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	Pandora had long since stopped making eye contact with the young agent, instead focusing the varnish of the wooden counter she was standing behind. When Christina stopped talking and asked a question, the orange-eyed woman blinked and looked up at the agent, seeming mildly surprised. [color=fdc68a]"Oh, I get a turn to talk, too?"[/color] She asked, feigning incredulousness, like she had come out of some boredom induced stupor. Truth be told, she had listened intently to every single word, and had come to the conclusion she disliked Christina Lavender strongly. 

	She was the fifth of her kind to come her way, trying to wrangle Pandora out of retirement, using some tactic or plan or whatever. They assumed that just because she was still in fighting shape that her retirement was somehow immoral, undeserved, something to be rectified. It was drilled into these people that humans are only deserving of a rest once they have no more to give, and since Pandora had more to give, she wasn't deserving of a rest. They wouldn't be happy until Pandora sacrificed herself in some sort of grand redemptive gesture. The best way for people like Christina to die was young, beautiful, and optimistic. With a little look of shock on their face because they never imagined it could actually happen to [i]them:[/i], not after all they had done, no! Otherwise, they would live long enough to either become bitter, or fool themselves into thinking they had actually given the children they never got to raise a better world to grow up in.

	But she didn't want to waste her time or her breathe expositing all of this to this tragically self-righteous young woman, since it would most likely go over her head. It would most likely be interpreted as petty insults to be brushed away with a dismissive, forced grin rather than anything to actually consider. Her servitude to the system was such that she could't even comprehend the idea that Pandora's self-chosen name was legitimate.

	Christina was right, in that Pandora did want to join HERO. The last light of her life had spent some of her last moments imploring Pandora to take up her old torch. Mary Silverstone had made a promise that she intended to keep. The only reason she was joining was because of what she owed. HERO could have sent a letter or left her a voicemail and she would have joined all the same. But Pandora's apathy was such that she wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to go plunging headfirst back into hero work. Even on the back of a promise.

	So for Christina to come in here with self-satisfied threats of ICOSA involvement, or attempting to shame her for her alleged "lesser actions", was annoying. Annoying in the way a fly is, when it has the arrogance to land on your food the fifth time after shooing it away. At some point, one just wants to destroy it, if only to punish it for is hubris. 

	 And truth be told if this was the 90's, this kind of disrespect would make Pandora stick a finger in Christina's forehead and lower her IQ by 20 points. But now, that would go against her goal of joining these people. So she held back on the flyswatter, for now.

	It was just the fact that Christina would assume her little speech there would be the reason behind getting Pandora to join was...annoying. Christina was annoying. Her organization, HERO, was annoying. The systems and people HERO was inplace to protect was, and you're not going to believe this: annoying. Unfortunately, they had set themselves up to be the only avenue of putting her abilities to good use. They had thoroughly squashed reasons like "being kind to one another" and "making the world a better place" and replaced them with "money" and "protection from the legal consequences of misconduct." Superheroing was a career opportunity. [i]Blegh.[/i] Pandora was confident she had gotten a read as to the type of person Christina was, and it was one of her least favorite.

	All of these demeaning thoughts, though, would result only in an unimpressed facial expression. Pandora spoke only a moment after asking her mocking question. [color=fdc68a]"Yes. I'm in. You could have just asked nicely, and we would be halfway to HERO One by now. But then I suppose, you wouldn't get to feel like a big girl."[/color] She mocked Christina with a faux-sympathetic childish pout, tilting her head to the side. It was not good natured teasing. Pandora had decided already that she would never, ever, like Christina. 

	Not waiting for a response, the florist spoke:[color=fdc68a]"I beg your pardon."[/color] Pandora floated silently from her standing position and through the ceiling. She had the intention of travelling to her bedroom.

	 There, sitting by the windowsill, was a proud red rose in a vase. The redhead did something she rarely did- genuinely smile- as she gently ran her fingers over it's bold crimson petals. [color=fdc68a]"Apologies for the delay, sweetheart."[/color] She murmered softly under her breath to the flower. Carefully she removed it from the vase and tucked the green stem behind her ear and intertwined it with her hair, using her red strands as an impossible bobby pin to keep it in place. Then, she took off her green apron and lay it on the bed.

	Phasing back downstairs, Pandora was no longer in her uniform and had the big red rose on the left side of her hair. Everything else, the short jeans, grey crop top, and overall buffness, had not changed. The lavender flower that used to be a HERO business card had  fallen out of her jean pocket and onto the floor. Now the florist looked at Christina expectantly, wondering if they were going to head right to registration or if there was yet more displays of her 'power' she had in mind. Pandora would have to close up shop.