[Log] Sajin Komamura Soi Fon
Title: This is Not an Interview
Characters: Sajin Komamura (soleil_de_lune), Soi Fon (tsuyosaoboetai)
Timeline: 17 March, 1950
Rating: PG13 (for language)
Summary: What starts as a horrible day for both Sajin and Shaolin progressively gets worse and worse. Then they meet one another, and it's all down hill from there.
What a ridiculous day.
Sajin had had enough of the excuses he got from his subordinates, and was even less enthused by their excuses for failing to do their work properly. He was exercising the dogs, and he had no problem with that. They could stay in and finish the paperwork properly for the recent assignment that had left one of his dogs injured and out of commission for who knew how long for a broken leg. The bitch was resting, and he had gone to see her briefly before stepping out into the yard to exercise the rest of them. Between this, and some FBI intervention in one of his cases...Sajin was glad for the company of his dogs. They weren't as ridiculous as the rest of the unit was being.
Running drills with the dogs was a mindless affair, and a routine he slipped into quickly and effortlessly. Today, however, he wasn't paying attention to the rest of the world, determinedly blocking out whatever he could until there was no ignoring it.
Ridiculous wasn't even the word for it. Unbelievable was more like! First, her assistant had called in to tell her that she was sick and couldn't come in. A cold was keeping her from performing her daily duty of organizing. That had leftSoi Fon to do the work because she had no one else with the time--not that she did. Doing the work she once had performed, back when she had to work her way up the ladder, half of the woman's day was wasted. Thrown out the window like old coffee. Then--that wasn't even the half of it--that old coffee was spilled all over her clothes. Fortunately, her slimming slacks were black, but the hemline tucked in to them was not. It was white. Warm brown stained the front andSoi Fon had the urge to scream at the idiot who had been running around the office.
If it had been in her power, she would have canned his ass.
Enough was enough. She called it an early lunch to run home and changed--she didn't live all that far away. A few blocks, a quick cab ride back would suit her fine. After going and returning to work, dressed in a new white blouse and slacks,Soi Fon found herself standing outside. Her mission home had been quick and painless, thank Jesus, and she had time to spare. Not that she ever considered extra time something to waste, however, today would be the exception. Around the corner she heard some dogs, filthy mongrels. Sneering, the woman turned her back on the fenced in area. Why was it she had to walk by it to get into her side of the building? Sure, she could have gone in the other entrance, but that was too far and she did not feel like taking the round-about path when going in a straight line was always the fastest.
The woman made her approach.
Drills were going well, and if that were anything to judge the day by, Sajin would have been pleased. Even the youngest, newest dog was slipping in easily with the others, to his relief. There had been some question as to whether or not the dog could perform up to standard, butSajin was proud that he had managed as much as he had. A short bark of orders and a gruff pat sent them back to exercising... except for that one dog. He turned, frowning deeply, and saw the not-yet-grown dog bolting for the fence. He opened his mouth to call out a reprimand, but was cut off immediately by the charging of every single dog he had been exercising. Well. That was highly unusual. He turned and was surprised to see a small woman on the other side of the fence, looking disgustedly at the lot of them in the yard.
Frowning deeper still, Sajin crossed the yard in few, sure steps, the words from his mouth low and deep as he growled angrily under his breath, cursing the damn woman for interrupting the drills, the young dog for being so easily distracted, and himself for losing himself so deeply in the work that he had given up observing the rest of the world in lieu of working with the dogs. "Enough." He barked coldly, and was glad to see that most of the dogs backed off immediately, dropping back into a sitting position to await further instruction. The new dog, however, did not. In fact, it seemed that the bitch was growling at her. He reached out and seized the female's collar and pulled her back. She struggled against him, and he bent down to her level, whispering into her ear until she calmed and sat as well. He stroked her ears and looked up at the small woman. The bitch beside him continued to growl.
"What are you doing here?" He rumbled, looking her over. She certainly didn't look like she belonged at the precinct--anyone else would have known not to come around to the training yard in the afternoon whileSajin was exercising the dogs. Anyone else would have gone around to the front to avoid the captain's stony disapproval.
The dogs came rushing and the petite woman from Intelligence didn't even flinch when the first nearly crashed in to the fence, rattling the wires. She only continued to look at them like they were the most vile creatures on the planet.Soi Fon was more of a cat person, so they were rather dirty. Actually, they were not dirty. They were worse than that in her book. The lot of them, especially the bitch who had come charging at her like she was a suspect, were like gum on the sidewalk. Chewed up and spit out when they were done with. Dogs were so expendable when they ran with the men in blue.
"Walking," replied the woman darkly as she turned to look up at Sajin. Anyone Else was not Shaolin Fon, the woman who feared practically nothing and had a heart of pure ice chiseled from the burgs of Antarctica themselves. "What are you doing here?" she asked back with a small tilt of her head. Black hair fell upon the cheek closest to the sun, the hairs falling away from her face swaying in the light breeze of the day. She was not going to be pleasant toward the man who was in charge of training these mutts. Swine with fur.
"Training doesn't seem to be going well," she commented as her hands closed a jacket around her slender torso. "They're not very obedient." There was a hardness in her tone so solid it would put a diamond drill to shame.
That was most certainly a growl that was sitting in Sajin's throat. He swallowed it, patted the bitch, and stood up, towering over the unfamiliar woman. "This is my unit. These are my companions." Instinctively, he reached down and touched the perked ears of the seated bitch. "And they aren't untrained. There is something that would have to have set them off. They are tracking dogs." If there was anythingSajin didn't tolerate, it was the dismissal of his partners and companions. They were far more reliable than quite a few members of his unit, and he would have traded their companionship and loyalty for anything. To have them so coolly treated by this... woman...
Sajin frowned deeper still and swallowed another growl of disapproval. If he could read her thoughts, he would be even less approving of her attitude toward them. Her tone didn't bother him, rolling straight off him. It was the offense to his dogs that bothered him. He could deal with an antagonistic woman once in a while. They couldn't even defend themselves and she was... "They wouldn't have charged if there weren't something to investigate."
Another quick look over the woman from above, and Sajin barked a few short commands across the yard, sending the whole group into the kennel area where they would be kept. After the last one--the as yet not-quite-fully-trained bitch--disappeared, he opened the gate and stepped out, slamming the metal grating shut hard enough to shake the whole fence. "Who are you?" She did not belong there. Anyone else would have known who he was, and might have never dared to antagonize him about his dogs.
So the big, puppy-lover was angry, was he? Well didn't life just suck sometimes? He could growl at her all he wanted, Soi was not afraid of this man. She only watched the dogs run off in her peripheral vision, coffee eyes looking up in to Sajin's face the entire time. He was undeniably tall, that was for sure. However, height was not an obstacle in any case. He could loom over her and she would not be deterred. As far as she was concerned the K9 unit was hardly worth their time considering they were only used for drug busts.
However, Miss Fon would not stand to be accused. That was what he was getting at, was it not? "My name is Soi Fon," she said in that snappy tone of hers she had developed a handful of years ago. Those years long past, before that time even, she would have looked at the rabid beasts and called them cute.Soi had never been a dog person, but she liked them enough to be civil and find them attractive. After her personally had, more or less, been shot, thrown in the trunk of a car, and dumped off of the side of a cliff, she hated pretty much anything that crossed her path. She made friends with no one and disliked everything but her job, a job that sometimes got tiring.
"Are you accusing me of something?" she asked, tilting her head back to look at him clearly. The black fringe upon her forehead parted here and there to reveal her features. She looked like a prissy little girl who had once been daddy's princess before hard times hit and the world glazed over with fear and the dirt bags who ran around with guns.
"Sajin Komamura." If they were exchanging names, it couldn't hurt to give his own before he got along with it. If only he could hear her thoughts... He would be livid at the suggestion that his dogs were useless creatures used only for drug raids. If that were the case,Sajin would have been busy, but nowhere as busy as he was with the dogs being used in murder investigations and criminal pursuits and--no. Better he couldn't hear her thinking. "I am accusing you of nothing. I am merely stating that my dogs would do no such thing without justifiable reason. Unless you have something to be accused of, in which case I will be required to investigate the situation."
He wasn't even sure why this little priss rubbed him the wrong way. Her attitude was terrible. Hadn't anyone ever taught her manners? He glowered down at her, gold-brown eyes flashing in the sun when he shifted to look her over. There were plenty of reasons why the dogs could have rushed her. Drugs, most likely. Blood might have stuck somewhere, but... Well. It was business. "Indeed, it is procedure that I investigate such matters." He raised a dark eyebrow.
"Unless you have a good reason for coming around to the wrong entrance at the K9 unit? The visitors entrance is around front."
Visitor? This was why the divisions worked so horribly with one another. They knew nothing about their opposing work stations, everyone blind to anything outside their own.Shaolin was just as guilty as anyone else, if not more so because she believed her station to be the best. Stupid animals could not compare to the stupid humans she had to put up with every day. There was, however, a flare in her that resonated in her eyes when he began to tell her off. This would not be had.
Soi cut him off before he could even finish his final sentence. "I work here," said the woman. Lifting a hand, she pointed up the street with a long, slender finger that had a dainty nail upon it. She'd dare you to break it. "Why would I walk around the entire building when I can go in this door? It's closest." This was not a show of laziness,Soi Fon was not lazy. She merely didn't believe she should have to go out of her way when there was a perfectly good entrance just past the dog's fenced in playground. "Clearly your mutts scare people off," she stated. "Or else you might realize other people work in this building aside from yourself." Giving a cutting little smirk she began to take a few steps away fromSajin, as if that was that, and started toward the building.
"I work in intelligence if you should need to investigate the failure of your canines."
Ah. So she was FBI. That didn't excuse her behavior, and it didn't stop him from harrumphing in disapproval. It was the FBI that had so much to do with the complications of a lot of investigations.Sajin had had quite a few negative run-ins with them during his time on the force. Still, it didn't absolve her of her disrespect toward his dogs. "MissFon ," His steps were much larger than hers, and he had only taken a few to stop her. "I will have to ask you to accompany me inside. I cannot allow suspect behavior to go unnoticed," His face was stony, betraying none of his displeasure with her. "Not even for a distinguished member of intelligence." The sneer wasn't particularly obvious, unless you were looking for it.Sajin was nothing if not polite stoicism.
He set a heavy hand on her shoulder, and anyone looking might have marvelled at the difference in their size. Sajin was by no means a small man. Soi Fon was by no means more than a slight woman. "If you please, Miss Fon. If you have nothing to hide, you won't mind a brief search." Under normal circumstances, he might have been willing to let the issue slide and chocked it up to incomplete training on the bitch's fault, which distracted the rest of the dogs. She hadn't been hurt, and her disdain was not appreciated. Not whenSajin dedicated so much time and energy to the K9 unit. Not when she was clearly the one at fault in the matter. Even if the search did nothing more than inconvenience her, it wasn't worth the risk, andSajin wasn't going to let the issue drop.
Perhaps, after all, the dogs had been onto something.
The dogs had been on to nothing. They may have smelled her perfume that was squashed in the cool air and hidden from the human nose, but no drug. Certainly not.Soi would not have been caught dead with drugs, much less alive. Turning at the call of her name, heels shoes clicking on the cement walk that, honestly, looked like it needed to be paved over, her eyes fell on the man again. "What?" she snapped, having been well on her way back to work. She did not take extending breaks lightly. As is she should have stopped arguing with the man long ago and just continued on her way. That had been her first mistake, the second was to open the mouth she knew everyone couldn't stand to hear.Shaolin was not unaware of the aversion people had toward her.
It was better that way. No friends meant no pain. No stabs in the back or ripping of the heart to shreds. Hers was still recovering.
"Fine," said the petite woman through a heavy sigh as her eyes fell on his hand. Gaze flicking upward, she shrugged him off and straightened out her midnight blue pea coat as if she had been disgraced and suddenly humbled and had to stand tall again.
"This better be snappy," she hissed under her breath as she awaited Sajin to lead her inside, following as he did so. An inconvenience was putting it lightly. She knew the help she worked with. They would take one minute of her tardiness and extend it into one hour for their break or coming in late. "My break is almost over." This man would have to bend to her will, not the other way around. His dogs were clearly in the wrong, not herself. The last drug she had touched was in a bag that she had thrown on the desk of a man a floor below hers and told him to analyze it. That had been a month or so ago.
Soi Fon might not take breaks lightly, but Sajin Komamura didn't take affronts to his partners and companions any better still. Particularly by members of the FBI, who were notorious for their interruptions of his investigations--indeed, of many investigations conducted by theNYPD as a whole. Sajin may have hoped that the Feds and the local police could get along, but it wasn't for lack of trying on their part. FBI was just impossible to work with. MissFon here was a perfect example of everything wrong with their attitude: elitist, dismissive... abrasive.
Leading her into an empty interrogation room, Sajin gestured to a nearby table. "If you don't mind, please remove your coat and any personal affects and set them on the table. Your full cooperation is appreciated." The tall man tapped his fingers to his side, then crossed his arms across his chest, waiting for her to finish. It was a pity she wasn't any more agreeable.Soi really was rather pretty, and though Sajin didn't allow himself more than a moment to observe as much--indeed, he spent even less time contemplating it--he could respect as much. She was likely single, given her line of work, but he wasn't ready to write that off as simply a function of the position as much as her attitude. Perhaps he could withstand the onslaught of her abuses, but not all men wereSajin.
When she was finished, he stepped forward, uncrossed his arms and stared down at her, deliberately calling attention to the difference in their size in order to remind her of her position. "Should I summon a female officer to observe the search?"
If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. The FBI was not impossible to work with, not if you were part of it. They knew what they were doing from the inside, but their methods were different from all others which is what made them seem so troublesome. ToSoi Fon , who had been attached to the Federal Bureau of Investigation her entire life, it ran like clockwork and was the easiest thing to understand. What she didn't understand was how the rest of the departments worked. They were a mystery to her, however, they were a mystery that would remained unsolved.
Soi followed Sajin in to the room, glanced around at how sparse it was, how sparse she knew it had to be, and slipped out of her coat. Nimble fingers ran down the three buttons holding it closed across her left side and shirked out of the sleeves. Laying the article across the back of the chair she removed her badge and lay it on the table beside the purse she had set down upon entering. Standing or sitting in this case would not have made a difference if he was trying to be intimidating by using his height. She was too tiny either way and was not scared by this man. She was used to being small, blame her horribly over populated country that bred people short. Like a fish in a tank, it would not grow until the tank was large to give it room. Years of genetics led to her being this height and she was long-since used to it.
"No," replied the black haired woman as she slid in to the seat and crossed her legs. Her back was straight against the chair, her long hair pressed between her shoulder blades. Arms sitting upon the rests of the chair,Soi's eyes looked steadily up at Sajin . She was innocent, her eyes relayed it all, but this was his job. "It'll take too long. Ask me your questions so I can get out of here."
Clearing his throat, Sajin watched as she sat down. She didn't think she was getting away with a verbal interview, did she? "Miss Fon, I'm afraid I must ask you to remain standing for a physical search." He remained standing stock still, staring down at her with no less intensity as before.
Again, she was just making his job more difficult. Sajin wasn't necessarily a vindictive man--quite the opposite, really--but the more she resisted, the more frustrating the situation was. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he waited for her to stand again. "Again, I have no qualms in summoning a female officer to assist in the search, should you be uncomfortable with my integrity." She had no reason to be, but she could try to make his life more difficult.
Even seated, her arrogance shown through brilliantly. Perhaps it was pride, or a result of her disapproval. Sajin wondered if she even smiled at all, and what it would look on that porcelain smooth face that seemed eternally stuck on her displeasure. It might force the whole thing to crack. Not that he was really one to be critical of such things, he was as guilty of stoicism and emotionless dealings as she was with her irritable attitude.
While the woman certainly didn't feel stupid for having sat down, she did feel a little bit. . .ashamed? It was a strange emotion to describe, the feeling that passed through her chest quickly. Had it been a split second of shame for not knowing, self hatred?Shaolin did not want to label it as she continued to look up at Sajin with her razor edge gaze. Instead, she stood up and let her arms hang at her side. A tiny foot pushed in the chair on one leg, then the other, until it was resting comfortably back under the table like it had never been pulled out. This whole ordeal was not even embarrassing to her, merely useless.
"I have nothing on me," she said as she waited. Her eyes looked beyond his face, as if he wasn't even there, hands coming to sit on her hips. With the way her trousers had such a thick yolk at the waist, blouse tucked in neatly, her slender middle was apparent. It gave her body a little more shape than it would have otherwise had if her clothes had not been fitted and made for a petite woman like herself. Her slacks had that perfect press down the front and sides, giving it a box shape that went straight down, the leg baggy as was the style. It was relatively new, not everyone caught on. MissFon only wore what she found comfortable.
If she smiled her face would not have broken off. If she smiled again the world might be shocked to know she still knew how. It had been a long time, after all, but there were pictures around the offices, somewhere. Surely they kept old photos or books, records, that would show a youngerSoi Fon with her father. Proof that a smile once existed. Shame it had gone away, it was beautiful.
The image of professionalism, Sajin patted large hands over her slight frame. There was nothing remotely suggestive about it, not even from an outsider's view. Sajin stood away from her impersonally, patting along her sides, arms, and then down her legs. The search itself took no more than a few minutes, and whenSajin was done, he stepped back for a moment and looked her over. Her outfit was rather flattering, but, really, Sajin wasn't the sort to pay much attention to things when there was business afoot. Looking over her again, he crossed his arms. "Please remove your shoes, MissFon, and then I will be happy to allow you to leave."
Again, under normal circumstances, Sajin might have handled things a bit differently. He might have offered to escort her to wherever she was off to next. However, that didn't seem like an option. MissFon wasn't likely to accept, and he wasn't going to offer anyway on account of not wanting to spend any more time with her than absolutely necessary. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but certainly you understand the need to investigate subjects of interest."
The woman did not take it personally. She knew he had to do it, it was just irritating. Eyes staring straight ahead, Shaolin waited until he was done and asked her to remove her shoes. Seriously? Sighing, the woman removed her heeled shoes that clacked on any hard surface when she walked, and dropped down considerably. Se didn't even stand at five-feet-tall, being an incredibly significant inch under that, and so the two inches added by her shoes would easily be noticed. Gently she left them where they were standing on their own, feet standing together behind them.
"Oh," she started. "It's not your fault." It's the dog's. Her eyes flicked up at him then down at her shoes as he checked them. "At least you're quick about it," said the woman. It was the most compliment he would probably ever get. He had hardly taken five or so minutes of her time, she'd be able to make it up the elevator shaft in no time and get to work on time. Unless there was some other blockade in getting there, of course. If she had to take the stairs she might be particularly angry considering the flights she had to climb.
Picking up her shoes, Sajin examined them quickly, then refocused his gaze from the small shoes to her face. Well, that was certainly the most non aggressive she had been since she had appeared at the fence. When he was satisfied, he handed them back to her with a curt nod of his head. "I see no point in wasting time on matters of business." He towered a full foot and a half over her, and in holding her shoes, he had been surprised to realize quite how small the woman really was. Perhaps it was only surprising because of her spitfire personality.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Fon." He crossed the room without ceremony and opened the door again, holding it solemnly for her to pass through after she put her shoes back on.
A quick glance at her, and Sajin found himself frowning. Not in displeasure--not really--but because her half-compliment had thrown him for a loop. He might actually forgive her for her attitude, if not entirely for being so blatantly awful to his dogs. It was... a sign of something more to her than the first impression he had been left with.Sajin wasn't really one to stick with first impressions--if he did, he may as well be a hypocrite for judging others when he abhorred it when people did it to him--but he often trusted his instincts about people. This was a new instinct. One he wasn't sure what to make of.
"I hope the remainder of your day will be pleasant."
While simultaneously stepping in to her heels, wiggling one foot around in them while the other had to be helped in, Shaolin put her coat back on. She didn't seem to be one to do much in excess, but there was a very human and young look to her as she balanced on her left foot to help pull on the right shoe. When that had been done, she righted herself by standing up straight, neatly put her badge and memo book away in to her pockets, slung her purse over her left shoulder, and made for the door he was holding open.
"I hope your pets learn the difference between drug and perfume," she replied. It was an honest statement, though biting as it was. Really, what mutt would be useful to him if it could not distinguish between an exotic perfume from China (it had been her mothers and was perhaps the softest thing about her, aside from her skin) and a hard drug? However, as time would draw on she would forget about this man and his stupid animals. They would fade to black like so many other things in their dull lives. How pointless an existence.
"Good bye," said Soi as she stepped in to the office area and took a few paces toward the hall to her right before stopping to check in her purse for something. House keys jingled and a few items clicked, perhaps a mint tin, before she found what she was looking for. A hand raised up in final farewell, as she no longer cared about this man or his ridiculous job and the bitch who had suddenly ruined her day. If it wasn't spilled coffee it was something else.
Ugh. What a long day.
Characters: Sajin Komamura (soleil_de_lune), Soi Fon (tsuyosaoboetai)
Timeline: 17 March, 1950
Rating: PG13 (for language)
Summary: What starts as a horrible day for both Sajin and Shaolin progressively gets worse and worse. Then they meet one another, and it's all down hill from there.
What a ridiculous day.
Sajin had had enough of the excuses he got from his subordinates, and was even less enthused by their excuses for failing to do their work properly. He was exercising the dogs, and he had no problem with that. They could stay in and finish the paperwork properly for the recent assignment that had left one of his dogs injured and out of commission for who knew how long for a broken leg. The bitch was resting, and he had gone to see her briefly before stepping out into the yard to exercise the rest of them. Between this, and some FBI intervention in one of his cases...Sajin was glad for the company of his dogs. They weren't as ridiculous as the rest of the unit was being.
Running drills with the dogs was a mindless affair, and a routine he slipped into quickly and effortlessly. Today, however, he wasn't paying attention to the rest of the world, determinedly blocking out whatever he could until there was no ignoring it.
Ridiculous wasn't even the word for it. Unbelievable was more like! First, her assistant had called in to tell her that she was sick and couldn't come in. A cold was keeping her from performing her daily duty of organizing. That had leftSoi Fon to do the work because she had no one else with the time--not that she did. Doing the work she once had performed, back when she had to work her way up the ladder, half of the woman's day was wasted. Thrown out the window like old coffee. Then--that wasn't even the half of it--that old coffee was spilled all over her clothes. Fortunately, her slimming slacks were black, but the hemline tucked in to them was not. It was white. Warm brown stained the front andSoi Fon had the urge to scream at the idiot who had been running around the office.
If it had been in her power, she would have canned his ass.
Enough was enough. She called it an early lunch to run home and changed--she didn't live all that far away. A few blocks, a quick cab ride back would suit her fine. After going and returning to work, dressed in a new white blouse and slacks,Soi Fon found herself standing outside. Her mission home had been quick and painless, thank Jesus, and she had time to spare. Not that she ever considered extra time something to waste, however, today would be the exception. Around the corner she heard some dogs, filthy mongrels. Sneering, the woman turned her back on the fenced in area. Why was it she had to walk by it to get into her side of the building? Sure, she could have gone in the other entrance, but that was too far and she did not feel like taking the round-about path when going in a straight line was always the fastest.
The woman made her approach.
Drills were going well, and if that were anything to judge the day by, Sajin would have been pleased. Even the youngest, newest dog was slipping in easily with the others, to his relief. There had been some question as to whether or not the dog could perform up to standard, butSajin was proud that he had managed as much as he had. A short bark of orders and a gruff pat sent them back to exercising... except for that one dog. He turned, frowning deeply, and saw the not-yet-grown dog bolting for the fence. He opened his mouth to call out a reprimand, but was cut off immediately by the charging of every single dog he had been exercising. Well. That was highly unusual. He turned and was surprised to see a small woman on the other side of the fence, looking disgustedly at the lot of them in the yard.
Frowning deeper still, Sajin crossed the yard in few, sure steps, the words from his mouth low and deep as he growled angrily under his breath, cursing the damn woman for interrupting the drills, the young dog for being so easily distracted, and himself for losing himself so deeply in the work that he had given up observing the rest of the world in lieu of working with the dogs. "Enough." He barked coldly, and was glad to see that most of the dogs backed off immediately, dropping back into a sitting position to await further instruction. The new dog, however, did not. In fact, it seemed that the bitch was growling at her. He reached out and seized the female's collar and pulled her back. She struggled against him, and he bent down to her level, whispering into her ear until she calmed and sat as well. He stroked her ears and looked up at the small woman. The bitch beside him continued to growl.
"What are you doing here?" He rumbled, looking her over. She certainly didn't look like she belonged at the precinct--anyone else would have known not to come around to the training yard in the afternoon whileSajin was exercising the dogs. Anyone else would have gone around to the front to avoid the captain's stony disapproval.
The dogs came rushing and the petite woman from Intelligence didn't even flinch when the first nearly crashed in to the fence, rattling the wires. She only continued to look at them like they were the most vile creatures on the planet.Soi Fon was more of a cat person, so they were rather dirty. Actually, they were not dirty. They were worse than that in her book. The lot of them, especially the bitch who had come charging at her like she was a suspect, were like gum on the sidewalk. Chewed up and spit out when they were done with. Dogs were so expendable when they ran with the men in blue.
"Walking," replied the woman darkly as she turned to look up at Sajin. Anyone Else was not Shaolin Fon, the woman who feared practically nothing and had a heart of pure ice chiseled from the burgs of Antarctica themselves. "What are you doing here?" she asked back with a small tilt of her head. Black hair fell upon the cheek closest to the sun, the hairs falling away from her face swaying in the light breeze of the day. She was not going to be pleasant toward the man who was in charge of training these mutts. Swine with fur.
"Training doesn't seem to be going well," she commented as her hands closed a jacket around her slender torso. "They're not very obedient." There was a hardness in her tone so solid it would put a diamond drill to shame.
That was most certainly a growl that was sitting in Sajin's throat. He swallowed it, patted the bitch, and stood up, towering over the unfamiliar woman. "This is my unit. These are my companions." Instinctively, he reached down and touched the perked ears of the seated bitch. "And they aren't untrained. There is something that would have to have set them off. They are tracking dogs." If there was anythingSajin didn't tolerate, it was the dismissal of his partners and companions. They were far more reliable than quite a few members of his unit, and he would have traded their companionship and loyalty for anything. To have them so coolly treated by this... woman...
Sajin frowned deeper still and swallowed another growl of disapproval. If he could read her thoughts, he would be even less approving of her attitude toward them. Her tone didn't bother him, rolling straight off him. It was the offense to his dogs that bothered him. He could deal with an antagonistic woman once in a while. They couldn't even defend themselves and she was... "They wouldn't have charged if there weren't something to investigate."
Another quick look over the woman from above, and Sajin barked a few short commands across the yard, sending the whole group into the kennel area where they would be kept. After the last one--the as yet not-quite-fully-trained bitch--disappeared, he opened the gate and stepped out, slamming the metal grating shut hard enough to shake the whole fence. "Who are you?" She did not belong there. Anyone else would have known who he was, and might have never dared to antagonize him about his dogs.
So the big, puppy-lover was angry, was he? Well didn't life just suck sometimes? He could growl at her all he wanted, Soi was not afraid of this man. She only watched the dogs run off in her peripheral vision, coffee eyes looking up in to Sajin's face the entire time. He was undeniably tall, that was for sure. However, height was not an obstacle in any case. He could loom over her and she would not be deterred. As far as she was concerned the K9 unit was hardly worth their time considering they were only used for drug busts.
However, Miss Fon would not stand to be accused. That was what he was getting at, was it not? "My name is Soi Fon," she said in that snappy tone of hers she had developed a handful of years ago. Those years long past, before that time even, she would have looked at the rabid beasts and called them cute.Soi had never been a dog person, but she liked them enough to be civil and find them attractive. After her personally had, more or less, been shot, thrown in the trunk of a car, and dumped off of the side of a cliff, she hated pretty much anything that crossed her path. She made friends with no one and disliked everything but her job, a job that sometimes got tiring.
"Are you accusing me of something?" she asked, tilting her head back to look at him clearly. The black fringe upon her forehead parted here and there to reveal her features. She looked like a prissy little girl who had once been daddy's princess before hard times hit and the world glazed over with fear and the dirt bags who ran around with guns.
"Sajin Komamura." If they were exchanging names, it couldn't hurt to give his own before he got along with it. If only he could hear her thoughts... He would be livid at the suggestion that his dogs were useless creatures used only for drug raids. If that were the case,Sajin would have been busy, but nowhere as busy as he was with the dogs being used in murder investigations and criminal pursuits and--no. Better he couldn't hear her thinking. "I am accusing you of nothing. I am merely stating that my dogs would do no such thing without justifiable reason. Unless you have something to be accused of, in which case I will be required to investigate the situation."
He wasn't even sure why this little priss rubbed him the wrong way. Her attitude was terrible. Hadn't anyone ever taught her manners? He glowered down at her, gold-brown eyes flashing in the sun when he shifted to look her over. There were plenty of reasons why the dogs could have rushed her. Drugs, most likely. Blood might have stuck somewhere, but... Well. It was business. "Indeed, it is procedure that I investigate such matters." He raised a dark eyebrow.
"Unless you have a good reason for coming around to the wrong entrance at the K9 unit? The visitors entrance is around front."
Visitor? This was why the divisions worked so horribly with one another. They knew nothing about their opposing work stations, everyone blind to anything outside their own.Shaolin was just as guilty as anyone else, if not more so because she believed her station to be the best. Stupid animals could not compare to the stupid humans she had to put up with every day. There was, however, a flare in her that resonated in her eyes when he began to tell her off. This would not be had.
Soi cut him off before he could even finish his final sentence. "I work here," said the woman. Lifting a hand, she pointed up the street with a long, slender finger that had a dainty nail upon it. She'd dare you to break it. "Why would I walk around the entire building when I can go in this door? It's closest." This was not a show of laziness,Soi Fon was not lazy. She merely didn't believe she should have to go out of her way when there was a perfectly good entrance just past the dog's fenced in playground. "Clearly your mutts scare people off," she stated. "Or else you might realize other people work in this building aside from yourself." Giving a cutting little smirk she began to take a few steps away fromSajin, as if that was that, and started toward the building.
"I work in intelligence if you should need to investigate the failure of your canines."
Ah. So she was FBI. That didn't excuse her behavior, and it didn't stop him from harrumphing in disapproval. It was the FBI that had so much to do with the complications of a lot of investigations.Sajin had had quite a few negative run-ins with them during his time on the force. Still, it didn't absolve her of her disrespect toward his dogs. "MissFon ," His steps were much larger than hers, and he had only taken a few to stop her. "I will have to ask you to accompany me inside. I cannot allow suspect behavior to go unnoticed," His face was stony, betraying none of his displeasure with her. "Not even for a distinguished member of intelligence." The sneer wasn't particularly obvious, unless you were looking for it.Sajin was nothing if not polite stoicism.
He set a heavy hand on her shoulder, and anyone looking might have marvelled at the difference in their size. Sajin was by no means a small man. Soi Fon was by no means more than a slight woman. "If you please, Miss Fon. If you have nothing to hide, you won't mind a brief search." Under normal circumstances, he might have been willing to let the issue slide and chocked it up to incomplete training on the bitch's fault, which distracted the rest of the dogs. She hadn't been hurt, and her disdain was not appreciated. Not whenSajin dedicated so much time and energy to the K9 unit. Not when she was clearly the one at fault in the matter. Even if the search did nothing more than inconvenience her, it wasn't worth the risk, andSajin wasn't going to let the issue drop.
Perhaps, after all, the dogs had been onto something.
The dogs had been on to nothing. They may have smelled her perfume that was squashed in the cool air and hidden from the human nose, but no drug. Certainly not.Soi would not have been caught dead with drugs, much less alive. Turning at the call of her name, heels shoes clicking on the cement walk that, honestly, looked like it needed to be paved over, her eyes fell on the man again. "What?" she snapped, having been well on her way back to work. She did not take extending breaks lightly. As is she should have stopped arguing with the man long ago and just continued on her way. That had been her first mistake, the second was to open the mouth she knew everyone couldn't stand to hear.Shaolin was not unaware of the aversion people had toward her.
It was better that way. No friends meant no pain. No stabs in the back or ripping of the heart to shreds. Hers was still recovering.
"Fine," said the petite woman through a heavy sigh as her eyes fell on his hand. Gaze flicking upward, she shrugged him off and straightened out her midnight blue pea coat as if she had been disgraced and suddenly humbled and had to stand tall again.
"This better be snappy," she hissed under her breath as she awaited Sajin to lead her inside, following as he did so. An inconvenience was putting it lightly. She knew the help she worked with. They would take one minute of her tardiness and extend it into one hour for their break or coming in late. "My break is almost over." This man would have to bend to her will, not the other way around. His dogs were clearly in the wrong, not herself. The last drug she had touched was in a bag that she had thrown on the desk of a man a floor below hers and told him to analyze it. That had been a month or so ago.
Soi Fon might not take breaks lightly, but Sajin Komamura didn't take affronts to his partners and companions any better still. Particularly by members of the FBI, who were notorious for their interruptions of his investigations--indeed, of many investigations conducted by theNYPD as a whole. Sajin may have hoped that the Feds and the local police could get along, but it wasn't for lack of trying on their part. FBI was just impossible to work with. MissFon here was a perfect example of everything wrong with their attitude: elitist, dismissive... abrasive.
Leading her into an empty interrogation room, Sajin gestured to a nearby table. "If you don't mind, please remove your coat and any personal affects and set them on the table. Your full cooperation is appreciated." The tall man tapped his fingers to his side, then crossed his arms across his chest, waiting for her to finish. It was a pity she wasn't any more agreeable.Soi really was rather pretty, and though Sajin didn't allow himself more than a moment to observe as much--indeed, he spent even less time contemplating it--he could respect as much. She was likely single, given her line of work, but he wasn't ready to write that off as simply a function of the position as much as her attitude. Perhaps he could withstand the onslaught of her abuses, but not all men wereSajin.
When she was finished, he stepped forward, uncrossed his arms and stared down at her, deliberately calling attention to the difference in their size in order to remind her of her position. "Should I summon a female officer to observe the search?"
If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. The FBI was not impossible to work with, not if you were part of it. They knew what they were doing from the inside, but their methods were different from all others which is what made them seem so troublesome. ToSoi Fon , who had been attached to the Federal Bureau of Investigation her entire life, it ran like clockwork and was the easiest thing to understand. What she didn't understand was how the rest of the departments worked. They were a mystery to her, however, they were a mystery that would remained unsolved.
Soi followed Sajin in to the room, glanced around at how sparse it was, how sparse she knew it had to be, and slipped out of her coat. Nimble fingers ran down the three buttons holding it closed across her left side and shirked out of the sleeves. Laying the article across the back of the chair she removed her badge and lay it on the table beside the purse she had set down upon entering. Standing or sitting in this case would not have made a difference if he was trying to be intimidating by using his height. She was too tiny either way and was not scared by this man. She was used to being small, blame her horribly over populated country that bred people short. Like a fish in a tank, it would not grow until the tank was large to give it room. Years of genetics led to her being this height and she was long-since used to it.
"No," replied the black haired woman as she slid in to the seat and crossed her legs. Her back was straight against the chair, her long hair pressed between her shoulder blades. Arms sitting upon the rests of the chair,Soi's eyes looked steadily up at Sajin . She was innocent, her eyes relayed it all, but this was his job. "It'll take too long. Ask me your questions so I can get out of here."
Clearing his throat, Sajin watched as she sat down. She didn't think she was getting away with a verbal interview, did she? "Miss Fon, I'm afraid I must ask you to remain standing for a physical search." He remained standing stock still, staring down at her with no less intensity as before.
Again, she was just making his job more difficult. Sajin wasn't necessarily a vindictive man--quite the opposite, really--but the more she resisted, the more frustrating the situation was. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he waited for her to stand again. "Again, I have no qualms in summoning a female officer to assist in the search, should you be uncomfortable with my integrity." She had no reason to be, but she could try to make his life more difficult.
Even seated, her arrogance shown through brilliantly. Perhaps it was pride, or a result of her disapproval. Sajin wondered if she even smiled at all, and what it would look on that porcelain smooth face that seemed eternally stuck on her displeasure. It might force the whole thing to crack. Not that he was really one to be critical of such things, he was as guilty of stoicism and emotionless dealings as she was with her irritable attitude.
While the woman certainly didn't feel stupid for having sat down, she did feel a little bit. . .ashamed? It was a strange emotion to describe, the feeling that passed through her chest quickly. Had it been a split second of shame for not knowing, self hatred?Shaolin did not want to label it as she continued to look up at Sajin with her razor edge gaze. Instead, she stood up and let her arms hang at her side. A tiny foot pushed in the chair on one leg, then the other, until it was resting comfortably back under the table like it had never been pulled out. This whole ordeal was not even embarrassing to her, merely useless.
"I have nothing on me," she said as she waited. Her eyes looked beyond his face, as if he wasn't even there, hands coming to sit on her hips. With the way her trousers had such a thick yolk at the waist, blouse tucked in neatly, her slender middle was apparent. It gave her body a little more shape than it would have otherwise had if her clothes had not been fitted and made for a petite woman like herself. Her slacks had that perfect press down the front and sides, giving it a box shape that went straight down, the leg baggy as was the style. It was relatively new, not everyone caught on. MissFon only wore what she found comfortable.
If she smiled her face would not have broken off. If she smiled again the world might be shocked to know she still knew how. It had been a long time, after all, but there were pictures around the offices, somewhere. Surely they kept old photos or books, records, that would show a youngerSoi Fon with her father. Proof that a smile once existed. Shame it had gone away, it was beautiful.
The image of professionalism, Sajin patted large hands over her slight frame. There was nothing remotely suggestive about it, not even from an outsider's view. Sajin stood away from her impersonally, patting along her sides, arms, and then down her legs. The search itself took no more than a few minutes, and whenSajin was done, he stepped back for a moment and looked her over. Her outfit was rather flattering, but, really, Sajin wasn't the sort to pay much attention to things when there was business afoot. Looking over her again, he crossed his arms. "Please remove your shoes, MissFon, and then I will be happy to allow you to leave."
Again, under normal circumstances, Sajin might have handled things a bit differently. He might have offered to escort her to wherever she was off to next. However, that didn't seem like an option. MissFon wasn't likely to accept, and he wasn't going to offer anyway on account of not wanting to spend any more time with her than absolutely necessary. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but certainly you understand the need to investigate subjects of interest."
The woman did not take it personally. She knew he had to do it, it was just irritating. Eyes staring straight ahead, Shaolin waited until he was done and asked her to remove her shoes. Seriously? Sighing, the woman removed her heeled shoes that clacked on any hard surface when she walked, and dropped down considerably. Se didn't even stand at five-feet-tall, being an incredibly significant inch under that, and so the two inches added by her shoes would easily be noticed. Gently she left them where they were standing on their own, feet standing together behind them.
"Oh," she started. "It's not your fault." It's the dog's. Her eyes flicked up at him then down at her shoes as he checked them. "At least you're quick about it," said the woman. It was the most compliment he would probably ever get. He had hardly taken five or so minutes of her time, she'd be able to make it up the elevator shaft in no time and get to work on time. Unless there was some other blockade in getting there, of course. If she had to take the stairs she might be particularly angry considering the flights she had to climb.
Picking up her shoes, Sajin examined them quickly, then refocused his gaze from the small shoes to her face. Well, that was certainly the most non aggressive she had been since she had appeared at the fence. When he was satisfied, he handed them back to her with a curt nod of his head. "I see no point in wasting time on matters of business." He towered a full foot and a half over her, and in holding her shoes, he had been surprised to realize quite how small the woman really was. Perhaps it was only surprising because of her spitfire personality.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Fon." He crossed the room without ceremony and opened the door again, holding it solemnly for her to pass through after she put her shoes back on.
A quick glance at her, and Sajin found himself frowning. Not in displeasure--not really--but because her half-compliment had thrown him for a loop. He might actually forgive her for her attitude, if not entirely for being so blatantly awful to his dogs. It was... a sign of something more to her than the first impression he had been left with.Sajin wasn't really one to stick with first impressions--if he did, he may as well be a hypocrite for judging others when he abhorred it when people did it to him--but he often trusted his instincts about people. This was a new instinct. One he wasn't sure what to make of.
"I hope the remainder of your day will be pleasant."
While simultaneously stepping in to her heels, wiggling one foot around in them while the other had to be helped in, Shaolin put her coat back on. She didn't seem to be one to do much in excess, but there was a very human and young look to her as she balanced on her left foot to help pull on the right shoe. When that had been done, she righted herself by standing up straight, neatly put her badge and memo book away in to her pockets, slung her purse over her left shoulder, and made for the door he was holding open.
"I hope your pets learn the difference between drug and perfume," she replied. It was an honest statement, though biting as it was. Really, what mutt would be useful to him if it could not distinguish between an exotic perfume from China (it had been her mothers and was perhaps the softest thing about her, aside from her skin) and a hard drug? However, as time would draw on she would forget about this man and his stupid animals. They would fade to black like so many other things in their dull lives. How pointless an existence.
"Good bye," said Soi as she stepped in to the office area and took a few paces toward the hall to her right before stopping to check in her purse for something. House keys jingled and a few items clicked, perhaps a mint tin, before she found what she was looking for. A hand raised up in final farewell, as she no longer cared about this man or his ridiculous job and the bitch who had suddenly ruined her day. If it wasn't spilled coffee it was something else.
Ugh. What a long day.