Babysitting The Special Agents

21: The One With Movies and Missions

Connie waves goodbye to the junior agents as we stand in the teleportation circle. The Grandmama looks her up and down before saying, "good luck child. We'll watch out for you."

Her smile grows that little bit more, looking out of place on her red and puffy face. "Thank you."

And just like that we're gone, tumbling into our flat, landing in a heap on the sofa. Agent BD smiles, helping Connie up. "The house is safe. As there isn't enough room I'll be lodging nearby whilst the agents are home."

"I think that's the most I've heard you say yet," Connie grins. "I'll see you soon."

He leaves and we are alone, the house that once felt so safe feeling now like a ticking time bomb.

"I'm glad you're ok Connie." Fiz speaks for the first time in a while, "but girl if you getting attacked brings more scrumptious bodyguards to our house then..." she trails off with a wink and laughter rings through the house.

The laughter eases off and Connie stands, "I fancy doing some baking therapy." She walks round the sofa towards the kitchen but her legs shake the further into the room she goes. She takes a deep breath. "What do... What do you guys want for lunch?"

It's strange. Just over two months ago we were strangers. We were constantly butting heads, uncommunicative and clashing but right now, in this moment we move as one.

Ryker, Fiz and I rush forward, wrapping Connie in the centre of our group hug. Thufex pushes Blue in before joining himself. "We've got you." Ryker soothes.

"We'll make lunch." Fiz adds.

"And we'll destroy anyone who dares hurt you." Blue all but growls. She stands out with the hug a bit but her arms are around us and it's progress.

"You're the best agents I could have asked for." Connie sniffs from deep within the hug.

"And you're the best babysitter." I reply.

-•-

The smell of pizza wafts around the living room as we sit, watching a movie play. It's old, not quite a first generation movie but older than the modern movies. The colours flicker, frequently turning a more etherbell blue than their intended hue. Ha. That rhymed. I love a rhyme.

It's some cheesy story. A love story, sweet and senseless. The main characters are star crossed lovers, desperate to be with one another but not allowed because of a clan feud. Thufex grumbles about the inaccuracies a lot ("Colosu doesn't even look like that! It's a complete mockery."). Fizelora is furious with how they've butchered a lot of Mysanlonian tales and Tarryker keeps predicting everything that's about to happen. But we're all still here, watching the crappy movie.

We put it on the tv shortly after we ordered the pizza for dinner. We had bread and leftover soup for lunch but after half past five in the evening it was clear none of us could cook without burning down Mishgest itself. And I don't think the agency could afford to pay damage money for that.

So we ordered take out. While we waited Connie told us about how she and her family would rarely have take out but when they did they had it as a tv dinner with some movie or other. Then Blue revealed she'd never watched a movie before. Then we found out Thufex and Ryker haven't watched a whole ton of classics. So we made a movie night of it.

"What a [REDACTED] [REDACTED] that little [REDACTED] is!" Blue seethed at the screen, waving her pizza slice about.

"She's a snake striped pile of dragon dung." I agree as the male lead's ex betrothed cuts up the female lead's dress. Smearing paint all over it. "Like, it doesn't matter how many dresses she cuts up, she'll never be his."