Berners

“Shan,” Cipher Nine said. She left some of the professional distaste in her voice, but countered it with some warmth in recognition. “Still running Lana’s information network?”

Theron laughed nervously. “Yeah, somehow she hasn’t gotten around to stabbing me in the back yet. It hasn’t just been me, of course,” he added, as another person entered the room. “I think you’ll recognize some of the other faces around here.”

“Seven,” Cipher Nine greeted. The Rattataki was wearing mismatched armor more suited to a bounty hunter than a spy, and grinned at Theron as he entered.

“Yo Roses,” Aranno replied. “You know no one calls me that anymore. I’ve been out of Intelligence since it disbanded.”

“And yet, here you are,” Shan teased. “Still running the spy game.”

“That can be blamed entirely on you, Spymaster,” Aranno said–flirted; it was entirely flirting. And not the excessively heavy-handed flirting he practiced on a mark, but sincere, if still heavy-handed flirting.

Oh stars, they’re an item, Nine thought. There was nothing subtle about the way they were looking at each other. What have I gotten myself into?