Built on Hope (Cassian Andor FF)

2. Risky Business

Talia smiled at one of the workers that passed by. The woman returned the gesture happily. Appearing so serious created suspicion. Maybe if someone started asking around about them, they wouldn't suspect her of anything. Talia's insides squirmed. She was only getting more antsy by the moment. Once someone found the senator's body, that was it. The building would shut down, and they'd be forced to wait until an investigation finished. Knowing the Empire, that could take a while. She took in a deep breath and glanced at Cassian.

He seemed perfectly fine. No worry or anguish splayed across his face. Talia wondered how he could throw his emotions away. Sure, she had her own decent poker face, but that was different. She didn't just kill someone.

Cassian made a few motions with his hands. Talia attempted to grasp what he said, if he said anything at all. For all she knew, it could have been a mechanical action to keep his focus. One eyebrow shot up in curiosity; she shook her head slightly to indicate she didn't understand. Cassian's lips formed a tight line. He forgot not all rebel spies knew sign language, and counting that there were over thousands of different types, it was nearly impossible to find someone with that knowledge. He simply mouthed the words, We need to hurry.

An intelligence officer in a jet black uniform stopped the pair before they could round the corner. Talia's heart sank; Cassian refrained from tensing up. The officer quirked an eyebrow before speaking in his eloquent accent, "Is there something urgent you two are attending to?"

Cassian exhaled quietly. His mind processed different scenarios in an instant. Most ended in failure. Others ended in a gory escape. Few ended in peaceful success. He started to sign with his hands, but the officer responded with a puzzled expression.

The officer's newfound scrutinizing look focused in on Talia. A part of her wanted to duck her head. Another part of her wanted to slap the sly smirk that played on his lips. The officer thought he caught them red handed, but it was never this easy to apprehend a spy. She kept her poker face locked into her expression. "My coworker and I stayed late to help out. We're going to lunch now."

"You understand him?" The officer nodded towards Cassian.

Talia shook her head. "He's going to teach me during our breaks. All he can do is mouth words to me." She glanced at her partner in crime with a small smile. "I'll admit, it's easy to misinterpret, but I will get it right soon enough."

The officer glanced between the two of them. Cassian nodded after pretending to read Talia's lips. After a few moments, the officer stepped aside to let them pass. "Enjoy your lunch."

"Thank you, sir." Talia nodded. She walked on, and Cassian followed suit.

When they were out of earshot, Cassian acknowledged lowly, "You're quick on your feet. I'll give you that."

Talia lifted one corner of her lips. "A compliment? I'm shocked." Cassian grunted in response, and left her to her thoughts until they reached the office. She was a little envious of his sign language knowledge. If she was fluent, she could use it to get away from tight situations. Interpreters wouldn't be able to know which version she was using, allowing her to get away scot free.

Echoes of marching bounced off the walls, but not one Imperial stepped foot in the hall. Some others scurried around in the back of the hall, but eventually ducked into a room with urgent matters or in an attempt to avoid confrontations. Cassian set his hand on the second senator's door, carefully placing the camera bug in the crevice of the name plaque. Talia opened the door with ease and stepped inside the nearly empty office. A sitting area was set up in the corner, along with a few filing cabinets for important documents and proposals. The desk sat in the middle of the room, accompanied by two guest chairs in front of it. The carpet and walls shown a bright white against the lighting. The simplicity of the setup and lack of color vaguely reminded Cassian of a city on Kamino.