mercyfuls

        casually,   veronica   slides   a   stack   of   poker   chips   to   dom   as   a   silent   invitation   to   make   use   of   the   voucher.   "tonight   is   for   having   fun,   not   arguing."

but domnhall's not going to get into that with veronica of all people — and certainly not here. he accepts the stack of chips with a grateful nod. " indeed. no need to spoil the atmosphere, we can table this discussion for another time. " then he sighs. " i'm not much of a gambler — care to offer any suggestions on where i should head ? "

"If a demon tried to possess me I'd just be like: ok take it from here, good luck man."

How many hobbies have they attempted to have over their lifetime? Is there a common theme?

          the  lights  cast  a  kaleidoscope  of  colors  across  the  casino  as  guinevere  navigates  with  purpose  through  the  throng  of  self  proclaimed  very  important  people  and  mercy  agents.  gaze  sharp  and  discerning  scans  the  crowd  for  familiar  faces,  turning  away  before  she  can  make  eye  contact  with  someone  she  used  to  know,  and  she  finds  herself  approaching  the  bar  with  measured  steps.  with  a  tilt  of  her  head  and  her  best  approximation  of  a  charming  smile,  she  pulls  the  person  closest  to  her  into  conversation  involuntarily.     "     luck  not  on  your  side  tonight     ?     or  are  you  just  on  edge  anticipating  something  to  go  wrong  like  it  did  the  last  time  there  were  one  too  many  agents  packed  in  the  same  room     ?     "

          "     is  it  just  me  or  was  mercy  a  lot  easier  to  hack  into  five  years  ago  ?     "     tablet  is  propped  up  against  her  rolled  up  sweatshirt  on  the  table  as  she  swipes  through  screens,  getting  steadily  more  frustrated.     "     you'd  think  having  agent  status  would  get  you  more  access.     "     yejide  huffs  and  sinks  into  her  seat.  while  she  was  stellar  at  cyber  research,  anything  on  these  clowns  was  turning  up  articles  and  posts  timestamped  just  after  the  governor's  ball.

" it's not just you, " jia says. his own device sits untouched in their lap as he watches yejide work. " which is good, means we get fewer security breaches, but sucks when the directors decide they know best. " not that julia particularly cares about the details, beyond that they think it would make for an interesting read. he's always been more interested in entertainment than anything else, boredom being the only real fate worse than death in their eyes. " quite honestly, it's amazing we get told as much as we do, " they say. " if they could get away with telling us no more than the civilians, they probably would — but then we wouldn't be able to get anything done effectively. "

Prue leans against an outside wall, breaths coming quick and shallow. Flashes of the macabre footage playing on the backs of her eyelids, sounds of the horrified crowds ringing in her ears. She blinks back tears – the situation quickly overwhelming her. Eyes latch onto a fellow agent passing nearby, and hands reach out – stopping just shy of contact, but close enough to grab attention. "What the hell is happening?" She asks, voice high and breathy. Another question rests on the tip of her tongue – are we next?

( that's how he deals with his own fears and anxieties, anyway. puts them aside and waits til they become relevant or solvable. no point in fretting over something he can't control. if he's to be murdered by a secret terrorist organisation or his own employer, he'd rather spend his last moments in relative peace. )

               "  julia  …  we  literally  were  prohibited  from  talking  about  the  memo  ,  did  you  really  think  there  would  be  some  form  of  scandal ?  "     yeah  ,  sure  .  a  scoff  followed  her  words  ,  evidencing  how  absurd  the  idea  seemed  to  her  ;  mercy  controlled  everything  around  them  ,  and  sentinel  even  beyond  that  ,  something  akin  to  an  indiscretion  was  hardly  plausible  .  although  ,  if  sabine  was  honest  ,  she  also  expected  something  more  …  thrilling .     "  do  you  think  it  is  wise  to  look  for  entertainment  after  that  message ?  "     she  questioned  then  ,  dead  serious  for  a  second  ,  eyebrows  raised  in  challenge  .  still  ,  the  smirk  slowly  stretching  her  lips  let  the  other  know  she  was  on  board  with  the  implicit  proposal .     "  i  have  a  flask  with  tequila  and  …  uhm  ,  drugs .  "     the  offer  isn’t  shy  ,  yet  it  is  ,  somehow  ,  insecure   —   she  doesn’t  know  if  getting  high  as  a  kite  would  be  the  best  idea  ,  but  her  level  of  boredom  was  quickly  enticing  her  to  simply  drag  julia  outside  and  fuck  everything  else .

" look at you, verbena, expecting people to follow the rules, " julia says, tone lighthearted but mocking. " what the board don't know, can't hurt them. " besides which, nobody's going to be listening. they're too busy rubbing shoulders with each other, pretending they're the most important people in the world. none of them are going to care about what a couple of unremarkable mercy agents are saying in a corner. " i mean, i'm down for that, but this is technically work hours — so we'd have to find somewhere away from watching eyes, and sentinel hq is not that sort of place. " it's a tech company, they probably have security cameras up the wazoo, even if they're not visible ( though it would be unimpressive if the advanced technology company had visible security cameras ). " but i was more thinking ... mm, something that we could watch — a fight between senators, or something like that. "

"it's been well." the woman nodded, an uncharacteristic smile on her face before she leaned in then turned back towards the crowd. sinéad sighed, leaning on her walking aid. it was all so false but at least she herself was meeting the same standard. good is what heroes did, so the evening would go well. sinéad is a little more 'perky' than usual, an effect of her actually following advice but at the same time, feels less herself. "what about you? are you having a fine evening or would you rather be working, talking strategy or, i don't know-" the woman sighed. "is there any actual point to this? i'm having a fine time but-" she shouldn't say any more.

" hey, i'm just quoting the memo, " julia says. they aren't, but whatever — it's not as if vanessa knows that. and the gist is the same. " they said not to make a fuss. can't help it if everyone else panics the moment the lights go off. " there haven't been any explosions or genuine screams ( just rich people terrified of the dark ) — and even if there were, that's solidly outside jia's job description. " thanks for the suggestion, though. " they flag down a waiter and snag a couple of hors d'oeuvres. " as long as they lock us in with the food and drinks, i'm sure most people won't be particularly bothered. "

there   have   been   many   moments   when   domhnall   has   been   his   saving   grace.   a   doctor   of   molecular   and   cellular   medicine   was   a   godsend   for   the   newly   -   graduated   field   agent   that   had   his   whole   world   turned   upside   down   …   literally.   so   alistair   will   not   hesitate   to   return   the   favor.   including   saving   the   tactical   agent   from   an   undesirable   conversation   (   even   unknowingly   roped   into   one   after   stuffing   his   face   with   a   caviar   and   crème   fraîche   tartlet,   his   expression   contorting   to   a subtle   “   i   do   ?   i   do   !   ”   sort   of   display   ).   a   polite   nod   in   greeting,   free   hand   placed   on   a   mentor’s   shoulder.   his   snacking   had   caught   the   attention   of   two   men   that   had   cornered   dom,   interest   shifting   from   whatever   alistair   was   about   to   fabricate   about   the   conversation   of   economics.   simple   as   that.   “   they   had   just   put   them   out.   go   get   ‘em   before   it’s   too   late,   ”   he   informs,   nodding   his   head   towards   the   server   he   had   plucked   a   savory   pastry   from.   once   the   oblivious   duo   leaves   to   search   of   a   rare   taste   of   caviar   from   a   sturgeon   species   only found in   the   caspian   sea,   the   younger   agent’s   optics   flicker   towards   dom   with   a   self   -   satisfied   simper.   “   you’re   welcome.   ”   alistair   chirps,   even   if   he   had   just   done   the   bare   minimum.