Porcelain

Lily, Independence, and the Pretty Agent Girl

A few days passed after this event, and I realized I was running low on groceries. I was up at a rare 9 in the morning, staring at the fridge, my hair up in a messy bun. Ryan was still asleep. Malala was watching me intently, probably waiting for me to throw her a snack. I sighed. Having two in the house was certainly draining on resources, and I still wasn't comfortable going out, even if Michael had been encouraging me to.

I made a quick and quiet phone call, and by the time I had hung up, I heard three knocks on the door. I frowned, confused by the timing. It was a Sunday, Michael's usual day out. Not only was it his day off, it was a little too late for him to show up. I was suspicious, but Malala didn't show any signs of fear or caution. I rushed to the door and jumped up to look through the peephole.

I was too short to look properly, but I was sure it was Michael outside my door. I unlocked the door, my hand ready to draw my faithful knife.

Michael came through the door, looking tired. His tiredness switched to caution, freezing at the sight of the dagger in my hand.

"Naniya! Dude!"

I relaxed my stance, moving past him to lock the door and turn on my alarm system. I moved my unraveled hair out of my face and turned to him to apologize, but then he started to peer around my body, and I hit him lightly.

"I'm in my pajamas, do you mind?"

"Just—where did you get the knife?" he asked, sounding freaked out. I stared at him and redid my bun, sliding the knife in my hair to keep the bun together.

Michael opened his mouth to say something, then closed his mouth. As we made our way upstairs, he looked back at me. "Do you sleep with that in?"

I shook my head. "I keep it under my pillow usually, but I was having a bad hair day.

He rolled his eyes in reply, not believing what had just occurred. "Sorry about showing up late. We had some drinks last night and I kind of passed out. I wanted to get some stuff done today, but I didn't realize how late I had woken up."

I nodded. "Who's 'we'?

Michael smirked. "Why do you care?"

"Because I care about you as a friend and I would like to know who I take you away from on an almost daily basis." I shot back.

He smiled. "It's not a girl."

I snorted.

"What?" he replied.

"I know it's not a girl. I don't think there is one girl in this world that would be okay with their boyfriend leaving randomly at 7 in the morning to see another girl without any explanation, other than the vague fact that it was their job. And there aren't many available girls in the program, so if you were dating anyone, it'd have to be a civilian. And secrets kill all relationships."

He grumbled to himself. "It was just a bunch of the guys at the agency. Birthday party, y'know."

"Fun. Ryan's still asleep, I think."

Michael picked up some papers and began to rifle through them. "How are you guys, by the way?"

I sat down on my futon. "We talk a lot. We train a bit. I don't see much purpose in being trained by him, honestly. He had more training, but there was more substance put into my training. James only saw Ryan as a chore."

Michael let that thought simmer. "Did you eat breakfast yet?"

"Nah. I got someone coming through."

"Your assistant? I still have yet to meet them. And I should."

"Meet them?" I asked. He raised his eyebrows in reply. "Well, you'll meet them today."