Field Work | ✎

One

a/n: decided to finally kick this off from beneath a -mountain- of uni work ... enjoy this quick teaser, longer chapters will be coming sooner than you think x 

One

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Teamwork was really hard, when your teammates are rookies and you're the MVP.

At least Special Agent Imani Sarraf believed that, since she was generally the one kicking ass while every partner, companion or analyst she'd been assigned to work with had cowered behind her. It really wasn't that hard to just woman up and do it on your own terms, at least not to Sarraf, so it pissed her off to no end when other people seemed content to crouch in the background and whine about it afterwards.

Sarraf really hated people who whined, too. That was probably the reason the list of people she actually respected was so short — so short that, in fact, the majority of people on that list could fit into the small office they were currently crowding.

"You won't have to cooperate with anyone, Imani."

Chief Tibble leaned back in her chair, the jewels on her fingers twinkling in the harsh office lights.

"Just that fact, alone, should make you want to take this mission."

"It's just paper-pushing," Imani muttered, arching a brow at Tibble, " — paper-pushing disguised as a mission."

"Just for the record, paper pushing is important, too." A new voice interjected.

Tibble and Sarraf turned to face the person speaking, and Quinn O'Reilly smiled back at them with a sharp look in her eyes.

"Says the Chief of paper-pushers," Sarraf replied.

Quinn was the one arching a brow, this time: "I'll pretend I heard the Chief of organizing-all-of-your-missions, Agent Sarraf."

Sarraf grinned back, red lips parting to reveal a row of bright teeth. She liked backbone, considered herself to have a pretty solid one, and while it'd taken a while for O'Reilly to show hers, she wasn't afraid to use it nowadays. Came with the responsibility of becoming a Chief, apparently.

Adina watched the younger women bicker, and gently swirled the amber drink in her hand. Their meetings were rarely formal in ways the Agency preferred, as they generally chose to convene after office hours and gather around a few drinks from Adina's well-stocked storage.

"It might not be the type of mission you're accustomed to, but you aren't getting assigned this without reason," Quinn said in a more somber tone, noting the look in Tibble's eyes, " — the Agency wouldn't be handing this off to you if there was someone better suited for it."

Quinn waved the brown folder, watching as Sarraf's eyes tracked it.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Imani mumbled, though she reached out to clasp the folder from Quinn's hands.

Quinn smiled triumphantly, disguising it by half-turning to refill her glass.

"It just did," Adina muttered quietly, and the mentor-mentee duo were unable to disguise a snicker.

No wonder there's an Agency-wide shitshow every couple of months if this is how our Chiefs operate, Sarraf thought snidely. Her eyes dipped to the brown folder, her red nails a stark contrast against its dull color.

She knew, in all honesty, very little about the mission. She knew enough about it to turn it down — or, at least attempt to turn it down — but since Quinn had already handed her the complete file she figured she might as well take a look at it.

Better me than the new, nosy Analyst they've stuck me with. Quinn was especially proud of hand-picking that one — that asshole.

A frown flitted across Sarraf's face for brief moments, right before she flipped open the first page of the brown folder. 

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a/n: hey guys! this was really just a quick way for me to give you a heads up that field work will be kicking off soon (full update schedule to come, thinking i might continue to do wednesdays for this series ...) 

anywho. as some of you might know, i just started uni and it's been crazy fun but i already have -so- much to do in all of my courses so that's why i have been hesitant to promise anything, but i'm so excited to get into the sick, brilliant, amazing mind of imani sarraf, so let's stay excited peeps x

xo, cleo