[@Shiyonichi][@Krayzikk][@Plank Sinatra]

[b]Mao Industries HQ Reception, Cerevis City, the Moon[/b]

"It's Sadb Piloqutinnguaq ..." replied the intelligence operative instinctually, a small ember of hope within her snuffed out by the harsh, cold ravages of reality. "Hi, ah, Captain Shourichi. It's uhm ... nice to see you again?"

She didn't really know what she'd been expecting in the first place. It would've been super unlikely for someone with the behavioural patterns of one Corinne Shourichi, her erstwhile classmate from her academy days, to have changed drastically for the better in the time since their graduation. Except when she saw the woman's name at the head of the team of pilots she was here to hand her briefcase of files over to (Sadb quickly and surreptitiously took a glance at the brown case next to her; it was still there and untouched), she'd naively believed that maybe Shourichi [i]wasn't[/i] a weirdo anymore. Well honestly, that was what she'd been hoping for. She'd known all along that it was a seriously long shot. Inside, she knew it was a substanceless wish. It couldn't ever possibly have come true.

So seeing the UTX team leader make a incredibly raucous scene upon entrance into the Mao Industries' reception (she inwardly apologised to her gracious hosts; they didn't deserve to be stuck on Luna with a lunatic ... nor did she, really) was essentially business as usual. Except this wasn't even supposed to be her business in the first place, so if her boss hadn't been so stupidly irresponsible then she could've avoided having to talk to Corinne Shourichi again and serve as a lightning rod for any enmity thrown at Intelligence's way by Mao because they were the ones who asked to use a briefing room to meet up with a Corinne-inclusive UTX.

Was this why the job had been ditched on her? Was it? Was the entire schmoozing with industrialists thing just a facade to escape the megalomaniacal mitts of this horribly exuberant woman?! Had freeing herself from the bindings of Earth's gravity annoyed some anirniq and she'd failed to placate its desire for vengeance? Was a torngak after her instead? Just because she was still one of the lower-ranked agents in the delegation didn't mean she was going to take such things sitting down. Her vow to be far less of an irresponsible leader was coming back to her; when she eventually made it to the top, she was going to be far more merciful to her subordinates, even if God wouldn't be.

Though she was inwardly cursing, Sadb Piloqutinnguaq had made sure to plaster a professional smile on her face (don't let personal feelings in on folks related to the job; first thing she'd learned on her first day on said job) in front of the members of UTX that had arrived. She was going to believe in their suitability for the job, and what she'd gleaned about them from their dossiers reinforced that belief. Despite any doubts about the sanity of their leader, she had utmost faith in their abilities; that should probably have been why the higher-ups had chosen them.

Sure, the first impressions she was getting from their team dynamic wasn't anything she understood, but she would just have to believe in them.

"Ah, thank you," she said after a small start, having been surprised by the coffee that Adam was offering her. She gingerly reached out to take the cup, making sure not to spill anything on herself or anyone or the floor or (especially) on the briefcase. He seemed like a good person.

"There's still um ..." There was a brief moment of hesitation as she searched her memories. "... three more members, right?"