xp_logs | Heretics, prologue - Nathan, Monet and Catseye, Saturday afternoon

Due to being virtuous employees willing to put in some hours on a Saturday afternoon, Monet and Catseye receive an invitation to an exotic locale.

Nathan looked up from his computer, his gaze moving oh-so-idly around the office before it focused on first Monet, then Catseye. Funny how answers to questions tended to present themselves so directly at times, he thought, eyes flickering back to the email on his screen for a moment before he rubbed at his jaw. "Anyone feel like a trip?" he asked abruptly, breaking the productive silence of the office. "Monet? You've been a little stir crazy lately..."

Monet blinked and looked up from the stack of papers attempting to overtake her desk, tugging her headphones off with one hand. "Sure!" She smiled broadly. "Thank you, Nate! Er, where are we going?"

Catseye's head bounced up from the area of the filing cabinets, perky and excited. "Catseye likes trips! Is it a car ride trip, MisterNathanSoftHands?" she asked, using the new title she'd given Nathan since coming to work for him. "Or a carwithwings trip? Catseye hasn't been on a carwithwings for a long time!"

I may be very slightly cracked, Nathan thought, but couldn't help smiling. At both of them, really. "One of our less high-profile projects is opening up shop at the end of the week," he said. "Monet, I think you did a little research for it back in the planning stages - the skills training centre in Morocco? They've found a good site for it in Casablanca. The project manager wants to do a blitz of 'come work with us' meetings with some of the local employers prior to the official opening." He grinned briefly at Catseye. "So yes, a carwithwings. North Africa's a little far to drive."

"Catseye knows where that is!" she proclaimed proudly, and began pulling files on Morocco from the file cabinet. "MisterNathanSoftHands wants Catseye to come? So Catseye can file things and use Mister Morocco Photocopier?"

~Nathan, ah... are you sure about this? Morocco's not the world's most tolerant place ever. Maybe we should be playing gently with the locals?~ Outwardly, Monet smiled at Catseye. "And maybe meet the Moroccan mutants, too? We've got an ... interesting bunch in the centre there. You'd like uh... whatsisface. Looks like a rat. I saw a picture of him a while back."

#Possibly,# Nathan sent back calmly, #but on the other hand, she's a living example of a young mutant with some unusual challenges being integrated successfully into the workplace.# If you could call the Elpis office a normal workplace, that was. "That's part of the fun of these trips," he said aloud, to Catseye. "Getting to meet the people we're trying to help out."

Catseye glanced from Monet to Nathan, suspecting that there was something they weren't saying to her, but she shrugged it off. "Rat-not-a-rat?" she asked, confused. "Catseye does not know about meeting humans that look like rats, even though Catseye only hunts mice at mealtimes now. But Catseye likes to meet new humans! And helping!"

"Then off to Casablance we will go," Nathan said with a perfectly straight face. "Although I require you both to see the movie first, if you haven't. Necessary background research and all." Or maybe he was just a perverse old man who was looking forward to the idea of the two girls trying to mentally navigate the differences between the Hollywood Casablanca to the real Casablanca.

The job was supposed to be educational, after all.

"Aw, Nate! The lead dude in that movie is creepy. Like, really creepy. I will, but dude." Monet tapped her fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "Question. You taught me Modern Standard Arabic. I haven't been doing much of the talking, so am I gonna understand anyone?"

"Moroccan Arabic's a little different, but most of the people you talk to should understand the standard variety. Also, plenty of Moroccans speak French," Nathan pointed out, then smiled at Catseye. "Don't worry about that," he said to her. "You can stick close to me. I make a very good translator."

"Movie?" Catseye asked, cocking her head. She flipped through one of the files, looking for reference to a movie about Casablanca. Her tail twitched and eventually she lost interest in searching and returned the file. "Catseye will learn about Casablanca and Morocco," she assured Nathan. "Catseye already knows that Morocco is in Africa and the capital is called Rabbit and the flag has a star on it and Morocco has lots of birds!"