The Pope Kills Sinners.
definition: unfinished chapter
part of a chapter that hasn't been edited yet, and isn't quite up to the standards of Penguin's writing. normally saved in notepad on the desktop as a constant reminder until it is eventually finished.
Unfinished Chapter #1
Titled: Meetings
[Part of the Pseudo Chronicles]
Pseduo wandered through the halls of the DA Office building in the right wing slowly, her pink and white fuzzy slippers making small shuffling noises against the bleach white carpeting. At the end of the hallway she turned to the right, heading towards the large elevators that would take her to the second to top floor where her office was situated in a corner. She yawned wide enough to pop her jaw and winced as the cracking sound produced a small side effect of tingling along the inside of her mouth. The small arrow button indicating 'Up' on the elevator dinged as she pressed it, her other hand rubbing her sleep-heavy eyelids. The doors slid open after only a few seconds and she shuffled through the doors into the elevator, oblivious to the other four Operatives already standing inside. Her floor's button was already lit, telling her there was no need to waste what little energy she had to reach forward and press it. She continued to stand at the small circle glowing a bright white anyways, not sure why other than the fact there wasn't anything else to look at. She had woken up just a couple of minutes earlier to the frustratingly loud ring of her cell phone and the urgent yelling of Yue telling her she was late for some important meeting she had apparently forgotten to record in her Palm Pilot. Not that she ever used the Palm Pilot at all really. It was just another toy her adoptive father, the former Leader of DA, had purchased for her in a useless attempt to get her organized. Unfortunately for Pseudo, she had never been much of a morning person and had still failed to realize she was currently standing in the elevator of the Office building heading to an important meeting with the Elders - in her pajamas.
"Good Morning, Pseudo." The greeting was quiet, whispered in what could be interpreted as a shy or apathetic voice and it came from behind to her at the right. She leaned over her shoulder in the direction, looking for the owner of the voice with sleepy eyes. She smiled as she met gazes with the petite girl named Launa who worked just two offices across from her. Launa had always reminded her of a doll, with tightly curled blonde hair that fell just below her chin and small child-like features. Her short and frilly skirts combined with straight button-up white blouses only emphasized the illusion.
"Mornin' White. 'Sup?" Launa smiled shyly back at Pseudo's trademark grin, nodding slightly in answer. Launa had never been one for conversation and Pseudo was used to it. Normally the taller, more confident girl would pester the blonde doll into further conversation, but her rude morning wake-up call combined with a late night at a exhausting mission wiped the effort out of thought.
Pseudo turned back to the button, noticing that the only other button glowing had flicked off. Her floor was next. She grinned at this accomplishment, reaching forward to pat the button on it's metaphoric head for being so good and waiting patiently to turn off like the others. THere was a slight chuckle next to her and she turned to her left. When had Kak gotten there? She blinked dazedly at the tall young man standing next to her for a moment before asking in a rather loud voice, "When the hell did you get there?"
The tall brunette only laughed, reaching an arm out to wrap around her shoulders, leaning down to look directly into her eyes so that golden brown met dark green. "I love the fact you're not a morning person."
Pseudo glared at him in return, her brown eyes flashing with slight annoyance at being tesed before poking his chest in indignation. He was wearing a floppy vintage shirt under a buisness jacket that must've gbeen tossed on as a last thougt with a pair of jeans that should have been tossed away years ago. "That's hardly appropiate office attire, Kak." She shook her head slightly, tsk-tsking his appearance with a misceivous grin. Instead of the muttered explanation or outrageous reply she expected, Kak merely rose his eyebrows and drawled, "You should talk."
She blinked for a moment before looking down at her own clothes. She still wore the black silk pajama pants decorated with small flying teddybears that she normally only wore around the house since they were too big and always hung dangerously low on her hips. The matching black tanktop was no more acceptable for the workplace, considering the way it molded to all her curves. "Oops," she muttered under he rbreath, fingers plucking at the blank top in mild shock. "I could've sworn I changed before I left." She paused for a moment, staring up at the cieling as she thought hard about that morning's events. SHe had barely rolled off her futon in time to catch the phone before it went to voicemail, then after talking to Yue she had grabbed a granola bar - which she ate on the walk over here, and... she had forgotten to change out of her pajamas. "Great! I'm meeting the Elders in my pajamas!"
Kak was laughing again and she flicked him a glare of annoyance. He tried to apologize for a moment before bursting out laughing again. She rolled her eyes at his immense enjoyment at her pain, before contemplating a probable solution. The Elders were a group of the sternest and most strict people of the DA, four men and two women who had held the highest positions of the organization for the last 30 years due to the fact no one dared cross them. Even though she was second highest after Yue and Lee's ranks, it still wasn't wise to show up to a meeting in just your pajamas. A small hand brushed tenatively along her shoulder and she turned to face Launa with a raised eyebrow. "Do you want to borrow some clothes from me? I have a few spares in my closet." Her offer was soft, barely audible in the large elevator, especially with Kak's now lessened laughter bouncing off the walls. With yet another annoyed glance flicked in Kak's direction, Pseudo shook her head slightly. "No, that's okay, White. I hardly doubt your clothes would fit me. Sides I've always wanted to see how far I can go with the Elders. Thanks for the offer, though." Launa stared at her in shock for a monet before nodding with another smile. Pseudo had never been one to conform to rules, and the small girl wasn't as surprised by the girl's rebellion as she normally would have been. Kak had stopped laughing so loudly, now reduced to small chuckles every few seconds. He turned to look at the tall, lean redhead next to him with raised eyebrows. From her stiffened stance and fierce stare directed at the silver doors in front of her, she looked far more alert than before - although her eyes still blinked more than normal in order to stay open. He took advantage of her lack of attention on him to look her over, realizing that he had never seen her in her pajamas before. The tight tank top and blaggy pants only accentuated her lean and muscular figure, the black blending into her golden skin like coffee and chocolate. Her hair was tied up into a messy ponytail with a barely alive black hair scrunchie and a few strands had fallen out of it's hold to settle about the edges of her face. The dark red of her hair with it's dyed black streaks seemed to almost match her pajamas and he smiled, wondering if she had done that on purpose. Knowing the girl's complete lack of caring for coordinating outfits, he doubted it. She turned towards the small blonde on her right again and he looked the tattos now visible to him on her back. On her back was a intricate pair of wings that spread from the center of her back to paint themselves across the tops of her shoulder down to some unknown destination beneath her tank top. Although the tank top cut off half of the image, he could see part of what looked to be a barcode type design between the wings. HE blinked slightly at the tattoos, never knowing before this moment that the girl had any tattoos at all. It wasn't really that odd on the girl, considering the amount of piercings in her ears were numerous and always filled with an ecclectic variety of earrings. She was suddenly looking at him and he blinked at the sudden fierce gaze on his own.
"Just thought of something. Where are you going, Kak?" He blinked again at the sudden question, answering without thinking about the answer.
"Back to my place. I'm done with all the filing I had to do." She nodded at his response right as the doors in front of her opened. He was caught complete off guard as her hand snagged his elbow as she stepped through the doors and he stumbled after her with a look of complete shock on his face.
"What are you-"
"You're coming with me, she answered smoothly, cutting off all of his questions. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as the wandered down the hallway towards the large office int he corner he knew was hers.
"Why?" he asked, speeding up his pace until he was no longer being dragged behind but walking beside her. She flicked a hand in the air, responding quietly, "Because I'm more comfortable with you around." as she opened the door to her office and stepped in.
###
He followed behind her, closing the door with his foot as she stepped into the center of the room. His jaw dropped as he realized that they wer enot the only ones in the large room. Yue leaned on a corner of her desk, now turned towards them after an interrupted conversation with a man standing behind the desk. He didn't know who the tall grey-bearded man was, but the expenisve clothes and proud stance told him he was someone to be respected. He flicked his eyes around the room quickly, taking in the two women sitting on the leather couch to his right and the three men stnding next to the seated women. Like the grey bearded man, they all wore well-tailored clothes and their postures seemed to procliam "We own the world." The constant grey coloring in all of their hair, stiff postures and stately appearances only meant one thing - these were the Elders. The stuff nightmares were made of. He stepped back to lean against the door, crossing his arms against his chest - trying to look casual instead of poleaxed. Pseudo, however, merely stood in front of him, hands on her hips and chin held high as if she were dressed in the best of silks instead of scantily clad in only sleepwear.
"You're late, Pseudo." The man behind the desk spoke, one hand in his jacket poket, the other stroking his beard. His voice was emotionless, icy and nothing Kak ever wanted to hear again.
"Ah, well - I ran into some complications. So sorry I made you stiffies wait." Pseudo drawled in return, walking forward to lean against her desk across from Yue. Kak noticed Yue had yet to speak, and judging from the blonde man's stiff posture and schooled expression - he wasn't happy with Pseudo's appearance or attitude. It wasn't surprising though, Yue and Pseudo were always fighting lik eoil and water. Man of the other Operatives in the DA referred to them as the perfect brother and sister relationship.
Kak admired Pseudo's complete lack of fear in the presence of such frightening and powerful people. How could she manage to be so confident and apathetic towards these people?
"As always, your attitude is horrendous." responded the man. He was no longer playing with is beard, both of his hands in his pockets now.
"Yes, child. Your lack of respect never ceases to amaze me." the plumper woman from the couch chimed in, cold blue eyes raking over Pseudo's form.
"I'm surprised you haven't learned better by now." added the other woman. She was toying with a strand of pearls around her neck, glaring just as hard at the girl.
THeir combined comments did nothing to lessen the churning coil of fear in Kak's stomach. He glanced quickly at Pseudo and he noticed although her posture hadn't changed, she was tapping her left pinky in a steady rythym against the hard wood of the desk. He recognized the tap immediately as the nervous habit she had picked up during training when they were forced to take long academic tests after multiple nights of no sleep. The urge to stand next to her, wrap an arm around her shoulders and whisper reassuring jokes in her ear overwhelmed him. He resisted the impulse fiercely, tighting his arms across his chest. He looked up as Pseudo began talking back, noting the unwavering lilt in her voice. Such control over her emotions, it was fascinating.
"Pish posh. You old people should be used to the stupid antics of us younger people." She was smirking at the women, a sign of no fear in the face of snarling lions.
Yue cleared his throat loudly, causing everyone in the room to look towards him.
"Well, now that you're here - may we continue?"
The bearded man nodded, lifting a hand in permission. Yue stepped away from the desk and walked over to the couch to adress the two women sitting on it's cushions.
"You told me you wished to discuss important matters that concerned Pseudo?"
The thinner women farthest from kak and the others looked up at his question, teeth bared slightly in a smile. Kak wondered if the woman had once lived with hyenas.
"Yes," she answered. "Although I fail to see why this young man's presence is necessary."
###
Yue looked up in surprise to look at Kak, obviously just now registering the fact he was present at all. That alone proved the blonde man's nervousness, if nothing else. Yue and Kak never really got along, partly because of Yue's absolute love of the rules that Kak had a complete disregard for, and because of this they were always in a silent battle of wills when in the same room.
Before the blonde man could even respond to the woman's comment, Pseudo was stepping forawrd with an answer. "Considering I'm not yet awake and I've always had a problem remembering the amount of data traded in meetings, I deemed it necessary to have someone more capable of gathering dtat with me this morning. If this meeting were later on in the day, the security risk wouldn't be necessary. However, since this meeting is taking place hours before my normal waking time, I'm sorry to inform you that he will be staying."
Kak bit his toungue to prevent himself from dropping his jaw in shock. All of this was happeneing to fast and way too early. Pseudo claimed she wasnot a morning person, but she also failed to mention the fact that Kak wasn't a morning person either. In fact, if it weren't for the fact he was on his way home to sleep before getting dragged into this mess - he would probably be at work in his pajamas as well.
All of the Elders were nodding now, pleased with Pseudo's response. The plumper woman seemed to be irked by Pseudo's confident disregard to the rules, but the logical response prevented her fom complaining.
"Alright then, moving on." The other woman began, turning herself on her cushion to better face the smirking Pseudo. "I've recently looked over your files and have noticed the passing and failing rate of your classes."
Pseudo aised an eyebrow at this, keeping silent until the woman finished. She rose her other eyebrow when the woman did not continue.
"And...?" the girl prompted, leaning forward from the desk slightly to emphasize her point.
"You haven't had one student fail in the past two years. You're obviously being too light in your grading. We want this resolved."
Kak jumped in slight shock when Pseudo leaned back agains thte desk, her laughter echoing across the room. "Oh my god. Are you fucking serious?!" she cried, one hand holding her stomach as she laughed while the other braced herself against the desk.
All of the men in the room were staring at her in complete shock. The plump woman continued to glower angrily at her insolence. Kak tried not to laugh, shoulders shaking at the effort.
"I hardly see what's so funny about this. And yes, I'm completely serious." Pseduo paused in her laughter to wipe at her eyes.
"I didn't ask if you were completely serious, I asked if you were fucking serious. There's a diffence." Kak nearly bit his toungue off trying not to laugh.
The woman opened her mouth to reply, closed it and then opened it again. Pseudo cut her off with a waved hand. The plump woman was now not only glaring, but she was leaning forward in her chair slightly in her anger. If looks could kill, Pseudo would've been covered in blisters and coughing up blood at the moment. Luckily for her, the glares bounced right off of her conciousness, rebounding safely into the space to kill some other poor soul.
"Nevermind, nevermind. I don't grade too lightly, my dear critic. I just teach fabulously. Did you bother to look at the mission success rates of my students?"
Nobody answerede, although there was a suspicious noise from Yue.
"No, I didn't think so. Go look them up. They're the highest in the organization. If there's anything you want resolved about _that_ then I might begin to doubt your leadership skills in this orgaanization and that's hardly healthy for any of us." She was walking towards Kak now, one hand unconciously reaching for Kak's sleeve. She stopped to tstand next to him, still facing the others in the room. He felt her hand bury itself in his shirt and he refrained from smiling at the contact.
"Now then, if that was all you wanted to discuss - I will now be going back to sleep. THe next time you want to talk about the weather, set up a meeting for the afternoon - would you?"
Yue was rolling his eyes, one hand tugging on his tie in a gesture of either nervousness or annoyance. The grey bearded man was eyeing Pseudo with some hidden intent that made Kak's skin crawl. The door clicked behind him and he stood away from it's frame to let it open so that they could step out. Before they could take more than two steps into the hall, Pseudo turned back to lean through the doorway. Kak heard another murmed comment on the other side followed by an outraged cry of indignation before Pseudo slammed the door behind her. They continued walking down the hall, heading towards sleep.
###
"What'd you say?" he asked, eyes ahead of him - focused on the goal of food and sleep.
"Told them I wanted their fat asses out of my office by 2 o'clock."
Kak finally let all of the pent up emotions from the meeting out, doubling over in laughter as they reached the elevators.
"Oh god, you're kidding right?"
Pseudo just looked at him with raised eyebrows and a mischeivous smirk and he burst into laughter again. She joined in with his laughter as the doors closed, heading towards the lobby floor.
"So, you coming to my place or am I going to yours?" She draled, leaning her head up to grin at him. He grinned back, tossing an arm over her shoulder.
"You always were the better cook."