OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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CODING
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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MEDIATOR
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
When one was a translator, especially one who worked for the government, you traveled and went places when you were needed. You didn't ask too many questions, you got your filed and you went. Today, it brought Tyler to the military base. She had shown up, had to sign way too many papers to state that she would be sworn to secrecy on what she translated and why she was there that day. It was all protocol and she didn't mind it. She was just nosy enough to enjoy her job but was secretive enough to actually keep herself from getting arrested.
Most people looked at her and saw a pretty blonde, instantly thinking she also went with the stereotype of 'dumb' as well. But clearly that wasn't true. She did her rounds and then exited the building, dark denim jeans were tucked into knee high boots. A long coat, charcoal in color, covered her body and blonde hair down around her shoulders. She slipped a beanie over her head as she stepped out into the strong winds and shivered. She just needed to make it to her car and she'd be good to go. But a large gust of wind thought differently. Her credentials that she'd need to leave the base were swept out from her hands and she went running after them. That was, until she found herself face to face with a stranger at her side and a yelling man pointing a firearm at them.
Tyler was not going to stand for this. In the hypothetical sense, as she was not going to plant her tanned rear in the snow below her. Her hands shot up and she felt her manicured brows pull together. "Cher Seigneur!" It seemed whenever she was caught off guard or frustrated, French or Italian fell from her. "Is this really necessary?" She snipped at, but as a second man appeared at the others side, adding another pointed weapon, she stepped back. Her eyes glancing over to the dark haired female. Annoyance on her face. "Where are your credentials?" Those icy blue eyes of hers threw a sharp look at him."Must we do this outside? I just finished indoors. Call Commander Ryder."
It wasn't often that Tyler was called out to other companies. Normally her job and talents had her sticking with government documents and police matters. Sometimes even at the hospital if they had a particular language that was not normally come across. She'd make an appearance and do her job and then slip out. The blonde translator that was bridging gaps for everyone. Most of them didn't remember her name the next time they saw her, but the certainly never forgot her face. How could they when it was one that had helped during difficult or emotional interactions?
So when she was called to Prism, she found herself staring at the order in her hands. One that her boss simply handed to her and told her that she was requested. She knew where the place was, it wasn't her first time going there. Just the first time she had gone in a while. She slipped into her newest version of her car, a dark gray in color and had too many features that she surely didn't use in it. Nor did she probably know how to use without actually looking them up. She knew how to get her car on, how to drive it, loved the parking assist when she had to parallel park and how to get her bluetooth to hook up to her phone.
Blonde hair was down for once and she made sure that she had a mask in her small bag before she headed out for the Prism Biotech building. It wasn't too far, the drive being filled mainly with a few phone calls that she had to return and then her listening to her current favorite podcast because she didn't want to hear the depressing news on her radio. Or the same five pop songs playing on every radio station that was still affording to play and have people working at. The time flew by and before she knew it, she was pulling into a visitor spot. She stared up at the building for a moment before she looked back at the name on the paper. 'Dr. Nora Lambert - Office 302.'
She smoothed down the front of her jacket, wearing a fitted pant suit and light blue silk button-down under the jacket. Her heels clipped as she walked up to the building and slipped her black mask over the bottom part of her face. A quick stop at the front desk to show her credentials and get a visitors badge before she was pointed in the right direction. She flipped a piece of blonde hair over her shoulder before she found herself in front of the door. A loud commotion inside made her hand hesitate in the air. Brows pulling together for a moment as the noise settled before she knocked. What in the world was that? She adjusted her mask just in case as the door flew open.
And, for possibly the first time in the past several years, Tyler found herself completely in shock. Her blue eyes wide as they stared at a bare chest in front of her. Her eyes trailing over the toned build before lifting to an awfully familiar face. "Collin?" She said in disbelief. Her eyes flipping to the number outside the door once more to make sure she read the right number. 302. Suddenly, a burst of dark hair moved forward and was shuffling down the hall. A manicured brow lifted as she looked back to his retreat into the office. "I assume that was Dr. Nora Lambert scurrying down the hall?" She said, stepping into the office and shutting the door behind her. Admiring him as he moved about.
There was never any shame to watching him, he was on full display and didn't seem embarrassed. Besides, she has known for a long time now. She looked over the mess on the ground beside the desk and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the now closed door. "Is this what you do for work, Vandyne?"
She was able to take in the chair in front of her for a moment. So it had made it. It was in good condition and she was sure that it sounded a hundred times better than the previous one. But what caught her off guard was the dark haired woman who was sitting in the chair. She let the surprise linger on her face for a moment before she glanced around the room. Had she just interrupted something? But she didn't see Jack anywhere. She let her gaze move back to the woman.
"I am not sure, I was looking for Detective Carnegie. Did he move offices?" If he did, she'd be rather insulted that he left that chair behind. It was a gift, not just a simple replacement chair from the department. And he hadn't seemed like the kind to just forget things. Forget one dinner, he would owe her two, she decided if that was the fact. Her eyes lingered on his desk for a moment. It seemed like his. Like the items that were there before were still there. Like the name plate, the pen holder, and specific pens.
Tyler shook her blonde head at him. A flirty smile on her face. Keep up the act. Break down that wall a bit more before she moved in and tried to figure out exactly what he wanted with those files. "Italian." She corrected. Of course she knew her resume was strong. She was not some simple blonde air head, no matter how much she looked like one to others. She was smart and talented and overall wicked with her mind.
And then it was the waiting game. Watching what she said sink in to the rugged man across from her. He didn't give away much and the fake innocent look was taken almost as an insult to her. She hadn't dug all the digging, or paid for it to be done, for him to just wave her off as if he had not just broke a bunch of laws by hacking into a government system. "Simple IT work. Sure. And what exactly was it that you needed from those files then, hm? Or who did you get them for, perhaps thats the right question there." Her foot hooked the back of his calf from under the table. It could have been a bold move, a flirt, had anyone seen it who were observing the two. But she did it to keep him from trying to bolt out the door.
Tyler took another sip from her coffee, her blue gaze never leaving him as she thought about telling him how many languages she actually spoke. Should she just drop the number of how many? Or should she list them off? Or just respond a little bit in between each one? Either way, it wasn't like it mattered most. She already felt exposed to him because he had hacked into her computer. Which just meant what else could he hack into and find of hers? Was she willing to take that risk? Possibly. "Well, I graduated college speaking seven languages. American sign language, Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Japanese, and Russian. Eight if you include English. And that was..." She paused to reflected on the time since she left college. "And that was about five years ago. And I've only learned more since then." She said, giving him a smug smile. "Italian, Hindi, Portuguese, and Arabic. Just to name a few more. Sei in sopra la vostra testa." Italian, if he could even tell. 'You are in over your head'.
She had a few others, but she was still learning them so she didn't feel confident to say that she knew them yet. And it was a proven fact that once you understood and knew more than two languages, it was easy to learn others. Because ones mind already knew how to learn and adjust. So she took her time and learned what she could. And it really only benefited herself, her employers, and her family.
"Mmm. Smart, pretty, and she knows more than one language. I’m going to guess you’re either a lawyer, or some sort of business woman."
Her smile grew on her full lips as she stared at him. The hacker across from her guessing her job. Lawyer, no. But she did work with them regularly. Business woman? Only when she was working for her father. Part of her way of keeping up the money that he freely let her have access to. And the fact that technically she was a business woman for the government. She did whatever task was given to her when it came to translating or standing on the side of city hall announcements to sign as needed. Her eyes looked at his hand as she brushed her finger tips against his wrist before she placed her hands down on the table, folding them neatly between the two as she leaned even closer to him. "I will give you points for business woman. I am in a way. I know a lot of languages for a reason, Dean. I have been apart of many business deals, interrogations, court cases, you name it. I am even sent files to translate on the regular. And recently I found myself missing some files from my computer."
She didn't stop there, her sharp gaze suddenly on him. Her head tilting lightly to the side. "So tell me, Dean. What exactly is it that you do?"
She smiled lightly at him, an actually ghost of a real smile when he nailed what language she spoke. Though it wasn't like a lot of languages sounded like French on its own so it was an easy guess. "I said, you've got me there. And yes, it was French." She said with an amused lift to her voice. She wondered if he'd react the same way if she switched to Russian, or Italian, or German. One of the man other languages she knew. But that would be too easy to sit here and taunt him with her words. Hell, she might be able to lean forward and say something really interesting just to see what his reaction would be.
She considered him for a moment. Her blue eyes looking him over, before she glanced casually around the coffee house. Not really lingering anywhere in particular but noticing that the PI had taken the hint that she didn't quite need help at the moment and had busied himself with scrolling through his phone. Though she knew better than to think that he was unaware of the two.
As she leaned slightly towards him, she almost expected this 'geek' to shy away. Her boldness being taken as aggressive. Sometimes men liked that in her, the fact that she was not afraid to grab the bull by the horns and steer things the way she wanted them to be. Other times, it was intimidating that a woman was so sure of herself, so sure of the situation that she could command others into it. But Kit was seeming to eat this up. So for another moment, why wouldn't she continue to capture him. Before she dropped the bomb on him that he had crossed the wrong woman. Then she reached across the table, almost touching his elbow but then using her finger tips to brush off some 'dirt' that was there. "What do you think I do?"
"I just mean that you don’t seem like the type of girl who goes to LARPs and plays tabletop D and D."
She pursed her full lips lightly, and nodded her head in a 'fair enough' way. "Tu m'as là." She slipped easily from English to French in that moment, telling him that he had her there. Sometimes it happened on accident. Her head ran through a lot of languages when she spoke to people. Sometimes she even absentmindedly started using her hands to sign what she was saying in her lap when she had casual conversations with others. It was more out of habit than anything else. She blinked those blue eyes at him for a moment as she realized she had responded in French before she gave him a slow grin.
"I may have not spent time rolling dice to know what my damage on cleric would be for a bridge troll, but I spent plenty of hours studying over books and audio." She told him. Not quite diving into what exactly that meant on its own, but hinting that she was a bit smarter than just some blonde who looked like she could easily spend her father's money without growing tired of doing so. People often times thought that's where she stopped. Stereotypical blonde girl who came from family money always seemed to mean that they thought she was Cher from Clueless. In a way, sure. But she was wicked sharp. There was a reason that her father had her apart of sealing deals for the family.
He was not her usual type. Absolutely not. Tyler liked the men who dressed well, clearly had some sort of sense to present themselves as someone who actually thought more than two seconds on their daily wardrobe. Handsome in a traditional way. But Dean here, sitting across from her, was stirring something that was foreign to her. He was rugged, he was handsome in a different sense. In a dangerous one. One that said she had nothing to gain from him, nothing that he could offer her except maybe a good time. And normally, that was never something she entertained. Simply because why waste her time. Except now, she had a reason to focus on a man like him. Because he had something of hers. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table as she got closer to him. Faux innocence on her face. "What is it that you do Dean?" She could make this all about him.
“’Bout as often as anyone looking for overpriced coffee and free internet. I’m certain I’ve never seen you in here.”
As his eyes bounced around their area, she wondered if he was looking around because he was nervous. That someone would be watching the two of them or somehow documenting this interaction. He’d find no one looking in their direction really if he was that paranoid. And her eyes remained on him as his gaze returned back to her. “Adrive thru customer as of lately. But I used to frequent this location a lot.” She offered simply to him. It wasn’t really a lie. She’d conduct simple exchanges with people here. Figuring she might as well get a good cup of ‘overpriced’ coffee while she was at a it.
“Dean.”
She was glad that her little lift in her voice and casual demeanor was paying off. She knew she wasn’t bad to look at either which seemed to only be assisting in this situation. As he finally uncovered his face, she knew for sure that he was the man that she had the picture of. And judging by his cautious behavior, this was the man she was looking for. She had no doubt about it in her mind. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you Dean. “ A small smirk was quickly hidden by her need to draw more of the coffee into her instead of continuing her questioning. She knew she had to ease into that step. If she jumped into it now, he’d be out the door before she could say ‘hey wait!’
“And you definitely don’t look like the type to run in my usual social circles. I’d have noticed by now.”
Now this made her eyes light up, instantly curious by what he meant in that simple statement of his. “Oh is that so? And what sort of social circles do you hang around? They sound quite dangerous when you say it in that way.” The easy flirtation continued from her end.
She figured he meant criminals like him. Who just wanted to steal from those who had worked hard for what they had. Her father was one of those men who built a company from the ground up and provided for his family. He made sure that if Tyler never wanted to lift a finger, she could live in luxury on her own. Every wish she wanted, granted. She just happened to like working. It gave her something to do. So she didn’t just wither away between nail or salon appointments. Which is why she was also choosing to do the dirty work right now of actually questioning him. Trying to see what in the world was so important about the documents she had that he would need them.
Tyler easily slid into the seat across from him, her sunglasses still on her face as she sat down and clearly made a show of making herself comfortable in the seat. She was not a tiny woman by any means, at least when it came to height. Without heels, she stood at five foot nine inches tall. And in heels, well she could easily reach six foot status. Though she was just as confident flat footed as she was with a deadly pair of heels on her feet. And today, she was only wearing a pair of converse that went with her outfit (because those things mattered to someone like her). She set her coffee down on the surface between them, and unhooked the mask from one of her ears so she would be able to drink her coffee in a moment. Which of course, was a cold brew with lots of cream and fancy flavoring in it.
"Sorry - ah, ma’am? This is...my table."
Ah. Ma'am. So he had manners now, but none when it came to actual personal, secure documents that were on her work computer. Interesting enough. She reached up and pulled her sunglasses from her face at that point. Folding them slowly and placing them on the table next to her coffee before she hit him with her ocean colored eyes. She really got a good look at him then, though his mask was covering the lower part of his face, his dark eyes captured her for a moment. Only a moment before she gave him a small coy smile. One that didn't quite reach her eyes, but was there to try and reassure him in a way. Though it would be a lie if he believed it.
"Can I help you with something?"
"Now that is a fascinating question." She responded quickly. Her legs crossing at the knee as she snagged her coffee in one hand and casually sat back in her seat. Bringing the straw to her lips and taking a few sips of her coffee as she studied him for a moment. "Do you come here often? I feel like I've seen you in here before." She with an innocent smile, her tone light as if maybe she really was just trying to carry on a light conversation with him. She was pretty sure this was the man that took the documents, but she couldn't just sit down and accuse him right out the gates of a felony. No, she'd have to do what she did best. Light chatter, flirt a little, gain perhaps a bit of information.
Though this was all subject to if the man took the bait that she was dangling in front of his face. "My name is Tyler." She offered. Surely he would not remember who's computer he had snagged folders from a few weeks ago. And her name, while unique on a woman, was not a name that was uncommon. There were plenty of Tyler's in the world. And who knew how many things he ran across when he illegally hacked into government systems. To be at his skill level, to get through that many firewalls and safety procedures meant that he was not doing this for the first time. Nor the last. She just wanted to make sure it was the last time he stole from her.
"I’d not say a word. I like to think I’m far too well trained to ever tell a woman she looks anything other than stunning at all times."
Now, that was an interesting statement on its own. Her lifting slightly as she let her eyes drift up to look at him through her lashes. Only for a few moments as if studying him. Taking just a long enough pause before they were back to the paper and her mind was working over the words printed before her. "Quite some interesting training, detective." Tyler mused lightly, her eyes remaining on her work as her hand moved with grace. "And is this due to parental figures or did you learn on your own as you went around charming ladies with your dashing good looks?" She was forward and unashamed of her statement. It was the truth. And Tyler was never one to just shy away from some lovely banter.
"That I may be able to afford. If this pays off how about we call the first payment a gourmet meal?"
Tyler was busy working away on the paper. It was quite amazing how she could multi-task. She chalked it up to her upbringing. And the fact that she was skilled in multiple languages. She was able to easily switch gears from one thing to another. Just like she had many times when she was sitting in the interview room in the police station with a particularly difficult suspect. It didn't happen often, but she thrived on days where the suspect knew more than two languages. Made her actually have to work hard for her paycheck. Not that she really needed it. But it was nice to feel like she actually contributed to her spendings.
"I'll be awaiting your call then." She wouldn't hold her breath on it. But she would have to admit that she'd be a bit disappointed if he didn't call her for that meal. She had found their little interaction quite amusing. The back and forth, the flashes of smiles. All of it was entertaining and she was sure that he would be able to hold an intelligent conversation outside of work as well.
"Fool’s such a misleading word. Those I try to protect for their own good perhaps. It’s something they would believe of me here. I’m sorry if it adds a little tarnish to your reputation."
A soft scoff of her own came then. She didn't claim to have a squeaky clean record. Well, reputation wise. Amongst her father's company, she was the asset. A leggy blonde with wit and smarts behind her, able to charm the pants off of almost any business partner. A flirt. A tease. Very few she had actually taken a step further than work, but trust her when she said that she absolutely made them work hard for it. "I'm sure I will survive. Besides what is that saying? Well behaved women rarely make history?" She said as she watched him pack up the pad of paper with her hand writing all over it as well as grab his suit jacket.
The moment his arm was extended to her, she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and started them out of the office and towards the front of the station. "Ah, that curfew. And I definitely don't need the delay to get home any more. A glass of wine and bubble bath are calling my name." A nightly routine of hers. One that she fully intended to keep up with and continue. It was the perfect way to wind down and reflect on her day and then look at the day ahead. What small plans she had and what would be needed to accomplish those.
Her heels clipped against the floor as they walked, leaving it to echo down the hall. "Do you have any bedtime habits, Mr. Carnegie?" Consider it her attempt at small talk as they made their way to their cars.
Tyler Avery Haven. A woman who grew up knowing not a lot of hardships in the traditional sense. There was never a time that she had to worry about where the next meal would come in. Or if her clothes could be replaced when she out grew them. She never had hand me downs. She never worried about if she broke something that she would have to go without it. She could have it replaced within hours with the best and newest model. Not that she was that careless. The point was, that Tyler has never had to steal from someone. Ever.
Trick them? Possibly. Talk her way into or out of things? Absolutely. Its what she did for a living basically. Especially when she got older. But the point of talking about all of this, is that it really really bothered her when someone stole from her. The girl who had everything she could want, was a bit possessive of the things that were hers. Even something as silly as some documents. Which is what happened to be the case here.
She had been at work, mask on, tall in her red bottomed heels, a black office dress on that came to her knees. It had been a simple enough day, long after the raids that happened and the city hall was finally starting to look normal. Normal for a time of pandemic. The work to reconstruct the building was pretty much done. A few painting tasks here and there still to be completed. Which meant government employees like herself could go back in after time off. She placed herself in front of her computer and started going through the hundreds of emails that had piled up over the past few weeks. Opening the documents from official employees and looking them over before writing them back.
She spent her morning like that, breaking briefly for lunch, in where she walked to a restaurant that was doing carry out only. She had placed her order as she walked and when she arrived, it was waiting for her. She gave them a small wave and smile before turning and heading back. Tyler ate at her desk, where she normally ate before the pandemic, and once she was done, her manicured hands were flying over the keys of her computer once more. It was shortly after lunch that something strange happened. All of a sudden her mouse was moving on the screen, yet she wasn’t touching it. She stopped typing when suddenly things started opening.
A curse left her lips as she tried to shut down the computer, but not before watching documents, private documents that had been given to her, were added to a random file she had never seen before and then disappeared off her screen. She was able to snag a quick IP address but it was all she got before her computer shut down and when she restarted it, the documents were gone from her computer as if they never lived there in the first place. She felt hot rage run through her. Who the hell would be able to get into a government computer and take things like that!? It wasn’t like she browsed the internet or did anything that could have allowed access to the computer. She only had opened documents from official employees. Her email address was not public. So she was livid.
And then she was on it. She called up a family friend, a long time private investigator that she trusted. She had briefly thought about calling up her new detective friend, Jack, but had decided he would be step two if the family friend failed her. She gave what she had and let them get to work. Four days. Four painfully long days before the PI had anything she could actually work with. And it was all a possibility. It seemed that the IP address had popped up several times in a public area. A coffee shop. Smart, cover the tracks by being mixed in with hundreds of others who would hook up to the public WiFi. She had to give it to whoever it was.
The harder part was the PI going to the coffee shop during the times the IP address appeared and waiting. Watching. Seeing who looked familiar and who seemed to be the consistent. After almost two weeks, the PI had narrowed it down to two people. And Tyler scanned both pictures of the men that were on her phone, sent via text. She dressed casually for once. A pair of denim jeans, a black tee tucked into them though still loose and not form fitting, a pair of sandals, and a pair of designer sunglasses resting on her face. She memorized the faces once more before she entered the store, ordering her usual coffee order and paying for it before she found herself a spot along the outer tables. Once that’d give her the better oversight of the place.
The PI family friend wasn’t far. Sitting in another corner of the place. She placed her stuff down and flicked one of the waves of blonde hair over her shoulder as she waited for one of those faces to appear. The moment one of them sat down, she’d collect her coffee as casually as she could before she would slide into the seat opposite of them at the table, seeing as they all had two seats.
It had been about two weeks since her run in with a certain detective. One that she had now prepared herself to play dumb for if anyone was to ask about what exactly she had translated. And one that she may have entered an agreement with that she would continue to assist him, blindly, with anything further that had to do with the files she had read. Or perhaps even outside of the files she read, if new things of interest were to come up. The same detective who had a debt to her now, not that she had thought of a way to cash in on that yet.
But she had found herself walking into the police department that day, not for Jack. No, she had another case she was pulled in on. Sitting herself in the interrogation room with someone who kept changing their language. So the best option was to call in an expert, like the one that Tyler was. Besides, she wasn't going to go out of her way to see the man. That was not her style, nor the way she worked anyway. So she sat patiently, ankles crossed as she stared across a metal table top. Her blonde hair pulled over one shoulder and in a rather sharp black pair of slacks and a crisp lavender colored button up. It was her more casual look, the blazer long forgotten about in her car thanks to the heat outside. Her signature red color on her lips.
The guy had come in very smug, sitting across from her and making a few inappropriate comments. Obviously he thought she was just another detective or something of the sorts. Her head tilting lightly as she waited patiently for him to finish before she delicately placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward lightly. Propping her head on a pair of fold hands before she jumped immediately into speaking to him in the language he landed on. She truly enjoyed the color draining from his face when he switched to another, and she seamlessly followed along. By the end, she got the information that the detectives were looking for and gave them a polite nod as she started to leave.
Though she paused as she was on her way out. Her blue eyes turning towards the door and she briefly wondered if that chair was ever delivered that she ordered for him. She considered it a favor. And she had not addressed who it was from. Just his name as the point of contact. She remembered the awful shifting noise his chair made while he sat across from her at his desk and decided a man who put a bit of effort in on his dress deserved something a bit better. So, without much though, she turned and walked down the hall to where his office had been. Her black heels clicking as she walked.
"Detective Carnegie?" She called out to the room as she stepped inside the doorframe.
"Yay, fresh baby diaper colours walls just to make the rest look worse."
Tyler found herself truly laughing at the way he was talking about the poor place. "The poor place can't even defend itself." She shook her head. Her eyes flickering to the walls for a moment. In her mind, she remembered the chair he sat in. It was worn and something about it bothered her to no end. Perhaps in the next few days he'd find a new chair delivered to the office. It wouldn't cost her anything in her mind, except knowing the well-dressed man was sitting in a chair worthy of him and his fine clothing choices. Yes, she'd actually find the time to do that maybe tonight. Gave her a sense of something to look forward to when she got home. A fine leather desk chair. But nothing more. He'd have to earn the rest of those pieces through his lively banter.
"Remind me to never show my face to you on an off day. I'd dread to hear what you'd have to say considering I don't think fresh paint would help much." She muttered lightly, her eyes back to the papers in front of her, though the teasing smile lingered on her red lips. She was all about the banter. The taunts. It was how business was done. She had learned it well. Having a playful banter helped open others to ideas and thoughts that were a little harder to swallow later on in the conversation. It built rapport and with a flash of bright blue eyes and a well picked out dress and heels combo, well... she had always gotten the deal that her family wanted. Speaking of deals...
"It’s a relief to hear it. Let’s hope I can afford to cash it."
He was magazine pretty, she had decided. He was the kind of guy that got all the girls growing up. He probably had never been told no during his teen years. That was when women were truly their weakest. At least that's what Tyler believed. They hadn't gotten their footing yet. Knowing exactly what they could do if they just applied themselves. The woman herself had walked away with all the experiences of business deals from a family standpoint, and then the education of speaking as many languages as she did now. "If not, we can work out a payment plan." She bounced the ball right back into his court. Her own charming smile appearing. Banter to flirting? She didn't mind much. Though her eyes were back down to the papers without missing a beat. She was here for a job after all.
When the lights went out, she laughed at his next statement. Womankind did have to suffer through it. Always had. And she had a feeling they always would as well. But it wasn't like women were much better. They had their own ways about them. So she just shrugged off the comment, shaking her head as she adjusted to the lighting from the flashlight between them. The oink made her laugh again. He certainly was charming. And as she held firmly to the pad, she watched him almost sag in defeat.
"I really should have anticipated just how brilliant you are."
"That was your first mistake." Her voice was a tease, "Never underestimate those you try to fool." She smiled. She wasn't offended. The blonde hair, clearly rolling in family money look had just about guaranteed that everyone did just that for her. Which was almost always their downfall, just like it was Jack's at that moment. As he further explained, she assumed he had a playboy streek. The mention of drinks in his office made her quirk eyebrow. "I can't say that would be believed very well. I don't exactly meet in offices for a drink. But if its for someone who I do not know... I suppose that would be a fair excuse." She replied. Then she released the pad of paper, straightening herself back to her full height in front of his desk. She remained unphased for a moment as she considered him. Would she? She grabbed her bag and smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle in her dress before she moved out from in front of the chair. Unzipping her purse for a moment before she slid her personal card to him.
"My personal number is on the back. I expect to hear from you if you come across any more of these... robbery papers." She said, a brow quirking up at the lie. But he would surely understand that she was agreeing to help him in the future. She had no idea what she'd want from him. What favors she'd pull, but she had a feeling that she'd enjoy whatever her mind could make up. Or what would get her out of trouble, if she found herself in some. "I do believe it is time for me to leave though. Walk me to my car?" She asked.
“If I ever have to stay hunker down here, I’d be tempted to bleach every inch of myself afterwards.”
She found herself laughing, truly laughing at that. Her eyes doing a quick scan of the room around them. It definitely seemed outdate, and like it had seen way better days. Perhaps back before she was even born. “Come now, surely the crew cleans well. Slap on some fresh paint and it... well it would still look terrible but at least it would have a fresh coat.” Tyler knew that they honestly needed to gut the room, toss out all the furniture and start over. But the funds were probably not going to allow something like that. They had other things to focus on, not on the decor that would be better for her visits.
A brow raised on her face, a smirk growing as he talked about his sold soul. Tyler had been groomed growing up to seize opportunities. To charm her way, her families way, into deals or at least make an impression in their favor. She came from big family money, her father was incredibly powerful in his business and he utilized the smart blonde that he called his daughter. Multiple languages to help work out deals, and it just helped that as she grew older, she happened to be not so harsh on the eyes either. “I promise the sold piece of your soul will be taken care of appropriately. I will send you the check when the time comes.” The tease, while light earlier, was bold now in her statement.
She nodded to him as he answered her about whether or not he’d want her to leave multiple options for the words said. When he waved it off, she peeked a look up at him. No? Now that was an interesting statement. Normally, they wanted everything gone over with a fine tooth comb. Which in the past meant every possibly way it could have been read was written down and recorded for them. Even when she spoke with suspects and translated back and forth, she found herself sometimes reading into it so that way it made the most sense when she went back and forth. Languages could be tricky sometimes. Depends on dialect and even just slang words.
Tyler looked up to him watching her, and she tilted her head lightly but didn’t comment on it. Eagerness to get the translation. Surely. But as she flipped the pad of paper back to the first page and they were plunged into darkness, she stilled in her seat. The last thing she needed to do was try to get up and move about. It would probably lead to her embarrassingly tripping over something in his office. “If you tired of being right, I would be shocked. Every man enjoys when he is correct.” She joked at him, closing her eyes as he mentioned looking away. She saw a flash from her closed eyelids and slowly reopened them when she felt it was okay to do so. The room seemed in worse wear now that the flashlight as their only source of light.
“Saved your bacon... sort of an ironic saying for you, wouldn’t you say Detective?” She said as she stood up, finally extending the notepad in her hand. Though she kept a firm hold on it, for when he went to take it. Hoping that it caught his attention as she searched his face for a moment. “Translating this... do I need to be worried or play dumb if I am asked about it?” She found herself asking. What he would find translated, made her think that this was not just some ordinary thing that she had done. It made her feel like she might have just got dragged into something perhaps personal. And she wanted to be prepared. “I just want to know what kind of emanation I might have to put on.”
”How about we both keep our fingers crossed that at least we make it back home tonight?”
She scoffed lightly, a like smile lifting her red lips as she raised an eyebrow at him. “Well I certainly hope we make it home. No offense to your cute little office here, but I prefer my silk sheets at home.” She said with a laugh. The woman had never slept on a couch at work or in a chair at work. Maybe once in the back seat of her car, but that had been after an event her family had thrown and she wasn’t quite good to drive herself home. Not at first. But the point was, the woman would drive home no matter what time it was. She would be determined to wrap herself in her robe and setting into her own bed. Maybe with a glass of fine wine to help tuck her in as well.
At his check of the time, she waved a manicured hand in the air, dismissing his words. “If anything, you will just owe me a favor is all. And I don’t forget the debts owed to me easily detective.” A hint of a tease under her words. Not that she thought he could offer her much. She had a lot more than other government employees. But it was always nice to have something in your pocket with someone who did have a little pull at the local police station. Now that she thought about it, the chief even owed her for her assistance on another case. One where she had to sign a whole bunch of non disclosure paperwork. Consider herself an opportunist.
She listened to him as he explained about how they had come across the documents. Her blue eyes locked onto him as she nodded lightly towards the end. She took the notepad he supplied for her and pulled it towards her end of the desk. She scooted her chair a little closer so she could lean over the document in her lap and start translating it onto the pad of paper he had provided. Her handwriting was neat, cursive but easily readable, and she wrote light enough that she wouldn’t leave any indents to the pages underneath. Which she had learn sometimes that is important when translating important documents. Her hand moved easily without her having to look at the paper much, only glancing to make sure she stayed neatly on the lines as she went about. She put little notations next to words that could mean something else depending on the subjects on hand. “The asterisks are words that could be used different or another word in general. I put down the one that made the most sense to me in its place. But I’ll happily provide the other words for you if it doesn’t seem to be right.” Her voice light as she flipped the page on both the notepad and the document in her lap.
Long blonde curls fell over her shoulder as she continued, only to tuck a piece behind her ear before she took a small break on the third page. Reaching for the glass with watch, she took a sip and retuned the glass back to the table. She couldn’t exactly rush her work, especially with several different languages in it. She even paused a few times and would scratch out something to rewrite it again because it didn’t sound right as she worked through it. When she got to the end of the documents, she read over it once before she looked at him.
“I believe this is everything.” She asked, not quite sure how much time had passed. That was, until she heard the power shut off and they plunged into darkness. “Well then,” She said with a small laugh.
