xp_logs | Remy & Sarah, in the Snow Valley break room

"I think something died in de coffee maker again." Remy looked into his cup and scowled. Like most offices with a bureaucratically bent, Snow Valley ran on caffiene; mostly coffee from various office makers and the local shops, some tea and RedBull filling in the gaps. His personal machine had run out, and LeBeau had filled his from the large coffee machine in the lunch room area. It was funny how much like a normal office the Institute was, if you squinted and ignored the fine details. Bad coffee, stacks of memos and reports, even a few comic strips and e-mail jokes taped up in the cubicles.

"Oh good," Sarah put the disposable cup she was holding down onto the counter, as if it contained something toxic. "I was beginning to think my tastebuds were dying off as payback for all the times I should have died but didn't. Instead it's just a gentle reminder of the reason I never drink the coffee here."

"Well, if anyone cleaned the pot more den semi--anually, it might taste better." Although he sincerely doubted it. "When's you flight out to Germany?"

"Next week." Sarah started picking through the cabinets, looking for something to clean the coffeepot. Maybe a torchblower. "Unless we get another seventeen inches of snow dumped on us between now and then. If that happens I may just have to make some contacts over chatroulette instead. First person to ask me to take off my shirt gets something explosive mailed to their house."

"You know, Remy remember de days dat whole teams would watch a target for weeks for things to incriminate dem wit'. Now, you just go on dere damn Facebook to get de sex tape dey made." He shook his head wryly. "Jake is going to be in Berlin. Catch up wit' him when you get dere. I know you got you contacts to work, but he's looking on de financial end, and may need some extra firepower."

No cleaning supplies. Well, that wasn't entirely true, there were three empty bottles of various cleaning sprays, and a mousetrap without any bait. At least they were really good at the other stuff they did. "You said Jake's going out partying and needs someone who will still be sober at the end of the night regardless of how much alcohol they've consumed? And I should take the company credit card? This is going to be the best trip ever."

"Dat seems like something dat I'd say, oui. I'd consider it a personal favour if you could keep Gavin sober until after he meets wit' his people. I can't put my finger on it, but something is happening in Berlin. Something big."

"Fine. Cast doom all over my party. It's not like this trip was for business anyway." She closed the cabinet, pushing herself up onto the counter to sit next to the coffeepot. "You think we could just buy a new coffeepot? Maybe by the time I get back we'll have decent coffee again."

"Unless we're planning on hiring a barista, Remy doubts dat decent coffee out here is possible." He nodded. "But a new coffee pot we can do. Anything else on you end coming up?"

"I don't think we could keep a barista longer than half an hour. You would make them cry, and we'd be blacklisted forever." She shrugged, and glanced sadly at her discarded coffee cup. "Somebody dropped a stack of Feral mutant files on my desk last week. I need to finish reading them so Amanda will stop insinuating I'm using the files as my own personal dating pool."

"Remy remember putting out a memo dat listed de things dat I don't need to know 'bout from you people. Recall dat you love lives was at de top of de list. And underlined. And in Jubilee's case, had de 'absolutely no descriptions or pictures' amendment attached. Remember dat?" Remy said wryly, taking another wince inducing sip from his mug.

Sarah rolled her eyes at him, and pushed herself back off the counter. "If that little tidbit in passing, that anyone with eyes could have picked up, is going to put you into therapy, I will consider myself the winner of life." She grabbed the abandoned cup from the counter, and tossed it into the trashcan. "I thought it would be harder to break your brain than that."

"It doesn't break my brain, but it does upset my digestion. Remy has a delicate system, you know." He said archly.

Sarah laughed, and wandered towards the door. She had to get back to work eventually. "You know, you are incredibly prissy for a superspy."

"It has come up in de past, oui." Remy said with a nod. "Have fun in Germany. Find me at least someone to hit behind all of dese little hints, neh?"

"Sure. I gave up my reputation as a tease a long time ago." Sarah smirked, and left for her desk.