Lelani Steele |PF| *Scowling, she pulled into the small parking lot of the headquarters building their GPS units had led them to. Nondescript. In a warehouse type area. Decent coverage of streets and parking. Beside her, Blake was doing the same, inspecting their surroundings and attuning to the area. Since they didn't have badges yet, they couldn't use the parking garage meant for NOLA agents.*
Lelani Steele |PF| *Suited them just fine though, they preferred being on the street. Easy getaway, more ways to disappear if necessary. Releasing the kickstand for the bike, she slid off, pulling the helmet from her head to hang it from the handle. While she and Blake were telepathic in small amounts, it used up too much energy due to them being half human so they'd adjusted. The helmets were wired, and they carried communication devices normally. Telepathy was used in emergency situations.*
Lelani Steele |PF| *Giving him a curt nod, she pulled the leather jacket tighter around her. Being transferred was always a bitch, you never knew how your new "superiors" would act. As she and Blake had served the military in various positions, they weren't the usual demonic sect, but many higher-ups had a chip on their shoulder were demons were concerned, and it showed. It was the one thing neither would tolerate from someone they were meant to trust their lives with.*
Mack Thompson |PF| *Shuffling paperwork, he bit back a sigh. If he didn't know better, he'd think the other generals had it out for him. It could be the only explanation for why he kept getting the recruits that were acerbic and loathed authority figures. He didn't think there was an agent in his ranks that didn't have a royally bad attitude. Well, Ayesha and Larson might be exceptions, but they could more than hold their own toe to toe with him when pissed.*
Mack Thompson |PF| *These next two? Someone was surely causing some sort of karmic retribution for sins he'd done in a past life. Demons. Of all the things he disliked dealing with the most, demons were right up there with the IRS and attorneys. To be fair, these weren't full blooded demons. They were cambion, which put them into a more empathetic domain, yet after dealing with Violet, he wasn't fond of the idea of attempting to wrangle another set.*
Mack Thompson |PF| *Getting the notice that the two were there, he sat the paperwork down, steepling his fingers as he waited. Intel said these two were a couple, so that at least fit with the teams he normally tried to recruit. Could work in his favor.*
Blake Stone |PF| *A harried looking receptionist ushered them in, leaving them at door with a glass paneled window that had been etched to provide privacy. Giving a quick rap, he waited until they were told to enter before opening the door, motioning to Lani to move inside first. He was nothing if not a perfect goddamned gentleman. Usually.*
Blake Stone |PF| *Dropping into the seat, he pulled his expression into the patented bored look people seemed to associate with them best. Depending how the General treated them,, it'd determine how they treated him. Crossing his arms, he gave a curt nod as Thompson introduced himself, returning the greeting with his own. Lelani was the sociable one. Him? He preferred the shadows. They suited him better.*
Lelani Steele |PF| *Blake could at least give the guy a chance. She'd been in the Air Force long enough to show deference to a superior officer until they proved they didn't deserve it. Blake, however, had been raised in Sheol. She'd never been, but she knew it had been violent, and deference was earned, not given. Still, it'd help them occasionally.*
Lelani Steele |PF| *Clearing her throat, she nudged him with her knee, lips quirking into a small smile as he rolled his eyes and dropped his arms.* General. Obviously this move was unexpected, we're still wrecked from the last mission. Here's the deal. We're a team. We go out together, we come home together. We'll respect you so long as you respect us.
Lelani Steele |PF| We have the right to refuse assignments if we feel that we cannot do them to our utmost ability. We don't work in October, for obvious reasons. If you're okay with that, then consider us officially part of the NOLA family.
Mack Thompson |PF| *He barely resisted a smile at the eye roll. Apparently Stone could be cowed by the slip of a female beside him. Knowledge like that could come in handy.* Respect here is given freely, until an agent breaks the few rules we have. I prefer mated teams, it holds less of a chance for any of us to go rogue, as according to our government, we're already halfway there. Consider it a small fail-safe in the grand scheme of things.
Mack Thompson |PF| Unlike other Generals, I allow my teams to work with me, I don't run you. If an assignment comes up that you feel you're qualified for, you can request it. If you don't feel able to do a mission for any reason, you let me know and it will be passed on. I don't care about the numbers, I prefer quality over quantity. We're one of the smallest branches, for good reason. I accept only the best at what we do, and expect my agents to let me know when they won't be.
Mack Thompson |PF| *His brow rose slightly at the random request he hadn't heard before in his years of service.* Pardon, but the obvious reasons aren't so obvious to this old-timer. What is the reason for the October break, specifically? Not a refusal, mind you, it's not a problem in the least. Just a curiosity as to what blocks off a random month.
Blake Stone |PF| *Relaxing slightly in the chair, he gave an almost imperceptible nod to Lani. So far, so good. The general's vital signs hadn't increased at all, meaning he was likely on the level and not bullshitting them. Demonic hearing being what it was, he and Lani had the unique ability to tell when someone was nervous or lying through their fucking teeth, and the General was neither for the moment.*
Blake Stone |PF| We're demons, General. Cambion, but that blood flows through our veins, and even a drop can open Sheol if one has the know-how. All the fucking kooks come out in the fall, looking for a nice little sacrifice or someone to call up the big man for some petty ass shit. Rumors are true in that retrospect... the gates get a little thinner that time of year. And petty ass shit gets the messenger slaughtered first.
Blake Stone |PF| Frankly, I've seen more than enough to last me a few fucking lifetimes, and have no intentions of getting caught out round Samhain with a new episode of Idiots Gone Wild. We go underground for October to protect our asses. Now, seems everything's on the up and up, we're gonna take a few days to scout out some digs, rustle up a safe house or two. I assume those files got our aliases in 'em? *At the General's nod, he lifted them, handing them to Lani* We'll be in touch once we get ourselves situated, General. Glad to be a part of the team.
Lelani Steele |PF| *Giving him a curt nod, she pulled the leather jacket tighter around her. Being transferred was always a bitch, you never knew how your new "superiors" would act. As she and Blake had served the military in various positions, they weren't the usual demonic sect, but many higher-ups had a chip on their shoulder were demons were concerned, and it showed. It was the one thing neither would tolerate from someone they were meant to trust their lives with.*
Mack Thompson |PF| *Shuffling paperwork, he bit back a sigh. If he didn't know better, he'd think the other generals had it out for him. It could be the only explanation for why he kept getting the recruits that were acerbic and loathed authority figures. He didn't think there was an agent in his ranks that didn't have a royally bad attitude. Well, Ayesha and Larson might be exceptions, but they could more than hold their own toe to toe with him when pissed.*
Mack Thompson |PF| *These next two? Someone was surely causing some sort of karmic retribution for sins he'd done in a past life. Demons. Of all the things he disliked dealing with the most, demons were right up there with the IRS and attorneys. To be fair, these weren't full blooded demons. They were cambion, which put them into a more empathetic domain, yet after dealing with Violet, he wasn't fond of the idea of attempting to wrangle another set.*
Mack Thompson |PF| *Getting the notice that the two were there, he sat the paperwork down, steepling his fingers as he waited. Intel said these two were a couple, so that at least fit with the teams he normally tried to recruit. Could work in his favor.*
Blake Stone |PF| *A harried looking receptionist ushered them in, leaving them at door with a glass paneled window that had been etched to provide privacy. Giving a quick rap, he waited until they were told to enter before opening the door, motioning to Lani to move inside first. He was nothing if not a perfect goddamned gentleman. Usually.*
Blake Stone |PF| *Dropping into the seat, he pulled his expression into the patented bored look people seemed to associate with them best. Depending how the General treated them,, it'd determine how they treated him. Crossing his arms, he gave a curt nod as Thompson introduced himself, returning the greeting with his own. Lelani was the sociable one. Him? He preferred the shadows. They suited him better.*
Lelani Steele |PF| *Blake could at least give the guy a chance. She'd been in the Air Force long enough to show deference to a superior officer until they proved they didn't deserve it. Blake, however, had been raised in Sheol. She'd never been, but she knew it had been violent, and deference was earned, not given. Still, it'd help them occasionally.*
Lelani Steele |PF| *Clearing her throat, she nudged him with her knee, lips quirking into a small smile as he rolled his eyes and dropped his arms.* General. Obviously this move was unexpected, we're still wrecked from the last mission. Here's the deal. We're a team. We go out together, we come home together. We'll respect you so long as you respect us.
Lelani Steele |PF| We have the right to refuse assignments if we feel that we cannot do them to our utmost ability. We don't work in October, for obvious reasons. If you're okay with that, then consider us officially part of the NOLA family.
Mack Thompson |PF| *He barely resisted a smile at the eye roll. Apparently Stone could be cowed by the slip of a female beside him. Knowledge like that could come in handy.* Respect here is given freely, until an agent breaks the few rules we have. I prefer mated teams, it holds less of a chance for any of us to go rogue, as according to our government, we're already halfway there. Consider it a small fail-safe in the grand scheme of things.
Mack Thompson |PF| Unlike other Generals, I allow my teams to work with me, I don't run you. If an assignment comes up that you feel you're qualified for, you can request it. If you don't feel able to do a mission for any reason, you let me know and it will be passed on. I don't care about the numbers, I prefer quality over quantity. We're one of the smallest branches, for good reason. I accept only the best at what we do, and expect my agents to let me know when they won't be.
Mack Thompson |PF| *His brow rose slightly at the random request he hadn't heard before in his years of service.* Pardon, but the obvious reasons aren't so obvious to this old-timer. What is the reason for the October break, specifically? Not a refusal, mind you, it's not a problem in the least. Just a curiosity as to what blocks off a random month.
Blake Stone |PF| *Relaxing slightly in the chair, he gave an almost imperceptible nod to Lani. So far, so good. The general's vital signs hadn't increased at all, meaning he was likely on the level and not bullshitting them. Demonic hearing being what it was, he and Lani had the unique ability to tell when someone was nervous or lying through their fucking teeth, and the General was neither for the moment.*
Blake Stone |PF| We're demons, General. Cambion, but that blood flows through our veins, and even a drop can open Sheol if one has the know-how. All the fucking kooks come out in the fall, looking for a nice little sacrifice or someone to call up the big man for some petty ass shit. Rumors are true in that retrospect... the gates get a little thinner that time of year. And petty ass shit gets the messenger slaughtered first.
Blake Stone |PF| Frankly, I've seen more than enough to last me a few fucking lifetimes, and have no intentions of getting caught out round Samhain with a new episode of Idiots Gone Wild. We go underground for October to protect our asses. Now, seems everything's on the up and up, we're gonna take a few days to scout out some digs, rustle up a safe house or two. I assume those files got our aliases in 'em? *At the General's nod, he lifted them, handing them to Lani* We'll be in touch once we get ourselves situated, General. Glad to be a part of the team.