club24
Everything Is Magical
- RP Date
- Late YE40 (Nov)
- RP Location
- Nesha Prime - Div5 Central HQ
Netoshen
Division 5 Central Command
Directors Office
Midday
It was the second day of interviews for candidates to join the Ai'Seru being put together by Captain Leo Ci'Rado, with both Leo and Director Vaughn present for every interview it was a somewhat daunting task for every operator who got called in to the office. Despite it's calming decor of simple looking plants lining the walls and cool colours, their gaze was often drawn straight to the golden Laibe.
Next on their list was a certain Kyeterinyah DePolanskaya, the name seemed familiar to the director as he skimmed over her file at his desk again, looking up at Leo he nodded to the doors. Leo in turn nodded back and tapped a tone through his earpiece to the secretary outside the door.
"Miss DePolanskaya? They're ready to see you now, good luck in there!"
Kyet rose up and straightened her clothes as her name was called, the room's lighting managing to catch the stray green pigment in her eyes as the Daur gave this secretary a little nod. "Thanks... I'll need it," she replied, her voice still audible though on the quieter side of the spectrum - Kyeterinyah was nervous of course but also excited and tried to focus on the latter emotion as she began moving towards the door, gripping the handle to gently pull the door open and enter head-first.
"Greetings Sir," Kyet began speaking as she fully entered the room, appearing mostly calm and collected on the surface though the movements of her large, fuzzy tail might have betrayed her slight anxiousness.
"Kyeterinyah DePolanskaya, you wished to see me?"
"Correct, congratulations for being on time that's a good start." Director Vaughn said flatly, his eyes assessing the Daur who'd walked in, her file was definitely up to date and accurate, though if it hadn't been someone probably would have been fired. "We already met during your recruitment months ago, this is Captain Leo Ci'Rado of the Netoshen sector, today you'll be having another interview." The golden Laibe continued.
Leo nodded along to the Directors words before offering a hand out to her, "Good to meet you Operator DePolanskaya. Try not to be too nervous you're not in any trouble."
Kyet's generous chest rose and fell as she let out a small sigh of relief having found out she hadn't managed to trip up yet, so a nod was given and she moved towards the hand as it was offered to her - reaching out one warm hand to give a firm hand shake and a slightly forced smile. "Likewise Captain and sorry~I just was not too sure what I should expect when I was told to come here..." Kyet trailed off a bit, releasing from the handshake as she turned back to the director - the large ponytail bouncing slightly as it hugged the back of her head.
"I assume you are going to tell me why I am here then, sir?"
Leo nodded once again with a small smile before gesturing slightly back to Vaughn, apparently the Director had more to say first. "Before we get to that, you joined the organisation a few months ago and completed the training with a slightly above average rating in your speed and agility. Before joining us you were part of the Youth Corps, what was your reason for applying to become an operator?" Vaughn asked, his eyes locking with the Daur as he moved to sit back down in his chair carefully.
Although Leo may have seemed like the friendly face in the crowd earlier compared to the stone cold Director, he too had taken a serious look and watched Kyet, waiting for her reply.
Kyet listened intently, her golden and green eyes both locked on the Director's face to make sure the young Daur didn't miss anything before she began to answer his question, "Well Sir, if I have to try and explain it then I'd say..."
She spent a second more making sure she felt good about the next words before continuing, never having been too good at expressing herself she wanted to get this as right as it could be the first time - having to repeat herself was something Kyet dreaded. "... I'd say it just felt right, not to talk down to the youth corps or the navy or anything like that but... I much prefer this kind of team, smaller and more concise but our work isn't any less important... does that make sense, Sir?" Kyet finished trying to explain, a small gulp traveling down her neck as the Daur waited with bated breath to hear what the Laibe had to say.
Vaughn regarded her with a piercing stare for a few moments longer before speaking, "So you prefer smaller groups, and you believe that the work of the Navy is just as important as the work we do here?" The question hung in the air as Leo barely suppressed a smile once again, he knew the director was toying with her, testing her spirit as it were.
"Well to me that sounds like a perfectly normal reason to want to join, I was never good in overly large, crudely structured groups either. And you're correct, while some here believe we do more to protect the citizens the Navy was around long before us. We're just taking over homeland security for them." Vaughn finally said, after he'd spent enough time eyeing down the Daur to see if she'd crack.
Kyet gave another small nod, causing the large ears and long ponytail atop her head to bounce from the motion as she tried to confirm what the Director said mostly aligned with what she said - the near-invisible hairs on the back of the Daur's neck stood on end though, she just hoped this wasn't some subtle way of mocking her reasoning.
"Yes... everything is important in its own way..." Kyet offered, not sure how else she could weigh in on her own words having been repeated back at her.
"I can tell you're a bright girl, but you should try to speak with more conviction, people will regard you more highly 9/10 times. Enough of this small talk though, I've already checked what I needed to, now this is between you and potentially your new captain." Vaughn said, a somewhat dismissive line although his tone didn't seem to reflect that.
"Thank you Director, now do you mind if I call you Kyet? As professional as this all is its far nicer to use names don't you think?" Leo's question hung in the air with his smile as he gestured for her to join him and sit in a pair of comfy looking chairs facing each other.
"Thank you Sir, I'll try to keep that in mind," Kyeterinyah spoke with a small smile on her face as she followed the Captain's gesture, honestly she had been wondering if a seat was going to be offered but it had so she happily accepted it - carefully sitting down as her large tail decided to hang over the side of the chair in all its bushy glory.
"And yes Captain, Kyet is fine - much less of a mouthful and all that," Kyet replied, she'd accepted from an early age the many ways people shortened her name and preferred to use one of those quicker options - usually her full name was only used when somebody was angry so it made things a little easier to distinguish for the young Daur.
"Great, well then Kyet please feel free to just call me Leo, for now at least. To move onto the interview I'll start with some information." Leo began, taking up a seat in the other chair. "As you're no doubt aware, there's been a somewhat increased terror threat among some of the cities, not to mention the amount of underground weapon dealings has skyrocketed. To begin, I'd like you to give me the most detailed and thought out explanation of what you believe is currently underway and what will happen next. This isn't a trick question either so take your time and think it over."
Kyet's golden-green eyes narrowed as she thought for a second, the oculars did not squint in any way to be considered sinister nor malicious but quite obviously the gears in her head were turning as they felt around the question - though before answering fully she wanted to clear it up a little because quite frankly some of the wording could use a bit of clarification unless it was just the Daur missing something. No, the young fox decided against that - she'd just have to go with the gut feeling and hope it answered the right question.
"Well... it makes me think they're planning something big... after all you need an armoury to fuel a war and well~ we need to ready and remain vigilant for whatever they throw our way - that's what I see at least," Kyeterinyah finished her answer, eyes more casually open though the girl's chin dipped down slightly toward her plump chest - until she quickly noticed and corrected her posture, though there was an air of anxiety about her.
"Good answer, while owning weapons even of military grade is not illegal. There is always records, the fact that people are dealing with them underground poses two problems. They have a supplier, and they have something planned." Leo said, his voice going serious once again while his tail was still.
"Our primary concern is for the royal family, and Netoshen as it's the capital although as of yet we still have no information regarding their plans. Which is where we come in, I told you I was putting together a unit, we're going to operating globally as it were." While it wasn't impossible for an Ai'Seru to move around the continents of Nesha Prime it was rare, generally one of the other district branches would send its own unit to deal with anything discovered in its territory.
"As I understand it, you've been on only a few small raids since joining us correct? How do you feel about what you've been told so far."
Kyet gave a few nods as her superior spoke, the slight anxiousness fading into a hint of curious excitement as an idea of what she was about to hear began to form in the Daur's mind - after hearing Captain Leo speak she sat up as straight as she could be - shoulders back, abdomen straight and chest out before speaking.
"I'm pretty new to this, yes... which begs the question... why me?" Kyeterinyah asked, her head tilting to the side a little though otherwise akin to a statue as the young Daur continued. "I'm sure you have your reasons but it's just..." the chesty Daur paused, her features turning a bit confused.
"I don't see them."
"So, are you telling me you're not good enough to do your job?"
"Captain I... No~ I mean, I'm competent enough but I just thought you'd want somebody with more experience than me."
"Well then by all means, if you can show me an operator who's been here longer 5 months who doesn't happen to be a District Commander or a Captain, please be my guest." Leo said.
"At least she was the one who said she was competent." Came the comment from the Director as he looked up from his desk at the Daur. "Operator DePolanskaya, Leo chose everyone for these interviews personally, and aside from me he's actually the longest serving active member in the Division." The director let his words hang as he went back to his work.
"Right," Kyet responded with a nod, short and sweet as the Daur decided to drop her point for now and instead try to move on without making herself seem like more of an idiot than she already had.
“The point the Director is trying to make, is that by all accounts you are one of the most experienced members who isn’t already tied up in another unit. You said yourself that you can do the job, and if you’d really like to know there is some extra reasoning behind it.” Leo said with a slightly reassuring tone.
”Your older sister, from our information she was a gifted engineer. I’m looking for the talent I know you carry as well, part of which you’ve proven when we recruited you.”
Suddenly it all made sense to the young Daur, while her next thoughts weren't designed to downplay the importance of other enlisted personnel she understood that having somebody who knew their way around a gun as much as they did a command console would be handy - as she spoke this time there was a confidence and sparkle behind those large, gold-green eyes.
"Yes, and Anaska got it from our Father, Bogdan DePolanskaya, so you could say it is almost a hereditary thing for us," Kyet started, a certain loving fondness when speaking about her family that almost warmed the room as she continued, though the mention of her own skill did make her pale cheeks turn slightly rosy.
"I'm sorry for.. well, anyway - but that puts a lot into perspective for me."
Leo turned to Vaughn who simply raised an eyebrow in turn before going back to his monitors. "Well I hope that suffices to answer your question, if you do have anymore though now is the time to ask them."
She spent a second thinking, really thinking, if there were any more questions on her mind - the Daur crossing one arm under her chest as the other one balled up into a fist against her chin, those golden-green eyes followed a mote of dust as it settled on the carpet and she finally decided there was nothing else she currently wanted to ask.
"Nothing at the moment, no," Kyet spoke with a shake of her head, as if to help emphasize her answer. "Well maybe one question, what happens now?"
"Now you get a pre operation briefing. The truth is I fully planned on selecting you before you even walked in the door. The interview was, a way for me to gauge you of sorts." Leo said rising and turning to face the director in a brief salute. "We'll be taking our leave now Director, I'll be back tomorrow for the next one."
"Very good Captain, on your way then." Vaughn said as he too stood in brief salute.
"Follow me Kyet, we've a bit more to discuss before I can send you back to the barracks just yet."
Upon seeing the Captain rise to salute Kyet followed suit, some of her more gravity-bound features like the long ponytail at the back of her head bouncing from the quick movement. She then moved to follow along with the Captain as he left, tagging along on the man's right as she matched his speed. "Okay... I'm an open book then," the younger Daur mused, though secretly hoping the questions wouldn't get too personal.
The two Daur left the office and headed down to the ground floor of the central headquarters, "Are you hungry at all? There's a really nice coffeeshop sort of place nearby."
She gave a few small nods before piping up, "I wouldn't mind something light," Kyet admitted as they walked - the large, bushy tail bounced along casually, a little over half the soft-spoken girl's full height and just as wide.
"So,have you enjoyed working as an operator? Even if we've had very few major raids to go on as of yet. I know many of our intelligence operators are hard at work every day trying to find leads for us and they seemed to be quite happy." Leo asked casually as the two made their way down the street, a few cars here and there passing them by. Even in the captial of the world there were some quiet areas which had been chosen for such reasons to house Division 5 assets.
"I haven't had any reason to not like it yet..." Kyeterinyah responded as they strolled along, jumping slightly at the distant honk of a horn though managing to pull herself together again with a weak smile. "...the other Operators have all been really nice, which is nice... and expected I suppose..." the tip of Kyet's tail drooped slightly - this place, despite others finding it rather peaceful she quickly realised any place within city limits that wasn't a conduit, crawl space or her room or the bathroom felt too busy.
Leo nodded to himself, at least she'd managed to somewhat fit in with the group so far. "Well I'm glad you don't hate it here at all, is there any aspects that bother you or you think could be improved?" The captain asked as they neared the shop, having to cross the road to reach their destination.
Kyet's footsteps quickened as they crossed the road though they remained light despite having hastened, after giving her surroundings another once-over she looked across to the captain and answered. "I don't suppose... you would have any reason to install a fireplace in the rec room? that would be kinda cool..." Kyet trailed off, only half joking but giving a kind smile regardless.
"Well we won't have a reason unless anyone asks." Leo said winking at her. "And I assume you mean the central command?" He continued before they got to a small store where he held the door open for her and gestured as if to say 'ladies first'
Initially Kyet shied away from the wink, not being used to that gesture from anyone but she nodded and began to gracefully enter the store - hands buried deep in her pockets to try and make herself seem smaller and less noticable before looking back to answer the captain. "Thank you... but yeah, honestly it might make the place seem a little more homely... can you actually get away with doing that though?"
"Its a very little known fact, as the director pointed out I'm the second oldest operator yet I'm not a district commander. Vaughn and I have been friends for years so I have a relatively decent amount of influence." He said smiling as he found them a table to sit at and grabbed some menus. "I'm sure with enough persuasion I could maybe russel something up."
"Ah... don't waste your sway on something only I might find comfort in... I'll go buy a space heater or something instead," Kyet replied with an apologetic smile as she too sat down and picked up a menu, her large tail could be seen draped over to the side of the seat once more as something caught her eye - muffins with a seasonal fruit embedded in the top, though she would only order one.
"How have things been for you... outside work that is," the younger Daur queried as she looked over the top of her own menu, light still seeming to make those few green specks glow in her golden eyes.
"Well it's funny you should ask. I don't really have much life outside work to be honest, a lot of my time outside of active duty I spend doing research and trying to work on cases. Although occasionally my sister will drag me out of the office for some down time or something else." Leo chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm thinking I might go for a coffee and a few biscuits, what about you?"
"I respect that you are dedicated to your job sir but... listen to your sister... I know I should listen to my own siblings a little more..." Kyet trailed off happily as she began rooting around for her wallet. "I'll just be having a muffin, I'm not too hungry and I've got water on me," the younger Daur continued as she produced a metal bottle from somewhere, alongside having found her leather-bound wallet.
"Well I guess that's something we both have in common then.” Leo chuckled before producing his own money as well and hailing a nearby worker so they could order. “Now, I have a bit more information to share. To begin with I can tell you about another member of the Ai’Seru who’s already been selected.” The white haied daur said casually before making himself comfortable at the table.
”i can also discuss the first operation, what would you like first?”
Kyet ordered what she wanted and gave the waiter a shy smile before turning back towards Leo, barely any hesitation behind her words as the younger Daur answered. "The other person I'll be working with... that'd be nice - but I am keen to hear about both," she finished, giving him a rather warm smile as the menu was discarded.
“Well there should be at least two others plus us but I’ve only interviewed one so far. Arynn Shermosa, she’ll be our intelligence operator and I think you two will get along really well. She seems like a really kind and gentle person and also happens to be very short." Leo said, thinking back to his conversation with the other Daur.
"Nice..." Kyet trailed off as she pondered for a moment how Leo would describe her to the other operatives, she'd never really been much of a person to worry about looks so the younger Daur doubted she'd be called the pretty one - maybe the quiet one? hopefully not the chesty one, while Kyet did like her body she wasn't exactly the type to show off or boast about it and she especially didn't like other people pointing out things about her appearance.
The quiet one... that'd be fine by her.
"I feel like I'll like her, she seems nice if what you say is true."
"While we are in the business of espionage, if there was something you weren't meant to know I'd simply not tell you, the same goes for information above clearance level. Lies have a nasty habit or coming back later and making a mess of things." The white haired captain spoke seriously, it wasn't an angry comment but he needed to make sure his operators could trust him and one another before they went into battle with each other.
"Oh~ no I," she began to reply, a somewhat grimaced look twisting her porcelain features as Kyet realized how her words must have sounded - so the young Daur gulped and tried to fix the situation.
"...I don't doubt that, I'm just not used to talking so much I guess... sorry..." Kyet finished with an apologetic tone, her ears and expression dropping in a similar manner as a weak smile graced her face.
"I completely understand that." Leo spoke softly as his features also softened a little more, "I just need to make sure there is no doubt between us, or we may have an even bigger problem on our hands ok? As I'm no doubt sure you've already been told a hundred times over, communication and trust are vital in our line of work, and since we've never met before I'm asking you to give me your complete trust as your captain. Can you do that for me?"
Kyet's ears and overall demeanour perked up somewhat as Leo spoke, though she noticed he had a certain way of speaking - wanting to make his intentions very clear to anybody listening, and she liked that. "Yes Sir, of course," the younger Daur replied, a determined little nod followed her words to help emphasize the point - she had no reason to doubt him thus far.
"Glad to hear it." He said, ears going up and forward as his big goofy grin also returned. "Ah it looks like food has arrived." The captain pointed out as the waiter returned with their food and his drink, slipping her a note before she left. "Now let's begin this briefing shall we?"
Being a quiet person, you noticed a lot of things going on around you without the distraction of trying to make your own noise - this was why Kyet's pupils contracted as she briefly saw the note being passed on, little black pin pricks that dilated back to their normal size once they were done gazing with a certain curiosity for only the briefest of moments. She accepted the muffin with a small smile and gave Leo a confirmation of, "mhm," as she pondered on what the note had been and began taking a small bite of her food.
"Ok, to begin with I need to first explain our enemy, as we discussed earlier there has been increased activity but we don't know why or what their possible goals and next actions will be. On top of all that something about this group has stood out to us from the rest, they appear to have some sort of organisation and a fair bit of intelligence behind their actions." Leo said, his voice lowering slightly although there didn't seem to be anyone else around them anyway.
"One of the observations we've made to assume this is that the deals we know have happened, are never in the same place, never at the same time and always seem to be random and without any pattern whatsoever. We've been able to find almost nothing at the scenes in the days afterwards and have no way to predict their movements currently. IN standard procedure we'll attempt to gain as much information as possible before making any real moves or operations, to do this we're going to be circulating a large number of weapons with almost undetectable trackers built into them. They are also coated in a paint mixture which is designed to leave traces on surfaces it comes into contact with so we can track it that way too.” Leo paused and looked over at Kyet to see if she was following along well enough.
Kyeterinyah had been making a few little affirming sounds alongside a nod or two as Leo spoke, munching away at her muffin and swallowing once he had finished speaking, "I'm guessing it is radio-luminescent paint? but it all sounds like a smart plan, yeah." Her mind kept drifting back to that note though... was he going to test her in some way?
Satisfied that she understood he continued, "Many of these weapons were put into circulation a month ago when we first took notice, so far we haven't had any hits on them but several have gone missing completely. So our first time deploying as an Ai'Seru will be in two teams, each with a set of weapons to track down. Our priority will be capturing the people in possession of the weapons for interrogation.”
Kyet continued making a few subtle gestures to show that she understood what was going on, slowly working away at her food a little bit more when he spoke and stopping when an answer was expected of the younger Daur. "I understand," she began speaking with a soft voice, "terrorists getting their hands on weapons is one thing... but weapons we intended to use as bait... yeah."
"Exactly, I hope you're up for the challenge Miss- ah, Kyet. Enjoying your muffin?" He asked, while taking a long sip of his coffee.
"Mhm," Kyeterinyah confirmed as she finished a mouthful to speak, her throat bulging out briefly to signify it had been swallowed before she began to speak further. "Uh, permission to speak freely?" she requested of her superior, knowing they were in public and that he'd likely say yes but extending the courtesy to him nonetheless.
"Of course, go ahead Kyet."
The younger Daur's plump chest rose and fell as she huffed, adjusting her posture to sit more upright before she began asking her question, "I... respect how you are both professional and approachable at the same time... I know I shouldn't be one to judge but~ my previous CO was a bit..." Kyet paused momentarily, crossing one hand across the top of herher taut abdomen as the other one scratched her chin thoughtfully.
'...a bit cold I guess, it's a breath of fresh air so... thanks."
"Oh, well I wouldn't blame them, being in charge of a combat unit is quite stressful at times. And a lot of responsibilty for the people you're in charge of, but I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me that." Leo was glad that it seemed like the girl was opening up to him a little more considering she even admitted to not being a terribly social person.
"Yeah..." Kyet replied as her hands returned to the table, taking a moment to look out the nearest window and simply appreciate the warmth of a sunny day on her pale skin before finally turning back towards Leo. "I realize... you might see my, yeah, as a bit of an issue - but I promise it won't get in the way."
"I'm sorry?" Leo questioned, did she mean her timid nature? It's not like their work was customer service but being less willing to communicate could have negative impacts he supposed.
"I uhhh~" Kyet trailed off, her delicate features twisting into a frown as she realized she'd have to be a bit more blunt about it - the younger Daur never did like to be blunt with people. "don't worry about it..." Kyet admitted with a little sigh, offering an apologetic smile to Leo after having changed her mind at the last second.
Well guess she decided better, maybe it wasn't as big a deal as what she thought. "Well for now that's all I can discuss with you here, and that's about the end of the uh, interview as it were. If you got any other questions or anything else then ask it now otherwise I'll see you next week in your uniform ready for work."
"Just one..."
"Yes?"
Kyet's cheeks took on an ever so slightly pink hue as she spoke, but it as something that needed to be asked so it was best to just get it out of the way when it was just them and no other operators nor higher ups in sight. "I got an extra dress shirt and well it..." she trailed off, using her hands to try and gesture that the shirt was ill-fitting to the shapes that made up her body.
"Who do I see about... about getting it adjusted?"
Now that she mentioned it, the standard uniform probably would be a little small for her, was that what she meant earlier? "Ah well just ask the secretary in the HQ, they should be able to have someone adjust it for you. You'll probably have to go and get measured before they can adjust it for your size."
Of course he had noticed, she knew it was hard not to but Kyet was deeply thankful that Leo had been polite and respectful about the matter - giving him a warm, genuine smile as she spoke. "Thanks, I'll get onto it..." the younger Daur finished before rising to a stand, holding that smile with a happy glimmer behind her round eyes.
Leo stayed seated with his coffee and nodded, "Sounds good, I think I'll hang around here for a little longer, just got a couple things to take care of and a coffee to finish. Take care of yourself Kyet."
"And you, Leo," she replied, finding the feeling of knowing your Captain on a first name basis during work hours a little odd but not so much that it would ruin her currently happy mood. "I... am going to go for a run... seeya," she gave with a wave before turning to leave, the majestically fluffy tail strapped to her shapely flanks bobbed happily with each step, swaying side to side as it stood proud.
@SirSkully
Division 5 Central Command
Directors Office
Midday
It was the second day of interviews for candidates to join the Ai'Seru being put together by Captain Leo Ci'Rado, with both Leo and Director Vaughn present for every interview it was a somewhat daunting task for every operator who got called in to the office. Despite it's calming decor of simple looking plants lining the walls and cool colours, their gaze was often drawn straight to the golden Laibe.
Next on their list was a certain Kyeterinyah DePolanskaya, the name seemed familiar to the director as he skimmed over her file at his desk again, looking up at Leo he nodded to the doors. Leo in turn nodded back and tapped a tone through his earpiece to the secretary outside the door.
"Miss DePolanskaya? They're ready to see you now, good luck in there!"
Kyet rose up and straightened her clothes as her name was called, the room's lighting managing to catch the stray green pigment in her eyes as the Daur gave this secretary a little nod. "Thanks... I'll need it," she replied, her voice still audible though on the quieter side of the spectrum - Kyeterinyah was nervous of course but also excited and tried to focus on the latter emotion as she began moving towards the door, gripping the handle to gently pull the door open and enter head-first.
"Greetings Sir," Kyet began speaking as she fully entered the room, appearing mostly calm and collected on the surface though the movements of her large, fuzzy tail might have betrayed her slight anxiousness.
"Kyeterinyah DePolanskaya, you wished to see me?"
"Correct, congratulations for being on time that's a good start." Director Vaughn said flatly, his eyes assessing the Daur who'd walked in, her file was definitely up to date and accurate, though if it hadn't been someone probably would have been fired. "We already met during your recruitment months ago, this is Captain Leo Ci'Rado of the Netoshen sector, today you'll be having another interview." The golden Laibe continued.
Leo nodded along to the Directors words before offering a hand out to her, "Good to meet you Operator DePolanskaya. Try not to be too nervous you're not in any trouble."
Kyet's generous chest rose and fell as she let out a small sigh of relief having found out she hadn't managed to trip up yet, so a nod was given and she moved towards the hand as it was offered to her - reaching out one warm hand to give a firm hand shake and a slightly forced smile. "Likewise Captain and sorry~I just was not too sure what I should expect when I was told to come here..." Kyet trailed off a bit, releasing from the handshake as she turned back to the director - the large ponytail bouncing slightly as it hugged the back of her head.
"I assume you are going to tell me why I am here then, sir?"
Leo nodded once again with a small smile before gesturing slightly back to Vaughn, apparently the Director had more to say first. "Before we get to that, you joined the organisation a few months ago and completed the training with a slightly above average rating in your speed and agility. Before joining us you were part of the Youth Corps, what was your reason for applying to become an operator?" Vaughn asked, his eyes locking with the Daur as he moved to sit back down in his chair carefully.
Although Leo may have seemed like the friendly face in the crowd earlier compared to the stone cold Director, he too had taken a serious look and watched Kyet, waiting for her reply.
Kyet listened intently, her golden and green eyes both locked on the Director's face to make sure the young Daur didn't miss anything before she began to answer his question, "Well Sir, if I have to try and explain it then I'd say..."
She spent a second more making sure she felt good about the next words before continuing, never having been too good at expressing herself she wanted to get this as right as it could be the first time - having to repeat herself was something Kyet dreaded. "... I'd say it just felt right, not to talk down to the youth corps or the navy or anything like that but... I much prefer this kind of team, smaller and more concise but our work isn't any less important... does that make sense, Sir?" Kyet finished trying to explain, a small gulp traveling down her neck as the Daur waited with bated breath to hear what the Laibe had to say.
Vaughn regarded her with a piercing stare for a few moments longer before speaking, "So you prefer smaller groups, and you believe that the work of the Navy is just as important as the work we do here?" The question hung in the air as Leo barely suppressed a smile once again, he knew the director was toying with her, testing her spirit as it were.
"Well to me that sounds like a perfectly normal reason to want to join, I was never good in overly large, crudely structured groups either. And you're correct, while some here believe we do more to protect the citizens the Navy was around long before us. We're just taking over homeland security for them." Vaughn finally said, after he'd spent enough time eyeing down the Daur to see if she'd crack.
Kyet gave another small nod, causing the large ears and long ponytail atop her head to bounce from the motion as she tried to confirm what the Director said mostly aligned with what she said - the near-invisible hairs on the back of the Daur's neck stood on end though, she just hoped this wasn't some subtle way of mocking her reasoning.
"Yes... everything is important in its own way..." Kyet offered, not sure how else she could weigh in on her own words having been repeated back at her.
"I can tell you're a bright girl, but you should try to speak with more conviction, people will regard you more highly 9/10 times. Enough of this small talk though, I've already checked what I needed to, now this is between you and potentially your new captain." Vaughn said, a somewhat dismissive line although his tone didn't seem to reflect that.
"Thank you Director, now do you mind if I call you Kyet? As professional as this all is its far nicer to use names don't you think?" Leo's question hung in the air with his smile as he gestured for her to join him and sit in a pair of comfy looking chairs facing each other.
"Thank you Sir, I'll try to keep that in mind," Kyeterinyah spoke with a small smile on her face as she followed the Captain's gesture, honestly she had been wondering if a seat was going to be offered but it had so she happily accepted it - carefully sitting down as her large tail decided to hang over the side of the chair in all its bushy glory.
"And yes Captain, Kyet is fine - much less of a mouthful and all that," Kyet replied, she'd accepted from an early age the many ways people shortened her name and preferred to use one of those quicker options - usually her full name was only used when somebody was angry so it made things a little easier to distinguish for the young Daur.
"Great, well then Kyet please feel free to just call me Leo, for now at least. To move onto the interview I'll start with some information." Leo began, taking up a seat in the other chair. "As you're no doubt aware, there's been a somewhat increased terror threat among some of the cities, not to mention the amount of underground weapon dealings has skyrocketed. To begin, I'd like you to give me the most detailed and thought out explanation of what you believe is currently underway and what will happen next. This isn't a trick question either so take your time and think it over."
Kyet's golden-green eyes narrowed as she thought for a second, the oculars did not squint in any way to be considered sinister nor malicious but quite obviously the gears in her head were turning as they felt around the question - though before answering fully she wanted to clear it up a little because quite frankly some of the wording could use a bit of clarification unless it was just the Daur missing something. No, the young fox decided against that - she'd just have to go with the gut feeling and hope it answered the right question.
"Well... it makes me think they're planning something big... after all you need an armoury to fuel a war and well~ we need to ready and remain vigilant for whatever they throw our way - that's what I see at least," Kyeterinyah finished her answer, eyes more casually open though the girl's chin dipped down slightly toward her plump chest - until she quickly noticed and corrected her posture, though there was an air of anxiety about her.
"Good answer, while owning weapons even of military grade is not illegal. There is always records, the fact that people are dealing with them underground poses two problems. They have a supplier, and they have something planned." Leo said, his voice going serious once again while his tail was still.
"Our primary concern is for the royal family, and Netoshen as it's the capital although as of yet we still have no information regarding their plans. Which is where we come in, I told you I was putting together a unit, we're going to operating globally as it were." While it wasn't impossible for an Ai'Seru to move around the continents of Nesha Prime it was rare, generally one of the other district branches would send its own unit to deal with anything discovered in its territory.
"As I understand it, you've been on only a few small raids since joining us correct? How do you feel about what you've been told so far."
Kyet gave a few nods as her superior spoke, the slight anxiousness fading into a hint of curious excitement as an idea of what she was about to hear began to form in the Daur's mind - after hearing Captain Leo speak she sat up as straight as she could be - shoulders back, abdomen straight and chest out before speaking.
"I'm pretty new to this, yes... which begs the question... why me?" Kyeterinyah asked, her head tilting to the side a little though otherwise akin to a statue as the young Daur continued. "I'm sure you have your reasons but it's just..." the chesty Daur paused, her features turning a bit confused.
"I don't see them."
"So, are you telling me you're not good enough to do your job?"
"Captain I... No~ I mean, I'm competent enough but I just thought you'd want somebody with more experience than me."
"Well then by all means, if you can show me an operator who's been here longer 5 months who doesn't happen to be a District Commander or a Captain, please be my guest." Leo said.
"At least she was the one who said she was competent." Came the comment from the Director as he looked up from his desk at the Daur. "Operator DePolanskaya, Leo chose everyone for these interviews personally, and aside from me he's actually the longest serving active member in the Division." The director let his words hang as he went back to his work.
"Right," Kyet responded with a nod, short and sweet as the Daur decided to drop her point for now and instead try to move on without making herself seem like more of an idiot than she already had.
“The point the Director is trying to make, is that by all accounts you are one of the most experienced members who isn’t already tied up in another unit. You said yourself that you can do the job, and if you’d really like to know there is some extra reasoning behind it.” Leo said with a slightly reassuring tone.
”Your older sister, from our information she was a gifted engineer. I’m looking for the talent I know you carry as well, part of which you’ve proven when we recruited you.”
Suddenly it all made sense to the young Daur, while her next thoughts weren't designed to downplay the importance of other enlisted personnel she understood that having somebody who knew their way around a gun as much as they did a command console would be handy - as she spoke this time there was a confidence and sparkle behind those large, gold-green eyes.
"Yes, and Anaska got it from our Father, Bogdan DePolanskaya, so you could say it is almost a hereditary thing for us," Kyet started, a certain loving fondness when speaking about her family that almost warmed the room as she continued, though the mention of her own skill did make her pale cheeks turn slightly rosy.
"I'm sorry for.. well, anyway - but that puts a lot into perspective for me."
Leo turned to Vaughn who simply raised an eyebrow in turn before going back to his monitors. "Well I hope that suffices to answer your question, if you do have anymore though now is the time to ask them."
She spent a second thinking, really thinking, if there were any more questions on her mind - the Daur crossing one arm under her chest as the other one balled up into a fist against her chin, those golden-green eyes followed a mote of dust as it settled on the carpet and she finally decided there was nothing else she currently wanted to ask.
"Nothing at the moment, no," Kyet spoke with a shake of her head, as if to help emphasize her answer. "Well maybe one question, what happens now?"
"Now you get a pre operation briefing. The truth is I fully planned on selecting you before you even walked in the door. The interview was, a way for me to gauge you of sorts." Leo said rising and turning to face the director in a brief salute. "We'll be taking our leave now Director, I'll be back tomorrow for the next one."
"Very good Captain, on your way then." Vaughn said as he too stood in brief salute.
"Follow me Kyet, we've a bit more to discuss before I can send you back to the barracks just yet."
Upon seeing the Captain rise to salute Kyet followed suit, some of her more gravity-bound features like the long ponytail at the back of her head bouncing from the quick movement. She then moved to follow along with the Captain as he left, tagging along on the man's right as she matched his speed. "Okay... I'm an open book then," the younger Daur mused, though secretly hoping the questions wouldn't get too personal.
The two Daur left the office and headed down to the ground floor of the central headquarters, "Are you hungry at all? There's a really nice coffeeshop sort of place nearby."
She gave a few small nods before piping up, "I wouldn't mind something light," Kyet admitted as they walked - the large, bushy tail bounced along casually, a little over half the soft-spoken girl's full height and just as wide.
"So,have you enjoyed working as an operator? Even if we've had very few major raids to go on as of yet. I know many of our intelligence operators are hard at work every day trying to find leads for us and they seemed to be quite happy." Leo asked casually as the two made their way down the street, a few cars here and there passing them by. Even in the captial of the world there were some quiet areas which had been chosen for such reasons to house Division 5 assets.
"I haven't had any reason to not like it yet..." Kyeterinyah responded as they strolled along, jumping slightly at the distant honk of a horn though managing to pull herself together again with a weak smile. "...the other Operators have all been really nice, which is nice... and expected I suppose..." the tip of Kyet's tail drooped slightly - this place, despite others finding it rather peaceful she quickly realised any place within city limits that wasn't a conduit, crawl space or her room or the bathroom felt too busy.
Leo nodded to himself, at least she'd managed to somewhat fit in with the group so far. "Well I'm glad you don't hate it here at all, is there any aspects that bother you or you think could be improved?" The captain asked as they neared the shop, having to cross the road to reach their destination.
Kyet's footsteps quickened as they crossed the road though they remained light despite having hastened, after giving her surroundings another once-over she looked across to the captain and answered. "I don't suppose... you would have any reason to install a fireplace in the rec room? that would be kinda cool..." Kyet trailed off, only half joking but giving a kind smile regardless.
"Well we won't have a reason unless anyone asks." Leo said winking at her. "And I assume you mean the central command?" He continued before they got to a small store where he held the door open for her and gestured as if to say 'ladies first'
Initially Kyet shied away from the wink, not being used to that gesture from anyone but she nodded and began to gracefully enter the store - hands buried deep in her pockets to try and make herself seem smaller and less noticable before looking back to answer the captain. "Thank you... but yeah, honestly it might make the place seem a little more homely... can you actually get away with doing that though?"
"Its a very little known fact, as the director pointed out I'm the second oldest operator yet I'm not a district commander. Vaughn and I have been friends for years so I have a relatively decent amount of influence." He said smiling as he found them a table to sit at and grabbed some menus. "I'm sure with enough persuasion I could maybe russel something up."
"Ah... don't waste your sway on something only I might find comfort in... I'll go buy a space heater or something instead," Kyet replied with an apologetic smile as she too sat down and picked up a menu, her large tail could be seen draped over to the side of the seat once more as something caught her eye - muffins with a seasonal fruit embedded in the top, though she would only order one.
"How have things been for you... outside work that is," the younger Daur queried as she looked over the top of her own menu, light still seeming to make those few green specks glow in her golden eyes.
"Well it's funny you should ask. I don't really have much life outside work to be honest, a lot of my time outside of active duty I spend doing research and trying to work on cases. Although occasionally my sister will drag me out of the office for some down time or something else." Leo chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm thinking I might go for a coffee and a few biscuits, what about you?"
"I respect that you are dedicated to your job sir but... listen to your sister... I know I should listen to my own siblings a little more..." Kyet trailed off happily as she began rooting around for her wallet. "I'll just be having a muffin, I'm not too hungry and I've got water on me," the younger Daur continued as she produced a metal bottle from somewhere, alongside having found her leather-bound wallet.
"Well I guess that's something we both have in common then.” Leo chuckled before producing his own money as well and hailing a nearby worker so they could order. “Now, I have a bit more information to share. To begin with I can tell you about another member of the Ai’Seru who’s already been selected.” The white haied daur said casually before making himself comfortable at the table.
”i can also discuss the first operation, what would you like first?”
Kyet ordered what she wanted and gave the waiter a shy smile before turning back towards Leo, barely any hesitation behind her words as the younger Daur answered. "The other person I'll be working with... that'd be nice - but I am keen to hear about both," she finished, giving him a rather warm smile as the menu was discarded.
“Well there should be at least two others plus us but I’ve only interviewed one so far. Arynn Shermosa, she’ll be our intelligence operator and I think you two will get along really well. She seems like a really kind and gentle person and also happens to be very short." Leo said, thinking back to his conversation with the other Daur.
"Nice..." Kyet trailed off as she pondered for a moment how Leo would describe her to the other operatives, she'd never really been much of a person to worry about looks so the younger Daur doubted she'd be called the pretty one - maybe the quiet one? hopefully not the chesty one, while Kyet did like her body she wasn't exactly the type to show off or boast about it and she especially didn't like other people pointing out things about her appearance.
The quiet one... that'd be fine by her.
"I feel like I'll like her, she seems nice if what you say is true."
"While we are in the business of espionage, if there was something you weren't meant to know I'd simply not tell you, the same goes for information above clearance level. Lies have a nasty habit or coming back later and making a mess of things." The white haired captain spoke seriously, it wasn't an angry comment but he needed to make sure his operators could trust him and one another before they went into battle with each other.
"Oh~ no I," she began to reply, a somewhat grimaced look twisting her porcelain features as Kyet realized how her words must have sounded - so the young Daur gulped and tried to fix the situation.
"...I don't doubt that, I'm just not used to talking so much I guess... sorry..." Kyet finished with an apologetic tone, her ears and expression dropping in a similar manner as a weak smile graced her face.
"I completely understand that." Leo spoke softly as his features also softened a little more, "I just need to make sure there is no doubt between us, or we may have an even bigger problem on our hands ok? As I'm no doubt sure you've already been told a hundred times over, communication and trust are vital in our line of work, and since we've never met before I'm asking you to give me your complete trust as your captain. Can you do that for me?"
Kyet's ears and overall demeanour perked up somewhat as Leo spoke, though she noticed he had a certain way of speaking - wanting to make his intentions very clear to anybody listening, and she liked that. "Yes Sir, of course," the younger Daur replied, a determined little nod followed her words to help emphasize the point - she had no reason to doubt him thus far.
"Glad to hear it." He said, ears going up and forward as his big goofy grin also returned. "Ah it looks like food has arrived." The captain pointed out as the waiter returned with their food and his drink, slipping her a note before she left. "Now let's begin this briefing shall we?"
Being a quiet person, you noticed a lot of things going on around you without the distraction of trying to make your own noise - this was why Kyet's pupils contracted as she briefly saw the note being passed on, little black pin pricks that dilated back to their normal size once they were done gazing with a certain curiosity for only the briefest of moments. She accepted the muffin with a small smile and gave Leo a confirmation of, "mhm," as she pondered on what the note had been and began taking a small bite of her food.
"Ok, to begin with I need to first explain our enemy, as we discussed earlier there has been increased activity but we don't know why or what their possible goals and next actions will be. On top of all that something about this group has stood out to us from the rest, they appear to have some sort of organisation and a fair bit of intelligence behind their actions." Leo said, his voice lowering slightly although there didn't seem to be anyone else around them anyway.
"One of the observations we've made to assume this is that the deals we know have happened, are never in the same place, never at the same time and always seem to be random and without any pattern whatsoever. We've been able to find almost nothing at the scenes in the days afterwards and have no way to predict their movements currently. IN standard procedure we'll attempt to gain as much information as possible before making any real moves or operations, to do this we're going to be circulating a large number of weapons with almost undetectable trackers built into them. They are also coated in a paint mixture which is designed to leave traces on surfaces it comes into contact with so we can track it that way too.” Leo paused and looked over at Kyet to see if she was following along well enough.
Kyeterinyah had been making a few little affirming sounds alongside a nod or two as Leo spoke, munching away at her muffin and swallowing once he had finished speaking, "I'm guessing it is radio-luminescent paint? but it all sounds like a smart plan, yeah." Her mind kept drifting back to that note though... was he going to test her in some way?
Satisfied that she understood he continued, "Many of these weapons were put into circulation a month ago when we first took notice, so far we haven't had any hits on them but several have gone missing completely. So our first time deploying as an Ai'Seru will be in two teams, each with a set of weapons to track down. Our priority will be capturing the people in possession of the weapons for interrogation.”
Kyet continued making a few subtle gestures to show that she understood what was going on, slowly working away at her food a little bit more when he spoke and stopping when an answer was expected of the younger Daur. "I understand," she began speaking with a soft voice, "terrorists getting their hands on weapons is one thing... but weapons we intended to use as bait... yeah."
"Exactly, I hope you're up for the challenge Miss- ah, Kyet. Enjoying your muffin?" He asked, while taking a long sip of his coffee.
"Mhm," Kyeterinyah confirmed as she finished a mouthful to speak, her throat bulging out briefly to signify it had been swallowed before she began to speak further. "Uh, permission to speak freely?" she requested of her superior, knowing they were in public and that he'd likely say yes but extending the courtesy to him nonetheless.
"Of course, go ahead Kyet."
The younger Daur's plump chest rose and fell as she huffed, adjusting her posture to sit more upright before she began asking her question, "I... respect how you are both professional and approachable at the same time... I know I shouldn't be one to judge but~ my previous CO was a bit..." Kyet paused momentarily, crossing one hand across the top of herher taut abdomen as the other one scratched her chin thoughtfully.
'...a bit cold I guess, it's a breath of fresh air so... thanks."
"Oh, well I wouldn't blame them, being in charge of a combat unit is quite stressful at times. And a lot of responsibilty for the people you're in charge of, but I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me that." Leo was glad that it seemed like the girl was opening up to him a little more considering she even admitted to not being a terribly social person.
"Yeah..." Kyet replied as her hands returned to the table, taking a moment to look out the nearest window and simply appreciate the warmth of a sunny day on her pale skin before finally turning back towards Leo. "I realize... you might see my, yeah, as a bit of an issue - but I promise it won't get in the way."
"I'm sorry?" Leo questioned, did she mean her timid nature? It's not like their work was customer service but being less willing to communicate could have negative impacts he supposed.
"I uhhh~" Kyet trailed off, her delicate features twisting into a frown as she realized she'd have to be a bit more blunt about it - the younger Daur never did like to be blunt with people. "don't worry about it..." Kyet admitted with a little sigh, offering an apologetic smile to Leo after having changed her mind at the last second.
Well guess she decided better, maybe it wasn't as big a deal as what she thought. "Well for now that's all I can discuss with you here, and that's about the end of the uh, interview as it were. If you got any other questions or anything else then ask it now otherwise I'll see you next week in your uniform ready for work."
"Just one..."
"Yes?"
Kyet's cheeks took on an ever so slightly pink hue as she spoke, but it as something that needed to be asked so it was best to just get it out of the way when it was just them and no other operators nor higher ups in sight. "I got an extra dress shirt and well it..." she trailed off, using her hands to try and gesture that the shirt was ill-fitting to the shapes that made up her body.
"Who do I see about... about getting it adjusted?"
Now that she mentioned it, the standard uniform probably would be a little small for her, was that what she meant earlier? "Ah well just ask the secretary in the HQ, they should be able to have someone adjust it for you. You'll probably have to go and get measured before they can adjust it for your size."
Of course he had noticed, she knew it was hard not to but Kyet was deeply thankful that Leo had been polite and respectful about the matter - giving him a warm, genuine smile as she spoke. "Thanks, I'll get onto it..." the younger Daur finished before rising to a stand, holding that smile with a happy glimmer behind her round eyes.
Leo stayed seated with his coffee and nodded, "Sounds good, I think I'll hang around here for a little longer, just got a couple things to take care of and a coffee to finish. Take care of yourself Kyet."
"And you, Leo," she replied, finding the feeling of knowing your Captain on a first name basis during work hours a little odd but not so much that it would ruin her currently happy mood. "I... am going to go for a run... seeya," she gave with a wave before turning to leave, the majestically fluffy tail strapped to her shapely flanks bobbed happily with each step, swaying side to side as it stood proud.
@SirSkully
