Dolphin Hall, D-1, 4th Floor, Oxford, England; first Sunday afternoon, Michaelmas Term
After her trip to visit Vegas, and a quick trip back to L.A. to say good-bye and thanks to Zero and Peter, and get her stuff back, Parker was ensconced in her room, with Nourhane, Elizabeth, and Stella back in theirs. Six months after she left, and it was like nothing had changed. Elizabeth had an internship with the RSC, Stella was working at Sotheby's, Nourhane was working on Chunnel upgrades and planning her wedding for holiday break.... but really. It was all the same.
"I just don't understand why you didn't contact me, sweetheart."
Parker had stood in front of her father in his office at the Centre, hands folded demurely, expression serene. "It was a test, Daddy."
"Test for who?" he rapped out, glowering at her.
"Me. I passed, too." She gave him an utterly confident, calm smile. "If I'm going to move into the space you want me to, I have to know I can disappear and not be found. Conduct business in a way that our competitors can't trace. My movements can't be transparent by every other Cleaner and Sweeper out there. I know I don't have the training yet, but I needed to know that I could handle it." She opened one hand to him, the evidence obvious. "And I have. Four months. And none of the Centre's operatives got close." She gave him a sober look. "I'm sorry you were worried. But I couldn't be sure I should come back here until I knew I could make you proud of me."
He leaned back, and slowly stroked his mustache. "A few people wondered if you had snapped. If events in China had taken too much out of you." He gave her a fond, proud smile. "But they don't know my angel at all, do they?"
"No, sir." Parker smiled and stepped forward to plant a light kiss on his cheek. "Send me the schedule for Cleaner training in London. I'll arrange my classes around the times needed."
"That's my girl." Daddy beamed at her, then leaned forward to growl. "Don't ever, ever do that again." He shook his head. "I was worried about you, sweetheart. We can't have you going off the reservation like that! People won't understand. If you have to do it again? Report to me first. I want to know everything."
Parker smiled at him, gently. Trustworthy. Loyally. "Of course, Daddy."
Back to the grind. Her final year: two major papers due before Christmas, orals in March, then the final submittals in June. Fifteen hours of Cleaner training a week at the same time: computer espionage, forensic accounting, evidence destruction, document falsification, witness handling.
And in seven months, she'd need to have her plan to take down the Centre complete.
She e-mailed Jarod, one line: I have a plan to end things. Visit me when you can.
[ooc: mostly establishy, but open for phone calls, e-mails.]
"I just don't understand why you didn't contact me, sweetheart."
Parker had stood in front of her father in his office at the Centre, hands folded demurely, expression serene. "It was a test, Daddy."
"Test for who?" he rapped out, glowering at her.
"Me. I passed, too." She gave him an utterly confident, calm smile. "If I'm going to move into the space you want me to, I have to know I can disappear and not be found. Conduct business in a way that our competitors can't trace. My movements can't be transparent by every other Cleaner and Sweeper out there. I know I don't have the training yet, but I needed to know that I could handle it." She opened one hand to him, the evidence obvious. "And I have. Four months. And none of the Centre's operatives got close." She gave him a sober look. "I'm sorry you were worried. But I couldn't be sure I should come back here until I knew I could make you proud of me."
He leaned back, and slowly stroked his mustache. "A few people wondered if you had snapped. If events in China had taken too much out of you." He gave her a fond, proud smile. "But they don't know my angel at all, do they?"
"No, sir." Parker smiled and stepped forward to plant a light kiss on his cheek. "Send me the schedule for Cleaner training in London. I'll arrange my classes around the times needed."
"That's my girl." Daddy beamed at her, then leaned forward to growl. "Don't ever, ever do that again." He shook his head. "I was worried about you, sweetheart. We can't have you going off the reservation like that! People won't understand. If you have to do it again? Report to me first. I want to know everything."
Parker smiled at him, gently. Trustworthy. Loyally. "Of course, Daddy."
Back to the grind. Her final year: two major papers due before Christmas, orals in March, then the final submittals in June. Fifteen hours of Cleaner training a week at the same time: computer espionage, forensic accounting, evidence destruction, document falsification, witness handling.
And in seven months, she'd need to have her plan to take down the Centre complete.
She e-mailed Jarod, one line: I have a plan to end things. Visit me when you can.
[ooc: mostly establishy, but open for phone calls, e-mails.]