multipleoccupancy

[multipleoccupancy]

Moriarty wasn't sure if Charlie was questioning him, he should of course have been questioning him but that was not the point. It was annoying that he didn't just believe him. Him. Professor Moriarty. When it came to maths there was no better brain to pick than his own. It was rude actually, maybe he should have kicked up more of a fuss but he controlled himself. Charlie was not attacking him, and even if he were, he could easily be made a fool of if he really wanted him properly removed.

"I agree," Moriarty said instead and toyed with the chalk in his hand, covering his palm in the stuff while he apparently thought, absent of what his hand was doing. All an act, of course, such a man who could go into a tangent of thought could never cover enormous international crimes now could he? "There's a greater many people who do not know how easy numbers can be manipulated to show anything anyone wants. However, as something of a mathematical puritan, I find a greater reward and poetry in the incredible and undeniable ability of mathematics to display the truth."

He'd erased his workings from the board but he smiled at Charlie all the same, a little element of mild frustration that he would assume, quite rightly, that he might have manipulated the display of his workings out. "Let us elevate the threshold for evidence by using maths to prove or disprove events, let the numbers speak for themselves, no manipulation, no agenda just pure maths, raw and plain for all to see."

"Mm," Charlie agreed, "and everybody's got an agenda, even if they say they say otherwise."

He himself had an agenda, though he didn't think there was anything particularly nefarious about his desire to untangle the confusing web that was the case he was working on. Even Moriarty had an agenda. After all, a man such a him surely had better things to do than spend time talking to a detective, no? He probably had equations to solve and exams to mark - maybe even a new book to write! So why wasn't he doing that?

Charlie's assumption was that the professor wanted to be able to add assisting the police to his long repertoire of accomplishments. It would give him something to brag about, and he could imagine it being far more interesting than the dry academic achievements that Moriarty's peers were likely bringing up in conversation.

"Lots of people don't realise how easy numbers can be to manipulate. The same goes for all kinds of evidence I work with. Oh yeah, some of it is very black and white, but a lot of it is more about the story you spin than anything else. That's why the threshold for evidence is so high nowadays - or, at least, it should be."

[multipleoccupancy]

Pleased that he managed to get a laugh out of him at least, Killian believed their journey to the office was not going to be a long and grumpy one. He didn't think Lone Star would ever entertain the thought of working for HR and to be frank, the idea amused him too and he chuckled along to Lone Star's laugh. Unaware of course that he was so determined to avoid such an office position that he would literally rather die in a blaze of glory.

Killian hummed in some acknowledgement of the people Lone Star had met, he knew for certain who one of them was after Jeremiah had revealed to him just what he had found in Tilly's hideout in Seattle. He could take a wild guess at who the other was but honestly, he thought there were likely a few like her being pulled in. "Denial is sometimes a person's first defence," he tried to justify but his heart wasn't in it. Lone Star had been there, he had not. "These newer agents, they are just not made of the same stuff anymore." He at least agreed.

Dallas asked about the sort of agents he had met and he chuckled. "I met a group we nicknamed the Scooby Gang," he was mindful to not reveal too much about them just in case but there was enough that perhaps Lone Star could be reassured they were on the same page. "These people broke nearly all the rules. They were careless, they knew each other's names, where they lived, their families, jobs and history." He shook his head, no that was not something he could ever get behind. He didn't want agents around his family, but that had happened anyway! Though that was not Jeremiah's fault. Not really.

"Velma was clearly working out if she could get away with punching me after I explained to her that she had essentially told her sister about the unnatural. They were new, just about a year in but you know, they'd never thought about the rules before." He thought about that group, disbanded for a while now. "You see some people come through the ranks and you have to wonder how they've ended up there or how they're still alive."

A small part of Dallas knew that he couldn't complain too much about risks being taken in hiring. He was aware that he himself had been a pretty big risk once upon a time, especially considering how his cell was being set up to work so closely with the President. He had been young, and he certainly hadn't been qualified! But Dallas had been capable, and what he lacked in some areas, he made up with a strong work ethic and a great track record when it came to getting the job done.

Aware that Killian was joking when it came to the suggestion that he should join HR, Dallas laughed in response. Obviously, the reality was that the idea of it was as far as possible from what he really wanted. Truth be told, Dallas planned on dying in the line of duty before he was put out to pasture in some kind of desk job. Ideally, this would happen during his day job with the US Secret Service. Death by Delta Green may be a nobler sacrifice, but he figured it was likely to be far more painful than a man with a gun or whatever else he may face protecting the government's VIPs.

"I met a fella that weren't so good at hidin' his name, and when I took to Googlin' him, turns out he pens them pornographic novels. Judgin' by what's in 'em accordin' to Wikipedia, I'd wager they're spun right from his missions. I also met a lady who didn't hold with none of that supernatural business, even though she must've seen a thing or two already, bein' brought on board and all. That's the worst of it, though."

He definitely hadn't met any 'monsterfuckers'. Unless he had and they had just been disguising it? Dallas was going to have to start looking at all his colleagues in a new light, wasn't he?

"How's about you?"

[multipleoccupancy]

Theo nodded as Mycroft clarified what he wanted. McRay sounded as if he was likely an agent to him, though he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. He'd heard the name but through his work channels rather than anything through his Delta Green missions. Not that he would have gone digging if he had.

The overly covert suggestion of how they should meet, that he was planning on opening an 'establishment' at least gave him enough warning that he had to be very careful how he moved in his investigation. Did McRay have control over communications? It was not the sort of information to present in code to a paranoid man and Theo's head ticked away with the possibilities. Perhaps that provided further proof that he was actually the right man for the job, his paranoia at least meant he would be guarded and careful with everyone else.

"This new establishment is something that others are already aware of then, who else should I be on the look out for if we arrange a meet and they happen to take an interest?" It was no good if his boss wanted to come along too because he wanted to buddy up to Mycroft now was it?

Mycroft described a burner phone to him and Theo just nodded his understanding, he gave no indication that the method was new to him. For a man in his position it would be normal for him to have used such methods in the past too. "Very well," Theo accepted out loud, "and if something comes to light that I will need to act on, I assume you will do me the curtesy of informing me via this phone too?" Like he had been exposed as an example.

"If you give me two weeks, I will have information on McRay and at least a short list of associates." It would give him time to do the work properly and thoroughly, which he would do, but of course he would also have to communicate higher up his own chain in case this became a bigger problem than it needed to be. Unaware as of yet that McRay was also already a problem from Delta Green. "Unless there is anything else, I will get to work," He promised but waited politely all the same. If they were going to collaborate on such work it was best to be professional and Theo prided himself on being professional.

"McRay is potentially causing a nuisance, and I want you to find out if he has links to anything that may seem suspicious and, if he does, I also want names of those he is close to," Mycroft corrected. He was aware that it wasn't the simplest request in the world. It certainly wouldn't be easy to carry out, but it was possible with a bit of ingenuity, and he had decided that Beneventi was not utterly useless. Even if he couldn't complete the task, he should be able to start it decently enough.

"We'll meet in person. I have been considering opening a branch of an establishment I own in the capital, so I can arrange an excuse to be in the country when necessary. If needed, I visit New York under the pretence of opening an additional branch here."

It would be tedious, but Mycroft had dealt with worse before. If he wanted to lie to himself, he could always tell himself that the plane journey would allow him a rare few hours of peace and quiet in which he could work without the possibility of disruption. Plus, with the state of world politics, it never hurt to spend some time among his American counterparts.

"I will buy you a phone. You will use it to arrange a date, time, and location in which we can meet. It'll be a direct line to me, not a secretary, so you will not call for any other reason." Not that Mycroft expected Beneventi to be keen to call, of course. He simply wanted to ensure that he had established the ground rules.

Then again, though, the other man was showing multiple signs, albeit small ones, of there being something more to say. Mycroft couldn't quite put his finger on what it was yet, but there was something there. Maybe there would be cause for other conversation after all...

[multipleoccupancy]

Arthur had noticed that swords were no longer common place. He had seen some of the Horse Guards dressed in some armour and carrying swords but they were scabbards, no one used long swords anymore and as Mycroft had explained, most now had something called guns. He'd likened them to noisy crossbows in his mind, but he had not actually seen how powerful a bullet could be and he likely wasn't ready for that yet either.

As it turned out Mycroft did not get all that much in the way of meaningful gifts. From what he described it was all impersonal and lacked any real meaning which he had been used to for so long. If someone was to receive a gift then it should be specifically for them if it wasn't edible. He thought for a moment on what to get Mycroft as a 'proper' gift and as in his old ways, he wouldn't be waiting for a special occasion to gift it, why would he?

Looking over the phone at least gave him the distraction from the topic at hand as he listened to how it would work, glancing over to Mycroft to be sure he was in fact joking and letting out a warm burst of laughter. "I can imagine you would have used such a thing to keep me in check, yes," he agreed and turned the brick over in his hand curiously. "It would have been very useful in keeping track of my children too." His sons in particular, to be able to call up Mordred and not have everything end in a war for his own crown.

"Are things easier or harder now because of these?" He then asked, waving the phone a little to indicate he was talking about the communication. "Words have always been powerful, but they can be both friend and foe." He'd had many choice words with people in the past but that was always face to face, letters were slow and emotions had time to settle between responses, these little devices seemed dangerous in their own way.

"Swords are no long convenient," Mycroft pointed out as a gentle reminder. He had already explained the concept of guns and drones and all those other wonderful modern inventions of war, but he was not quite sure how much of the information had actually registered. Considering how overwhelming the changes to the world presumably were, Mycroft knew he would have to be patient; he couldn't expect Arthur to immediately grasp every new concept he was introduced to.

Still, if he wanted a sword, then there was no harm in getting him one once he was certain the man understood that he could not carry it in public. After all, it was hardly like he wouldn't know how to handle it safely!

"I don't tend to celebrate, so the gifts I receive are usually the impersonal kind given to keep an ally sweet, not out of any sense of genuine fondness. As such, I usually get a few expensive bottles of alcohol, a new tie or two, and, every now and again, a pen."

It was all rather dull, but Mycroft didn't mind. The lack of fuss suited him.

"You having a phone will be useful," he then said, redirection the conversation back to Arthur as he motioned to the present he had just unwrapped. "Then you call me if you ever need assistance but I'm not there, and I can call you whenever I suspect you are about to do something I have told you not to. It is the kind of 'magic' that would have been incredibly useful during your reign."

That was a joke. Contrary to popular belief, Mycroft was occasionally capable of humour.

[multipleoccupancy]

Life has to be lived. Killian nodded but he knew he was going to remain curious for a long time. It was not like he didn't have a list of girlfriends in his past and present too. He did catch her blush at his question and nodded his head without realising as she spoke about her choice in men in the past. Oh there were countless that she had mentioned that he very much didn't like. "You'll find someone amazing, who'll treat you right and not just lean on you." She was a carer, a giver, and she deserved to be with someone who wouldn't just take from her.

He was about to encourage her to ask Violet if she knew if she was married in her timeline but he was somewhat startled by Sloane's sudden appearance, though he quickly calmed when he realised it was him.

"Good work," Sloane said to the pair of them, though he didn't make it clear if he had heard anything the pair had been talking about. Moving to inspect what they had already done and looking to see what was left, not all that much as Killian went for the third pulley so they were all done.

It seemed he wouldn't get the chance to help either as his phone went off. At first he assumed it was Violet telling him and Killian that she was set up in the dorm room and could see them. However, his face slowly dropped as he read through the text.

Oh no. "The dorm room is being used," he said to the other two, not believing he had the time to go and kick them out as a professor, and if anything he had already built up a reputation as being 'chill', they wouldn't listen to him anyway. "Odin is coming to us." He warned them, looking up from his phone worriedly. That had not gone to plan, a bad omen.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Even from where she was perched, Samantha could see Killian blushing. Her grin widened, though it quickly softened too. "I'm sure she's amazing," she replied, "but you're right, I don't think you should ask Violet about her. I think you should keep it a surprise, you know? Life has to be lived."

It was her turn to blush. "I mean... I'd like to get married one day. I want to have kids, a family. But so far I wouldn't say I've found the one. My boyfriends are... not really husband material." She grimaced. Killian was the first to tell her how awful her boyfriends were! Samantha knew she sometimes wore pink-coloured glasses when she was in a relationship.

She grabbed the other pulley Killian threw toward her. "It would be nice to know for sure that I'm going to get married one day," she mused, wondering if she could ask Violet. It wasn't like she'd ask her for any details! She didn't need to know who her future husband would be, she just wanted to know if he existed.

When she finally spotted Sloane -and only because he had made himself known, Samantha turned two shades redder. "Everything is going well," she replied a little awkwardly, "we're also most setting up the trap."

Back in room 328, things were not going well. When Violet knocked on the door, a very drunk student opened it, stared at her in silence for a long, dumbfounded moment, and finally asked: "aren't you a bit young to be a college student?" Then he gauged her up and down, pointed at the wrapped up crossbow, and said: "is that a crossbow?" She apparently had not wrapped it up as carefully as she thought.

Violet took this as her cue to leave, and she scampered away without a word. Now what? She couldn't use the room anymore. And after a quick exploration of the building, she realised that there were no other empty dorms. The only thing left was to join the rest of O cell. She grabbed Samantha's phone and texted Killian and Sloane:

(TEXT): The dorm room was not empty, students were having a party there... I could not find any other available room. I'm on my way.

And with that, she shoved the phone back in her pocket, and walked out of the building to head towards the designated spot.

[multipleoccupancy]

"You won't find me in any tree either, country girl," he shot back playfully, chuckling for her mountain goats and the image of it in his head. Actually they seemed like they would be really useful for things like that. Smelly though. He laughed much warmer at her being pleased for being 'Will' in the Robin Hood gang and then blushed profusely at the mention of his Maid Marian and Violet's talk about her mother, his wife. He smiled to himself as Samantha caught the first pulley.

"I wonder what she's like," he hummed thoughtfully, he was clearly very interested in the information Violet had and he had many questions for her but it was a strange position to be in, having someone know his future, from his future- kind of. "I want to ask but I know I shouldn't." He confessed before he reached the second pulley and looked to see if Samantha was ready for it or not. "Do you think you will get married one day?" Killian knew he would, even without Violet to confirm it all, he wanted to marry and have a family.

Sloane watched as Violet made her way off towards his office. "Good luck," he called to her warmly and with two big thumbs up for her before he started making his way off towards Samantha and Killian.

He drew in a short breath, a settling moment for what he believed was going to be the big 'monster moment' of the mission, the rest being the clear up. He strode off at his true pace, long and purposeful strides and was very quickly out of sight of the main building and off into the dark where he knew he would find the other two.

He spotted them, Samantha in a tree and Killian on the floor, throwing the pullies up to her. He paused and watched them for a moment, smiling to himself and quietly proud of them before he made himself known, walking onto the green. "How are things going here?" He used pleasantly to make his presence known.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

"Elevators?" she repeated, pretending to be utterly confused by the word, "I've never heard of those. In my village, we use mountain goats to climb." And with that, she bleated, then laughed. "You won't find any elevator in a tree, city boy," she then pointed out, comfortably perched on the branch.

"Sounds like me." She brushed a hand through her hair, visibly happy with the comparison. Sloane being Little John certainly fit when it came to size. "I wonder who's gonna be your Maid Marian." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "Violet said something about her mom, didn't she? Your future wife, ooooohhhh."

While teasing Killian was certainly a fun way to forget about the fact that she was about to be bait for a dangerous monster, they still had a job to do. So, she grabbed the pulley he was throwing her -careful not to fall down from the tree- and started attaching it around the branch.

Violet realized that she had forgotten to grab a map in the admin office! But she knew the way to Sloane's office and remembered the directions the man had given her -over the bridge, in the language department. She was confident she could find it. "I'll be fine," she assured him, taking the key he was handing her. "Thank you."

"I'll send you a message." She smiled at the praise, and with a last "good luck!" she vanished down the corridor. Violet was quite pleased to see that she indeed found Sloane's office quite easily. She grabbed the crossbow, and before leaving the room she wrapped it in a scarf that was hanging on the coat rack. People might stop her and ask questions if she saw her with a crossbow!

Once that was done, she locked the door and headed toward room 328. It was an easy trip as well, as everything on campus was marked. After a five-minute walk, she was already climbing the stairs up to her room. But as she approached the door, she realized that... It wasn't empty at all! She could hear loud music and laughter. Oh, no!

[multipleoccupancy]

Killian chuckled to himself at her confidence and then for her tease about teaching him to climb. "We have something called elevators in the city, country girl," he quipped back albeit not his best but he was still a little nervous and also didn't want to upset Samantha in any way now things were moving a little faster.

It was impressive and she was up there in no time at all. He knew, despite his bravado, he couldn't do it as fast as her, maybe he really should take up her offer of learning to climb trees. "You can be my Will Scarlet," he called up to her, "tree climber and sassiest member," he called, "Odyssey is Little John," for his sheer size. Once she was in position though, he was sure to wait until she was properly ready before he threw up the first pulley to her.

No her Sloane would not have cared about the man at the admin desk, if anything he might have killed him and taken his place instead. The present Sloane was oblivious though and only smiled as Violet agreed with him about making the other feel like they had done a good deed.

"If you know the way to the office and to the room? By all means." Sloane encouraged as she offered to split ways, believing she would be fine if she was mindful about where she went. "I'll give you the key," he pulled his office key from his key ring, no awkward fumbling was needed now the act was dropped. "Send a message to me or Obsidian when you're set up so that we know." He smiled and then did a quick check on her, she seemed fine as far as he could tell, ready to help. "You'll do brilliant, we'll meet up with you afterwards, keep your phone on you." He reminded her.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

"Oh, you can laugh if I fall," she replied with a little wink, "that's how sure I am that I won't fall." It was a big tree, but it had a lot of branches, and she had climbed bigger and taller trees before. "I'll teach you how to climb trees if you want, city boy." A final grin, and with that she started her ascension.

It was indeed relatively easy, though she was of course careful -but only because she couldn't fall now. Killian would never let her live it down. And after the crossbow fiasco, well, she was eager to show off a little bit. Once she was up on the right branch, she waved in his direction -she was just a little bit smug about it. "Maybe I should join your crew, Robin Hood."

Yes, Violet thought that Sloane would have made a good teacher. Not just because he was a great actor -though he was. But he was also patient and kind. He listened and praised her, and made her feel confident about her own abilities. No wonder her dad had seen him as a mentor. It was so easy to trust him. He was like an oak tree -big, strong, and reassuring. But Violet remembered a story her brother had told her once. The oak and the reed. The oak seemed indestructible, but in the face of a storm, it snapped in two.

She turned a brighter shade of red as he praised her more. "We made a good team," she concluded with a shy smile. "You're right, he probably feels good now. And he was very nice." But the Sloane she knew would probably not have bothered -or cared- about making this man feel good about himself, about doing a good deed. He would have stolen the key, perhaps even killed him. She Sloane she knew had already snapped in two.

"Should I go to your office to get the crossbow, and then get settled in the room?" She supposed he would be joining Killian and Samantha, now. The sun had set, it was time.

[multipleoccupancy]

Killian left Samantha with some space but he was sure to look to her patiently when she sat down and dried her eyes. It must have been horrifying but in a way he felt moved that she had told him in the first place. At least now he knew and if needed knew what to look out for in case it was an especially difficult mission for Samantha.

It was back to business fairly fast though and Killian nodded as she gave her instructions. Looking up to the tree she was talking about and to that first branch. Looked easy enough, right? He was quietly glad when she said she would climb though, he didn't want to embarrass himself if he couldn't climb it, he'd never live that down.

"Sure, you get yourself up there, I'll watch and promise not to laugh if you fall." He smiled but knew she would be fine, Samantha was good at such things after all, he didn't think it would be much of a bother for her. Meanwhile he went to collect one of the pullies to be ready.

The continued rouse was only made stronger with Violet's reply and Sloane was very pleased she knew to keep it going. What an incredibly bright young lady! They were finally able to break character and she was blushing at the praise. "Ah, I think I would have been well suited to such a career," Sloane agreed for his prospects as a drama teacher.

"But I can only reflect the energy of my co-star and there was much of that which you improvised and made much better." Further praise as they walked back towards his office. "He probably feels like he has done a good deed too," Sloane thought out loud with a glance back in the direction of the admin office. "I think if we can do little things, like cheering up such people under these circumstances, it will make a difference. Not to mention help us out if we need another friend if things get a little tough." A man with all the keys was a good friend to have!

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Samantha sat back down when Killian broke the hug. She grabbed a tissue from her pocket and dried her eyes, before offering him a little smile. "Yes, we've got this," she echoed. She believed it. They made a great team. And she did feel a little bit lighter, now that she had shared this memory with him. She was no longer carrying it alone.

"Let's set up the pulleys in the tree," she said, standing up and brushing her jeans with her hands, "there's a big branch there that seems sturdy enough." And Samantha was good at climbing trees, she had been doing it all her childhood. "I'll climb, and you throw me the ropes once I'm up there?" She was grinning. While the plan was dangerous and the stakes quite high, climbing a tree was exciting all the same.

Even as they walked away from the admin office, Sloane kept up the charade for a little bit longer -an important detail, in case the man could still hear them. Violet wasn't sure she would have thought of it herself. But it was, again, easy to follow his expert lead. "Maybe we can use matches?" she suggested, her inventive mind already thinking up ways to toast marshmallows without a bonfire -she couldn't help herself.

But of course, there would be no marshmallows and no fire, and when Sloane seemed to finally break his performance, the ideas were all stored in a little box, in the back of her mind.

She blushed at the praise. "Thank you." Was she becoming a good liar? It felt like a mixed bag of emotions. She was happy she did well, but... should she be happy about it? "But it was easy to follow your lead," she praised back, "you were really impressive. All I had to do was play along with you. You could be a real theatre teacher, you know."

[multipleoccupancy]

Killian held her in a hug, sad he had not been able to help her back then and so pleased she was there with him in the moment. It made his heart ache with worry for what could go wrong that night but he pushed it down for her sake. She didn't need his worries on top of her own, the whole mission was likely very hard and upsetting for her even if the connection was a little vague, experimentation and hybrids was surely going to be tough.

"We'll figure it out," he told her as he patted her shoulder before pulling away from the hug. They needed to get set up but that had felt important. He never wanted to see her upset or worked up and she must have been scared, she was of course very much like a sister to him in turn. He didn't want anything to happen to her, which made the stakes of the job feel much higher. "Together, we've got this." He tried with at least a little more confidence.

Sloane looked to her for the nudge and gave a quiet chuckle for her reminder, on point in his fatherly approach as he nodded and gave a little accepting raise of his eyebrows. "Yes, sorry." He acknowledged sweetly. He even appeared moved and sad all at once for her request of marshmallows, offering a hesitant nod and a quiet sniffle as they went for the door. "Of course we can, we'll get the big ones, it'll be fun." He encouraged and gave one final smile and wave to the man behind the desk before closing the door.

He was sure to take her a few paces away from the door, "we can't use a fire this time but they can be just as tasty without being toasted." He carried on, careful as he didn't doubt they were still being listened to before they got far enough away. He turned to her, grinning so wide and so proud.

"You were spectacular back there," he praised genuinely and a little excitedly. "Really sold the tiredness and the cold, that disappointment too," he pressed the ends of his fingers to his lips and made a 'chef's kiss' gesture. "You are very talented, well done."

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Samantha buried herself in Killian's arms without a word -she was worried she'd choke up on them. But she did feel safe with him, and she believed him when he said they would do everything they could for this poor student. "Thanks," she croaked softly, grateful for his comfort, and for the feeling that despite being an only child, she had found a brother in Killian.

"Yes, you're right. He wasn't born like this," she rationalized, brushing her eyes with the back of her hands, "it was done to him. Surely there's gonna be a way to help him." The monsters of the Seed of Hope Clinic were beyond help, and she had failed to save her friend that day. But she was an agent, now. She was experienced, and she wasn't alone. They could save this student. And Killian was right, they could save other people too. That was what it was all about, after all. Working for Delta Green. Protecting the world.

Violet took the key Sloane was handing her, but when he insisted she hold onto it, she nudged him playfully with her elbow -like she'd have done to her real dad. "I know how to hold a key, Dad," she teased, making sure to seem touched by his fussing. It was all a rather elaborate performance on their part, and it had worked, too. She couldn't help but be pleased with herself, even if it made her feel a little weird. Playing the loving family with Sloane.

"I can't wait to nap," she told Sloane as he praised the man. But of course, she was not going to sleep in room 328! She was going to shoot a monster with a crossbow. "Do you think we could get marshmallows from the vending machine? Like that, it'll really be like our camping trip." He was good. How was he so quick to think of all these things? The fake memories, the inside jokes. Violet found it easy to follow his lead because he was so convincing.

But she was secretly relieved when they stepped out of the admin office and closed the door behind them. The pretending was over. Had she done alright? They had the key, after all. A part of her wanted to be good at this, but the other wasn't so sure. Acting sounded a lot like lying.

[multipleoccupancy]

He sensed their topic was helping her too and so Theo was comfortable in staying with it for the time being. Not realising the path he was sending Samantha down as she started to express her thoughts. She started talking about how she had been recruited and Theo paused to watch her, silent and still, worried that a single movement or too loud a breath might startle her from speaking. She never mentioned it and he later learned that it was not something that should be asked or really revealed to others.

Her story sounded harrowing though! She was almost sacrificed to hybrids? He might have never known her, she could had died and he'd have been none the wiser. He caught that disguised sob, he knew her too well now and stopped what he was doing with the net to cross the space between them and pull Samantha into a tight and protective hug.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, but I am so glad you made it out of there." He was sure to say very clearly but there was a short and quiet rasp to his voice as he was sure to hold back his tears and his horror. "We can help this guy, we'll do all we can. It's going to be ok and we'll make sure this never happens to anyone else again." He promised, or at least thought he could without the sense to remember that there was a big wide world out there with cultists lurking and waiting.

Unaware he was doing very little to settle Violet's nerves around his counterpart, Sloane kept up the act comfortably, smiling politely to the man as Violet thanked him too and then to her, still so tired and polite as she gave her own response. Oh she was very good! He'd have to tell her when they got out of ear shot!

The man returned with the key to the dorm and Sloane's ID card. "Here you go Professor Parry, Miss Parry," he said as kindly as he could, clearly trying to do his best to seem professional in the moment. In truth, Sloane thought they now had the perfect set up for him to leave unannounced in a few days, of course he would have to look after dear cold and tired little Astrid.

"Ah! Thank you," Sloane was quick to say but he took the key and card calm and polite, "You hold onto the key for me?" He offered to Violet, holding out the little door key for her to take. "Don't lose it now, be sure to hold on tight to it," he encouraged as perhaps a tired father might, not quite able to see his daughter as fifteen yet, still young and in need of encouragement. "I'll just put this back in here," he explained as he pretended to fumble around with his wallet again to put the card back in, seemingly getting frustrated and jamming it in half way before closing the wallet again.

"You've been our saviour tonight," Sloane praised the man, putting his hand back on Violet's shoulder. "I'll be sure to tell Stacey how helpful you've been, I can't thank you enough." He even let a little bit of tears flood his eyelashes without actually letting them fall. "What a nice man," he told Violet with a small smile, "let's get you set up in the room and settled in, we can take the sleeping bag from my car, it'll be like when we used to go camping, just without the mosquitoes," He gave a tired laugh and started to head back towards the door to leave. Thrilled with their performance.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Focusing on a possible solution helped Samantha, too. It kept her mind away from the plan, from her being bait. "Yes, you're right. It was probably a ritual or something of the sort. Maybe we can force him to do the reverse ritual if there's one." Oh, right. Violet had seen a woman turned into a monster. "Maybe he's hiding a monster somewhere, yes. Or maybe he's using some monster poison? Injecting it in the student's veins?"

She paused, her fingers resting on the rope. "I don't know if it works the same way, but... I saw things. Similar things. It's how I got recruited. I don't talk about it because..." Samantha looked down at the net. "It was horrible. Someone died." Her lip quivered. "It was a fertility clinic. They were making... hybrids? I don't really know. Half-monsters, half-babies. I worked there as an intern, and I had no idea this was happening. I thought it was a normal clinic. But one day, they tried to sacrifice me and another intern. They wanted to feed us to the monsters. I managed to escape, but..." The other intern was not so lucky. "I couldn't save him."

Samantha disguised a sob behind an awkward cough. "There was no turning them back, these creatures. They had never been fully human in the first place, anyway."

Violet was really very impressed by Sloane, how easily he played his part. But it was a little bit scary, too. Like with the flick of a switch, he had turned into a single dad, worried about his daughter. No wonder she always got tricked by the Sloane she knew. He didn't just disguise himself, he transformed himself.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered just as low when he offered her his lunchbox. He was expertly making their situation seem even more heartbreaking to the man behind the desk. And it worked, too, because here he was, offering them a room -the room Sloane told her would be ideal.

This little charade reminded her of how much she missed her dad and her home in New York. When her eyes got just a little bit shinier, she wasn't playing. She did feel like crying.

"Thank you so much, sir," she was sure to say with a grateful smile. And when he disappeared into the office and Sloane suggested they get McDonald's the next day, she followed his example and continued with her own part -the tired daughter. "Really? I'd like that a lot," she replied, careful not to sound too excited -this was supposed to be a consolation prize after all.

[multipleoccupancy]

He smiled that she thought he would make a good Robin Hood, he believed it too even if he didn't quite have the time to do it. He still had to go back to his studies when the mission was over, he had to get top marks! No time for vigilante thieving and ruining his planned career path, sadly.

He helped Samantha spread out the net and keep the pullies from tangling. Nodding as she spoke the mission seemed simpler in a way. They knew what was happening was man made and to stop it they needed to catch the man, undoing it was a bonus. "We'll manage something, it might have been a ritual or maybe like a potion or something," he thought for a moment, "Odin said that what she saw was a woman get stung by a monster before she started turning. Maybe it's something like that and there's like... an original monster?" All things they didn't know about yet but it was helping him to focus on their solution rather than their trap! He hoped it was the same for Samantha too.

Very pleased with Violet's performance and quietly thinking to himself that the Killian that was her father might have had his work cut out for him if she could put on such an act with such ease. He imagined a grown Killian was putty in the girl's hands. He had to resist chuckling to himself for the image, stealing the moment to rub tiredly at his eyes and down his face in such exhaustion. "You can have my lunch box from today for dinner," he then said quietly but just enough so the man could hear him, suggesting that Sloane hadn't eaten that day anyway and was giving his only meal to his daughter.

The man checked Sloane's ID but the act of both Violet looking so cold and upset at whatever it was her mother had done and then Sloane's apparent patient exhaustion tugged hard enough at his heart strings that he set the fake ID aside and started typing into the system to search for a dorm.

"Ah, yes, we have some free," the man explained and Sloane smiled but quickly suggested in some pleading panic, "preferably as close to the arts department as possible?" The man nodded with an 'of course' gesture and then a smile to Violet. "The nearest one is over the bridge in the languages department, but it's free of any residents." He explained sympathetically, "Room 328," the same as Sloane had mentioned earlier. "I'll just go and get the key set up," he promised before moving from the desk and off deeper into the office behind.

Sloane did not drop the act though and was sure to look to Violet kindly and still very tired. "You can have a nice rest and tomorrow we'll go out and get a McDonalds, just you and me." Promises he seemed to be genuinely offering though of course he was not, they were on a mission and as he understood it, Violet might not even be there come morning let alone dinner.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Samantha was not superstitious, but she still felt safer with Killian's knife in her pocket. It was an extra weapon, and would come in very handy if she had to fight the monster in close combat -or if she somehow got stuck in the trap, too. But she was also sentimental.

"You would make a great Robin Hood," she chuckled as she helped him put the net down. She stretched and rubbed her shoulders. They were already sore. "Steal from the rich and give to the poor!" Samantha didn't know too much about Killian's situation, but she knew that it was Delta Green who had paid for his education.

She started to carefully untangle the net, lying it flat on the grass. "I don't know," she admitted, "I've never seen anything like it before. But I think Violet might be right: if it's been done by a man, then surely it can be undone, too. Once we catch who did it, we'll force him to turn this student back into a human." If it could be done. "All we can do is try."

Violet was quite relieved to hear that Sloane couldn't fly a plane. He was dangerous enough as he was! Not this Sloane, she reminded herself. Though she couldn't be sure. He was not a cultist, and he was on her side, but he was probably still very dangerous.

And he was a great actor, too. She watched as he started talking to the man, skillful in the way he played the part of the embarrassed, tired single dad -even his hand motion felt warm and loving. Violet thought about Lisa and felt very sad all of a sudden. Sloane seemed like he was a good dad. He would one day do unforgivable things, to bring back his family.

She carefully looked down at her feet at that word, "busy", as if she was also upset about her mother's behavior. She kept her eyes planted on the ground while he described how tired she felt, waiting until he was asking about a room before rubbing her left arm with her hand -not too much, like Sloane told her. It was only when the man asked to see Sloane's ID that she looked up -expectantly. Yes, she was cold and she was tired and she really wanted to sleep while her dad worked.

[multipleoccupancy]

"Well shit..."

💼 a professional email -- Edgar

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄 (💼 a professional email)

Edgar,

I hope this email finds you well.

I am currently en route to Washington, D.C. I apologise for the lack of warning, but I will be staying with you for the remainder of the week. I have already cleared it with the Ambassador, using the need to be covert as an excuse to turn down offers of other accommodation. He believes that nobody in the right mind would assume I am staying with you.

If you are not in the city, I will let myself in. I can source a key.

If you are in the city, I would appreciate knowing what is for dinner.

My plane lands in four hours.

Mycroft Holmes

[multipleoccupancy]

Theo took some comfort in the thought that Samantha would be careful. She was sensible and certainly a very capable agent, more so than him he believed anyway. He had to have faith in her and make sure he did his part right to help protect her. "Yeah, it's kept me safe so far," he smiled about the knife though he didn't really believe in such superstitions, not yet anyway.

She got him to laugh about him being Robin Hood, tickled by the image and comparison and the thought of how to pull it off as NYC's Robin Hood did cross his mind for a moment before he let it go, he had a job to do just as he was instructed. "I'd rather you were safe from the bears, but I think I would make an awesome Robin Hood."

He set the net down carefully when they walked onto the green and he spared a stretch of his own shoulders. That was heavy! But that meant it would be hard to get out of. "Do you think we can help this student?" Theo was hoping so but he also understood the reality of the situation. He had been exposed to the unnatural, tainted by it even, he likely wasn't safe to keep alive or at least free. But perhaps they could reverse what had been done and he would just believe it was all a wild fever dream. Or drugs.

Sloane laughed and shook his head, "I have many talents, but actually flying a plane is not one of them." Though it was in some way flattering that Violet even thought that of him! He would have liked to have been a pilot if he had the chance, but he had often been told he was too tall for the role. Oh well.

Inside the admin office the man behind the computer looked up to assess them, confused and a little intrigued that a professor was there and apparently his young daughter. "Very nice, Astrid," Sloane was sure to tell Violet for her greeting the man but it was also a little subtle praise for her less is more adaptation to the situation. Oh he was already proud.

"I find myself in a bit of a mess," Sloane began with the man, leaning on the counter a little and clearly looking that little bit exasperated. "My daughter, Astrid," he gestured to Violet, there was a warmth in the movement, a natural hand wave that in some ways offered protection as well as attention, "she's had to come to my work while her mom is..." he pretended to stop himself in his tracks, glancing at Violet and then to the man behind the counter, "busy. I have to work late and the poor child is very tired after a long and trying day. I don't suppose there's a dorm room for her to use, just until I am done working for the night? I'll take her home after my work is completed of course. Marking, sucks the life out of people and time right out of the day."

The man looked to them both, his attention turning onto Violet for a long moment while he considered his options. "Can I see your staff card, Professor?" He held his hand out and Sloane handed over his university ID, fake of course, and then put his enormous hand on Violet's shoulder as if trying to keep her warm and comforted in her cold and tired state. Quietly tugging on the heart strings of the man in front of them.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Samantha smiled softly. "I know. It's hardly ideal, but it's our best shot at catching the monster." Still unable to hold his hand to comfort him, she nudged him gently instead. "I'll be careful. And I have your knife. I'm sure it'll be good luck." She didn't want to think about all the ways their plan could go wrong. What was the point? She'd rather stay positive.

The bear argument had worked even better than she hoped. "No, no, you can have it," she assured him, "Violet gave it to you. It's yours. I'll just keep it safe in the trunk of my car, and use it on the occasional bear." Samantha would surely become a local legend if she killed a bear with a crossbow. "I'll bring it along on our missions, and you can use it. You'll be a proper Robin Hood." She winked.

They were approaching the patch of grass they had picked to set up the trap, and Samantha wasn't unhappy about it. The net was quite heavy, and even with Killian helping, her shoulders and arms were getting sore.

"You have a pilot costume? Can you fly a plane?" Violet didn't like that at all -as cool as a pilot costume surely was, that meant the Sloane from her timeline probably had the same disguise, and could get inside a plane if he wanted. A dreadful idea.

But she didn't have time to think about it. They were already stepping inside the admin office. She painted a tired look on her features -only stifling a yawn for now. Less was more had said Sloane, and she was eager to do a good job. "Yes, Dad," she said, and the words tasted like ash in her mouth. She smiled through it.

"Good evening," she politely told the man sitting at the desk. Violet had positioned herself slightly behind Sloane, as a shy daughter would. He was so tall and large that he made for quite the reassuring presence -when he was not the threat.

[multipleoccupancy]

"Every night," Theo smiled back at her, knowing he had shown he was unconvinced but he was glad of the change of topic, there were more pressing worried than Violet for now. "You can look after yourself, I just don't like the idea of bait." It was all they had though and he and Sloane could make sure nothing happened to her, Violet too from her vantage point. He could see she was worried and in some way it helped, it meant she would be careful out there.

Oh yeah, the bears. Theo looked at her worriedly for a moment, is seemed like she was constantly in danger if she was here and then when she went home she had to deal with bears! Of course in his mind the situation was much worse than it actually was and he imagined her having to deal with bears on a daily occurrence. "You should use it if you have to you know. You're right it's better off with you." He agreed, at least in New York there were just the stray pets, rats and occasional parrot. "You can, you know, have it if you want?" He'd relinquish it if it meant she could be spared from the bears at home too!

"I am not sure I have a favourite," Sloane mused as they walked though he was clearly thinking hard about it. "I have used so many but I suppose the best one might have been the pilot." He concluded, inadvertently revealing that he and thus other Sloanes could get into the cockpits of planes if they deemed it necessary.

Ah! It sounded like the HR role was no walk in the park, he supposed not every cell was like theirs and well, Samantha could really put her foot down if she decided to. "It probably is," he at least admitted for it being a harder role but he was even more pleased that Killian and Samantha were in touch too and he assumed that he was much the same as them.

"Astrid," he acknowledged with a smile and a nod before gently but encouragingly patting her on the shoulder. "You'll do great, let's go." He instructed and then opened the door to the office. Beyond it there was an empty reception area and then a small plastic screen where a young man was sat typing away on a computer, pausing to look at them both as the door opened. "Good evening," Sloane greeted as he fumbled around a little as if trying to find his wallet, sounding a little more exasperated than he had just done and as if he was a frazzled single dad in a 'pickle', "Come on in to talk to the nice man, Astrid." He smiled at her encouragingly, so very much as if he was indeed her father.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Samantha could tell that her words had not really appeased Killian's worries. She knew him far too well not to notice. But she wasn't sure that anything she could say would comfort him when it came to Violet's presence here, and all it could entail for them. So, she just offered him a warm smile and dropped the subject. "Just tonight?" she teased, trying to hide her own worries behind a joke.

"That's true, I can't," she admitted patiently, "but I can hide the crossbow in the trunk of my car. My dad never uses it anyway. And if he does somehow find it, I'll tell him I bought it to fend off bears. People in my town have all sorts of guns to protect themselves against bears, a crossbow won't be too unusual." A little bit unusual, sure. But she wouldn't be grounded for it. She glanced at Killian, hoping the mention of bears would convince him.

"What's your favorite disguise?" asked Violet. She did chuckle when he mentioned how well he decorated his house for Halloween, though there was a sadness in her eyes. Her heart broke just a little bit at the thought that all of this, his house, his family, the little traditions they had... would one day go up in flames. Literally and figuratively.

Unaware that she had relieved Sloane of a great worry, she nodded at his question. "My dad says it's probably more scary than being on the field," she joked, though she didn't know just how unhinged Delta Green agents could be.

She stopped next to Sloane. "Oh- Astrid, my name is Astrid," she whispered, in case anyone could hear them on the other side of the door. The prospect of calling him "Dad" was daunting. Her mouth was suddenly very dry, she felt like she had swallowed a handful of sawdust. "Yes, I remember."

[multipleoccupancy]

Theo was not convinced. He was worried about so many things at once that it was easiest to focus on Violet. She was the entity that was technically out of place. The monster mutant too of course but was Violet not the bigger anomaly? At least she was on their side and while he would try to focus on the mission his 'duty' to Delta Green was still going to gnaw away at him all the same. In some ways he felt terrible for hoping she never did come back to their timeline, it would eliminate the moral dilemma he was facing that night. Samantha had tried though and he was sure to offer her a short nod of acceptance. "You're more important tonight anyway." He pointed out.

Samantha had a point about the crossbow though, it wasn't like it would be easy to hide in the trailer! She couldn't know about that detail but it did help him to revaluate in any case. "Well, you can't hide it in your room either," he countered a little defensively nonetheless but he also didn't have a car to hide it in and even if he did he would have no chance of explaining it if he was caught with it.

"I have many uniforms to use but I do not always keep them just in a box," Sloane laughed, "some are better than others though." Some were more complex, like the astronaut outfit! "I do enjoy Halloween though," he confirmed, "I go big in my house for the occasion. Cardboard ghosts, black cats and pumpkins are hardly scary after doing this job for a while." It was almost a treat to see people were scared of the mundane though he would admit that some props were starting to get more convincing.

She answered about Samantha and Sloane felt a weight lifting from his chest. He hadn't realised just how worried he had been until the worry was gone. He smiled a genuine smile to himself that they were still close and that she had found a new career. "Is she really?" He hummed with obvious pride that Samantha had got herself a HR role in Delta Green, having no idea what that would actually look like. "That suits her very much. And I am glad they are still close, I can't really imagine them not being so."

He stopped outside of the door for the admin's office, checked no one was about and then looked to her, "Remind me of your pretend name?" He checked with her, "I am professor Parry, remember but I suppose 'Dad' if needs be in there or elsewhere on campus."

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

"It's an unusual situation," she admitted, "but it doesn't mean it's going to be bad. No matter how she arrived here, we know her intentions are good." She would have put her hand on his shoulder if they weren't carrying a heavy net. "I know it's not easy, and I can tell you like her. She likes you too. I think all we can do for now is focus on the plan, and not worry too much about the rest. She might go back to her timeline tonight, she might never come back here."

Samantha chuckled when Killian confirmed that Violet would have never agreed to stay behind -perhaps because the two of them were so similar. "Yes, she seems to be a bit reckless. I bet her dad worries about her a lot." She looked at him with a little smile.

"Do you, now?" She laughed again. "You can have the crossbow. But Odyssey and I were thinking that it might be easier to store it in my car. It'll be yours to use whenever we're on a mission! But I don't think your parents will let you keep a crossbow in your room." And if he refused, she could always tell him about the bears.

Violet attempted a smile and failed. Luckily Sloane was looking around the office, and wouldn't notice it. "Yes, they are," she confirmed, before taking the key he was handing her -and thanking him for it.

"You must have a big disguise box," she said, managing a smile this time, "is Halloween your favorite holiday?" It was the perfect holiday for disguises, after all.

She raised her eyebrows, surprised by the question. "I've met her. I met her in my timeline, and I met her as a cowboy, too. But I guess I've only seen her twice in my timeline." Unlike Sloane, she didn't try to kidnap her every few months! Not that could tell him that. "She lives in a different town, and... well, she doesn't work on the field anymore. She's an HR representative for Delta Green. But my dad and her as still really close."

[multipleoccupancy]

Theo was still very nervous about the plan and he was surprised when Samantha asked him about it, though it seemed she was not asking about that at all. Perhaps she didn't want to talk about it and was trying to settle her own nerves. "Yeah we were getting on fine. I do like her, I just..." he gave a stiff sigh as Davidson's threats crept back into his head. "I know there's going to be more to this, and I think it's going to be bad." He mused seriously and shot a look to Samantha, all honesty.

"You're right about her and how she would have been thinking though," he agreed, "she'd have not listened to a word you or Odyssey said if you'd planned on leaving her behind." For better or worse he still didn't know. "I have her written permission to take the crossbow when she goes back to her own timeline though," he said insistently but playfully, hoping but know it probably wouldn't stick. He watched her for a moment, "how are you feeling?" She had to be worried still.

"Ah well Sloane's are just masters of disguise," he said cheerfully, again not realising it was being used nefariously by his counterparts. He watched as she left the crossbow behind, stole a quick glance around the office just to be sure everything was secure before he closed and then locked the door to the room with the click from a key, which he promptly handed to Violet.

"I find it's often best to use a different one wherever possible," he explained happily, "but what I use in California I can reuse in New York, that's a lot of miles between uniforms and costumes." There were only so many he could use after all. "I have noticed something as we have been talking," he then mused out loud as he turned to lead her towards the admin offices. "You speak of your father and myself in your timeline," comfortable topics as far as he knew despite being completely wrong about that. "Have you not met Orion from your timeline?" It was a careful question but in some ways loaded too, was Samantha not part of the future?!

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

As they stepped outside of the room and started making their way through the corridors, Samantha glanced at Theo. "How are you feeling?" She could imagine that he was nervous about the plan, but that wasn't exactly what she wanted to know. "You were having fun with Violet, earlier." She hoped it meant that he was more settled about the matter, now.

"The plan is to keep her as far away from the monster as possible." Which he seemed to have understood on his own -otherwise he might have insisted on keeping the crossbow. "But with Odyssey, we knew she would not accept to just stay behind and wait. Like that, she can feel useful, and we can be less worried about her."

Unaware that Sloane assumed he used his disguise to visit Theo's family, Violet listened as he explained how he had learned this skill. It was so eerie to think that the Sloane she knew had used it to trick and abduct her, and yet here she was, casually talking about it with another version of him. But maybe it could help her notice the disguises better?

"I never thought about it that way," she admitted, "but you're right. To be honest, I'm always tricked by the disguises of the Sloane I know. And I'm usually good at spotting disguises." Yes, she could always see right through Count Olaf's disguises.

She stepped into the office and placed the crossbow on his desk, before walking toward Sloane again. Now she would look more convincing as a cold and tired teenager.

"Do you always wear a different disguise, when you're on a mission?" He didn't know that one day he would fool Samantha and Theo for the worst reasons. He didn't know that he would use his disguises to lure Theo into deadly traps. And she couldn't tell him. She couldn't stop it.

[multipleoccupancy]

Theo huffed at her comment on his biceps but there was still a smile on his face, enjoying the playful bullying as they gathered up the net to take outside. "At least you can see my cooked noodles." Theo teased her back but with everything ready to go he gave a nod. "We're good," he confirmed and started to walk with her.

He was confident that the trap was heavy and big enough to catch the monster, he had to believe that and he trusted that Violet was not out to try and harm Samantha. It was just uncomfortable to think that Samantha would be so exposed until the trap was sprung.

Sloane smiled as Violet mentioned he was good at disguises, he made an assumption that it was how the families were able to meet! Him going to see Killian in disguise made perfect sense and he even seemed a little happier for it. "I learned from an early age, I always enjoyed dressing up but it was with my first few assignments with Delta Green that I really got to work on the skills." He happily rattled off as he opened the door to his office for her to put the crossbow inside for now. Noting that she would indeed need a map!

"I discovered that the key detail is to go for inconspicuous disguises, shop workers, trash collectors, plasterer, even just picking up a ladder and walking inside a building with it could grant me access to most anywhere I needed." He wasn't worried about explaining it to her, she was too young to pass as someone like that after all. "So long as you look like you belong and are busy, people don't question it. They don't even see you." He chuckled, "I have fooled Obsidian and Orion a few times when we meet up for a mission." A joke for now and he didn't realise how menacing a statement that could be. Unaware of Violet's worries over the trap and her feelings of responsibility over what was to happen.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

"My old bones?" Samantha laughed. "I'm sorry, what are you showing off exactly?" she asked, raising her eyebrows playfully as he flexed his rather non-existent biceps, "because all I can see are two cooked noodles." She would have flexed her own biceps if she had any. When it came to the O cell, the only one with muscles to show off was Sloane.

She followed Theo's example and lifted her side of the gathered net, before putting it on her shoulders. Heavy, yes. But with two pairs of arms -even scrawny ones- it would be manageable. And the heavier the trap, the better, right? It meant it would hold the monster.

"Alright, let's go," she said with an encouraging smile.

Violet listened to Sloane's advice, nodding along. He was the expert, after all. "You're really good at disguises," she pointed out, "in my timeline, I've seen you disguised as a janitor, a priest, and a postman." She didn't mention the fact that, each time, Sloane was disguised to kidnap her -except for that one time he took her to brunch. "Can I ask how you learned how to disguise yourself?" It seemed like a very valuable skill to have. After all, she'd been tricked by his disguises before.

"A foot locker wouldn't be a great hiding spot, that's true," she agreed with a chuckle as she followed him toward his office. His explanations were clear, but Violet didn't want to risk getting lost. "Maybe it would be best if I had a map, yes. Better safe than sorry."

She was worried about Samantha too, and felt responsible for her safety. It was her trap they were using. If it malfunctioned or didn't work, it would be her fault. And by extension, if something happened to Samantha, it would be her fault, too.