Trixy and The Crescent Of Rana

CHAPTER 3 : CHIEF

"Get down. This is the place," said he, sliding his scooty into the office parking lot.

Ezhil leapt from the backseat onto the bare ground, just like Quiroshi from the front.

"Our office is in the seventh floor," he added as they stepped into the elevator. Ezhil, somehow, managed to force Quiroshi into the box with them.

"That's high," said she viewing her image in the steel door, standing along side him. The blue outfit she had borrowed from Nancy looked really good on her. She made a mental note to thank her later.

A red light glimmered above them as the lift halted and the door opened. Maahir turned right in the passage and pushed open a glass door. Ezhil and Quiroshi followed him into a large, dimly lit office. A number of open cabins were arranged on the left ending at a huge glass wall that looked onto the main road. It was veiled with red blinds, slightly opened just at the middle.

There were three rooms and just one, substantial cabin at the end on their right. The first room was restroom and the second one looked like a conference room with a big table at the center, several swivel chairs surrounding it and a white board, full of red and green scribblings, hanging over the wall. The third room's windows were covered with green blinds but Maahir marched past it to the last cabin.

This one was filled with files, papers and documents and smelled oddly rusty. A man was kneeling under the desk probing for something on the floor.

"Good afternoon, Chief," said Maahir, not too formally. The man who was bending over tried to stand straight immediately but unfortunately the underneath of the desk was in his way.

"Ouch," said he, and came out scratching his back of head. Only when he got up and looked at her directly, she realized how intimidating he was. He appeared middle aged, in his late thirties or so, but the deep lines on his face implied humongous experience and maturity.

And surprisingly, he was in formal attire. He was dressed in light blue shirt tucked in black pants. A dark blue specked tie was hanging loosely down his neck. The way he bore into her eyes, she was sure the first question was going to be 'Who is this?'

But, "Good afternoon, Maahir," was all he said after taking that ardent gaze off her. He piled some papers from the desk and headed for the previous room asking, "What brings you here at this time, Maahir? The meet is scheduled only at six. I know you like to be punctual but coming two hours earlier is still too much."

"I want you to recruit this girl into our squad, Chief."

Ezhil was about to argue she was not a girl when the Chief paused at the door knob and let out a small sigh.

"Vikasa!" he roared then, startling Ezhil, and instantly a young woman sprung up from the second cabin, with her fingers on head, saluting.

"Yes, sir," said she before yawning and regretting it immediately.

"How many minutes do you think it has passed since I asked you to submit the report?"

She got her hand down and looked at her watch. "One hundred and fifty seven minutes, sir!" said she, saluting again.

"That's more than enough time for a nap, I say. If the report doesn't come to my desk in fifteen minutes, you are not taking any requests this week." 

He turned the knob and entered the room.

"Wait here," whispered Ezhil to Quiroshi and he settled near the door obediently.

"Take a seat," he said, arranging the papers and settling himself in a chair.

Ezhil complied frivolously and Maahir followed reluctantly. This room too was full of papers and carried the same stench of rust and paper. The only garnishments were a computer on the table tilted to the left and an old green steel bureau at the corner.

"So," continued he, facing Maahir, "What makes you think I am going to recruit her?"

"Well, it's not a secret that majority of our squad was scouted by you unilaterally. I know regulars aren't your style. Don't you think so too, Chief?"

Ezhil caught the slight streak of sarcasm hidden and a glint of smile behind the remark. The Chief was about to retort when the door opened and the girl from before showed up. She was holding a pad in one arm and a foldable chair in the other.

"Here's the report, Chief," said she placing the pad on his table. After that, she coolly spread the chair and sat beside them.

"Why are you sitting here, Vikasa?" asked Chief, without looking at her.

"Why?" repeated she, her face contorting into bewilderment. She was in a purple top and broad blue jeans and had her hair tied up in a pony tail. She looked really pretty.

"I know something really fascinating is about to happen here and you want me to wait outside? Don't you think it's unfair to leave me out, Maahir?"

"I don't really care, Vikasa. Just don't interrupt. Anyway, I feel like she will work out, Chief. Just give it a try. It's not new to you, right? Let her be an apprentice. All I ask for is just one chance."

The Chief positioned his hands upright and caressed his clean shaven chin.

"What is your atrial ability?" asked he.

She got thoroughly fazed at the sudden, though not unexpected, question and all the lines she had memorized faltered in the face of the Chief.

"Err.. I'm-m an Anima, sir. I can communicate with the animals and they can respond to me if they want to."

"Interesting," said he, rolling a pen between his fingers, "And you think that's enough to get into Trixy? Do you know what we do here? Do you even know what Trixy is?"

She bent her head down and continued silence. She certainly lacked definitive answers for his questions and was not confident herself of her suitability to the job. Does she really possess the necessary qualities in her? Is she being greedy? Maybe she is still a criminal. It's not like she handed over a resignation letter to her clients before she came here. Does she even want the job first of all? Too many questions were running through her mind and she wasn't able to answer a single one of them.

"Is that what's important?" asked Maahir, "Even I didn't knew the workings of Trixy when I joined. She can learn them. Missions, she can breeze through, are definitely there. She can be in my team. One-"

"And which team will you be in?"

"I know!" said he, shooting his arms up, "I haven't done anything effective since joining. But I promise. It will be different this time."

"And where does that confidence come from? What does she have that persuades you to believe I'm going to take her in my squad without asking questions? How can I know?"

"You won't know, until you at least consider her. Just once, Chief. We will lose nothing."

'"I will-"

Ezhil stood up suddenly, with such a ferocity that even surprised herself as a result of which her chair got shoved a few inches back. She clutched her fists tight and bowed low with very unlike rigidity. "I am not going to feign knowledge in any of the things you mentioned, Chief. Just like you said, I'm a complete amateur. But I can assure you that, if you decide to recruit me, I will give everything I've got and act with utmost diligence to uphold the honour of Trixy (whatever that might be)."

Everybody was surprised enough to guard utter quietness for the next minute. The prolonged silence was promptly broken only by the loud crunch made by a cookie getting snapped into two between the teeth of Vikasa. She, on observing everyone's ardent glare at her in tandem, stretched her arms out, and the biscuit packet, and said, "Eeh too want huh?"