Papers, Wet and Red (Asami/Elyss)

It was not often that Asami could be considered off her game. Even at her worst, when sick or otherwise distracted, she was the type of person that gave away next to nothing when at work. It was as much a matter of personal pride as it was professionalism. Yet it was certainly true that she had been a little ditsy of late.

It was hard to keep track of everything when her mind was elsewhere, so some things had started going a little awry. Captain Shuten and the other officers usually let her handle the lion's share of the paperwork, it had become her own little routine really, but now she was rather inundated. Still, there was no small amount of surprise in her voice as she was challenged by Elyss.

"Captain Kishimoto, how unexpected."

She paused, trying to gauge the exact nature of her visit and quickly deducing that it had little to do with what was in her hands.

"Yes, I believe those are papers. Mine or yours?"

Peering at the package that had landed on her desk, it did not take long for Asami to recognise them. The papers, that is. Some clandestine reports that the Seventh had requested about some spiritual people of interest down on Earth. It had been a couple of days since she'd compiled them, so why had they ended up in the fourth division? Well. There was one apparent reason. A few months ago, she'd spoken to Elyss about it in this very office.

"Looks like I sent some couriers to opposite destinations."

Suggesting that as a reason was neither smart nor funny. She enjoyed having a professional relationship with her peers and getting further on Elyss' shit list wasn't going to help with that. Still, a hand waved in the direction of the other piles of paperwork that were somewhat organised and distributed around her office.

"You have my apologies for disrupting your day, but it was certainly not intentional. I--" There was a momentary pause as she considered saying something else but caught herself. "Everything is just a little hectic right now. I took a couple of days off and now there's a backlog."

Asami could tell that she was being judged. But, frankly, she deserved it. Elyss was Kyo's friend, so it made sense that she knew a little bit more about what was going on than the rest of the Division. They had tried to keep their relationship separate from their work for just this reason, that had been something she had not needed to insist upon, yet she was the one getting all flustered.

"Well, they've all got their own stuff to do. I usually offer to..."

Surprise soon turned to dumbfoundedness as Elyss simply set about the task of helping her out. Asami rose from her seat and yet was stunned for a moment as the Captain simply equipped her spectacles and dove right into it. Perhaps this was a breach of Division Security, she could say that, or maybe say it was work that was beneath a full-blown Captain like herself. Yet those words stuck in the back of her throat as she tried to speak them, so she cleared her throat and set about straightening the fastener atop her head that had suddenly perked up.

"..Thanks. It shouldn't take too long with both of us on the case."

Asami was only further taken aback as Elyss doubled down upon her offer, offering her a further look of genuine compassion. Could it be considered pity? Probably. It was not what she had expected from Elyss, not by a long shot, and yet she could not bring herself to deny the woman. Because, even though it churned her insides to admit it, she really could do with the help. It was hard, to be honest with herself, but she was trying.

As predicted, by dividing the work between them, the pair would burn through the paperwork in little time. It was volume not complexity that had been weighing Asami down, and Elyss' attitude inspired Asami to match her pace. She was perfectly capable usually, it was just a matter of getting back into the rhythm and avoiding letting her mind wander.

"You didn't have to, Elyss, but thanks for coming through. I suppose I don't have any excuses now."

Sat behind her desk, still surrounded by paperwork but most of it now organised and ready to be dispatched, Asami peered across at Elyss and again tried to get a measure of the woman. Maybe there was something she had overlooked, or maybe Elyss actually wanted to help her.

"Nor would I expect you to. This was a personal problem, it shouldn't have spilt over into my work."

So Asami admitted it. There was no point in denying it really, Elyss had read her like a book after all, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. She was the one who was always focused on the job, never let anything distract her, and now she was getting lectured about failing to pull her weight. Deservingly so, but that didn't make it any easier of a pill to swallow.

"But if it were just a matter of putting on a brave face then I would be just as fine."

She forced a cheesy smile for a few moments, but it was a hollow little thing that certainly lacked much of Elyss' unnerving positivity before it faded away into a wistful frown. It was comforting to learn that Kyo had taken all this in his stride, not that she thought he wouldn't. But that was a part of the problem, perhaps - that she cared a little too much about how he was doing and not enough about herself.