MISSION MOONLARK, kotlc

23

"Okay okay... try it again. But less of this-" Biana pirouetted across the grassy clearing and landed with one foot in the air, "-but more of this."

"That's the exact same thing!" Dex whined loudly, looking mortified as he scrambled to copy her movement. With a yelp, Fitz landed on his butt a few feet away, having just attempted the same complicated leap.

Sophie laughed. This was probably the most fun she'd had in ages- watching the boys try to dance?

She stifled another giggle and faced her file again. According to Squall's databases, she was supposed to be posing as a girl who Vespera code-named "Twilight." Incidentally, Biana was pretending to be "Midnight," and Marella was currently attempting to be "Dawn."

Very creative. Easy to remember, though, Sophie thought gratefully.

"Twilight walks more like this," Marella instructed, standing up and doing what looked like a wannabe runway-walk. "Less arm swinging, and more of, like, straight-posture."

"And twirling your braids is a bit of a giveaway too, Ella-" Dex broke off as he landed on the hard dirt, wincing. "Marella," he added quickly. "Not Mare. Not Ella. No nicknames."

Marella looked pleased and checked her watch. "Okay guys, five minutes 'till! We're best to head over there... chins up..."

Sophie grumbled under her breath and followed her friends through the shadows towards the back of the warehouse. The metal garage door was wide open- and inside was a familiar figure...

"Gethen," Biana whispered, clenching her fists. "Come on."

She marched up to him and pressed a few pieces of paper briskly into his palm. He examined them for twenty long, nervous seconds, before nodding just as quickly and wordlessly, pointing to another metal door.

"Thank you so much, Gethen," Sophie said, her manners kicking in automatically. Gethen shot her an odd look.

"We meant... yeah, Gethen," Marella- er, Dawn -corrected quickly, elbowing Sophie forcefully.

Sophie winced and hurried to the elevator before she could say anything else and blow their cover. The trip down was agonizingly slow- and the radio playing on the elevator speakers was called Villainy 101- A Criminal's Guide to Founding Your Own Secret Organization!

But Sophie was really not expecting what her eyes were so pitifully seeing as the elevator doors opened.

"This," Fitz said, sounding choked. "Is crazy."

The room was a ballroom. The tiles were shiny and reflective and so squeaky clean that Sophie could see her face staring back at her. In the center of the ceiling was a shining, rotating disco ball that was quadruple the size of all their heads combined, and the music blasting on all four sides of the room left Sophie's ears ringing.

The entire floor was crowded with people- each one in huge, ridiculous-looking suits and dresses talking and chatting darkly around the room.

They might be criminal masterminds- but they certainly knew how to party.

"Ah, you're here," a woman's voice greeted coldly. Sophie tried not to trip over her dress as she turned to face her- Vespera.

"Yes, Vespera," Marella practically chanted. She kicked them both in the shin when they didn't speak, and hastily chimed in five seconds too late.

Vespera looked at them as though she'd never seen them before. Sophie tried to activate her inner-Twilight- but her mind remained stubbornly Sophie Foster.