Cecilia didn’t bother to look up. The dingy light of the office, cramped and claustrophobic, cast long shadows across stacks of files on her desk, the fluorescent hum filling the silence as much as the clack of her heels against the tile earlier had. She was hunched over a folder, her pen moving with sharp, deliberate strikes as if every word she wrote was trying to exorcise some lingering doubt clawing at her conscience.

"Admin Fox, I presume," Cecilia murmured, recalling her time table. "Come in."

Her pen continued to move, scratching, scratching, scratching, until Cecilia finally deigned to grace her superior with a glance. She set down her pen, shuffled aside her papers, and then extended one straight, stiff palm towards a plush carmine chair on the other side of her desk. "Please, sit."

She spared one moment to rise and sort her wealth of manila folders into a filing cabinet nearby, before turning back to fix the man with a stare and a raised eyebrow.

"Any coffee or water before we get started?"

howard slayte

The shuffling of papers and folders reminded the admin of his own office. His was an odd mix of ancient artifacts, strange curiosities, and mountains of paperwork that threatened to topple over and crush him beneath tons of ink and file. When he passed out at his desk, they often did.

He wondered if Cecilia ever had the same problems. Rather than ask if she slept in her office and get a glare of derision in exchange, the admin kept his mouth shut.

The seat was comfortable. A hand scarred from Dynergy exposure explored the seat's contours, fingers tapping deftly. Occasionally, a red glow would pass under his skin like circuitry. Only when the admin was comfortable did he speak.

"No need. I bring water with me wherever I go." A flask filled at the Snake Pit sat in a pocket, dormant, waiting to be drained. Rather than heed the fine whiskey's call, he continued. "I won't infringe upon your hospitality overmuch."

She already served at Team Rocket's discretion. There was no need to abuse his rank. A folder was placed on the desk. Thin, with only a few papers within.

"Those are the current rates at which Team Rocket is receiving supplies from Kanto. They are too few for too high a price." He nodded at the folder. "We need to renegotiate. Personally."

He paused, before giving Cecilia a questioning glance.

"Have you ever been to Kanto, Cecilia?"

---

Cecilia Brooks