Sahara Mint Tea - Chase/Carmen/Eleanor

Chase Devineaux struck a metallic light beacon into the sand and turned it on. "These solar light... things are handy," he dusted his hands and wiped sweat off his face. It was gritty and hot, and no amount of wind was going to make a difference once the night settled in and temperatures start moving below freezing.

"Good to know that the deadly sun out here is good for SOMETHING..." the female figure behind him replied, pulling a large duffle bag off her back and letting it land in the sand.

The fair-skinned Mis- Eleanor took the opportunity to pull her hair back in a messy bun, keeping it off her neck.  "You sure she's coming?"

Carmen had been hiding in a nearby settlement since morning, wrapped from head to toe in appropriate local garments.  By nightfall, she headed to the ruins where archeologists recently removed a statue from the sands and placed it in a package, ready for tomorrow's transport.  She was quiet, slowly moving in a modified vehicle with chains for wheels.

A glint of light distracted her and she narrowed her eyes to a darkened slit.  ACME's Solar powered light beacon gleamed in the distance. Of all the unnecessary disruptions...

"Oh, she's coming..."  Chase smiled, his white teeth showed in contrast against the sand on his face and the low light.  "In fact..." He pointed to the horizon where a section of sand seemed to be moving in their direction.

Eyes narrowed behind a pair of eyeglasses, following his line of sight and staring for a moment.  She didn't see-- that sand was moving! "...that would be the coolest thing in the world if it wasn't trying to steal the statue..." she said softly.  "Any plan for attack or are we winging this one?"

As the carefully camouflaged vehicle neared the ruins and Carmen saw through her zooming lens the gleam in Chase Devineaux's smile, she made the decision to ignore this light assignment, for now.  She had not expected the cavalry to enter before she made her move. While this was rather unfair from her perspective, it was simply too much of a predicament to run. She removed herself from the vessel and stood with the door opened for many moments.

"You're ruining this for me," she shouted.

"That's the plan!"  He yelled back. Chase was surprised she got out of that thing at all, and that she decided to talk before running made it even odder.  He looked at Missy with a shrug, "I guess we don't have a plan of attack. We're here to stop her, mission accomplished. She's not running."

Not running?  Carmen Sandiego?  ...what was it about that which seemed a little off?  The look of surprise on her face was obvious. "...well isn't THAT odd." she stated quietly.  The lack of movement gave Missy the chance to look over the woman's features. The pictures ACME had really didn't do her justice.  "So, what... are we having a tea party or something?"

Carmen knew for some time Chase stopped meddling in cases that involved her.  The statue was of relatively little importance, but Chief Weller must have called on him because V.I.L.E.'s other henchmen were keeping most of ACME busy.

She sighed, calling back, "Have you tea?"

Chase shook his head and changed his stance from 'ready' to 'ease'.

"Hear that, Eleanor, 'tea'?" he chucked lowly to Missy, "sounds like we're going with that."

"Moroccan Mint!"  He replied to the woman in red, "Yours if you come down here."

"I was being sarcastic." Missy shot back with a light annoyance. Were they really considering sitting down to tea with ACME's most wanted?

Yes.  Yes they were.  Eleanor inwardly winced.  'I'm definitely getting fired for this if anyone finds out...'

Thinking heavily, Carmen's eyes scrutinized the sights before her.  She was alone, there were two of them, and primordial instincts informed her that the odds were not favorable.

"You come up!"  She invited, unfazed and shutting off the engines, "I have a better view!"

"Why are you always talking about getting fired?"  He tapped Missy on the shoulders, "Come on, she's alone."  Chase urged her with a little push and started walking with his backpack to the vehicle.

"Turn back on the engine," he smiled pointing to Carmen's ride, "does this thing have a cigarette outlet?"

Resigned to the fact that they were, in fact, about to start casual contact with the infamous Carmen, Missy smiled and replied to Chase's question through grinning teeth.  "Well maybe I'd be more secure about my job placement if someone didn't demote me during important cases." Aside from the fact that this was a bad idea the other 70% of her was starting to actually get pretty excited as she walked up the hill.  After all... this was Carmen Sandiego. How often did one get an opportunity like this?

Carmen believed she had met the young woman walking up with Chase, but such as many detectives crossed her path, time was never present for a proper introduction.  The idea of sharing tea with one's acquaintances, whether or not true to the law, was rather refreshing.

"I have an international adaptor attached to a battery," she mocked a smug answer.  They were close, and she no longer had to shout, "Unless you started smoking, I believe that will do?"

"That'll do!"  He gave a brief wink and put down his bag to look for the kettle.

"Carmen Sandiego, Melissa Wayward," he nodded from one woman to another for the introduction, "and Missy, this is--you know."

Immediately Missy's hand shot out to shake Carmen's, an instant reaction to trying to make a good first impression.  Stopping she looked at her hand which was, in fact, caked in a mix of sweat and desert sand. She brushed it against her capris and tried again, even though the brush off had done little, "Very nice to meet you, Miss. Sandiego."

Watching the detective's small gesture of cleaning her hands, or attempting so, Carmen was pleased.  Few people had the manners, and fewer still had the galls to withstand desert heat and remain civil.

"Charmed," her lips quirked to a smile, taking Missy's hand without a rudimentary pause, "I suppose by now, 'Carmen' is appropriate."

Devineaux set the pot and tea, and then sat, sinking slightly into the sands next to the car.

"I can do this all night," he said trailing his voice slightly, "all night."

"So, what's with the statue?"  He said, handing Carmen some of Morrocco's finest in a paper cup and then giving Missy the same.  "I thought trinkets were beneath you?"

It was not surprising that Missy's attention was on their 'guest' (or were they hers?) and that between the new face and the worries of interacting with said face she failed to notice that Chase, instead, had a tea set up in his bag.  She took the cup and placed it to her lips without a word then stopped and looked down at Chase, then back at her tea, then back at Chase. "...I think I might have rubbed off on you more than I'd thought..."

After all, who brought a teapot to the desert?

"The statue..."  Carmen took the paper cup and removed her shoes, leaving them in the sand, "is nothing.  You're here, I don't want it, let us move on, shall we?"

Leaning against the vessel, she took a sip and laughed immediately, "Did you get these pine nuts roasted?"  That comment coupled with Missy's earlier remark on his tea preparation skills should raise a few questions about Chase Devineaux's ability to create gourmet tea with very little resources, but she remained silent.

He laughed, "Yeah, roasted down in the market, and yes, I brought the tea, you learn a thing or two living with Israelis."

Chase smiled to Missy, "I also have Chai in tea bags, that's just how great I am."

Smiling into her cup Missy took another sip.  "Well, next time we come out here I'll bring an easy bake oven and make this a proper party."

Carmen paused after Missy's remark and gave a short laugh, "I do have Eesh baladi, Egyptian pita."  Opening the steel door, she retrieved a warm travel bag, inside was a box of neatly wrapped flat bread.

"You still eat those plain?"  He chuckled. Eesh baladi was the stable traveler's food for the area, most of the time.  The desert heat takes moisture out of the even the softer variety and if you keep them long enough, you'll have to run them trough warm water before any hopes of consumption.

"That's all she ate when we came out here," he explained to Missy, then took a piece, "you should try some, it's almost like eating cardboard."

Not willing to seem fickle in front of an offer Missy took a bit with a thankful nod and started to bring it to her mouth for a bite, stopping just before to look at the two of them.  "How many cases did you two work in this area?

"One," Carmen replied, eyes veering to her right, "or two, both rather intolerable."

"And these," she kept the remaining rolls, "are better eaten plain.  I prefer not to pack honey, and such, they'll get everywhere."

"You can either have good food or dignity," Chase shrugged.  After finishing his tea, he looked at the stars, "It's starting to get cold.  Got your coats?"

Eleanor leaned against the car casually.  The cold breezes had started getting to her and her slightly sun burnt frame but she hadn't wanted to say anything.  "Yup." she answered simply and took a final sip of her tea.

"You'll forgive me, but I must head back before the temperature plummets," Carmen walked in the sand and picked up the shoes she had earlier removed.  "I have a plane waiting."

She lifted her paper cup to both the detectives, "Would you mind terribly if I take this with me?"

"Keep the cup," Chase nodded, and started gathering their things.  There was still half a pot of tea. "Next time we meet like this, no promises."

Noticing that the pot had yet to be emptied Missy was quick to snatch it from Chase's hand, pouring more of its contents into her cup.  There would be no tea wasted on HER watch... "It was very nice to meet you... Carmen." The referring to her by name came awkwardly, mostly because of a fact.  Despite everything, despite the theft and the eternal chase, Carmen Sandiego was still in ACME's Hall of Fame for one of the best agents ever. That's nothing to sneeze at.

Nothing at all.