T
Tamlin
Guest
Original poster
"What do you MEAN I'm going to Hungary?" To say that this had come as a surprise would be a lie; she'd heard the whispers around the water cooler and had gotten more than a nudge of two in her direction about picking up the story but…
"You avoid me for damn near a week and THEN drop this on me? I've got four articles I'm pushing as is and two of my best people are out of commission with the flu, Jack, how am I supposed to just up and go to Hungary?" She would ALSO be lying if she were to say that she wasn't dying to go. But jumping at opportunities and acting as though she were excited about such a thing would be the surest way for Jack, her slightly overweight and always red-cheeked boss, to pull her from the assignment. Having worked with the man for nearly three years she knew just the buttons to push and how hard to push them.
"Come on, Robin, you know you're the only one qualified. Hell, you're the only one with any sort of self-defense course under their belt and combined with your in the field experience you're the only one who could handle something like this." Not QUITE begging, but close enough. She sighed, pushing her glasses up from the bridge of her nose and hiding her smirk with the same hand. Like a violin.
"You know you're paying me overtime the ENTIRE time I'm there, right?" He sighed. "AND for all my expenses?" Be difficult; add far too much to the deal and he's more willing to give you more.
"Done." She'd blinked, of course she'd blinked; it was unusual for him to take her offers to easily. Then again, he wasn't kidding when he'd mentioned the self defense courses. The part of Hungary she was to be sent to was not normally considered a dangerous place. However, between the string of murders which had garnered the attention of the US underground and the fact that Jack was beginning to smell a cover-up about to occur, it would be far more dangerous than a simple vacation for her.
"And someone will need to feed Bitsy."
"Bitsy?"
"My cat."
"…Robin you don't have a cat."
"I do as of two days ago." She shrugged and began gathering up her articles; she would not get any more work finished with her blood boiling the way it was now. But Jack was nodding and gently taking the files from her hands.
"Listen I know it's short notice but…we managed to book you a flight for two days from now, 4 AM. We'll have someone drive you." He offered a grim smile and Robin paused for only a moment before relinquishing her files and nodding along with him. In the end, she served the lady Justice, just as Jack did. Which was why, in the end, he had finally chosen her. She would not give up, would not be scared off, before she blew the lid off of whatever the hell was happening in that Hungarian city.
This was, long story short, how Robin Landers found herself mimicking the actions of those around her as she prepared for landing. She was, at the moment, at a severe disadvantage without the understanding of their language but had been assured by Jack just before leaving her office the previous day, that she would be met at the airport by an interpreter. Feeling anxious and exhausted, she braced for impact and accepted the smooth rumblings of the plane as it landed in Borgond, just on the outskirts of Budapest. She was somewhat embarrassed to admit that Budapest was the only place in the entire damn country she'd ever paid attention to. As her chatty neighbors made to stand, Robin's eyebrows knit together as she attempted to remember the exact spelling and pronunciation of Szekesfehervar and found, with increasing frustration, that she could not without the help of her notepad. She hoped, rather, that her guide would be able to make up for her severe inability to pronounce…well...anything. This was not the first time Robin had been forced to rely on the assistance of a native and she was certain that Jack would not pair her with someone he did not trust...nevertheless she was prepared for the young woman whose picture Jack had given her upon her departure.
"You avoid me for damn near a week and THEN drop this on me? I've got four articles I'm pushing as is and two of my best people are out of commission with the flu, Jack, how am I supposed to just up and go to Hungary?" She would ALSO be lying if she were to say that she wasn't dying to go. But jumping at opportunities and acting as though she were excited about such a thing would be the surest way for Jack, her slightly overweight and always red-cheeked boss, to pull her from the assignment. Having worked with the man for nearly three years she knew just the buttons to push and how hard to push them.
"Come on, Robin, you know you're the only one qualified. Hell, you're the only one with any sort of self-defense course under their belt and combined with your in the field experience you're the only one who could handle something like this." Not QUITE begging, but close enough. She sighed, pushing her glasses up from the bridge of her nose and hiding her smirk with the same hand. Like a violin.
"You know you're paying me overtime the ENTIRE time I'm there, right?" He sighed. "AND for all my expenses?" Be difficult; add far too much to the deal and he's more willing to give you more.
"Done." She'd blinked, of course she'd blinked; it was unusual for him to take her offers to easily. Then again, he wasn't kidding when he'd mentioned the self defense courses. The part of Hungary she was to be sent to was not normally considered a dangerous place. However, between the string of murders which had garnered the attention of the US underground and the fact that Jack was beginning to smell a cover-up about to occur, it would be far more dangerous than a simple vacation for her.
"And someone will need to feed Bitsy."
"Bitsy?"
"My cat."
"…Robin you don't have a cat."
"I do as of two days ago." She shrugged and began gathering up her articles; she would not get any more work finished with her blood boiling the way it was now. But Jack was nodding and gently taking the files from her hands.
"Listen I know it's short notice but…we managed to book you a flight for two days from now, 4 AM. We'll have someone drive you." He offered a grim smile and Robin paused for only a moment before relinquishing her files and nodding along with him. In the end, she served the lady Justice, just as Jack did. Which was why, in the end, he had finally chosen her. She would not give up, would not be scared off, before she blew the lid off of whatever the hell was happening in that Hungarian city.
This was, long story short, how Robin Landers found herself mimicking the actions of those around her as she prepared for landing. She was, at the moment, at a severe disadvantage without the understanding of their language but had been assured by Jack just before leaving her office the previous day, that she would be met at the airport by an interpreter. Feeling anxious and exhausted, she braced for impact and accepted the smooth rumblings of the plane as it landed in Borgond, just on the outskirts of Budapest. She was somewhat embarrassed to admit that Budapest was the only place in the entire damn country she'd ever paid attention to. As her chatty neighbors made to stand, Robin's eyebrows knit together as she attempted to remember the exact spelling and pronunciation of Szekesfehervar and found, with increasing frustration, that she could not without the help of her notepad. She hoped, rather, that her guide would be able to make up for her severe inability to pronounce…well...anything. This was not the first time Robin had been forced to rely on the assistance of a native and she was certain that Jack would not pair her with someone he did not trust...nevertheless she was prepared for the young woman whose picture Jack had given her upon her departure.