He isn't going to like the fact that you want along, even if it is technically your collar. Who: Revan and Luminara What: Liasoning When: Recently Where: MI5 offices Ratings/Warnings: N/A Status: Complete
MI5, home of the homeland security, though Raven preferred to call them by something decidedly more vulgar. And to their faces, too.
But, legally, she had to work with them and if she was going to work with them she was going to enjoy herself. And enjoying herself usually came at the expense of her favorite Agent, Luminara Unduli.
She rapped on the doorframe and leaned in, expression carefully calculated to create maximum irritation, “Good morning. How is everyone’s favorite beacon of National Pride feeling today?”
Luminara was normally calm in any situation, and that was exactly the kind of thing that probably drew Raven to her like a moth to a flame. Because Raven was so intent on irritating her, Luminara counted to ten.
Ten was usually the largest number she had to reach before she could clamp down on her inner levels of fury, and while she did that she continued to look over her own intelligence reports. They were investigating some nasty business involving an arson that wasn't just a normal arson, and she knew she was missing something important.
10 was counted, and then she calmly reached for her coffee cup. She made eye contact, because if she avoided it Raven would just dig into her for it, and smiled. "I wouldn't know, perhaps you should ask my supervisor. If anyone's an actual beacon of National Pride, surely it's someone in charge."
“We both know the brass are the wrong kind of shiny,” Raven leaned against the door frame, studying Luminara intently, with all the focus of a hawk. “I passed the new guy’s desk on the way in. He has those neat little figurines but half of them could stand to wear more than their knickers. I did like the one that looked a lot like you.”
Needle, needle and dig.
"Oh, was he brave enough to get those out again? I'll be sure to confiscate them all. Aside from the one that looks like me, of course. I assume your sticky fingers will somehow become attached to it on your way out."
MI5's work environment was actually less formal these days, very casual friendly and open to a little personal flair. But figurines like that weren't tolerated, regardless. "It's a sexual harassment lawsuit just waiting to happen. You'd think an Intelligence Operative would be a little more ... intelligent."
Raven looked wholly innocent, “Want me to deal with him? I promise I’ll leave his fingers intact.”
Though she suspected if anyone did harass Luminara their body would never be found. “They’re letting just about anyone in these days. You should see the newest recruits across town.”
"Do you think I somehow can't handle him on my own? Do I strike you as the sort of person who usually lets someone else solve her problems for her?" Luminara asked, after taking another sip of her coffee. Raven had been by their offices three times that week already, and if this trend kept up she was going to start lacing her drinks with alcohol.
She snorted, then, and shook her head. "Our requirements remain as fierce as ever over here. Of course I can't speak to how you get anything at all done over there."
She did have a legitimate reason today, but this was part of the ritual. Snipe a bit at each other, and for Raven, well, she had to keep up appearances. Besides, she adored getting under Luminara’s skin, and sometimes, very rarely, she managed it. “Fourth grade level is hardly fierce.”
"I heard your side were letting in people without any schooling at all, as long as they could follow orders and hold a pistol in the correct direction." Luminara replied, coolly. Raven had definitely gotten underneath her skin. The trick was not showing it, as often as she could.
She reached down and pulled open a drawer, then drew out a lightbulb and placed it on her desk. "Look! I have a gift for you. Please, take it and leave my presence."
"You'd almost think we were having recruitment issues," Raven said. "I wonder why."
She could never outright express her anger at her superiors and the general direction the country had gone, but sometimes...
"I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the next hour or so." She dropped a file on Luminara's desk, then picked up the bulb and started juggling it in her hands. "I can't touch this one, officially. So I need to read you in. I'd like to be there though. To observe. And gloat."
"And here I thought my morning was going to be boring. All of that work that was already assigned to me and wasn't interesting or pressing at all." Luminara lifted the file that had been dropped on her desk and placed it off to the side, carefully putting the one she'd been looking over back together and closing it before pulling Raven's back over. The actions took a bit of time, but Luminara liked to make sure everything was done correctly.
It also felt good to make Raven wait.
She opened the file and started looking it over. "You know you aren't officially sanctioned to come along on these sorts of operations."
“Of course not.” Raven came over, leaning over Luminara’s shoulders and making sure they were almost but not quite touching as she did so. “Warren Smith. Arms dealer. I’ve been following his trail across most of Europe, and he managed to evade me long enough to enter the UK.”
She reached across her, turning the file over. “He’s holed up in this flat. You just need to get Patrick to sign off and we can roll the bastard up.”
It wasn't a professional level of closeness at all. Luminara knew it, and she knew that Raven was also aware. They'd both worked in the intelligence community for so long that acting like this was nearly second nature and Luminara wasn't sure that Raven knew how to turn it off. Or even wanted to.
Luminara was actually rather certain that Raven just didn't want to.
What she wasn't certain of was why she let Raven get away with it.
"Well, Patrick isn't going to sign off on anything immediately. I'll have to make sure this intelligence checks out, first."
Raven turned her head towards Luminara's ear and purred, "Naturally."
Then she straightened, pulling away with some reluctance. She'd had her share of women, but Luminara had always drawn her like a moth to a flame. “Just give me a ring up when you’re ready to move, love.”
"He isn't going to like the fact that you want along, even if it is technically your collar. Don't go getting your knickers in a twist if you find out after the fact." Luminara warned her. Raven wasn't exactly the most stable agent in British Military Intelligence at the moment, and everyone in the Intelligence Community knew that. If her boss didn't want a wild card along, it was never going to happen.
She should have licked her ear. Raven scoffed. It served her interests at the moment to be considered a little bit of a wild card. It kept real heat off of her, and as long as she kept doing her job well no one was going to look too closely.
"Where's the interagency camaraderie, 'Nara?"
Luminara rolled her eyes, "I have no idea, 'ven. It could have something to do with the way your last mission went."
"No one important died, and I had nothing to do with what happened to that Ferris Wheel."
Luminara snorted. "Oh, well, if no one important died. That must make it entirely alright."
"Naturally," Raven purred. She started for Luminara's door, "One last thing, darling?"
"Yes?" Luminara asked, giving Raven a dry look.
"They're doing that event soon. The departmental ball." Raven flashed her a smile, "Guess who's going to be my date? And don't try to get out of it, Patrick has already signed off."
Ah, the Ball. Luminara liked to find reasons to skip it, but with MI5's new branding as being completely work/life balance friendly and a wonderful place to work, it had become harder and harder to escape it.
Usually when she did go, she went solo. She squinted at Raven, looking momentarily unamused. "I'll expect you to act like and treat me like a Lady. We're going to dinner beforehand. And you're getting me flowers."
Those weren’t requests, they were demands. Luminara held up a finger and added, “Oh, and Raven? Do try to make me look good. Wear something appropriate.”
Giving Luminara a sweeping bow, Raven backed out of the office. “As you wish.”
She actually hadn’t expected that reaction, but now, now it was a challenge. And a part of her kind of hoped she got lucky.