Scene #9309: Udjat Movie Night

Owner	Pose
Distortion Dets.	The Sed Feast, an annual jubilee, ripe with mirth and luxury, is a day-long celebration of, in particular, the Udjat: for their loyalty and bravery, in the month leading up to her own birthday, the Lady picks one of her estates to treat the resident garrison to a grand gesture of her gratitude and humility. While excess is nothing novel to the aristocrat, the kitchens of her estates working tirelessly to fill the banquet halls with the City's finest food and drink, music and entertainment scouted-for and carted-out to estate grounds, eloquent speeches, and the Lady even mingling with the dozens and dozens of garrison Udjat, it's a time to reignite the fervor and sparks within the soldiers whose lives she takes and spends without a second thought. The festivities are to be nothing short of legendary, likely only to be trumped by whatever lies in store for next year. For the locale of this year's celebrations, the Lady Dias chose to honor the Udjat of her K-Corp mansion. Notably, it is the estate of hers closest to the newly fallen Wing, and notably, the estate of hers at which Tennant, survivor of Lobotomy Corporation, has been kept stationed. Its grassy lawns seem endless, its manicured gardens and courtyards overflowing with exotic flora and ornate statuary, fountains lit up like liquid gemstones flowed through them, and parrots nesting within the topiaries. It is, in intent and structure, an enclave of paradise, walled off from anything else that matters in the world, as if even the sky overhead belonged only to those viewing it from the gorgeous balconies and gazebos that dot the grounds. Petra Soroka, however, has not been invited to take part in the Sed Feast. Instead, a group of the Udjat, with Tennant at their forefront, brought to Dias a petition- requesting that Tennant's old coworker, now famed by rumor and gossip around the barracks, and who they've heard even the Lady is well aware of, be allowed to join the barracks for something of an afterparty they'd hold amongst themselves. As it was to be a night celebrating her Udjat, of course the Lady agreed to such a quaint request- which meant that Petra Soroka, from wherever she'd decide to linger for prearranged transit, was to be escorted via windowless military van and masked soldiers to the estate grounds. The air is cool when van doors open once more, the concrete of the driveway is nearly blue in the evening twilight. The Udjat barracks, unattached from the hilltop mansion that can be seen past gardens and ponds, is a somewhat small, squat, and plain dormitory that seems to sink into the hillside, with an attached motorpool garage and other evident ameneties- training grounds, certainly, but by the chlorine in the air, maybe a pool, too? With the trees and garden space atop the barracks' roof, one might hazard a guess that it's either hidden from aerial view, hidden from being an eyesore to those at the mansion, or perhaps both. With the same cold and precise choreography, the soldiers that picked Petra up escort her into the fluorescent-lit glow of the building's interior- and once she and they are inside, all immediately relax, the doorway threshold being both a separation between Dias' space and the Udjat's, and a separation between duty and downtime. The few even take their masks off, shaking hair free, and starting up mundane chatter as if Petra's presence isn't a consideration.
Distortion Dets.	'Hey, Nadir, what was with your driving? Were you trying to find every pothole in the Nest?' 'Aw, piss off, the suspension's got to be put to work! What if it got all tightened up on you someday?' 'Pretty sure that's not how that works' 'It is too!' Two of the Udjat, including the van's driver, bicker with half-silly expressions on their faces, punching at one another's arms for the poor quality of the drive. Another, almost awkwardly, lets Petra know she's already paged Tennant, that the little theater they've been setting up is just down a hallway, to the left, and down a flight of stairs to the first basement level. Those escort Udjat, though, after they disappear to freshen up, are feast-bound, having otherwise taken time out of their chance at the celebrations to pick Petra up. As Petra navigates the facility, there's a bit of a hush wherever she passes, as un-masked Udjat, resting or going about their tasks, stop and look her way, interested. Some approach just to ask who she is, all smiles and 'can I shake your hand?'s, or 'Hey, you're here for Tennant's thing?', so as may have already been clear by her invitation, her reputation precedes her here by far. In the basement area she was directed to (and followed to by a few off-duty Udjat), unlike the room-lined hallways above, couches, tables, and rugs are scattered around a large open space, to form some kind of general recreation area. A few couches and heavy curtains have been hung up in half of the area as a makeshift 'theater', seats taken up by lounging soldiers, and others that come in and out place platters of hors d'oeuvres, extras from the celebrations, down on benches and tables around, and an unorthodox array of both sodas and fancy alcohols, to compliment the afterparty atmosphere- half of the fluorescent lights in the whole rec room are turned off, further darkened (and thus made more casual) by the theater's curtains. This is clearly the work of Tennant- but they aren't the first lingering soldier to ambush Petra. "Hey! Hey everyone, atten-shun! Look who made it!" A bright voice rings out from a short soldier, who veritably falls over the back of a couch in order to approach. Others only snicker at the jokingly-used order, but the curly-haired young woman still beams. "Tennant! Tennant, look! She really showed up! What was the pool at that she wouldn't? I want my payout!" 'Wasn't one, Pearl, it's not a bet if you just say we'll owe you all on your own.' "Counts in spirit! Hey, so- me and the gang, we were wondering, you made a whole entire city just up and fly, right? How'd that work!!" Everyone in this room is a ruthless, combat-hardened private mercenary. With how casual it is, even while the majority of figures present are still in partial uniform, and the friendly atmosphere- how easy is that to remember? "Would you please give her a chance to breathe? She's, essentially, a guest of the Lady, after all. And.. be a bit quieter?" A tall, soft-spoken man looks out from over a couch, uniform coat folded over his shoulder as he holds an earth movie dustcover up in better lighting to read the back text. "Ah, but, you did make it? Tennant, I'll make some room- there. You're a guest, so-" Awkward, he gestures with the dust cover at the space he's made near their mutual acquaintance, or at least to let Tennant get up from the theater-setup to chat easier. Clearly he'd prefer to lurk near them! Alas.
Angela	YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE BUT YOU NEVER EXPECTED THE RETURN OF... MOVIE NIGHT!! Celebrating new friend of the Udjat PETRA with a DOUBLE FEATURE EXTRAVAGANZA Showing at 8 PM in the basement. Snacks included! --Tennant Naturally, the words 'Movie Night' were in a hella spooky font. And of course, snacks might be more useful for those who missed the feast rather than those already full up on a meal. Tennant is working on the projector when one of the Udjat soldiers shouts their name. Tennant spins around. They look much like Petra remembers them, though they are wearing their Udjat uniform (minus mask) right now rather than the Magic Bullet EGO uniform she often wore around the facility. They also aren't ARMED right now with either their EGO weapon or their khopesh and they have grown their hair out a bit, but they are wearing their goggles hanging from their neck rather than on top of their head like they used to. Tennant's expression brightens immediately upon seeing Petra which MAY be a surprise since last time they talked, Tennant was causing trouble, but even so-- "I'm SO glad you made it--and made contact with Lady Dias! I was worried that we wouldn't run into each other again but, gosh...! I couldn't help but gush a bit about what you were able to accomplish when we were working together--hope you don't mind. Everybody wanted to hear stories about Lob Corp and the multiverse so..." They do calm down a bit at the words of the man of the uniform--mostly out of being reminded that Petra is probably going through A LOT right now. "Yes, yes, Petra pick whatever seat you want--I can fetch snacks too. It'll be like old times-- I endeavoured to pick movies you'd like--" They are bouncing between thoughts rapidly. Another Udjat is sitting in the back, her head staring down at her phone. She looks up and stares at Petra for a moment before--when Petra glances in her direction, or anyone really--she quickly ducks her head behind the phone and continues poking at it. She has her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.
Petra Soroka	Petra is not, typically, someone asked for by name. The displeasure of her presence is usually forced on those around her, her friends emerging from those who either endure her until they develop familiarity, or are diseased enough in some way to click with her. Being requested is different-- sure, Lilian is the kind of person who would be offered a personalized invitation to the feast alongside the hostess herself, but hearing that she's somehow gained popularity among the soldiers enough that they want her at the afterparty feels pretty similar, to Petra. As much as she emulates Lilian in everything she does, the soldiers are closer to where she feels comfortable, compared to the actual fete. It has to be Tennant's doing, obviously. The idea that Tennant is hyping her up even now is... a little suspicious, but the pleasant feelings of her past few days and the invitation in her hand allow her to interpret it in the most positive light she can. Tennant kind of always has just been like that. The enmity that Petra swore she would have for them when they revealed their true loyalties was conditional on them being an obstacle-- and given that their testimony certainly contributed to Dias approaching her, they've actually been the opposite. So not only was Dias's interest piqued by whatever Tennant had to say, but the Udjat rank and file as well. How much of that is Tennant's doing, and how much of it is Petra's? Sure, Tennant had their way of assigning grandiose narrative to everything and rambling on enthusiastically about anything stuck in their brain, but the original material had to come from somewhere. Petra knew she was highly regarded among the agents, but stripped of the secure privacy of those concrete walls, what are her feats of routine heroism and constant help actually worth? Quite a lot, apparently. Moving from the small pond to the big didn't make her vanish into obscurity after all; one step, one zone, one paramilitary, one District, closer to having the kind of reputation that Lilian does. She's in high spirits when waiting in a relatively safe part of District 12 for pickup. Dressed in a compression bra under a tank top and green cargo pants , she makes jokes along the drive about getting a bag thrown over her head, unbothered by the masks and the silence if they choose not to speak until they're off. The last time she saw the Udjat, they were almost buglike hordes without any distinction between them, but socially, she has a bit of an affinity for those types. It is the nature of humanity to be interchangeable meat, and intentionally selecting iconography to direct the function of yourself is something she respects. 'Real soldiers' do, however, trigger a bit of insecurity in her, once she's brought to the compound. The paltry little war she engaged in didn't have any of the same vibes as something like Eidolon Squadron, and so the little parasite inside her squirms in anticipation of the iron-bonded cameraderie of a real paramilitary group, despite the invite. Being instantly accepted as a nonthreat around their casual chatter takes a massive load off of her mind and leaves her with no reservations at all as she's guided down the hallways.
Petra Soroka	She's not prepared for people to actively be interested in her, though. She's a tiny bit flustered at each person that either speaks or falls silent, rapidly running through her mind whether she has any reason to feel guilty for being treated like this and finding none. She waves at the people that look at her, and tentatively, then confidently, accepts the handshakes of those that approach her. Eventually she adapts to the point of taking it all in stride, and then she becomes interested in the Udjat in return. These are the people working under Dias, almost certainly instrumental in enabling Petra's own mission, and they're famously, fiercely loyal. "She really showed up!" "Yo." Petra raises up her hand, buoyed by a faint smile. Given the knowledge that it's 'Tennant's Thing', it couldn't be anything but movie night, but the setup of it is still nostalgically endearing once she sees it. "I sure did. I figured I promised Tennant that we'd cross paths again sooner or later, but I figured it'd be under less nice circumstances than this." "Tennant told you about Hydrochoeria? I guess it was related to the facility and all. An island's nothing, though; the tech I used could be scaled up to push a moon out of orbit. It has, actually-- not by me, but part of the blueprint for Hydrochoeria came from designs for a moon base." It's actually better for Petra to remember that they're all battle-hardened mercenaries. That's the social group she wants to be around, and especially wants to be popular in. The 'ace pilot' aspirational spirit never left her, and being able to get a new dosage of the feeling she had as the star agent after being deprived of it for months, even before the war, feels pretty good. She leans against a table, crossing her scarred-up arms over her chest to not intrude on the party too presumptuously. "She's, essentially, a guest of the Lady, after all." "I don't mind," Petra shrugs. "It's a lot of chatter to get through. I figure you guys don't get a lot of visitors. Speaking of, you all seem to know me already, but I don't know your names." "It's common knowledge the deal I made with Dias, then? I was--" "I'm SO glad you made it--and made contact with Lady Dias!" "Hey, Tennant. You kind of outdid yourself. This really is your element, huh?" Petra should probably feel more conflicted about seeing them in person again, but instead she pushes off the table to give them a fist bump. Months after the war, after Yuri and Cinder both became much more complex, Tennant has... ended up as Petra's closest friend among the former agents, which is a little sad to think about. "I thought we'd meet again and I'd have to separate your head from your neck, based on the way you were talking back then. Dramatic clash in the rain after an escalating political rivalry, I figured. You know how it is. But... you've got better taste in picking allegiances than I gave you credit for, I guess. Dias seems pretty alright." "It'll be like old times-- I endeavoured to pick movies you'd like--" "Old times..." Petra murmurs, while looking at the crowd that contains no one she knows, empty spaces on the cushions practically looking like corpses. She stays silent for a moment, then sits down on the armrest of the couch. "So I'm in for more 'how A Bug's Life was about the proletariat's duty to rise up' speeches?"
Distortion Dets.	'Speaking of, you all seem to know me already, but I don't know your names.' Again, interrupting others to be the first to answer, "Oh, right, duh! I'm Pearl, if you saw someone who looked just like me comin' in, that's Jet, no relation but it's kind of uncanny still? I don't believe her when she says she's taller. This is Hawthorne, and this is-" She introduces a few of the others, often to protest. "That dour fellow's Anang, and-" "Yes, and I can speak for myself? Anang, and I hope you've found everything well so far, though I'm sure-" "Great! Great, I'm proud of you! Anyways. You know Tennant, our chief! Hi Tennant!" Strangely, with the wave of introductions, 'rank' isn't ever actually brought up for the individuals. On paper, the Udjat, if Petra has done any rigorous digging or asking around, is a Hana-registered Fixer office, and each soldier a fixer. But individual grade is left off too. The identical uniforms clearly don't indicate it, either. 'Tennant told you about Hydrochoeria?' "Here and there, yes," Anang adds, not looking directly Petra's way. Pearl strides up behind where he's scooched and musses up his hair, getting him to shield his head with the movie box. "She's talking about making moons explode and you're not gasping? Come on! Tennant, you never said that part of it!" "What if they didn't know? Or you could trust that they'd make a fine call, whether that part mattered, Pearl." "You're impossibly boring! Sorry about him, I'll get him good about this later. He'll wake up, and his mask and socks are going to be in the freezer, mark my words!" "You'll do no such-" "Mark. My. Words." Despite that, and the generally avoidant demeanor he's taking, Anang cracks a smile at that. Barracks antics, pranks- a fucked up stew of stress, relief, and personal idiosyncrasies makes for such a sharp contrast to the machinelike performance the Udjat show out past the doors. To offer a bit of a reprieve from witnessing that dynamic, Anang gets up- "Petra, can I get you some sort of drink? If you don't see what you want down here, we'll send someone. If we're lucky, we'll send Pearl." "Freezer. Socks!" 'Dramatic clash in the rain after an escalating political rivalry, I figured.' "Maybeyoustillcould," Murmurs Pearl, as she glances between Petra and Tennant. "Old friends, at blade's length... Is that cinematic enough for you, Tennant?" She munches on a little appetizer piece, scooped up off a tray- something with heavenly flaky pastry, and caviar? And individual crumbs of something, delicately gilded in edible gold foil? It's savory, crunchy, and Pearl is munching through them like there's no tomorrow. 'Dias seems pretty alright.' "Well, we have her to thank for a lot. Including all this," Anang says, gesturing at the whole of the space. The people, the food, the facility- it sounds genuine coming out of his mouth, spoken firmer, and it's clear that the picture he means to paint is that 'without her, they'd be hungry, alone, and vulnerable'. Pearl, the prankster she is, still nods with the statement. 'A Bug's Life' "Oh, you've yet to screen that one, Tennant. Is 'bug' some Outsider pejorative for the common man, if that's what the general message of the film is?" He pulls out a notepad and a pencil, looking to Tennant for confirmation. A scholar of theirs, Anang is. Does he know that movie's an animated comedy about bugs? Absolutely not.
Angela	Tennant isn't exactly unsympathetic to LobCorp Agents and LobCorp Elites. They have spent as much time struggling in that facility as much as any other Agent--and, in fact, has probably lingered in it longer than most of them. It's honestly kind of unerving that loyalty to Dias lasted through all that. But maybe something out there reminded them. And kept them going. And reinforced their faith. Some of that high regard that most of the agents of LobCorp had to at least get on Tennant a little bit. And Tennant is pretty chatty and energetic even if they can keep their trap shut when it matters. Well, when they decide it matters. Tennant doesn't find DIas's mission and Lilian's to be contradictory at all so they don't even seem a little troubled by Petra's presence. "A moon out of orbit!" They remark. "I told ya all, there's nobody more ''cinematic'' than Petra." They approach and wave their hand over and then after some hesitation, offers it in the vein of a handshake. They don't comment on the matter of not getting too many visitors but they reason that whatever happened with Angela it must've worked out because Petra hasn't gunned them down. Nice! Tremendous! ''This really is your element, huh?'' "Well... It's always been my crew but it's nice to be back home, you know? Even if there's missing faces." A lot more than Tennant is implying because this is supposed to be a positive day, really. ''Dramatic clash in the rain after an escalating political rivalry'' "Could still happen. Man, if I died ''that'' way, could I even complain? That's the sort of ending that leaves an impression even if it's not a great way to get a head in life." But they're happy that Petra seems to agree that Dias is ''pretty alright''. "Yeah! Right?? Can't imagine working anywhere else. Sometimes you just see where the place is where you can make a difference, have a ''real story''. She's not like those Wing Heads and short sighted Syndicate losers. Wings, I'm glad you haven't had to run in with the Ring yet. You'd hate them. All about shock value, not culture." r''So I'm in for more 'how a Bug's Life was about the proletariat's duty to rise up' speeches?'' "You know it!" Tennant is shameless, flicking out their hand and showing a dvd case of Godzilla Minus One. "This is something more modern but there's a horror film I've wanted to show you for so long that I found out there. A real cult classic. But it's rough, so I thought I'd start with something a little lighter and more mainstream--" ''But I don't know your names'' "S..Samantha." The Udjat hiding in the back with her head behind a phone says. Tennant gives a thumbsup to the other Udjat. Tennant isn't one to bluh bluh bluh about rank and positions and all that while off duty. On duty, they are pretty strict military albeit one that is barely keeping their vices under check. Tennant bobs their head to Anang in quiet agreement but seems to not be aiming to plug Dias TOO hard. Petra's already here. They don't need to do the hard sell. All they need is to prove it. ''Is 'bug' some Outsider pejorative for the common man'' "Yeah! But in this one, they are also literal bugs!" Tennant is thrilled by this.
Petra Soroka	"I'm Pearl, if you saw someone who looked just like me comin' in, that's Jet, no relation but it's kind of uncanny still?" That's a fascinating and thorough piece of trivia that Petra didn't ask for at all. Pearl just seems like that kind of chatty person, but it's still indicative of the type of person welcome in the Udjat. Or maybe more than that, it's indicative of the way they're all so willing to treat Petra as a member of the in-group-- a sort of storied hero, who they want to be memorable to by any means necessary. Obviously Petra has opinions about that. "Can't say I have. You're the first you I've seen." Petra drawls, languid in comparison to Pearl's hyperactivity. Refusing to sit normal-style, she leans from the arm of the couch onto the back cushion of the couch, propping herself up with one knee to her chest while observing the buzz of activity around her. She meets Anang's exasperated look with a lopsidedly sympathetic smile, but Pearl's got more of her attention. "I do know Tennant. Technically, I can't ever forget their face." That's a fun little Angela-style joke, right there. Not that Tennant has the context for that, or for why the hell Petra looks like this now. "Tennant, you never said that part of it!" "They didn't know, yeah. They actually weren't involved with most of the stuff with Quicknest, and that bit was sort of obscure, since... well, I didn't blow up a moon, just a city." Petra digs in one of the pockets of her cargo pants to pull out her compact mirror, drawing out the reflection of Twopence the ratbot to float in front of her. "Actually, Tennant, you never even saw the video I took of me laying all the heroes flat in the final battle for it, did you?" "I've been building up Hydrochoeria way more since the Wing fell, anyways. There's an evil wizard tower on it now. And a restaurant for Chewie, if you can fucking believe it." "If we're lucky, we'll send Pearl." Petra snickers at the bickering and waves her hand about not stressing over the request. "I'm not desperately in need of anything. Are we talking alcohol or no? I dunno what your rules are like; either way, nothing caffeinated, at least." A tiny bit show-offy, Petra has a small glob of morphmetal sneak up her shirt to spill out down her shoulder in angular fractal veins, culminating in a tendril that drips off of her finger as she casually reaches a palm out. She snaps up a pastry and drops it into her hand without having to stand up, munching on it while feeling pretty self-satisfied with the way this is going. "Well, we have her to thank for a lot. Including all this," Petra nods, though she doesn't care that much about general acts of altruism. Really, she just cares about Lilian, and Dias being apparently pretty good about that sort of thing is an important qualifier for Petra being able to work with her because of that. "It's really not all that different from Trideag, now that I'm seeing it." It's a little different, probably, but Petra doesn't feel that way right now. "But I meant in terms of, like... intensity and purpose, and actually being competent."
Petra Soroka	"Well... It's always been my crew but it's nice to be back home, you know? Even if there's missing faces." The smile fades off of Petra's face as she eases back against the cushion. For the span of the exchange, the rest of the Udjat vanish to her, compared to the one she has history with. "Yeah, I bet. I'm... glad it still feels like 'home' to you, honestly. I would be even if we ended up being enemies. It's been... ten years or so, hasn't it, for everyone else? With you gone? You kind of got your ass put in that Idiocracy-style cryostasis. So..." Ten years from now, would Petra have anywhere to go? The most comparable place she had was Lobcorp, and in the span of one, it vanished and half of the faces she would want to see in it vanished too. Dull weight settles in her stomach, felt through attention rather than only just now appearing. "... So it's nice that the future ended up having something for you." "Can't imagine working anywhere else." "We did work somewhere else, dog." "I'm glad you haven't had to run in with the Ring yet. You'd hate them." Petra snorts, rolling her Silver idly between her fingers like a little fidget ball. "I'll have to deal with them eventually. The way I'm going, I'll have to contend with every major force in the City in one way or another, so I haven't been slacking on looking into them. Fuck the Ring though, you get it."
Angela	''We did work somewhere else, dog.'' "Mm?" Tennant says, zealotry in their eyes. "My heart was always here though." Though they pause and grudgingly admit, "The cinematography of the multiverse is definitely more varied and interesting. If I see one more BongBong soap I'll scream. Oh who is it at the door? Could it be BongBong's twin who is also played by BongBong? Hahh..." They shake their head in frank relief. They quirk their head at Petra's comment about not being able to forget their face. Tennant, of course, takes that as a sign of them being memorable to Petra and possibly ultimately having some kind of climatic showdown in the future rather than because of the whole jumping into Angela's psyche to assist her mind in coming to grips with living in the facility for as long as she has. Because how in the heck would they be able to predict that? From Petra's eyes changing color? Tennant has noticed but hasn't brought it up, though. Another sign that they can keep their trap shut when it seems important to. That being said though. They can't not notice the coinkydink that Petra's eyes are now the same color as Angela's eyes. But beyond that, the reason for them are just too fantastical even for Tennant to presume. Did Petra and Angela combine to form Petrangela? Did Angela find a way out and is simply masquerading as Petra? ... No that can't be it, this Petra is way too Petra. Did Petra just get golden contacts to express the narrative she had gone through changing her? It could be anything! But the fact they aren't bringing it up in front of the others suggests Tennant has intuited that it's not something to just casually bring up on a first remeeting. "I didn't even ''know'' there was a video." Tennant gasps. "Of course I want to see it...!" Petra hadn't offered to show it actually. ''And a restaurant for Chewie, if you can fucking believe it.'' "Chewie was a cannibal chef they hired." Tennant adds parenthetically. "Man that guy. ... ... Kinda surprised you hired a cannibal chef." Tennant admits, not that it doesn't make things more interesting than not hiring one but most poeople, even the ones keen on narrative, don't really seem to be too into cannibalism in Tennant's experience. Like in their personal lives. Being a chef on their property. ''It's realy not all that different from Trideag'' "It's not!" Tennant insists, with enthusiasm. "That's why, you know? That's why I'm sure that we can work together. We can both make a better City. There's no reason not to work together. Between the two of them there's no future out of reach." They pause. "Though you bring plenty of future yourself." ''I'm... glad it still feels like 'home' to you, honestly.'' "Even if we were enemies..." Tennant murmurs, their own smile fading, their hand shaking briefly as they bring their hand over to their other and grip it lightly. "...There's really only one man I recognize." They admit. "And of course Lady Dias, it's like she hasn't changed. But ... It's still real, what we have with one another. Because we have the same guiding light." Then they smile. "Besides, I'm glad you're ''here'' now. Out of everyone in LobCorp, you were the one that made the most ''sense'' to me." ''I'll have to deal with them eventually.'' "I'm sorry." Tennant saysw genuinely. "They're the worst of all. They have wrong opinions about Art."
Angela	Samantha, despite hiding behind the phone, is clearly staring at Petra and watching her every move and is listening very carefully, though she ducks behind the phone again whenever eyes so much as pass over her.