She sat perfectly still at the briefing table, her black hair immaculately groomed and her luminous green eyes watching as the others arrived. No one had summoned her here, but then again they never needed to; she had a sixth sense when they were meeting and had made it her routine to join them. At first it had caused comment and concern, but now no one bothered to question her right to be there among them.

She sat at the far end of the table, opposite the green-eyed man; from this position she could see them all. No one knew exactly how or when she had arrived at Section, and she, being of an introspective nature, never felt compelled to reveal her secrets.

The first to arrive was the old man. He smiled and winked at her. "How ya doing, Sugar?" his gravely voice intoned. She liked his voice. It was smooth and warm, like fresh milk straight from the cow that she remembered drinking when she was young. It was a voice of safety and calmness, something that she like immensely in a person. She often sought him out when she needed a place to go to soothe herself. He never demanded anything of her and would regale her with stories from his past. She shifted her gaze to him for a moment, acknowledging his presence and then returned to her quiet review of the arriving attendees.

Next to join them were the two young ones. They were both balls of kinetic energy and in her more light-hearted moments she enjoyed their company, but most of the time she avoided them. They were still too young and their movements tended not to be very graceful yet. The blonde was sweet and had a good heart. She was always a good person to search out when consoling was needed, but in return she also craved affection and friendship: too constricting a relationship to endure for long.

The young man was also nice, and frequently had snack foods around him, although most were too sweet for her taste. His notice of her tended to be more peripheral and short lived. His attention was always drawn back to the scrolling lines on the screens before him.

The dark-eyed lady appeared next. She was so beautiful to watch. She moved with such grace and poise. She never walked from one place to another so much as glided. The others feared her, even the silver-haired man, she could feel it in them, which was confusing because deep down the lady was a very warm person. When they visited it was always wonderful: both of them parting with a feeling of serenity. She was very polite also, always addressing her as Ms. Black, and inviting her in to have a seat and some wonderful treat that had been especially ordered for her.

Next the silver-haired man arrived. She knew he didn't really like her being there but for some reason had not tried to get rid of her. She thought it had something to do with the dark-eyed lady but she wasn't sure. She liked to go visit him in his office and they would engage in the most enjoyable staring contests. She always won. Sometimes she would go to visit him and he wouldn't be there, so she contented herself with hiding those nasty things he smoked in various places around his office. The dark-eyed lady didn't like them and neither did she. He stared at her briefly as he lifted the remote from the table in front of her, but said nothing.

The last to arrive, uncharacteristically late, was the green-eyed man. Even knowing that the others awaited him he didn't rush his steps or alter his fluid motion. He was the one she liked best. He was the most like her. Not only did they share similar eye color, but they shared similar personalities. They could sit in his office together in companionable silence for hours. Neither concerned with the other's thoughts, just content to exist in quiet harmony. He never made loud noises or quick movements, at least not around her, and she felt a sense of calmness around him that she experienced nowhere else in this underground world. He too, like the dark-eyed one, was very polite, calling her Mademoiselle, and always holding the door for her. Such a gentleman.

She watched as the briefing continued and moved her eyes to the vid screen as it was activated, but it really didn't interest her. Nothing about the briefings ever did, except watching the participants.

When the silver-haired man finished, he placed the remote back on the table and together he and the dark-eyed lady left. Then the others rose to leave as well. She did not move from her place at the end of the table, she preferred to let them all leave before abandoning her position.

The green-eyed man looked at her for a moment before walking around the table to her. In a whisper soft voice that she had come to associate with him he asked, "Would you like to join me in my office, Mademoiselle?"

The blonde turned sharply at his invitation and, after a brief glance at the two of them, turned away with a smile on her face.

Two sets of green eyes locked gazes for a moment and then she leapt from the table to follow him to his office. Together the human panther and the black cat spent the rest of the day planing the next mission.

~The End~

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