Trooper Station; Monday [ 03/22 ].

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua actually had an entire post here about her day at the station and the topical gifts that she had left in certain lockers (pretty barrettes for Vimes, a cooler of Coors for Gibbs, and both for Ralph), but, through some miracle of the magic that is a Monday morning, it was all completely deleted and became irretrivable by the malicious manuevers of a coffee mug.

This departure of a narrative fourth wall was the result of such a mishap, although this had no bearing on Angua, steadily trying to diminish some of the paperwork that seemed to threaten an explosion of her inbox*. She did, however, feel that there was a slight draft.

_____
* It is a common known fact that paperwork in inboxes are known to breed with particular potency while one is away. So potent, in fact, that it makes rabbits in springtime seem like chaste nuns.



[[ open station is open! ]]

Comments

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

Vimes found the barrettes. You could tell by how he didn't mention them at all.

Because if you mentioned it, the joke really was on you. You just got the person back and it all carried on in good fun.

Usually.

Which is why he shot Angua a look just before going to grab coffee. "Good to see you've stuck around, Sergeant."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

And Angua did usually like when it carried on in good fun; some of those doggie biscuits were pretty bloody good.

But, knowing the rules quite well by now, Angua didn't even smirk back at Vimes' look and just gave him a nod. "Same to you, sir," she said. "Have to admit, don't think I could get used to taking orders from something that small, perky and ginger."

Now, big, perky and ginger was an entirely different matter all together.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Isn't Carrot around where you're from?" It was almost disturbing how an Ankh-Morpork without the man didn't quite seem possible.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

No, that wasn't a blush. Trick of the light. Bit of a sunburn.

"Note," said Angua quietly, "I said small."

Pause.

"And perky could be debatable, really."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

He couldn't debate the small, no.

"He's... a young lad. Perkier than most watchmen."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

And that Angua felt she could usually debate, considering that the watchmen who came to her mind were watchwomen, but she gave Vimes one look before deciding that that was territory neither of them at that current moment were ready to get into.

Not on a Monday, anyway.

"One of the best we have, sir," she said, and that she knew was not simply biased. "It's good to know that, if we're here, then at least things can't be too bad there because he's there."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

Vimes nodded slowly. "Yes, a world where Colon is left in charge is a terrifying one indeed."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"Or Nobby Nobbs," said Angua, because she couldn't not.

A list of other, more reassuring canidates did drift through Angua's head, of course, but this Vimes didn't know any of them, and that could get complicated. She caught herself before she sighed; this conversation seemed to be completely erasing everything she'd felt all last week and almost making her h-...that "h" word again...

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"...Nobby was ever a consideration?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"Worst case scenario," said Angua. "One in which we should be very glad we're here, not there."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"I think I'd rather be there!"

You know. To prod buttocks and the like.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua tilted her head in consideration of this, and far too many of the images she'd wished she'd never actually seen of Nobby in a dress seemed to fill in most of the space. She shook her head.

"I guess there would be a certain entertainment value in it," she allowed.

In a terrifying sort of way.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"You have an interesting idea of entertainment," Vimes informed her over his cup of coffee.

Because he never, never wanted to see Nobby in a frock. Never.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Said the man who was wee and perky and ginger.

Angua cleared her throat to keep from grinning, making a point of organizing all those bloody papers.

"I feel it helps, sir, especially when dealing with things like this." She held up the closest ream at hand. "Is all this really necessary? Really?"

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"I shove mine off on Ralph." Because Vimes was a dick and Ralph hated everyone there now.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua just looked at Vimes for a good, long moment.

She then looked at her pile, and sighed, because that explained a lot.

"Funny," she said. "Guess who all mine comes from, too."

And there was that pointed look at him once more.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

Vimes was utterly unrepentant. Because he had pretty little barrettes.

"You do have nicer handwriting."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua, who did not have pretty little barrettes, was a little unrepentant, but not as much. Clearly because of the lack of barrettes.

She almost sighed, but put it into cheerfulness, instead. "Nothing that can't be fixed with practise, you know!"

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Oh I'm sure." He took a sip of coffee instead of offering to do his own paperwork.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since she's been to the station and decided to check-in. She was surprised to see a new face then she saw the paperwork.

"I'm glad to see that hasn't changed," she said. Her expression wasn't at all happy.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"I would be," said Angua, with a small distasteful glance toward the piles of paper. "But if you're a fan, feel free to take some of it if you'd like. Or all of it."

She then took a moment to look the other woman over. Well, actually, she was sniffing her over, but making it look like she was looking her over to cover up that sniffing part.

"Are you Reese?"

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Not a fan but I can volunteer to take a few off those from you," she replied. Reese returned the look, assessing the other woman. "And, yeah, I'm Reese. New to the team?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Far be it from Angua to take up the offer. She very cheerfully sorted through some papers to produce a good, sizeable stack to hand over to Reese from across her desk.

"Relatively," she said. "Sergeant Angua. Nice to finally meet you."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

She took the papers and remarked, "For a town without much crime it sure produces a lot of paperwork."

Reese settled down on her desk, "Which department are you from? I'm LAPD."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"Ankh-Morpork City Watch," said Angua, pausing slightly before she added, "Same as Vimes. Only...not." She waved a hand, as if brushing away all the complexity. "Trousers of Time. Hard to explain. But it probably means as much to you as LAPD means to me, which is not much at all..."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"I don't even try to figure it out anymore," she admitted. "You just learn to just go with it. But the town's fun. Sometimes, when its not turning you into a guy."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"You say that," said Angua, letting a little bit of amusement through, "like someone who's had it happened before."

And, while a guy would be different, Angua couldn't really see what the big deal about turning into something else was. She did it every month. Then again, she was used to it. It was expected for her.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Unfortunately," she said, tone wry. "Apparently, its a yearly thing so if you plan to stay... that's bound to happen one day. Just wanted to warn you so you won't freak out."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua was trying not to appear a little perturbed. A yearly thing she says. Annually. How terrible.

But she smiled. "Very good to know. Especially since I imagine we'll get a lot of calls when it happens."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Well, she was taking better than Reese did, that was something. "You've been briefed about the invasions, right?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua nodded. "And I've been keeping up on the files. I've also made the mistake of coming in on a Saturday once, a mistake that will not be repeated if it can be helped."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"I'll bite, what happened on the Saturday you came in?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"Just about half the town woke up as someone else, thinking themselves to be kidnapped or the victim of some other evil afoot." Angua grinned, just faintly. "Now those were some reports I actually didn't mind writing up so much."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Now, I'm sorry I missed that," she said with a smile of her own. "Although, knowing my luck, I might be one of those people."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua tilted her head, going through a small list of who from that day she'd successfully matched up so far.

"You don't recall having a sword that had gone missing, do you?"

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Not that I know," she replied, amused. "Got a lot of that that day, huh?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"Just the one," said Angua, though she shook her head and let out a long whistle. "But that was enough. He was quite put out about his lacking sword..."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Guys can be tetchy about losing their... sword." Reese said, face straight.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua's head nodded in a simple, common wisdom agreement. "One thing," she said, "that holds true for probably any dimension or world..."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Guess somethin' had to be constant," she said with a wry smile.

She was enjoying the company. It was nice to have another woman in the team again.