[b]Capital Base, Liberty[/b]

Everything in Erubesco glittered, Beretta thought. The women, the dresses- Even the candies she had sampled as part of her "cultural crash course" training were flecked with edible shimmers. The music was rich and came in so many kinds, and the clothing was made of materials so grand that even touching the smuggled swatches had felt indulgent. It was a horrific waste of resources, all in all. 

But as toyed with her hair in the bathroom mirror, she could not swallow down the small, evil part of her that wanted a piece of it. Liberty was nice, but it did not shine. Her room was shared with her partner, Mayday, and consisted of a pulldown bed, some drawers, and a bathroom. The kitchen was shared with others in the building, just down the hall, and all of it was just... there. 

Her life was lived in shades of black and white and grey and metal or plastic or glass. 

She stood by he drawers as she donned her dull black suit- her [i]practical[/i] black suit, she reminded herself: A suit that looked sleek, was easy to move in, and that had been made for a member of Liberty by a member of Liberty. It was a part of a beautiful machine; a sense of togetherness far more endearing than any amount of gems or golden dust. Beretta nodded to herself as she fixed her sleeves. Yes. This was good- This was who she was. 

Agent Beretta, assassin and defender of the communal good.

She plunked on to put on the awkward, stupid shoes she was supposed to be practicing in- Black, as well, but with tall heels that elevated her to several inches beyond her height. While she had not been given any specifics regarding the mission, she had been assigned the unfortunate footwear. They were no good to run in. 

Finally ready, she took the stairs down alongside a few of her neighbors to catch the shuttle toward the city center. She would be getting off a bit before her usual stop for a meeting in the Espionage Headquarters today, but it would take her close enough. The surface shuttle, a sleek, matte metallic creature with standing room only by the time it passed her stop, came to a silent halt outside. She and the others lined up beside the door, pausing to allow an older woman to enter first. "Good morning, Agent," said the operator, and Beretta returned the greeting with a smile and a nod before taking her place down the aisle, holding onto a beam overhead for the short ride. 

At the two subsequent stops, everyone shuffled to the sides to make room for new passengers. Everyone worked together to make it work. Everyone offered polite smiles. 

The shuttle was crowded, but not cramped by the time it pulled up to Beretta's stop.

When the doors opened, the throngs of passengers parted away from the doors to allow those getting off to exit. The park where they had stopped was a pretty place, full of neat, practical groundskeeping and a few basic playground and exercise elements for citizens to use in their downtime. The Espionage Headquarters, about as nondescript as could be expected for a building filled with spies, was a short block's walk away. 

Beretta walked in, cleared the security sensors around the doors, and was in with a quick flash of her credentials- Her fully-fledged [i]Agent[/i] credentials. Someone looked at her a moment too long for comfort, perhaps because she was walking like an injured deer in her stupid shoes, but she was allowed to pass.

Because she was a Liberty Agent. 

She proceeded to the elevator as per her instructions, and only when the doors had closed did her nerves settle in. She had been told there would be some kind of observation today- Would she be in trouble for not knowing how to walk? Or for still being frightened to drink the alcohol? The young Agent switched from foot to foot, and nearly twisted an ankle as she headed out into the short hall past several armed Agents.

She made out a familiar shape through the wall, however, and her discomfort was replaced with pleasant surprise. There was someone else there, too, but...

[color=B670ED]"Agent Kahn!"[/color] she exclaimed upon entering, only to snap into a stiff-armed solute when she realized whom the other woman was. [color=B670ED]"C-Councilor Laxton. Agent Beretta, reporting. I am.., apologizing for the outburst. Ma'am."[/color]