[center][h1][color=f5fffa]Abel Koeman[/color][/h1]
[img]http://38.media.tumblr.com/ada175848388b0a2a94e82f9b2d2e634/tumblr_inline_n64obh2Ddc1r0ly11.gif[/img]

[b][color=f5fffa]Location:[/color][/b] Barracks Lounge → Armory
[b][color=f5fffa]Interacting With:[/color][/b] Romulus, Theseus, Heracles, and others in the Armory[/center]
[hr][hr]
[color=f5fffa]“Mm. Keen observation.”[/color] Abel hummed, offering up a bland agreement, as if he took Rucks’ words at face value. While it might’ve been hard to believe, Abel [i]did[/i] have a sense of humour, though it only seemed to surface in the strangest situations. Besides, Rucks’ teasing was something he’d long since gotten used to… not like he’d had much choice in the matter. “In Russia, love is a liability - weakness. And the weak don’t survive the winter.”

Abel expected the mission to go smoothly, but even then, he was prepared to be met with violence. The mark was sure to have his own, private force of bodyguards, and he highly doubted that they’d just let him make off with the package and information on their hideout. Still, like Rucks said; it was nothing he couldn’t handle. Getting things done in as straightforward a way as possible was his specialty. Talking things out, on the other hand, was the part he had trouble with, and he thought it wise to make the next, jibing comment before they got within earshot of their Parisian compatriot. 

[color=f5fffa]“They’re [i]French[/i]. How hard could it be?”[/color] He punctuated the sentence with a derisory snort, without looking up from the task of gathering his belongings. They would need to head to the Armory in a moment or two to prepare for the mission, but before that, he needed a shower. The briefing had been rather impromptu, taking place just after a combat training session, and Abel was - to put it gently - [i]underdressed[/i]. Wife-beaters and track pants weren’t exactly the Argus image, after all.

With a vague flap of the hand, he waved Rucks off, heading down the hallway in the opposite direction. [color=f5fffa]“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you in a bit.”[/color]

[hr]
About fifteen minutes later, Abel stepped into the Armory, dressed in the crisp, slate grey Argus suit. Rucks was already there, waiting, and so were a few others. He recognised all of them, of course, but there were a few who were more familiar to him.

Elijah was being his usual, obnoxious self, Roland was busy taking a video of the whole thing, and Abel couldn’t help but chuckle. It was almost surreal, how juvenile some of Argus’ best agents could be. That was the risk Argus took with picking random people up off the streets, he supposed, diverging from the norm of choosing from military personnel. Doubtlessly, Abel could see how a wider range of talents would prove useful, though whether this course of action would pay off in the long run was a different story altogether.

[color=f5fffa]“Expecting some rain?”[/color] Abel joked, raising an eyebrow at the Aegis clutched in Rucks’ hand, before signing for his own. It was a little ridiculous, how the gadget looked like an umbrella. Surely, they could’ve picked something a little less inconspicuous. If the scientists at Argus could pack sleeping darts, a lock-pick, [i]and[/i] a garrote into a wristwatch, what was stopping them from compacting the components of the Aegis even further? Of course, such things weren’t part of his domain, though he couldn’t help but feel that walking around with an umbrella all day made you look like a pretentious douchebag.

Soon enough, Abel had everything he needed, and don’t worry, he made sure to double-check. It was time they got on with the mission. But out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Roland. The guy seemed a little skittish, nervous, almost; wandering about the Armory with a tune on his tongue. As he passed Roland, however, he only gave him a reassuring pat on the back, and a quick, near-imperceptible nod.