[b]Name: Lapin Delacroix[/b]
[b]Role: SOLDIER 2[/b]
[b]Location: Bone Village[/b]
[b]Tag: None[/b]

"Ugh!  I am SO bored!"

Lapin's eye twitched ever so slightly and she grimaced as she walked past the 3rd Class SOLDIER under her command.  When a long, loud sigh escaped the man's lips, Lapin turned on her heel and faced her subordinate.  Despite being shorter than he, as she stepped toward him, he took a step back.  "If you are so bored," Lapin scolded, "Maybe you should go on a patrol around the perimeter again."  She stood as tall as she could as she glanced around at several other idle SOLDIERS and Shinra troops.  "Take some friends with you, too, if you want someone to talk to."  With that command, she swiftly turned away from him and strode away, taking note of the exasperated sigh he probably thought she wouldn't hear.

When she was had gotten a sufficient distance away from him, her shoulders slumped and she let out a sigh of her own.  There were days, she mused, that the burden of being a commander weighed on her.  Today was one of those days.  According to reports, the Science Team hadn't found what they were looking for, and the troops were getting antsy.  Even Lapin, whose unbridled excitement of all things archeological led her to volunteer for this escort mission, was secretly hoping that the allegedly hidden AVALANCHE members would just expose themselves so she and her unit could apprehend them and get some much-needed action.

Soon, her destination was in view: The Science Team's tent.  With all of the authority that her position afforded her, she lifted the flap and let herself in.  Within, she found the team's lead, along with a few other archaeologists clad in the Shinra Science team uniform, barely a speck of dust to be found.  The real work was being done by their underlings who slaved away in their evenly spaced quadrants throughout the camp.

The lead scientist glanced up from his maps and adjusted his spectacles.  "Ah, Miss Delacroix.  Always a pleasure."  His barely contained annoyance wasn't lost on the young SOLDIER, but she didn't care.

"I prefer to be called 'Ma'am'; I didn't apply to and pass the SOLDIER exams to be called 'Miss'."  Lapin waited for him to grunt an acknowledgment before continuing.  "I'm also not here for small talk."

"Of course...Ma'am.  To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"What progress have you made in finding your artifact?  My men are..."  She stopped herself before she said something improper.  After quickly collecting her thoughts, she continued.  "I'm sure even your superiors are wanting to see any results by now."

The Lead pulled his glasses down and pinched the bridge of his nose.  "Ugh, are even the grunts breathing down my neck now?  Look, [i]Ma'am[/i], we are doing our best with what we have.  When every day is plagued with new murmurings of bloody AVALANCHE insurrections at every turn...well, the work has been going more slowly than hoped."  He paused, then added, "We're narrowing our search and we should be seeing results soon."  He pushed his glasses back up on his nose, then addressed Lapin as one would a small child.  "And if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to my team about how we're going to narrow our focus without any more interruptions, please and thank you."

Lapin pursed her lips, but restrained herself, knowing that discretion is the better part of valor.  "Good," she replied curtly.  She turned on her heel and left the tent as brusquely as when she had entered.

Finding herself alone once again, she surveyed the area and sighed.  It was going to be another long day.