Diaba

[Zimmerwald]

"No, you don't," she said, before closing the door.  She looked around at the room.  It was more than Spartan, but not much.  A small kitchenette, a cot, two chairs, and not much else.  Oh, and a window.  She didn't bother looking out of it; there wasn't that much to see, and it was rather dirty.  She supposed it was more for ventilation than anything else.

She made herself a cup of coffee, running over the things she had to buy in her mind.  Clothes, foo- no, not food, a phone, that's a must, even if it's cheap, maybe some transport, and some weapon.

She finished the coffee and left the room, not bothering to lock the door behind her.  There wasn't anything there worth stealing, and they probably had surveillance devices there already.

The street was noisy, crowded, and, if she didn't know better, she would have said inhuman.  But it was the place to buy things; they were cheaper, and many times of better quality than one could pick up in the stores.  Clothes first, she thought to herself.  At least they're out in the open, easier to find.

[St Oz]

Dielpov looked at his watch as he sipped his coffee. Ravi walked over to him, he got some coffee and then put some Vodka in his drink, "You gave that possible spy a room?"

"I gave her Room 101, that's not a room."

"You gave her the shit hole?"

"Yeah," they chuckled and then Ravi took his coffee and yelled out, "Bazai to you my friend!"

"Oviata!"

They both laughed and Dielpov put some vodka in his coffee as well, "Maybe I could take her to bed, if not I'll suggest you Ravi."

"Oh maybe I can get her first, or even... Emma."

"Oh no, no, no, Emma is out of town. Doing something with Novus Parco."

"Really?"

"Yes I transferred her from Blue April operations when I found this girl. She's even more a sucker!"

"I bet!"

[Zimmerwald]

It was late afternoon when she got back to the room, bearing her purchaces.  She had been as frugal as possible, trying not to be cheated too badly.  Six more robes, a pistol, and food for a week she laid out on the table, making sure it was all still there.  She also checked her money, about two hundred dollars left.  It was all there.

Putting the food away in the cabinet, she found what she thought was a listening device.  She didn't move it, or give any indication that she noticed it, as it was probably meant to be found, and there were probably others.  The money and pistol she kept strapped to her person, the robes ended up hung on the wall by protruding nails.

As there was little else to do, she decided to sleep.  Someone would be there in the morning with instructions, no doubt, and if they were monitering her, this would give them less material to work with.

[St Oz]

In the morning the light came through the window and almost hit Ali's eyes but it was blocked by a human figure sitting on a chair facing her. He waited there until her eyes became open.

"Good Morning Ali, I'm High Agent Ravi, I will be giving you orders for the next month or so. How are you feeling, I see your friend Dielpov set you up with a horrible room, if you want I can always have a roommate in mine." Said the man in the shadow awaiting her answer.

[Zimmerwald]

Ali wasn't all that surprised to find that this room wasn't exactly the norm.  She supposed it had been some kind of test.  Well, if there was a better one available, might as well take it; it wasn't like she was attached to this one.  "Hello, High Agent," she said, giving the man his title.  "I'm feeling better than I was yesterday, thank you.  And thanks as well for your offer.  I gladly accept."

Ali wondered why Ravi hadn't moved out of the shadows; Dielpov had been forthright.  It wasn't that important, but it was disconcerting to have someone there, silent, unmoving, as Ali gathered her posessions and made ready to leave.

[St Oz]

translated from Ozian
Ravi got up from the cot and explained to her, "Well you have to know a little secret of STIA, these rooms are actually somewhat the prison rooms but also it can be used for housing Pre-Agents, poor agents, people they don't like, suspected agents, and of course the prisoner. That's why you get barred windows," he noticed a small bag of coffee beans by the coffee machine, "We'll need this, I'm running out."

He noticed she bought a hand gun, he inspected it and found the date, 1997 CE. A used pistol? Or perhaps one that was just under the counter for so long, "Ahh, the IP-78, good pistol, 10 shots, Makarov 9mm ammo" He put it in her bag and then he pulled his out, "I got a SN-92, 8 shots, and .38 ammo."

He put his gun back in his jacket and opened the door for her. As she walked out he noticed her new robe and as they were walking down the hallway he said, "The poor rooms as I said are 1st story odd numbers, the even numbers are just filled with paper upon paper. Blank paper, so if you need paper just come down here and get some."

He went to the elevator and hit the up button, "We're on the 5th floor, room 582. I have two room keys so I'll manage to give you one, do you have your ID key card yet?"
 

[Zimmerwald]

Well, I can't say I'm surprised.  Dielpov did seem to suspect something, and I was a prisoner.  Ali didn't, however, voice the remarks.  She did, however, respond to Revi's other comments.  "It's the model I used during my short time with Blue April.  It's older, but it serves, and I'm more comfortable with it than some of the newer models.  And no, all I got was the room key to 101, which apparantly I won't be needing now."  Why didn't they give me any ID, she thought to herself.  It would only make it easier to track me, my movements...

But her musings were cut short by the elevator.  It pinged for a fourth time, and slowed, then stopped.  The fifth floor was carpeted, and the walls were wood paneled, not poorly plastered as they were four floors below.  Ali swiped the proffered room key, then watched as Revi swiped his, and opened the door.

It was a much more opulent room than 101 had been.  It was much larger, with three rooms that she could see, and was tastefully furnished.  The hall furnishings had been continued into here, but the wood was darker, and there was more light, from the large windows set into the east wall.

[St Oz]

Ravi handed her a key card and walked to her room, "This is where you'll sleep though you can see with the boxes in the corner I kind of used it as a storage room but those boxes will eventually move somewhere else. Also I believe they'll have your ID card delivered to you today. I'll call the administration and say you had a room switch. They'll probably have it delivered today, they usually do (OOC: yes they will!)." The Ozian smiled and said, "How do you like it? It gets better, there's a work out room, a movie room, and a bar down the hallway. To use the shooting range downstairs you will use your ID card when you get it. They have an Armory from which you can shoot select weapons from around the Taijitu. Once you get your ID card report to me... annd.... I'm going to call the admin right now. Oh yeah, your cellphone is the Zavy-10 (like an iphone). With that ID card you will receive a box full of uniform in your size, Fre'zhi Knife, Pai-hulu Trench Coat, a box of Zuavka cigars which I hope you'll share with me tonight, the cellphone, and a bottle of Skaa Vodka but I have plenty of that in here. Remember, Report to me when you receive your box and ID card in the room, I'll be asleep the whole day, go have fun in the bar or what not." he called the administration office about her room change and then plumped his head on his bed's pillow.

[Zimmerwald]

"I like it very much; thank you."  Ali didn't know what to make of Ravi.  He seemed very impetuous...

later

There were three sharp taps on the door.  Ravi hadn't awakened, so Ali went to open the door.  She had just gotten back from the bar; there weren't many people there, but it was a good way to pass the time.  As Ravi had said, the courier bore a box.  After he dropped it off, he seemed to scamper down the hallway.  It was odd; it looked like he was going somewhere to report.

Everything that Ravi had said would be in the box was there: uniform, coat, ID, phone.  And the Zuavka and other amenities.  Well, I'd better wake him up.  She hung the clothes up in the closet, and put the ID and phone in her pockets, leaving everything else where it was.  She knocked on the door to Ravi's bedroom.

[St Oz]

Translated from Ozian
Ravi's eyes opened but his body was almost motionless. His slightly smaller than usual body had no energy it seemed, "Come in, do you have the box?"

The woman walked in carrying the box and said, "Yes.."

"Well don't be shy now come on, come on." Ravi searched inside the box and grabbed her cellphone, put his number in, saved it, and clamped it down, "You now have my number, when I called down they gave me the number you were getting so I already have yours. Anyway... The mission, you're going to deliver the top box in your living room to this address (I don't know just make a address)."

[Zimmerwald]

Inglicized, the address would look like this:

3306 Lampwrights Street
Apt. 286
St. Oz City

Ali had noticed the box, a rather nondescript forty-by-sixty centimeter brown package sitting on top of a stack of larger boxes.  She hadn't opened it, nor much importance at all, really, to the box.  It seemed merely one of many.  But the others were so obviously storage containers, and this one so obviously meant for courying, that it stuck in her mind.

"Yes, I saw it," said Ali, almost turning around to leave.  Then she thought why not see how much they'll tell me?  She turned back around.  "Ravi," she asked, "what's in the box, and who lives here?"  She smiled slightly, impishly, in the half-light, trying to make the next sentence sound as much like a joke as possible.  "Or am I not entitled to know that?"

[St Oz]

"I don't think you'd want to know," winked Ravi, "But yes you're not allowed to unseal it or you ruin the confidentiality of the package." He deliberately ignored the the comment about who lived there and shooed her out the door, "Come back for you next assignment when you finish delivering, and good luck."

 

[Zimmerwald]

Ali had refused to brood on the continued secrecy as she navigated the tangled skein of St. Oz City's road system.  If they won't tell me, they wont, and it's no good trying to find out more than is good for you, she scolded herself as she passed all the major streets in their turn.  Lampwrights, it seemed, was in the southwest of the city, not quite South, but close enough to be decrepit.

Ozian streets, she noted, were invariably packed.  The stench, the pressure of the hundreds of human beings all trying to pack themselves into one thoroghfare was almost overwhelming, but Ali had a job to do.  To prevent the package from being stolen, she had fastened it to herself by a pounch under her robe.  The strap chafed and the pouch bounced against her as she walked warily down the street, but that was better than losing the package and facing the anger of STIA.

And suddenly, she had reached her destination.  Without mishap or misadventure, here was the nondescript building 3306.  She didn't bother taking the elevator; it was only one flight of stairs, whcih, ironically enough, were completely empty.  Apartment 286 was locked, of course, so she tapped on the door, as there was no ID slot.  Then she backed away, and slightly to the right, waiting for the mysterious person to accept whatever Ravi wanted him to accept.

[St Oz]

There was murmuration of sounds behind the door and a large bump into the wall. The door unlocked and a figure in black robes, black hood, and a black scarf that covered the figure's face was at the door. The figure came from a room full of shadow and odd blankness, the figure suddenly said with a voice unclear to be male or female "Iuliapi" ({Imperative}Enter)
 
The figure let the woman walk in slowly but surely and when she got into the door and inside the hallway the figure shut it and locked it behind her. He removed the robe, hood, and scarf revealing himself in normal Ozian clothing.

"Siaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll mev quafri!" (Hello dear water!) his high pitched voice echoed through out the room and he started to jump around. He showed her to the living room section of the house, or what would be a living room, but this room was cluttered with wires, computer equipment, and monitors all over. All containing maps, texts, random processes.

(translated from Ozian)

He then started to rub his hands on her shoulders and upper arm saying, "What are youuuuu doing here deeeeeeeear lilly? Is that fooooooor meeeeee?"

[Zimmerwald]

"Yes," Ali said simply, placing the box in his hands.