Matters of the Heart || Alina

[Léa DuBois]

When it came to affairs of the heart, the Quartermaster of MI6 considered herself to be an incredibly perceptive woman. She was often the first in the office to notice the various sparks that went off between young, potential couples. Like when M’s personal assistant developed romantic feelings towards one of the young inventors of the Q department, Léa had been quick to set the two up on a date which, as she could see from how much the two had been interacting since then, must have been incredibly successful!

Oui, Léa considered herself a love expert – the matchmaker of MI6. Her job was to make the most top of the range gadgets for her many agents, and then set them all up together the moment any first signs of chemistry became apparent. Yes, it was a busy, hectic job to try and juggle, but Léa had put it upon herself to see her own personal mission was a success: to spread more love around MI6~ ♥

Bearing all this in mind, it should come as no surprise that Léa DuBois was also easily able to tell when others were attracted to the Quartermaster herself. Of course, it was understandable. La Reine was certainly an irresistible woman.

But this is a digression. The point was that Q found that she was not at all oblivious to the signs of others towards her. Recently, she had seen those signs come into play; the faint blushes whenever she was to compliment good work, the stolen glances as she passed by, the nerves whenever the little one would try to speak to Léa. She found it… adorable. Yes, that was it. Simply adorable. Admittedly, she truly did love the attention. And well, she certainly didn’t mind the attention coming from Miss Alina Milakovna.

No, she was not going to deny it – Alina was an attractive young lady, and Léa herself would have been lying if she was to say she had never once considered something… intimate, outside of work with the Russian researcher. Her eyes were a stunning shade of violet; her favourite colour. Q could easily find herself getting lost in those eyes if she forgot to pull her gaze away.

Thus, finally, after much contemplating over the issue, Léa Reine DuBois decided one Wednesday lunch time to approach the younger scientist herself. Now was not the time for faffing around, it was time for results!

The Frenchwoman had made her way to the Medical Research Department of the Q division, marching along with confidence as her shined stilettoes rhythmically clicked against the floor with each firm step she took. Her head was held high as she knocked on the glass door, before stepping inside and greeting the Russian woman she had been seeking out with a warm smile.

“Ah, bonjour Alina, ma chérie,” Léa cooed out to the researcher with a twiddle of her fingers in a teasing wave. The next moment, she was striding towards the woman’s desk, that gentle smile firmly fixed in place. “How are you today? I hope all is well.”

[Deleted]

793 WORDS Léa DuBois NOTES ❀

Beyond that glass door lay a room which Alina might consider her second home. It was obligatory that she spent so much time in the laboratory, though that was not the only supporting reason - it was a privilege to be surrounded by an elite team whose skills might even climb beyond her own. The atmosphere was well-received, spacious enough that she didn't feel confined, lax enough that she could work at her own pace. Researching was a career firmly branded into the Russian's routine, and she was diligent each step of the way - it was a job she loved, after all. Diligence spilled not only into her performance but into her housekeeping - the tidiness of her area reflected that of her home (or vice versa). She'd been working in the labs long enough that she knew better than to disorganize, and it always felt better to work without nearby clutter. Save for papers and the remains of today's lunch, her desk was usually the neatest surface. Her computer sat idle and out of use, displaying its generic nebula image that Alina had set as her background. The colors were so enticing, how couldn't she? There was a clock on one of the walls, its ticking so commonplace that Alina didn't consciously hear it. On the other hand, she was aware that time moved in its own unpredictable way - workdays were either sluggish or quick enough to breeze on by. Even if it were the former, she never found herself overly bored on the job. Not even under heaps of paperwork did she complain. New things were bound to happen in the field of medical research, and there was little that kept her from pressing forward. If anything, she was moved by a thought she'd been dreaming of - something big, something grand, something in her hands that would always tie back to her name. A big discovery, a few lives saved... She couldn't place her finger on what it might be, but she was ever eager (and patient) at the idea. Making Q proud was not an unlikely consequence, either. Alina was not one to neglect that thought, nor did she forget that that wish of hers didn't make her unique from everyone else. She was well aware that a broad majority of Q's underlings looked up to her as one would a mother or role model, and that they, too, hoped to make her proud.  The Russian woman often steered clear of the flirtation and budding romance that went on in other areas of the MI6. What Alina felt for Léa was not a huge secret - they were merely feelings she didn't wish (or know how) to act upon. Her of all people catching the Quartermaster's eye? Laughable. There was still a long stretch left of lunchtime. The sandwich Alina had ordered was finished and its box pushed aside, leaving an aroma which now trickled through the air. She would have gone to wash up if it weren't for an approaching sound: the conspicuous echo of clicking heels that signaled none other than Léa's arrival. Alina listened, vaguely amused by how pronounced each step was. She expected that their sound would come and go and that Léa would merely be passing by, beckoned by matters of more pressing importance - but they were getting closer to her, weren't they?  Alina's head turned when there was a knock rapping against firm glass. When the Quartermaster entered, her smile was simply radiant. And if it weren't for that, Alina might have expected trouble - had she forgotten to do something important? Needed for a meeting of sorts? Her body turned to face the Frenchwoman, throat cleared with prompt attention. Violet eyes flickered from wriggling fingers to meet the older woman's gaze, and Alina was quick to return that smile. "Hello," she started, lips pausing in hesitant thought. Perhaps it would entertain Léa if she did not continue in English. "Madam...oiselle." A mouthful hopefully well-delivered by the Russian. Her knowledge of French ran very thin, but that was a display of what she had gathered so far. She sat up straighter in her chair, unable to help sliding a glance to those stilettos which had made so much noise. They were pretty as expected. "I am well ant work is well," she addressed both inquiries, deciding that might have driven Léa to visit her - a check-up on her activity. "I appreciate you askink, bot... There is not trouble today, is there?" A soft smile assisted the tone Alina was attempting to convey. She didn't want to seem troubled by Léa's presence, not at all; she just wasn't expecting a visit today. "Onless you are jost wishink to chat, in which case, I hope you hat a nice lonch." The last thing she wished to do was sound nervous.

LAIKA OF GS!

[Léa DuBois]

Q did generally enjoy randomly popping up unexpectedly and checking on all her scientists and researchers in the Q department of MI6. It gave her plenty of satisfaction to keep a firm eye on how much progress was being made, yet at the same time encourage those she worked alongside by constantly providing positive feedback or constructive criticisms. Miss DuBois was quite well known for her unexpected check-ups, sudden drop-ins, and surprise activity monitoring. Mais non! That was most certainly not the case today. There was nothing wrong with the occasional, more personal drop in. Though it was probably a little selfish to turn up like this and possibly interrupt the other researcher’s work, Léa did not seem worried about that in the slightest. After all, this was an important matter in some way which needed to be sorted out. A matter of the heart.

"Hello, madam...oiselle."

A tiny smirk played at the French woman’s lips as, casually, she slid over and half-sat down on Alina’s desk, her violet gaze never once leaving the Russian researcher. Léa would have been lying if she had said that she did not find the Russian's attempted French amusing – yet in an adorable way. That thick Slavic accent of hers did not quite suit the word “mademoiselle”, but at the same time, it brought a strange pleasure to Q’s ears which made her want to giggle like an immature school girl.

"I am well ant work is well."

In fact, the accent Alina had overall was simply adorable. Even when speaking English, the Slavic woman sounded cute. Though, maybe that was slightly hypocritical of the Quartermaster. After all, she too spoke English with a very thick accent. This was something which Léa was rather proud of; she adores the sound of her French voice against her ears, and simply loathed the thought of ever losing that delightful voice of hers.

“Ah, bien~ That is wonderful to hear,” Her words were as warm as the flame, her smile just as inviting as she addressed Alina light-heartedly. “I am glad. Mais, I do hope you have not been working yourself too hard in here all by yourself. That simply would not do!”

"I appreciate you askink, bot... There is not trouble today, is there?"

At that point, the words which next left Alina’s mouth caused the French woman to blink in surprise, left speechless for a mere moment or so, before she threw her head back and released a mirthful laugh. “Trouble? Ah non non non!” Léa chuckled, wiping away an imaginary tear of laugher from her eye. “Of course not, ma cherié. Alina, mignonne, you are one of the best workers in the Q department! How could you ever be in trouble?”

It was also a well-known fact in MI6 that Léa DuBois had the habit of giving everyone she worked with French pet names. It was merely her way of showing affection, and even though some people probably did not understand what was being said to them, they should at least be able to recognise the warmth in her voice when she gave those names to them. Simply, it was a form of endearment.

"Onless you are jost wishink to chat, in which case, I hope you hat a nice lonch."

At that point, Q let her eyes slide away from Alina so that they landed on the half-eaten sandwich. She sat silently for a while, her bottom lip jutting out ever so slightly into a pout. Well, that had ruined her plans for today.

“Ah non, this is terrible!” she swooned dramatically, pressing the back of her hand against her forehead as though she was about to faint. “Alina, why have you already eaten? I came here to invite you out for lunch, as a beautiful woman such as yourself should never be eating in a lab alone. And yet, here I am, only to discover you have already indulged in a sandwich!”

Yes, eating a sandwich! It was such an awful crime! Her theatrics were bound to win her an Oscar one of these days. If she ever left the labs of MI6, Léa would almost consider going into acting. She would probably fit right into that world.

The Frenchwoman sighed again heavily, this time removing herself from the desk with a small hop so that once more, she was standing in front of the Russian. Her arms crossed over her chest as she took on a more firm stance, before stating:

“This simply will not do. Mon dieu, I came all the way from my office to find you have eaten without me!” She trailed off slightly, glancing at the Russian researcher with a mischievous sparkle appearing in her violet eyes. “There is only one way you can make up for such a terrible act. You must come out and have dinner with me. Vendredi? Oui?” That last statement was finished off by a teasing wink and a playful laugh. “You and I shall go out on a date, ma cherié~”