Headquarters
Seattle, WA
December 2017
8:12 PM
It's late.
Aether peeks at the time on the upper corner of her laptop screen. She needs to go home. The rest of her time had gone an hour back (with Tad trying to convince her to come with him), and the rest of the office followed. At this time, Aether expects that she's pretty much the last one there. It's Christmas Eve, after all; hardly anyone would pass up the chance to go home and sleep (Tad), or party and hook up with someone (Peters), or curl up in bed and binge something on Netflix (Mack). But she doesn't. Soon, maybe. She knows Theo's waiting back at home, but she needs to get this report done and emailed.
“What are you doing here?”
Aether yelps. One of the folders in her hands falls to the floor and she jumps, looking up and looking for the source of the voice. Audra gives a small chuckle and Aether flushes in embarrassment. She didn't know Audra was still there, still working just like she was. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Gesturing to Aether’s work, “But I’m curious, Agent. What are you doing here? It’s late.”
It takes a moment for Aether’s heart rate to return to its normal pace. She stares at Audra for a moment before managing to collect herself, balling her hands into fists in attempt to calm herself down and stop the trembling. “Ma’am--I--I was busy coming up with another report for the Kim case,” she explains. Audra blinks and Aether continues, “My other teammates were busy tonight and I wanted to get the report done as soon as possible so that it wouldn’t interfere with tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
“The holidays, Ma’am.” Aether relaxes her fists slightly at the thought. “I, uh...have plans. Thought it would be best to get as much as possible done tonight so that I could relax a little bit in the morning.” She retrieves the folder and its contents quickly, rearranging them and not quite looking into her superior’s eyes. Audra had a certain piercing look to her eyes. While Aether knows she doesn’t deserve it at the moment, she can’t help but look away regardless. “That’s why I’m still here.”
“I see.” Audra lingers by the doorframe. “The Kim case is turning out to be a harder one than expected,” she sighs, and the shift in demeanour makes Aether peek up at her. Audra runs a few fingers through her hair before turning her attention back to Aether. “You know that it’s not due until after Christmas, right?”
“I do.” Aether glances at her laptop screen for a moment. Ten pages so far and barely halfway done. “But I want to get to it as quickly as we can. The media…” She trails off before continuing, “The longer we leave it unsolved, the longer people end up speculating. And,” she adds, “there are people who want answers, Ma’am. I don’t want to leave them in the dark.”
It’s the truth. Aether’s heart twinges at the thought of Jin-kyong, of Hyeon. Reconnecting with the latter hadn’t been easy given the circumstances. The last time they had spoken directly to one another was years back, and that was back when things were still okay with her, Hyeon, and--
“I understand your concern.” Audra’s voice rustles her from her thoughts. Aether looks at her. Audra has her arms folded over her chest, her eyes resting somewhere else. She sounds less stern, less wound up. Aether waits for her to talk again. “But, Agent, these things can’t be rushed--even if we have noble reasons for wanting to be as quick as possible. Believe me,” she adds, and Aether catches some sort of wisdom and exasperation or amusement in the tone of her voice. It’s something she’s never heard from Audra, not ever; not when the woman tended to watch them from floors above. “I’ve had my fair share of rushing back in my day. It ended well sometimes,” she muses. It earns a smile from Aether. Audra stares off for a brief moment before shaking her head, before exhaling again. “But that doesn’t mean that you need to rush, too, Aether.” Audra meets Aether’s eyes this time around, and Aether’s eyes widen when she hears her name leave the older woman’s lips.
“...ma’am?”
“Go home.” The words aren’t harsh. Audra offers a quiet, softer smile. Aether stares. “Get some rest. Spend time with your loved ones. You have a lot of time left. I’m sure you have someone waiting for you back home?” Aether nods quickly, thoughts flashing to Theo and him waiting in their kitchen, their living room, their bedroom. Theo. “Pack up and call a cab while the traffic isn’t too bad yet.”
“I--”
She can’t deny orders. She shouldn’t, really. Aether opts for a mumbled “yes, ma’am” instead and Audra leaves without another word. The older woman’s footsteps echo in her wake, heels going click clack down the hall. Aether stares after her for a moment before shaking her head, before sighing to herself and saving her files before shutting down her laptop completely. It takes her a few minutes to fully collect her belongings, to pack away and end up standing behind her desk, eyes scanning the office and making sure that nothing was left behind. She’s about to leave when her phone vibrates.
[From: Theo ❤
Otw home?]
Shit. Guilt flares in her gut and she sends a speedy reply while walking to the elevator.
[To: Theo ❤
Yup, need to catch a cab]
[From: Theo ❤
Want me to pick you up?]
[To: Theo ❤
I’m good!
Wanna get back home asap]
[From: Theo ❤
Let’s eat when you get back.
Miss you already.]
She smiles at the text and strokes the screen with a finger. The elevator dings and opens, Aether stepping inside after. It descends smoothly to the ground floor, and Aether sends him a quick response before opening Uber.
[To: Theo ❤
Love you]
Aether rushes out of the elevator when it opens again, booking a ride back home. The rest of the floor is pretty much empty at that point, save for the security guard watching over the entrance. She doesn’t notice Audra watching from a few floors above, a warm mug of coffee in her hands and a tiny, tiny smile on her face as she observes the girl making her way out.
Aether Maxwell. Girl is a hard worker. Good comments from Eri and Seong-hui. Has the tendency to overwork. Leads her squad, but admits herself that there’s still much to learn. Audra knows she’s a good person. The way she talked about the case earlier was already proof of heart. She’s observed her from time to time, and there’s not really much to complain about. Audra thinks that she’s got a bright future ahead of her if she keeps it up, if she remains just as dedicated and eager.
She just can’t help but remember--
Audra waves away the thought. She stays there, watching as Aether finally hails a cab. As the door closes, Audra downs the rest of her coffee, takes a step back, and walks back to her office to pack up as well. Security aside, she’s the last one there. It’s always been that way. Emil, Min-seo, and Gaius tended to stay behind and leave right along with her, but not tonight. Gaius in particular had given her a weird look after she told them that they could leave, and she ignored his raised brow.
It’s what they would have wanted. She tells herself this while packing up, while walking, while descending. Audra knows she’s doing a horrible job of trying to live up to standard.
But she does her best.
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