(@cosmoxdrome) from here x
Reckless. It was becoming a very frequent sentiment that Archer had long since lost his eloquence for. He discarded the report onto the growing pile where it slid and scattered the attached photos. A picture of Petrel slid out, the glossy surface winking at the pair of them. The report was dense, several sprawling pages of criticisms that had started erring towards petty, all underlined with furious red pen strokes. “This is my way of saying that you're more useful alive,” Archer's tone was just as cutting. He jammed his hip against the sharp edge of the desk until the corner threatened to needle a noise of complaint from him. The brief pain tempered his anger, which he hid beneath the blessed shelter of his eyelids. It was a temporary measure, unfortunately, because when his sight returned, Petrel remained where he last saw her. She was one of the most uniquely challenging people he had ever met. She was skilled, but she was a risk taker. Everyone had their personal flair, he couldn't fault someone for their vices ordinarily. Speaking of – Archer wrinkled his nose as the acrid stench of smoke wafted over to him but he made no show of wafting the offending scent away. It wouldn't matter, it stuck to everything Petrel touched.
“Your takeaway from this leaves much to be desired,” Archer tapped the paperwork for emphasis. It boldly spelled out the results of the last mission in humiliating detail. “That's precisely why we're involved in this mess. Your lack of regard for your own safety and protocol affects us all in turn.” Petrel was invaluable. As their resident master of disguise it made his infiltration skills second to none; which was precisely why this was so irritating. “What is it going to take for you to take this seriously?”
