The STN-J Raven's Flat Offices, then a park. Tokyo, Japan. [Late Friday Morning.]
Dōjima hadn't gone back to work on Wednesday or Thursday after her trip to Disney, instead using the days to get readjusted to the time difference that was Tokyo.
She was also supposed to meet someone during that duration. Someone who had not showed. Or called. Or signaled her in any other way. To say Yurika was...disquieted, as she went into the office today, would be an understatement. Still, her smile was bright and demeanor chipper when she flounced in, arms laden-down with Mouse Ears for everyone.
"Ohaiyo!" she sang, skipping over to plop a hat on Michael's head before twirling about to find her next target. "You missed me, I know, but I come bearing gifts!"
The four glum faces that greeted her, however, stopped her in her tracks.
"Eh, nani?" Dōjima looked between her coworkers, confusion wrinkling her brow. Miho looked as if she'd been sobbing, Michael was still steadfastly looking at his keyboard, Sakaki was, well, scared, and even poor Hattori was wringing his hands more than usual. "Ano, where's Kate-chan? And the Chief? I totally have hats for them, too."
"Maybe if you actually came into the office sometimes, you'd have a clue," Michael snarled, spinning his chair to grab a file off her desk and lob it at her. "Be glad Amon was around to do your job, Hunter."
"That's not fair, Michael," Sakaki exclaimed as Miho turned away. "There's nothing Dōjima-sama could have done about any of this, they didn't send Karasuma-sama or I out either. Are you going to blame us too?"
"What the fuck are you talking about, prisoner?" she shot back at Michael, juggling her load so she could clumsily catch the file, flipping it open.
No. Oh no.
Effective Immediately...Kate...Witch to be eliminated...no contact...abuse of Craft and STN:J resources...target is no longer a Hunter...
...Subject has been reclassified to Witch, and is no longer afforded the protections of the STN:J. Hunter Amon is hereby assigned the case, all other STN:J Hunters are to provide office support, but are not to engage if she is encountered in the field.
And at the very bottom, in red, Amon's handwriting. "Case closed. Subject terminated Tuesday morning, 25 August 2009. Stolen classified material recovered and returned to Administrator Zaizen."
She was going to be sick. File and hats clattered from her fingers, and from a distance, she could hear Miho asking if she was alright.
"Sumimasen," she whispered, turning for the door and leaving her scattered presents on the floor. "I can't be here right now. I'll come in tomorrow instead, okay?"
"Dōjima..."
"No." Her tone was more forceful this time, and Dōjima's lip wibbled slightly as she glanced towards Hattori. "Ikezu sen toitee na. Tell the Chief I'm sorry, okay?"
Out the door, down the hall. Elevator. Back past the gatekeeper, and out to her car. Once she was a few blocks away from the eternal security cameras of the STN:J, the crushed look on her face evaporated, and she hit the steering wheel in frustration. "Kuso!"
She had spent since last October getting into Kate's confidence. First through emails before she had even left Fandom, and then through lunches and breaks at the office, letting the more experienced Hunter act first as a mentor, and then as a friend. She had provided a sympathetic ear to the other woman's fears about her Craft, about the effects the Orbo was having on all of them.
And then with Father Juliano's permission, she had subverted her as an agent. Kate belonged to SOLOMON and Dōjima, not Zaizen.
Witch her ass. This was Zaizen eliminating a loose end that knew too much, and had finally turned to bite the hand on her collar. Kate had been eliminated for stealing those files and nothing more. Certainly nothing that had warranted a fucking death hunt, and not the usual capture and turn-over to the Factory.
Just more evidence for the pile that something was rotten at the STN:J. And when the time came, Dōjima was going to enjoy putting that bastard Zaizen down, and his attack-dog with him. What the hell was wrong with Amon? What kind of asshole agreed to Hunt his own partner like that?
This was her fault. She should have cautioned the other woman to be more careful, to copy the files, not take the whole thing. She was supposed to have Kate and the evidence on a fucking plane to Italy right now; Dōjima's vacation had been the perfect cover to have Kate stay late, to offer to put in some unsupervised overtime to get the work done.
To steal what Dōjima and Father Juliano had ordered her to take. Fucking kuso.
Frustrated beyond all belief, she parked near a local playground and got out to go sit on a bench, cell phone in her hands. It was deserted this time of day, like always, and she'd have to call Father Juliano eventually with the bad news. Somehow, she doubted Zaizen had informed Headquarters that one of his own Hunters had gone Witch quite yet.
Today sucked.
[NFB due to distance! If you think you got a call or want to bug the spygirl, go for it, but she's probably going to liiiiiiiiiiie to you like a sneaky lying thing.]
She was also supposed to meet someone during that duration. Someone who had not showed. Or called. Or signaled her in any other way. To say Yurika was...disquieted, as she went into the office today, would be an understatement. Still, her smile was bright and demeanor chipper when she flounced in, arms laden-down with Mouse Ears for everyone.
"Ohaiyo!" she sang, skipping over to plop a hat on Michael's head before twirling about to find her next target. "You missed me, I know, but I come bearing gifts!"
The four glum faces that greeted her, however, stopped her in her tracks.
"Eh, nani?" Dōjima looked between her coworkers, confusion wrinkling her brow. Miho looked as if she'd been sobbing, Michael was still steadfastly looking at his keyboard, Sakaki was, well, scared, and even poor Hattori was wringing his hands more than usual. "Ano, where's Kate-chan? And the Chief? I totally have hats for them, too."
"Maybe if you actually came into the office sometimes, you'd have a clue," Michael snarled, spinning his chair to grab a file off her desk and lob it at her. "Be glad Amon was around to do your job, Hunter."
"That's not fair, Michael," Sakaki exclaimed as Miho turned away. "There's nothing Dōjima-sama could have done about any of this, they didn't send Karasuma-sama or I out either. Are you going to blame us too?"
"What the fuck are you talking about, prisoner?" she shot back at Michael, juggling her load so she could clumsily catch the file, flipping it open.
No. Oh no.
Effective Immediately...Kate...Witch to be eliminated...no contact...abuse of Craft and STN:J resources...target is no longer a Hunter...
...Subject has been reclassified to Witch, and is no longer afforded the protections of the STN:J. Hunter Amon is hereby assigned the case, all other STN:J Hunters are to provide office support, but are not to engage if she is encountered in the field.
And at the very bottom, in red, Amon's handwriting. "Case closed. Subject terminated Tuesday morning, 25 August 2009. Stolen classified material recovered and returned to Administrator Zaizen."
She was going to be sick. File and hats clattered from her fingers, and from a distance, she could hear Miho asking if she was alright.
"Sumimasen," she whispered, turning for the door and leaving her scattered presents on the floor. "I can't be here right now. I'll come in tomorrow instead, okay?"
"Dōjima..."
"No." Her tone was more forceful this time, and Dōjima's lip wibbled slightly as she glanced towards Hattori. "Ikezu sen toitee na. Tell the Chief I'm sorry, okay?"
Out the door, down the hall. Elevator. Back past the gatekeeper, and out to her car. Once she was a few blocks away from the eternal security cameras of the STN:J, the crushed look on her face evaporated, and she hit the steering wheel in frustration. "Kuso!"
She had spent since last October getting into Kate's confidence. First through emails before she had even left Fandom, and then through lunches and breaks at the office, letting the more experienced Hunter act first as a mentor, and then as a friend. She had provided a sympathetic ear to the other woman's fears about her Craft, about the effects the Orbo was having on all of them.
And then with Father Juliano's permission, she had subverted her as an agent. Kate belonged to SOLOMON and Dōjima, not Zaizen.
Witch her ass. This was Zaizen eliminating a loose end that knew too much, and had finally turned to bite the hand on her collar. Kate had been eliminated for stealing those files and nothing more. Certainly nothing that had warranted a fucking death hunt, and not the usual capture and turn-over to the Factory.
Just more evidence for the pile that something was rotten at the STN:J. And when the time came, Dōjima was going to enjoy putting that bastard Zaizen down, and his attack-dog with him. What the hell was wrong with Amon? What kind of asshole agreed to Hunt his own partner like that?
This was her fault. She should have cautioned the other woman to be more careful, to copy the files, not take the whole thing. She was supposed to have Kate and the evidence on a fucking plane to Italy right now; Dōjima's vacation had been the perfect cover to have Kate stay late, to offer to put in some unsupervised overtime to get the work done.
To steal what Dōjima and Father Juliano had ordered her to take. Fucking kuso.
Frustrated beyond all belief, she parked near a local playground and got out to go sit on a bench, cell phone in her hands. It was deserted this time of day, like always, and she'd have to call Father Juliano eventually with the bad news. Somehow, she doubted Zaizen had informed Headquarters that one of his own Hunters had gone Witch quite yet.
Today sucked.
[NFB due to distance! If you think you got a call or want to bug the spygirl, go for it, but she's probably going to liiiiiiiiiiie to you like a sneaky lying thing.]