#astiel-c

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The Rookie was working on a piece of tech, that Ray had allowed her to play with, as she sat in what was USUALLY Janine's chair. Admittedly, she found it a tad uncomfortable at the front desk ( she was far more used to dealing with SPOOKS and SPECTERS than asshole customers and concerned callers ) . But hey, it's what EGON had ordered her to do, and what was she supposed to say?

The others were on a small holiday break. Peter and Ray had gone off to God knows where to stay, and Janine had FINALLY gotten that time off she had been pestering ( mainly ) Peter about. It was quiet in the firehouse, almost unnervingly so, and she was ready to - -

Picking up the newly ringing phone with hesitation, she was polite. Then, however, she became EXCITED. Eyes widened briefly, and she all but slammed the telephone down as she hopped to her feet with new found vigor.

Rushing down to Egon's lab area, grey coveralls being untied from around her waist so she could slide her arms through, she made a gesture over her shoulder with a thumb, free hand retrieving her loose grey arm.

"Dr. Spengler, I've just gotten off of the phone. We're needed at the library, right now. The GREY LADY is causing trouble," Which seemed odd for her, but who was Rookie to say that about its behaviour?

"It’s all right, mate. My fault.” Herc gave them a nod, glad that the papers in the folder he was holding hadn’t scattered all about, and made to move off.

Then he stopped. The only person other than Aleksis Kaidonovsky who had that build and physique was- “Mulholland? Chad? Damn, it’s been a while. What brings you both back to base?”

“Stop laughing, Kid. It’s not that funny.”

Yari kicks the back of Kyana’s seat, but the snickering wheeze coming from the front only continues.

The ride had proven longer than Historia had anticipated ( and perhaps even their mission leader might have foreseen ), the sky bleeding from blue and into a purple tinted orange as they continued across the plains. Soon, night would fall — the thought of becoming lost in the darkness not nearly as consuming as the relieving reminder that titans were only active in the light. By the time they reached a set of crumbling ruins, evidently where they were to camp until dawn, the smear of clouds had been replaced by stars. She wasted no time in joining the other scouts in preparing rations and laying out her blankets, close to the fire yet with enough distance not to feel clustered.

Finished with her meal, she grabbed her bag before heading for where Chad was seated away from their closest peers. Historia was accustomed to his preference for solitude by now, and although she attempted to respect it, there were moments when she was certain he must be at least a little lonely. “Were you able to eat something?” The inquiry was posited gently, so as not to startle him with her presence, as she seated herself beside him. “I can’t remember the last time food tasted so good!” Maybe that wasn’t entirely true; however, she favored a more genial atmosphere of conversation for now. Historia was still Krista to Chad, and she wouldn’t burden him with any of her past life’s less than pleasant memories, not when he surely carried a fair share of his own.

In fact it was rather perfect weather.

It'd gotten him this far, at least. Soldier 76 had infiltrated the weapon's manufacturer rather easily, at least with the knowledge Talon had been here not long ago. It had been laced with traps, cameras, guards.

And as 76 crossed the threshold to the appropriate floor, it was important to note they had been an issue. An issue that was fixed, dodged, knocked unconscious...

@astiel-c

With so many personnel having been let go after all other Shatterdomes had been shut down by the U.N., Herc found himself helping out with some errands that Stacker could only entrust to his 2IC. Meeting - not quite clandestinely but also not openly - with black market dealers, with those who could provide more insights to the Kaiju cultists and the likes.

Herc never chose to take Shatterdome transport out during these times, but took discrete cabs throughout the mainland.