way." He added as he headed for the door. Most people wouldn't enjoy the idea of keeping secrets from the same people they needed to trust, but Carrow had opsec drilled into his skull and had seen firsthand what happened when people knew they were getting played. They started making noise, and people who made noise tended not to last long.
"We're staying, settle in your shit, get comfortable. No more hotels, this is home-sweet-home for the foreseeable future, which makes us all one big family of sorts. So don't piss off your brothers and sisters." He stated gruffly the moment he was back in the dining room, startling Kasimir and Brooklyn, who had been crowding the door, clearly trying(in vain, of course) to hear whatever was transpiring inside. The Sikh snapped to attention and threw up a quick salute, entirely out of habit, while the girl gave a hop and a barely audible squeak. These two... the Agent thought.
-------------------------------------------
Kasimir was unperturbed by this whole series of events....it was almost nostalgic, really. Just a new bunk on a new base, that was all. The mission remained the same, protect the innocents and try not to die doing it. He slung his camo duffel bag over his shoulder and headed for the stairs, choosing to bed down in the first room at the top. It was the closest to the exits, and it put his light-sleeping self between Brooklyn and anything that might go bump in the night.
The room was spare, a bit musty, but still a hell of a lot better than a jail cell. It would serve. He tossed his bag down at the foot of the bed and unloaded his few scant possessions, sum total of which was a well-beaten pillow, some bedding, a heavy-duty alarm clock, already set, his medal display, containing two purple hearts, a silver star, and a handful of service ribbons, and a tiny, unadorned copper idol of Guru Nanak. And just like that, the room became a sanctuary.
He still had plenty of time left, of course, so he decided to work out the last of the tension the long car ride had left in his shoulders and calves with a workout, testing the door-frame and finding it solid enough to hold his weight, and started his regiment. Thirty pull-ups, thirty push-ups, thirty crunches, a quick prayer while he rested, and repeat until everything hurt. It wasn't just how he kept in shape, it was also hoe he emptied his mind of all impure thoughts, searching for enlightenment in exhaustion. So far, he hadn't found it, but he kept looking anyway.
--------------------------------------------
Brooklyn was ecstatic at this turn of events, having bounced back from all of the fear and tension earlier in the way only the truly young could. Everything was back to being an adventure. She was thousands of miles from home, settling into a new place to live, but this time it was in a house instead of a crappy shared dorm room, and instead of lectures on subjects she had already memorized, she had real, important, challenging work to do. It also meant sharing a very limited, some would say 'intimate' space with her mysterious ex-Marine, which was as thrilling as it was terrifying.
She had to make two trips to get all of her things upstairs, and took the room at the end of the hall, closest to the bathroom. That was a bit of instinct of her own...growing up with several siblings had taught her to hoard hot water and mirror-time jealously, and started making the little space her own. She'd brought everything...a unicorn-patterned curtain to go around her bed, fuzzy blankets and pillows adorned with colorful cartoon and anime characters, and all her favorite stuffed animals to cuddle up with. She assembled everything exactly how she had had it back home, a comfortable 'nest' in which she could lie back, computer in front of her, headphones on, and vanish into cyberspace.
She got back out, intending to check out the facilities when she caught Kasimir at his routine, muscled torso rising and falling in time with ragged breathing, eyes closed, so intensely focused on pushing his body to the absolute limit of human endurance. If her life had been the anime she sometimes wished it was, she'd have burst a capillary in her nose, and it was all she could do not to whistle in appreciation. She'd meant to just watch for a moment, unnoticed, and commit the sight to memory for later...exploration...but just as she was about to turn away, someone stalked up the stairs, quiet as a cat, and locked soft chestnut-and-violet eyes with her own cloudy blues. Eerie. Brooksie turned beet-red and froze like a deer in the headlights, even dumbly raising a hand to wave to the woman, as if that would do something to reduce the tension. thanks
Bookmarks