Intel [Closed]

The sky spit hot drops of water onto the cool early-spring ground, steam welling from the surface of the campus and beyond as Maisie looked up from the dormitory lobby, peeking out and raising a cupped palm to the sky. She cursed, grabbing an umbrella from the bucket labeled 'Lost-and-found,' shaking it of its dust and taking to her phone. A one-handed text message was produced for a certain Ava Seymour, a simple: "In town? Meet at Cafe." She didn't know what this girl did when she was not snooping around town. She didn't even know the girl's last name until her contact list reminded her.

She opened the umbrella, replaced her phone with a cigarette, and tiptoed around security down the road to town.

The cafe had a thinly-roofed bordering, a trim of the building's topping whose edges sent water in cascades through discharge. The trimming itself was dry to stand under, however, and Maisie dodged the plopping water that slid down the roof to stand by the window, to smoke her cigarette and let its trail get pummeled by raindrops. She'd wait for thirty minutes and see if she'd come. There was nothing she had to do anyway; no classes she was that obligated to go to.

Rivers of water ran down the window, racing each other to the bottom and occasionally joining forces. Chin on her hand, elbow resting on the sill, Ava watched them, preferring to silently root for the ones that remained on their own. Each time, however, they failed. She quickly grew bitter and, with a derisive snort, pushed her chair away from the window and stood, turning her back on the gray weather outside.

Ever since she said goodbye to Ed, she'd been trying to stay on the good side of the people in charge. It was making her antsy, paranoid, and she was losing sleep. So when her phone notified her of a new text message, she almost ignored it. But the screen lit up and her curiosity got the better of her, forcing her to swipe and see that she had received a text from...Maisie? Who was Maisie again? She remembered a blonde girl, one she met in Rosebury who had smoked, but she was young, almost too young.

It was what she was supposed to do. Recruit, bring others to them, convince them to use their gifts for terrible things. Her own gift was only good for this line of work anyway. Before she could talk herself out of it, the redhead had grabbed her coat and keys and left the room, stepping out into the rain and merely pulling her hood up in response.

Almost 30 minutes after she received the text, she could see the cafe ahead of her. The streets of Rosebury were deserted. She could see a small light spot in front of the small coffee shop, the shape of a person, someone who seemed to be ready to leave. With a little skip in her step, she sped up until she reached the sidewalk there. The person was Maisie. Without a word, Ava paused, staring at the blonde for a moment as she considered her next move. She had to put on a cold front once more. It was a welcome relief.

"Kids like you should be in school on days like this."

There was a certain awful chill that came to her when the word 'kid' came to her ears, a wave of anger that caused any good feelings she had to vanish. She watched the hooded girl approach in her last few steps and scowled. "Call me that again," she said with a drag from her cigarette, "And I'll kill you." She said it with an exaggerated need to be tranquil, to be nonchalant and cool. She didn't look at Ava as she said it. "We're one in the same now, remember? You don't start that shit."

She crushed the cigarette under her boot and turned, running a hand through her short hair, brushing fingers down her blonde roots and tracing them to her shoulder. She twirled an end unceremoniously. "Come on, let's catch up, talk about a few things. Like a friendly coffee date, the ones those loser-types do, let's go." She tapped the ground with her closed umbrella, sending droplets to scatter as she brushed past Ava and went into the cafe.

This was the distraction she needed. Ava had forgotten about Maisie's attitude, her way of dealing with people who bothered her or made it seem like the blonde was incapable because she was younger. It was a fire that the older girl had to appreciate. With a slight smile, she followed Maisie into the cafe, glad to get out of the rain and step into a world where she could pretend things hadn’t changed.

She remained silent as she trailed the blonde towards a table, opting to let the younger girl speak first. It had been her who had summoned Ava here and, with the attitude she’d copped when she arrived, it was clear Maisie wanted to take charge. For once, Ava didn’t mind.

Maisie sat down in the booth, scooting over and smoothing her skirt. She put her elbows on the table and leaned her head in, smirking softly. "I don't know if you remember, but you admitted me to your little...club." Club was the word she used as the waitress approached their table. She gave a fleeting glare up at her and tossed her order out, some kind of coffee she always got when she was bored and was passing by. Her eyes stayed on Ava after this, watching her take her order, still resting her head.

Her eyes remained focused on Maisie, watching the girl closely, the smile on her own face growing as she became amused. The way she tiptoed around the name, as though she were afraid to say it anywhere, was mildly humorous to Ava. She had been the same way.

Sparing half a glance for the waitress, she ordered something plain but strong. She hardly slept nowadays anyway. She could use all the help she could get. Once the waitress had stepped away with their orders, the redhead sat back, her foot resting against the base of Maisie's seat as her hand fingered the napkin on the table surface.
"How could I forget?" she asked, her tone implying a thousand different things.

"Well, I suppose I'm unforgettable." She leaned back, pressing her back against the booth and crossing her arms. In a minute they had their drinks, and she said a very uncharacteristic and polite 'thank you.' When the waitress left, she continued. "I just feel that I haven't been too...appreciated. You haven't called me yet. I want to get my hands on a mission or something, surveillance, whatever. I've been bored and itching to fuck this school up." Another smirk, this one drier. "You feel me?" Truthfully, she felt the frustration had some weight. She was a Wright, that had to be valuable.

So that was why Maisie wanted to see her. Ava wasn't surprised. She merely raised her eyebrows as she took a sip of her hot drink, enjoying the warm feeling it gave as she swallowed, despite the flavor being stronger than she had anticipated. A shiver ran down her spine and she couldn't help but pull a face, something that might've been mistaken for her reaction to Maisie's complaint. When the affects had subsided, she nodded, her hand still resting against her cup as she stared into the dark contents.

"I get you, k-- Maisie." She barely managed to correct herself. "But I've been dealing with problems of my own. While you've been up there, tucked away nice and safe at that school run by your uncle, I've been facing some nasty terrible things. I won't get into the gruesome details, but I'm here now. And we do need you. You are a valuable asset to this, ah, club." Ava hadn't looked up as she spoke. Her brown eyes finally flicked upwards. "Now that I've dealt with my personal problems, you're at the top of my list."

Maisie pursed her lips. It was less of a frown and more of a pout; a gesture if displeasure, nonetheless. She tapped the ceramic mug with the nail of her index finger, saying nothing for a while, giving a thoughtful glance to the barren, rainy town beside them. "I don't want to hear about your personal dramas." The bitch probably broke a nail or something. "I just want something to do, someone to talk to. I suppose you wouldn't have that terrorist leader of yours on speed dial, huh?" She gave a sideways smirk, leaning in for a moment. She placed her palm over the steaming mug, gripping its corners with her fingertips.

It was Ava's turn to smirk. She adjusted her position, leaning over the table instead, her ankles crossed and heels resting against the bottom of the booth she sat in, looking at Maisie. She studied the blonde, wondering at just how little she knew about the force. Too bad she hadn't had much of a chance to really explain how things worked to her.

"If anyone has her on speed dial, I have yet to meet them," she chuckled. The older girl had only received her orders from someone else, partly, she was sure, due to sticking around this area rather than going anywhere else. "And what do you think you're going to be able to do? It's a lot harder to work with someone when they're still in school, you know. Besides, you've gotta hold up your end of the deal, too." She took another drink, satisfied to find that the temperature had gone down a bit.

"This was my end of the deal," Maisie said, balling a fist to the table but keeping from slamming it. What did they expect her to do? She was giving herself up as a volunteer, she didn't owe them anything. Calming down, she took a second to inhale. The fist uncoiled and began to tap an unsteady beat on the surface of the table, and after one sip of her coffee, she continued. "I thought it was my being in school that made me so valuable."

"Oh, sure, it makes you valuable," Ava said, a derisive snort of laughter escaping her throat. "But it doesn't make you worth anything." The words had sounded better in her head, but she hoped the meaning got across. Last she had left Maisie, she had been positive the girl was supposed to give them information. Ava took a long drink of her coffee, the temperature of it beginning to lower and make the drinking experience unpleasant. She shivered slightly as she set it down again.

A thought came to her as she swallowed.
"You want something to do," the older girl stated. "What did you have in mind?"