Work Text:
They walked up toward the front step, a bundle of papers under one arm. They avoided the obvious things, then paused and crouched down. New activator. They'd seen something like it before, but not here, and they couldn't exactly remember which deathtrap-riddled place they'd seen it in before. It was well placed, though, and they nodded before standing back up and avoiding it. They waited at the bottom step for the clearance.
"Oh, you're here sooner than I expected. Um...go ahead and come in, the stairs are safe. I have another visitor at the moment, don't...Don't start any fights?"
They nodded. Fair enough, they wouldn't pick a fight. They walked up the steps and pushed the door open, only just far enough to get in, before closing it again. They took off their glasses, pushing them into the pocket of their coat, and then froze.
She was also frozen, to be fair, but it was really just a matter of time. Well, they'd been asked not to pick a fight, so they wouldn't, but it was a bit awkward. She stood up, they took a step away from the door and held up their free hand in a "wait" gesture. They weren't sure if Fabricator (or was the "the" part of the name?) knew sign, so it was a waiting game. Maybe.
More like a game of how quick Roxana could get into the front room from her workshop, but that seemed a bit rude. They were a guest, they wouldn't put resolving this mess on Roxana. Fabricator, to her credit, seemed to be holding it together well enough.
They gently, very gently, removed the bundle of papers from under their arm and set it on the table near the door, then put both hands in clear view.
"Do you understand sign?" They signed, keeping their movements easy and smooth. Sure, she probably hadn't rigged up Roxana's house with traps, but...they didn't really want to take a laser to the shoulder (again) so they weren't going to take any chances.
"Enough of it. What are you doing here?"
"Delivering papers. Obviously."
"Didn't know you were also the Agency's appointed mail carrier. Good to know." She was keeping her tone light, but they'd heard her talk enough to know that that didn't really mean anything. She was probably still plotting their death in one way or another.
They shook their head quickly. "Not Agency work. A favor for her."
Roxana came wheeling around the corner and then visibly released a breath, along with tension, and then stood back upright.
"Good to see you two aren't at each other's throats. Phoenix, she's here as a guest."
They nodded. They'd presumed that much. And it did make sense, since they were engineers. Maybe not in architecture or civil engineering, but engineers all the same.
"Agent Phoenix has been...offering help with certain things. Usually to do with some of my old work. Getting blueprints and schematics, stuff like that. I knew they'd be coming today, although they were quick."
"I'm punctual."
Fabricator cut in, crossing her arms. "Agency personnel these days usually have trackers installed. Are you sure you're not just being helpful as a cover?"
They nodded and shoved their hand into their coat pocket, fishing out the signal jammer before hovering it just in front of them.
"Personal jammer. It's unobtrusive and doesn't produce any signals, so I carry it around."
"The Agency just...gave you that? Didn't know they were willing to let their agents drop off the map."
They shook their head again. "I made it."
"And you're sure you weren't followed?"
This was a situation to be calm, diplomatic. Maintain their temper and reactions, keep a cool head.
They rolled their eyes and gave her a look that they hoped got across how much of a ridiculous question that was.
"Zoraxis was able to follow me once, and it was because I hadn't slept in multiple days. And I still got out perfectly fine, in case you didn't notice."
Roxana was quiet, although she did provide help whenever Fabricator seemed to have trouble with something they were signing. She also looked a bit amused, but there were a few things that could have been from. It could be going worse, overall - they'd really expected a laser to the face, or perhaps poison gas. And Fabricator was looking a bit less like she wanted to throttle them, so it was going alright in their opinion.
Plus, it was good to know Roxana had someone else to hang out with who would understand her work. On the whole, aside from Fabricator being with Zoraxis, the two seemed like they'd get along well. They'd probably need to watch for Fabricator's style when they helped Roxana with testing, but that was just part of the job.
The other two were chatting, Roxana talking about motion tracking. They stood there for a moment, until the discussion ended, at which point they tapped quietly on the table.
"Roxana, I did write up those notes on the jammer I made. They're somewhere in the stack - keeping papers neat isn't my strong suit, but it's in there somewhere."
"Oh, thank you. Did you manage to find the upgrade modules?"
They nodded. They wouldn't tell her they'd nearly had an I beam fall on their head for it. It was good telekinesis practice, anyway. She cheered silently, bouncing a little bit.
They released some of the tension they were holding and then blinked away the haze in their eyes. Fabricator didn't seem hellbent on killing them right now, so there was no need for it. Fabricator sat back down, and Roxana picked up the pile of papers, taking them over to a larger desk to look at.
"By the way, the new activator out front. It's nicely set up."
"You think so?" They nodded. "It's a design I came up with a while ago. I made it more visible so you'd be able to look it over."
"It's clever. I like it."
Roxana nodded and turned around to sort out the mess of paper, and they turned their attention back to Fabricator.
"I am a bit impressed at your restraint, Agent. Doesn't your Agency want me dealt with?"
They shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm not here on Agency business. Besides, Roxana asked me not to start a fight, so I won't. Had you tried to kill me, I would have just left. Nice hat, by the way, the color suits you."
She wrinkled her nose and went back to her project, which they...couldn't really make out what it was. Something with an awful lot of small screws.
"It would have been nice if you could be so rational during your work. You tore that workshop of mine to shreds, you know."
They grinned, leaning against the door. "I hear you got your own fun out of it, so I don't feel too bad. Besides, it was the least I could do for the poisoned food on the plane. Sand lobster, really? I'm from Tuscon, you could have called it a scorpion. Fruit was good though."
"Don't you have anything better to be doing? You're not working, I thought you agents were supposed to be suave or charismatic. Go find someone else to annoy."
They tilted their head to the side a bit, actually letting the grin reach their eyes. "Not my scene. Never been fond of dating."
Fabricator froze, narrowing her eyes a bit. They crossed their arms, but otherwise didn't move. For a brief moment, there was a flash of recognition, followed by something they could almost have called concern. But it vanished as quickly as it had come, and she frowned. Roxana had turned back around at some point, and was watching the conversation again.
"Oh, sure, dating isn't really your thing. You and I both know that wasn't what I was referring to."
"Oh, that." They paused, waiting for the rational part of their brain to kick in before they responded.
(Unfortunately, the rational part pointed out that they were closer to the door than she was, that they could probably dodge whatever she did, and that it would be funny.)
"I mean, talking about that sort of thing...if you're offering, then I'm up for it."
Their hand was on the doorknob before she got up, and whatever she threw (probably a dart of some description) sunk into the wood of the door. Good aim, their head had been there, but they'd been faster.
"See you later, Roxana! Fabricator, see you around!"
Roxana nodded, looking distantly amused, and they grabbed the jammer before hurrying out the door. They heard Fabricator scoff, and Roxana laughed.
"They're infuriating. How does the Agency deal with them?"
"Well, for starters, I don't think they spend much time around the office. Plus, I think they get out most of that energy dealing with Zoraxis."
"That'd make sense. Anyways, how's your project coming along...?"
They laughed quietly to themself once they were down on the main sidewalk, rolling around the tiny screw in their hand.