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tommygirlTitle: The Art of Annoyance
Author: Tommygirl
Rating: PG
Fandom: Veritas the Quest (more girl!Nikko)
Written For: This is for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
medie, who gave me the first line, Popping her gum, Nicole grinned at Calvin's snort, asking, "Am I bothering you?"
Spoilers: Through The Lost Codex
Word Count: 1,191
A/N: So I figured![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
mini_nanowrimo was as good an excuse as any to finally get the vast girl!Nikko 'verse out of my brain and into some written formation. It can be read with or without Finding Your Footing, but that is in the same universe in my brain.
Popping her gum, Nicole grinned at Calvin's snort, asking, "Am I bothering you?"
He glared at her, watching as she purposefully, twirled her fingers around a long strand of her hair and blew a bubble the size of her face. Her grin broadened at the almost-subsonic sound of the pop it made when it deflated.
“Sorry, Chuck. I had no idea you were so easily distracted,” she replied. And in that uncanny ability Nicole seemed to have, Calvin watched her previously-devious expression morph with one of almost-care. She reached for a napkin, spit out her gum, and tossed it in the small trash can in the corner. She raised her hand in mock surrender and said, “I’ll stop.”
“Don’t you have something else to do?”
“We’re twenty-thousand feet in the air, Chuck. Not many options available.”
“Where’s Vincent? Doesn’t he usually keep you preoccupied?”
She scowled, tossing her hair back off her shoulders and crossing her arms over her chest. “I do not need a babysitter. I’m eighteen years old.”
“Seventeen.”
“Seventeen and three quarters. Still doesn't mean I need a stupid babysitter.”
“Babysitter, parole officer, whatever you prefer to call it, Nicky.”
She stood up and hovered over him in an attempt at imposing. Calvin did his best to hide the amused grin he felt forming. As petite as she looked, he was pretty sure she could kick his ass. And that was something he didn’t want to have to live down...talk about humiliating.
He pulled a book out of his bag and tossed it onto her empty seat. He said, “Take this. It provides an interesting take on the Knights Templar. Might give you some insight into our current job.”
She arched her eyebrow and perfectly mimicked Vincent’s interrogation stance. She asked, “You’re sharing books with me?”
“I keep hearing about this high IQ of yours. Why don’t you prove it?”
“Are you daring me to read a book?” She giggled, the clutching-her-stomach-flat-out-laughter kind, but moved back to her seat and picked up the book, studying the inside jacket. She said, “You live on the wild side, don’t ya, Chuck?”
“I’ll do whatever you want if it gets you to stop pestering me.”
Her eyes flashed with mischief and she replied, “Don’t make a statement like that around me. You’ll regret it.”
“Probably, but that should tell you how much I crave some peace,” Calvin replied. He stared down at the scrawlings in his notebook, unsure where he had left off before Nicole’s ode-to-bratty behavior. “DORNA’s actions lately don’t make any sense. I’m trying to figure out the bigger picture.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Huh?”
“You’re just like my father. Always so afraid that simple means wrong.”
“You’ve spent too much time with Vincent.”
She shrugged and sat back down in her chair, continuing to thumb through the pages of the book. She said, “Doesn’t mean that I’m not right.”
Calvin couldn’t believe his reaction. He should’ve shouted at her and run her out of the room. Hell, a few months ago, that would’ve been exactly how he reacted to any comment from Nicole. But now, he was intrigued. He closed his notebook and said, “Fine. Explain yourself.”
“Really?”
“Are you going to shut up until you get your way?”
“Probably not.”
Calvin motioned for her to continue. She stared at him for a second and then dropped the book in her lap. She said, “You assume that because DORNA is the enemy that you can’t trust anything they’re involved in.”
“Maybe that's because they are the enemy, Nicky.”
“But they want the information, the right information, as much as dad and the rest of you do. The reasons why they want it don’t have to matter at the moment. If you take it out of the equation, it might help you find something you’re missing.”
“I think they just don’t want us to know what they know.”
“And that’s too simple.”
He smiled and said, “You can’t have it both ways. Either we want simple or not.”
Nicole didn’t seem upset, simply shrugged and replied, “Well, maybe Sun Tzu had the right idea.”
“Sun Tzu?”
“Art of War. Used in all facets of society. I thought you were a brainiac, Cal.”
“I know who Sun Tzu is. I’m trying to figure out how he relates to this conversation and where your scary brain is taking us.”
“I’m almost flattered that you think I have a scary brain.”
“Nicky…”
“Sun Tzu said to ‘make your way by unexpected routes and attack unguarded spots.’ I’d start there and stop writing manifestos about how you’re going to kill Cazimo.”
“Have you been reading my notes?”
“It’s kinda hard to miss your furious scribblings and the die-Cazimo-die look in your eye. And I get it. I’d want to kill him too, but I don’t think it’s going to get you anywhere. Everyone knows you don’t go for the head of the beast.”
Calvin wasn’t sure if he should be pissed off that she’d read his notes or that she was calling on him out on his fantastical thoughts. He also found himself wanting to encourage her with her line of thinking. God help him, but he liked the idea of Nicole acting like a real part of the team rather than some kid out to annoy her father and everyone around him.
Cal took a deep breath and said, “While I don’t think your logic’s wrong, I don’t think it works in this situation. DORNA doesn’t have any unguarded spots that we know of.”
“Are you telling me none of you have ever undertaken basic espionage against the other side? That’s so sad.”
Calvin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. We’ll just hack into their computers and download all the files entitled ‘DORNA’s Top Secret Files.’ I don’t know why no one never thought of that before.”
“Again, you’re not thinking simple enough.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“You don’t hack into DORNA. You find the small people, the underlings of the organization, and hack into their lives. A lot of it will probably be nothing, but I’m guessing at some point, at least one of them will lead you to one of those unguarded spots DORNA doesn’t want you to see.”
Cal stared at her for a second and said, “That’s actually not a completely horrible idea.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’m serious.”
“If that fails, you could find one some poor DORNA schmuck and lock him in the room with me.”
”Art of Annoyance trumps the Art of War?”
Nicole grinned and said, “You’d be surprised how quickly some people snap. One of my headmaster’s at boarding school only lasted ten minutes before steam actually poured out of his nostrils.”
“You’ve got a gift, Nicky. I’ve learned that firsthand.”
Nicole nodded and stood up. She said, “All this serious discussion has worn me out and I’ve got a reputation to protect. I think I’ll find Juliet and whine about spending our first day in London studying.”
Calvin shook his head and said, “Poor Juliet.”
“If you prefer, I could…”
“Don’t even think about it.”
She picked up her book and waved back at him from the doorway. “Later Chuck.”
{Fin}
Author: Tommygirl
Rating: PG
Fandom: Veritas the Quest (more girl!Nikko)
Written For: This is for
medie, who gave me the first line, Popping her gum, Nicole grinned at Calvin's snort, asking, "Am I bothering you?"Spoilers: Through The Lost Codex
Word Count: 1,191
A/N: So I figured
mini_nanowrimo was as good an excuse as any to finally get the vast girl!Nikko 'verse out of my brain and into some written formation. It can be read with or without Finding Your Footing, but that is in the same universe in my brain.Popping her gum, Nicole grinned at Calvin's snort, asking, "Am I bothering you?"
He glared at her, watching as she purposefully, twirled her fingers around a long strand of her hair and blew a bubble the size of her face. Her grin broadened at the almost-subsonic sound of the pop it made when it deflated.
“Sorry, Chuck. I had no idea you were so easily distracted,” she replied. And in that uncanny ability Nicole seemed to have, Calvin watched her previously-devious expression morph with one of almost-care. She reached for a napkin, spit out her gum, and tossed it in the small trash can in the corner. She raised her hand in mock surrender and said, “I’ll stop.”
“Don’t you have something else to do?”
“We’re twenty-thousand feet in the air, Chuck. Not many options available.”
“Where’s Vincent? Doesn’t he usually keep you preoccupied?”
She scowled, tossing her hair back off her shoulders and crossing her arms over her chest. “I do not need a babysitter. I’m eighteen years old.”
“Seventeen.”
“Seventeen and three quarters. Still doesn't mean I need a stupid babysitter.”
“Babysitter, parole officer, whatever you prefer to call it, Nicky.”
She stood up and hovered over him in an attempt at imposing. Calvin did his best to hide the amused grin he felt forming. As petite as she looked, he was pretty sure she could kick his ass. And that was something he didn’t want to have to live down...talk about humiliating.
He pulled a book out of his bag and tossed it onto her empty seat. He said, “Take this. It provides an interesting take on the Knights Templar. Might give you some insight into our current job.”
She arched her eyebrow and perfectly mimicked Vincent’s interrogation stance. She asked, “You’re sharing books with me?”
“I keep hearing about this high IQ of yours. Why don’t you prove it?”
“Are you daring me to read a book?” She giggled, the clutching-her-stomach-flat-out-laughter kind, but moved back to her seat and picked up the book, studying the inside jacket. She said, “You live on the wild side, don’t ya, Chuck?”
“I’ll do whatever you want if it gets you to stop pestering me.”
Her eyes flashed with mischief and she replied, “Don’t make a statement like that around me. You’ll regret it.”
“Probably, but that should tell you how much I crave some peace,” Calvin replied. He stared down at the scrawlings in his notebook, unsure where he had left off before Nicole’s ode-to-bratty behavior. “DORNA’s actions lately don’t make any sense. I’m trying to figure out the bigger picture.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Huh?”
“You’re just like my father. Always so afraid that simple means wrong.”
“You’ve spent too much time with Vincent.”
She shrugged and sat back down in her chair, continuing to thumb through the pages of the book. She said, “Doesn’t mean that I’m not right.”
Calvin couldn’t believe his reaction. He should’ve shouted at her and run her out of the room. Hell, a few months ago, that would’ve been exactly how he reacted to any comment from Nicole. But now, he was intrigued. He closed his notebook and said, “Fine. Explain yourself.”
“Really?”
“Are you going to shut up until you get your way?”
“Probably not.”
Calvin motioned for her to continue. She stared at him for a second and then dropped the book in her lap. She said, “You assume that because DORNA is the enemy that you can’t trust anything they’re involved in.”
“Maybe that's because they are the enemy, Nicky.”
“But they want the information, the right information, as much as dad and the rest of you do. The reasons why they want it don’t have to matter at the moment. If you take it out of the equation, it might help you find something you’re missing.”
“I think they just don’t want us to know what they know.”
“And that’s too simple.”
He smiled and said, “You can’t have it both ways. Either we want simple or not.”
Nicole didn’t seem upset, simply shrugged and replied, “Well, maybe Sun Tzu had the right idea.”
“Sun Tzu?”
“Art of War. Used in all facets of society. I thought you were a brainiac, Cal.”
“I know who Sun Tzu is. I’m trying to figure out how he relates to this conversation and where your scary brain is taking us.”
“I’m almost flattered that you think I have a scary brain.”
“Nicky…”
“Sun Tzu said to ‘make your way by unexpected routes and attack unguarded spots.’ I’d start there and stop writing manifestos about how you’re going to kill Cazimo.”
“Have you been reading my notes?”
“It’s kinda hard to miss your furious scribblings and the die-Cazimo-die look in your eye. And I get it. I’d want to kill him too, but I don’t think it’s going to get you anywhere. Everyone knows you don’t go for the head of the beast.”
Calvin wasn’t sure if he should be pissed off that she’d read his notes or that she was calling on him out on his fantastical thoughts. He also found himself wanting to encourage her with her line of thinking. God help him, but he liked the idea of Nicole acting like a real part of the team rather than some kid out to annoy her father and everyone around him.
Cal took a deep breath and said, “While I don’t think your logic’s wrong, I don’t think it works in this situation. DORNA doesn’t have any unguarded spots that we know of.”
“Are you telling me none of you have ever undertaken basic espionage against the other side? That’s so sad.”
Calvin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. We’ll just hack into their computers and download all the files entitled ‘DORNA’s Top Secret Files.’ I don’t know why no one never thought of that before.”
“Again, you’re not thinking simple enough.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“You don’t hack into DORNA. You find the small people, the underlings of the organization, and hack into their lives. A lot of it will probably be nothing, but I’m guessing at some point, at least one of them will lead you to one of those unguarded spots DORNA doesn’t want you to see.”
Cal stared at her for a second and said, “That’s actually not a completely horrible idea.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I’m serious.”
“If that fails, you could find one some poor DORNA schmuck and lock him in the room with me.”
”Art of Annoyance trumps the Art of War?”
Nicole grinned and said, “You’d be surprised how quickly some people snap. One of my headmaster’s at boarding school only lasted ten minutes before steam actually poured out of his nostrils.”
“You’ve got a gift, Nicky. I’ve learned that firsthand.”
Nicole nodded and stood up. She said, “All this serious discussion has worn me out and I’ve got a reputation to protect. I think I’ll find Juliet and whine about spending our first day in London studying.”
Calvin shook his head and said, “Poor Juliet.”
“If you prefer, I could…”
“Don’t even think about it.”
She picked up her book and waved back at him from the doorway. “Later Chuck.”
{Fin}
