Lupine's Diamond (girlxgirl)

Chapter Nine

Freya had always liked Corvus' office at the Kingdom headquarters. It was similar to the meeting room where they gathered after jobs, and yet was seemingly independent. The same style of the room—the light grey walls, polished spruce floors, and the same musty smell that filled every other room of the building—remained the same, yet it seemed to be even more cold, despite being a significantly small room. Perhaps it was because of the many filing cabinets that lined the wall, or the old oak desk at the very back of the room with a single small wooden chair for guests on one side and Corvus' old and worn leather chair on the other.

Perhaps it was the fact that there were no picture frames on the desk or any sort of memorabilia that would indicate a human presence. The only thing that lay on the desk on this day was a big black binder and a small manila folder—which Freya could only assume was her very own file. It was still odd to her that each member had a file, though it did make sense in her mind. If Corvus had a file for each of them, he would be able to record any useful information regarding their skills, aversions, strengths and weaknesses. It would also make it easier to record which jobs they had been on in the past, therefore making it easier to select who would be put on the next.

After only five minutes of waiting, Corvus stepped into the room. A look of disappointment had taken over his face as he sat down in his chair and flipped through the black binder and manila folder. Neither he nor Freya spoke. Corvus, likely because he was reviewing the information in his binder and folder. Freya, because she had always been told by him not to speak unless spoken to. Another two minutes of silence followed Corvus' arrival.

"Lupine," he said at last. "Do you know why I have called you here?"

Freya took a few moments to consider a well thought-out response. The last thing she needed was to sound unintelligent and unprepared in front of her boss. "Because I messed up, sir." She figured that keeping things vague would be a good idea; she didn't know how much Corvus knew about what had been happening at the Ambermore mansion.

"Right," Corvus said, flipping through his binder again. After a quick moment of silence, he practically slammed his palms down on the desk. "Not only did you reveal your alias on a previous occasion, but Naja reports that you were heard not only responding to your alias when it was used, but also refusing to use your designated accent and providing information about yourself!" he took a deep breath, seemingly to calm himself. "Do you care at all about the future of this Agency?" he was shouting at this point, the deep breath clearly helping him none. "Not only have you made reckless mistakes, but you endanger all of us with your foolishness!"

"I apo—" Freaky started.

"I'm not finished!" he shouted, effectively cutting her off, fist slamming down on the desk. "This Agency is my life's work, Lupine. It is everyone's livelihood. Do you understand what would happen to all of us if you brought down the Kingdom? Truly, do you?"

This time, Corvus did pause for Freya to respond. "Yessir. I understand."

"I'm not sure you do," the anger was starting to leave his voice, but it was not entirely gone. Freya knew that if she did not respond as he desired, his anger would be quick to return, likely tenfold. "Do you understand that many of us only survive because of this Agency? Do you understand what would happen if it were destroyed? I'm not sure you do." he paused for a breath and his shoulders fell several centimetres. "Listen, I am willing to give you one more chance, just because you are fairly new to the Kingdom. However," a slight pause, likely for dramatic effect. "If you reveal any more information regarding this Agency, I will not hesitate to have you removed from the Kingdom."

"Corvus, I—" Freya began.

"Don't start, Freya," he snapped. Freya knew that things were bad if he was using her real name instead of her alias. "You are becoming a danger to this Agency. I expect that things will change very soon. It is up to you no matter what. You are dismissed."

"Corvus," Freya tried again. The glare she received as a response silenced her immediately.

"I said that you are dismissed," Corvus said again. "Return to the Ambermore's and resume your assignment. If I have to see you again before this job is finished...so help me." The threat hung dangerously in the air.

Freya got out of her chair and left the office, feeling defeated and relieved at the same time. Naja awaited her outside the office, twirling her car keys around her left index finger. She raised an eyebrow as Freya closed the door behind her. Freya waved her hand to silence any pending questions on Naja's part. Unfortunately, this was not successful by any means.

"So..." she began. "Am I dropping you off at the unemployment office or are you coming back with me?" she laughed bitterly.

"Just start the stupid car." Freya snapped in response, storming past her.

The carpeted halls of the Kingdom headquarters were the bane of Freya's existence. They were faded and had a sort of musty and mouldy smell that seemed to take hold of clothing in an instant. They were also in dire need of cleaning, but as the headquarters was to remain a secret from the law—for obvious reasons—it was to no surprise that at least a decade of dust and dirt were trapped in between the many fibres.

Freya did her best to push the thought from her mind. The benefit of working for the Ambermores was that carpets like that of the Kingdom's headquarters would never be allowed on the premises. Freya wasn't really sure as to why she was so uncomfortable with the carpets at the Kingdom. She wasn't sure if it was the dirt, smell, or even just the thought of then being left uncleaned for so long. Freya knew where the obsession came from though: her time on the streets. 

Wow, chapter nine already? I'm as confused as you are. Please note that this sory will definietly be longer than fifteen chapters this time.I'm aiming for 20-25, but we'll seehow things go. Can't wait to see what you guys think of this chapter. A lot of work and editing went into this chapter. Here are our questions:

- Do you think Corvus was being fair?

- What do you think Freya will do to prove herself?

- Will Victoria guess what's going on?

- Of coursewhat do you think wil happen next?

As always, please let me know if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes. I am trying my best with Google Docs spell-check, but since there's no Canadian English option, I've been using the Uk version, which doesn't always catch my errors. See you next time!

~Alley