Le Emilene RPs

Choosing
Emily: ''Emily couldn't shake the thought from her head - the words she'd said. Divergent - Erudite, Dauntless, Fervor. So she'd fit in in any of those...all she wanted to do was ask Marlene for her results, but she knew it would be wrong to do that. And so, she found herself walking through the ever sterile Erudite campus, into the library again for the alcove to read late. Maybe if she knew more...''

Marlene: ''Marlene was sitting in a corner of the library, writing random stuff on her notebook. She was Divergent. having received Dauntless, Erudite, and Pristine. She could be in any of those three and she'd fit in, but she didn't want to fit in if it meant she'd stick with Emily. She wanted to ask Emily what she received, and she was, but thought the better of it. With a sigh, she began doodling.''

Emily: "Hey Marley, is that you?" ''Emily calls, slowly getting to her feet and brushing down her blue Erudite dress. As long as it wasn't Kyarah, she was good with anyone, but preferably Marley of course. Her thumb marks the page - she still can't quite see Marlene, but by the sound of the sigh she was rather confident about it. It wouldn't leave her mind till it was over...could she seriously deal with it now?''

Marlene: ''Marlene looked up from her notebook and furrowed her eyebrows. Sounded a lot like Emily, but she could never be too sure.'' "Depends who's asking."

Emily: Emily laughs, poking her head around the bookcase. "Who else calls you Marley but me?" she asks, raising an eyebrow in mock suspicion.

Marlene: "Maybe one of my exes?" She suggested in a joking matter.

Emily: "That is my nickname for you, Marley," she says, "Mine. Okay? Nobody else is allowed to call you by it."

Marlene: Marlene's eyes narrowed at her tone. "What about all of your exes, Emmie? ALl those who used the nickname I gave you? The ones that whenever I protested, you just let them keep using it? What's the difference?"

Emily: "You were always the more assertive one of us."

Marlene: "What's that supposed to mean?" Her eyes narrowed.

Emily: "Assertive. /əˈsəːtɪv/: having or showing a confident or forceful personality."

Marlene: "I know what it means. I just don't know if I should be offended or not."

Emily: "I purely meant you're much better at getting what you want."

Marlene: Marlene shook her head an closed the notebook.

Emily: "I don't see why that's anything less than a compliment." Emily replied, her violin in its case poised on her lap. "I'm going outside for a while."

Marlene: "Where do you plan on playing that? Every single Erudite here dislikes music. Or at least dislike us." Distaste was on her words.

Emily: She raised an eyebrow. "Outside...?"

Marlene: Marlene held down her urge to face palm. "Well, good luck." She grumbled, standing up.

Emily: ''She looked down at it - it had been made in Berlin, and she knew that very well. It was her tenth birthday present. Wandering outside and sitting on a bench, she began playing the Walking Dead theme tune, her thoughts just drifting away.''

Marlene: Marlene walked out the library, a mix of hurt, nervousness, anger, and excitement inside her.

Emily: Sighing a little, she begins playing a song her mother began teaching her to play, and she finished, singing along with it with a deep sigh, all the memories... ("Emily! You have to stop playing now, it's dinner!") ("You always sound so beautiful when you play...") ("I love you. I always knew you'd do well...") At the last one she almost loses her composure. "I dreamed a dream in time gone by...when hopes were high and life worth living..."

Marlene: ''Unknown to Emily, Marléne had never truly left. She was far in the back of a crowd that had formerd, looking at Emily with a proud look, but deep inside, there was sadness. What she truly wanted, she could never have. Or at least so she thought.''

Emily: She remained oblivious, deeply inside her own little bubble. "I dreamed that love would never die...I dreamed that love would be forgiving..." ''She doesn't notice the crowd of people talking, the gold emblazoned letters that empowered her firmly readable as the flag filled her mind. "Then I was young and, unafraid, when dreams were made and used and wasted..."''

Marlene: ''As she sung, Marléne slipped into her own little world. Tomorrow.. Tomorrow she could lose all contact with Emily, and she didnt want that. But.. What if they ran away? After how horrible the Erudite scientists treated her, and how much of a bitch the leader was.. maybe they could.''

Emily: "There was no ransom to be paid...no song unsung, no wine untasted," Unlike Marlene's mind Emily's was still firmly on Berlin. "But the tigers come at night...with their voice as soft as thunder... As they tear your hopes apart, as they turn your dreams to shame..." ''That night in Berlin. She'd recovered what mattered to her the most, apart from that which was already too far gone...and they, they were the tigers.''

Marlene: ''The French young woman was far too deep to notice how much more people was there. She eidn't want to lose Emily. She HAD to ask her to run away. Unless.. Unless they made themselves factionless on purpose. Since Emily picked a faction first, Mar could follow her. Make sure she was okay with it and make themselves factionless.''

Emily: "And still I dream she'd come to me, and we would live the years together," ''If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs, the bark on the tree was as soft as the skies. The wolf down below, hungry and lonely, crying to the moon, if only, if only. She would then proceed to push the poem from her head. "But there are dreams that cannot be," Yeah...there are,'' "and there are storms we cannot weather...."

Marlene: ''Her thoughts had barely ended when she was thinking of the poem. There would always be someone in between them. If there would ever be a 'them'. Knowing Emily like the back of her hand, she wouldn't even think of Marléne.''

Emily: "I had a dream my life would be....so different from this hell I'm living! So different now from what it seemed..." The thoughts of Berlin run rampant, bringing one tear to well in her eyes. "Now, life has killed the dream I dreamed..." The song ends slowly and beautifully, and Emily smiles a little bit.

Marlene: ''Marléne immediately panicked as people began to leave, which would lead her to be exposed. Then, she realized she could run. Marley facepalmed. This is why she wanted to leave Erudite.''

Emily: She decides to take the long way round, playing an old German folk song as she moves round the building.

Marlene: ''Taking the shorter way, she walks back home, twiddling with the ring in her hands. As soon as she's there, she flops on the couch, turning a random show on.''

Emily: She looks around the door. "Marley?"

Marlene: At the sound of Emily's voice, she jumped. "Yes?"

Emily: She laughed as she jumped. "Didn't mean to scare you...on our possible last day together..."

Marlene: Marlene's face fell, "Yeah.." Hesitantly, she spoke again after a long pause. "What faction do you think you'll pick?" Her voice was low, knowing she shouldn't be asking.

Emily: She lowered her voice too. "Fervor, probably..." she replied, "because that was the result I got..." Well, it was 33.3% of the truth.

Marlene: "I'd go for Fervor.. Hot guys..." She mumbled, staring at the fireplace. "Or Dauntless..."

Emily: "More for the hot girls than hot guys..."

Marlene: Marlene glanced at her with a small smile, "50/50, actually.. Although maybe you're right."

timeskip

Emily: Emily was walking up with Marley, visibly nervous.

Marlene: "Will you please calm down?" Marlene would sound annoyed, but a trace of nervousness was in it.

Emily: "Well, it's not like I'll be changing my life forever or anything." she replied, rolling her eyes.

Marlene: "If you know what you're choosing, there's nothing to be afraid of." She shrugged, throwing her arm over Emily's neck as they walked with the rest of the Erudite 16 year olds.

Emily: Emily shrugs. "We'll see."

Marléne: ''Marléne smiled and released Emily. Although her life was about to change, she didn't want to think of it. She'd follow Emily.''

Emily: ''She slipped the violin in its case under her seat as she sat down. Not for long though, as she heard her name being called. "Pick it up for me," she mouthed quickly, walking up to the stage.''

Marlene: Marlene sighed and nodded, her eyes following Emily.

Emily: ''She looks at the bowls a few moments, left and right. Fervor, Dauntless, Erudite.''

Marlene: She leaned in, wanting to see the decision.

Emily: ''She could use six weeks more familiarity. Then she could go. Run. She puts her hand over the Erudite water and lets the blood fall.'' "Erudite!"

Marlene: ''Marlene's jaw dropped at Emily's choice. Erudite? Wasn't leaving Erudite what they wanted to do?''

Emily: She looked confident as she people she knew nodded at her and smiled, a few even clapping her on the back, although that was mostly the little ones.

Marlene: ''Her face turned impassive, yet anger was hidden behind her eyes. She couldn't bare being Erudite. She just couldn't.''

Emily: As Marlene's name is called, Emily looks interested, her 'father' 's arms around her in pride.

Marlene: ''Marlene had made a small cut in her palm. Betrayal flashed through her eyes as she looked at Emily, but her expression hardened again as she neared the bowl of the faction she'd join. Letting her blood fall into the bowl, a crowd of neon-dressed people began to cheer. Loudly. With a satisfied look, she walked to her new family. If she passed initiation, that is. Fervor's initiation.''

Emily: ''Her mouth drops, and she barely even protests as Kyarah hugs her to comfort her on her way to the bowls. She watches Kyarah choose Erudite and stands up and cheers with her faction, hoping it didn't look as half-hearted as it was.'' "Congrats, Kya!" she cheered with a grin, not really minding talking to Kyarah.

Marlene: ''Marlene didn't even look at Emily. She was too busy getting hugged and such. After all that crap, she remained silent, watching the rest of the choosing.''

Kyarah: She interjects, handing Emily her violin with a smile. "I'm sorry about your sister."

Emily: Shaking her head as if she didn't need the apology, her voice is cold. "She decided she didn't need me anymore, so I should decide the same," she replied, looking at Kyarah and taking the violin with a smile. "Thanks, though." Erudite gets to leave last, so as the Fervor stand up, Kyarah squeezes Emily's hand.

Marlene: ''Marlene ran with the Fervor out the building the choosing had happened. She felt betrayed by Emily. She chose Erudite over her. Why?''

Emily: Emily blinked back tears, watching the Fervor run out, but watching that one particular blonde head the whole way. "Fuck..."

Kyarah: She looked at her, smiling and squeezing her hand. "Come outside with me?"

Emily: ''The Fervor were just running past that building once they'd taken the shortcut, and Emily paid no mind. She couldn't.''

Kyarah: She pulled Emily closer to her and kissed her.

Marlene: ''Marlene only spared one glance to Emily, hoping to send her a small goodbye. What she didn't expect was to see her and Kyarah kissing. That moment, her heart broke. She felt like crying, although she didn't know why. She had betrayed her.''

Emily: She pushed Kyarah off her. "What the fuck?" Tears were streaming down her face. "I lost my fucking sister and you use me?" Tears falling on the pavement as she ran past the line of Fervor, past Kyarah, not looking at anyone, and as soon as she was out of sight sinking against the wall.

Marléne: ''Mar had only seen the kiss. Not bearing to see it, she faced the Fervor and ran faster, until they reached the HQ. To her, it seemed a lot like the Paris experiment, but it wasn't.''

Emily: "And if this be....our last conversation, and if this be the last time that we speak for a while...don't lose hope, and don't let go, because you should know..." She choked back tears as she followed the Erudite, embracing the man she now knew as her father. "It's okay, sweetie." No, it wasn't.

Marlene: ''Marlene had a knot in her throat. She knew she'd break soon enough. After the tour, she walked to the first bar she saw, wanting to enjoy her first night in Fervor initiation and forget all about Emily.''

Emily: ''She falls on to the bed in her home. Her parents had told her it would get better...but it wouldn't. They knew nothing. It never would, not now, not ever. Placing the violin on the shelf she buries her face in her pillow.''

Separation Anxiety
Emily: ''She sits in the library, staring meaninglessly at the words. She knew why she was here - to get out later, but to get initiation done with so she could learn more before she tried to make it with - no, alone. Alone.''

Marlene: ''Marlene had hoped Emily would visit her. That she'd be with Em. Whether it was with her faking to be a Fervor, or something.. But no, she was probably cuddled up to Kyarah or doing the forbidden.''

Emily: ''She sighs, going up to her computer and sighing as she read her and Mar's old emails, tearful. Maybe Mar could get at them...'' "No." ''Emily cuts herself off before she gets hopeful. She opens the email account and sends something bitter.'' "Thanks for not trusting me." ''Obviously, she could do this as well alone as together. She takes a folder - empty - and a wad of paper, as well as a single pencil.''

Marlene: ''Marlene had been using her phone, using many apps, before deciding to skim through old and new emails. One had caught her eye. It was from now, and it was from... Emily?'' "You know I couldn't go back. I was done being a lab rat." Was her reply.

Emily: "I wouldn't have gone back if there wasn't a reason for it," ''she replied, continuing her writing of annotations on her paper over a drawing. If this didn't make a good initiation project...She continued for a few moments, finishing the drawing quickly and adding the final notes. Taking another piece of paper, she drew the world map and pinpointed Chicago, Paris and Berlin with small circles.''

Marlene: "You could have warned me, Emily. It would have helped." ''She closed her eyes, a small sigh leaving her lips. She rubbed her temples, wanting a beer. What? She did drink. She was just 16.''

Emily: "I assumed you'd know me well enough to know," ''she replied, this time making a map of the city for inference. Then one of Berlin, partially for inference and partially for memory, including of the plane they were carried in, the syringes, and ideas about a few other people on the plane. It wasn't exactly an initiation project so much as an idea for the future. If she got all these done now...''

Marlene: "Well I didn't think of it, Em." She glanced at the mirror and frowned. She looked horrible. She was sleep deprived due to all the training she had gone under, and had eye bags. Taking action, she put some makeup on.

Emily: "Well, that's why." ''She picked up a book and made a couple notes on manifestos and faction histories and their inconsistencies and flaws, copying a few passages on serums and chemical constructs, coming up with a few theories about what could be beyond the city and an annotated drawing of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, inside and out. From memory.''

Marlene: "Are you up for sneaking into Fervor for a night or two?" ''Marlene had taken a huge risk, and she knew it. There was a chance Emily would say no, but she needed her to say her. Wanted and needed seemed as if they were the same thing these past few days...''

Emily: ''Emily writes down everything she knows about herself, having taken various brain scans earlier that night. Unsupervised, but she didn't want to die. Annotating the picture of her own brain, she responded.'' "I'll come for Visiting Day."

Marlene: "Which not to mention, is also yours, Emily. And besides, I may not keep up until that day." Marlene was unsure whether she'd make it as a Fervor member. She was fully aware when she decided joining, but as long as she was away from Erudite, it didn't matter.

Emily:Her face was set as she types back, "You have to, because there's a reason I have to make myself vital here." ''She pinpoints the Bureau carefully on her map, as well as the old Allegiant HQ. On the same plot of land. She smiles to herself, and starts drawing a symbol on her paper.'' "The dream is expanding."

Marlene: ''Slowly, the pieces began to fall in place. Emily had something up her sleeve, and Marlene just hoped it was what she thought it was.'' "Emily.. Be careful."

Emily: "I don't need to be careful, I need to be smart," she responds, writing these words underneath the symbol. We dare to be brave, are smart enough to escape, pursue life's pleasures and life's perfections, we are kind and we are supportive, but above all we are the Free, standing together yet alone. Making a split second decision, she sighs. "Fine, I'll come, expect me in a few hours."

Marlene: ''A satisfied smile placed itself on her lips. Emily would never miss the chance of seeing her. Unknown to Marlene why, but she never did.'' "I always do."

Emily: ''She proceeds to put on some more casual clothing, buy a pair of clearly spray-painted sneakers, some wash-in-wash-out dip dye, a fake tattoo and fake nose piercing, with a pair of headphones to put over her ears. If her parents saw her...well, nobody would recognise her as an Erudite now. Buying a shot of vodka at the bar, she knocked it back in the Fervor manner, cheering with those who did. She looked like a Fervor adult.''

Marlene: ''Marléne walked through a club, looking around for a familiar girl. So far, no luck. With a sigh, she sat down in the bar, drinking a beer. That was when she noticed a Fervor adult with nose piercing, tattoo and headphones hanging around her neck. Taking a closer look, she noticed both the piercing and tattoo were fake. At the eyes, she grinned.'' "Nice seeing you again, love. You look like a punk duck."

Emily: Emily grins, talking in a much more relaxed manner than she would have just to blend in. "I meant to," she replies, running her fingers through her blue dip-dyed hair. "It makes me fit in just fine. But how does anyone wear this shit?"

Marlene: Marlene rolled her eyes and shrugged, "I've been here for just a night and two days. Don't ask me, sweetheart." The grin slipped onto her lips again.

Emily: "I have an idea," she whispered quietly, looking contemplative for half a second but quickly erasing the look from her face. "It's a big idea and it could take weeks for me to finish. You can get Runners' training right?"

Marlene: "Well, it delends how well I do during initiation. Afterwards, I'd get a recomendation letter. Then I'd get in touch and start training." She spoke slowly, wondering what stupid idea she had in mind now.

Emily: She nods. "It's ideal but not pivotal," she begins. "There's no way I could get it into Fervor, not without Kyarah realising it was me, but I'll meet you at that coffee shop sometime." She takes another shot of vodka. "But in the meantime, shall we get drunk as fuck?"

Marlene: Marlene nodded in understanding, yet grinned afterwards. "Yes, we shall." She spoke, taking her second shot of vodka.

Emily: "How will I get back...well, fuck it," She takes another shot, in peals of laughter.

Marlene: ''The Fervor initiate laughed along, rolling her eyes at her careless best friend and sister in all but blood. Taking another shot, her laughter never ceased.''

Emily: "This shit is awesome," ''she declared, throwing her head back, still roaring with laughter. Then 'Ich brauch'n Wildes Ding' comes on, and she raises an eyebrow.'' "Well, shit."

Marlene: The French initiate raises her eyebrows at Emily, who had suddenly stopped laughing. "You know that song?"

Emily: She nodded slowly. "German."

Marlene: "What does it say?"

Emily: There are tears rolling down her face in her silent laughter, as she shakes her head.

Marlene: ''Marlene silently stared at Emily in amusement. She'd eventually push Emily to her limit, which would hopefully make her tell.''

Emily: Rolling her eyes, she shook her head again. "No, I'm not translating this Scheiße."

Marlene: "Why not?"

Emily: "You really don't want to know," She answered with a light chuckle, glancing at the clock. "I should go, before they miss me back at Erudite."

Marlene: "The night's young." Marlene raised her eyebrows, following her gaze and looking at the clock. "We are only young if we seize the night. Tonight, we own the night..." She sung quietly, running a hand through her hair.

Emily: "Yeah, but you know how quickly you get missed, I don't want to raise suspicion." Emily sighed slightly. "I'll email you when we can meet again. It should be soon. But this time, somewhere different." Emily melts into the crowd of Fervor, offering her a smile as she headed back.

Marlene: ''Marlene stared at Emily as she walked away, an ugly feeling forming in her chest. She just ignored it, letting it pass as sadness, but deep down, she knew it was much, much more.'' "I'll see you soon, love."

A Very Erudite Problem
Marlene: Marléne stood in her quarters, looking out the window as the two newest Allegiant members trained.

Emily: Emily sits there in the back of the room at a very complicated looking computer, a certain wit meaning she gets the fast code as it comes, plotting the latest experiment - in Tokyo - on the map.

Marlene: "What do you have so far?" Marléne's voice was heard around the entire room, despite her being far from Emily.

Emily: "Tokyo, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Yekaterinburg, Soltau and Rome," she answers, eyes scanning the map. "London have taken action on Brisbane, and they're going to Tokyo. That experiment has been terminated officially," For a few moments she watches the members from her spot - she can make out a Candor, and an Erudite.

Marlene: "Excellent. You never fail to impress me, Emily." Her usualy smirk was on her lips as she stalked over to Emily, scanning the map.

Emily: "We unfortunately don't have the resources to retrieve ourselves at such short notice. Not to mention it's in Australia. However, should an experiment on American soil be discovered, we are able to - with the help of a few other Allegiant, reach it before London." She looks at the details she has on the Tokyo experiment with a slight frown. "Factions are as yet not formed in Tokyo, although it seems imminent." Done with her professionalism, she smiles a little bit at Marley, who had become nothing less than a sister. "Impressing is my job, after all."

Marlene: ''Marléne listened closely to her words, her eyebrows furrowed. A frown made its way to her lips, but was replaced by her smirk as she continued speaking.'' "Well, you suck at it most of the time."

Emily: "How can I never fail you at my job and suck at my job at the same time? That's illogical." ''Emily continued working all the while, while she was talking, marking both of their old experiments - Paris and Berlin - as "not recurring" due to the length of time it has been. Emily herself had this natural efficiency.'' "I'm still observing what they might have used on us before, on the hovercraft. I managed to retrieve a sample from Erudite headquarters. It was easy enough, while they were talking."

Marlene: ''Marléne shrugged, deciding to remain silent as she simply stared at her work. Her eyes later narrowed,'' "You went back to the Erudite HQ? When?"

Emily: She takes the sample from her pocket, running it through the computer she talks as she's working. "Last Tuesday - a strategic thing. They were all too busy celebrating that Mansfield had returned to see me go in and out to get this," ''She looks at what was coming up, names of things she'd never even heard of came in places, so she tries to work it out from the various chemical symbols, which then came to form something familiar. Running her finger along the scar on her arm, she leans back, looking interested.'' "Of course."

Marlene: "When did Mansfield get back?" She wrinkled her name in disgust, remembering an encounter she once had with Kyarah. "Next time you go, let me know, will you? I'd rather not find out days later that my sister ran off to our old living area." Her expression was sour as she spoke that sentence, before she shook her head. "What is it?"

Emily: "That Monday," she responded, "and of course, next time I should know when I'm going. That time it was a spur-of the moment thing." She frowns a little. "Transmitter, but one more advanced than any I've seen before. More advanced than any of Jeanine's ever were, and able to do much more for much longer. However, exposure to an additional transmitter will cause this one to cease working. Hence why we began to remember everything. I'll try to figure out exactly what they used to make it - I get traces of silicon, but not much else right now."

Marlene: Marléne nodded, "Do you think Erudite would have more stocked somewhere?"

Emily: She nodded in affirmation. "Positive. Even if they started off with one sample, they can duplicate it fast. Churn it out like machines." On the computer screen, she brings up a map of Erudite headquarters. "Kyarah's office is the most secure part of the building for obvious reasons, so it's logical to find it there."

Marlene: "Would it be possible stealing some?"

Emily: "Easily, as long as we chose our time carefully. The Choosing Ceremony is next week, so if I can work a loop into their cameras like I could last week, it should be easy enough to do that." She brushes her hair behind her ears. "I wonder why the factions have manifestos they never stick to."

Marlene: "Because they're corrupt and power-hungry. They excuse themselves with the need of "order" but they never actually bring order."

Emily: "Well, it's just wasted time," she shrugs. "We had factions, in Berlin. Until thru discovered something I don't think London wanted them to know about, and the first solution for them was annihilation. Bloody and corrupt..." She shook her head, to remove vivid images from her mind. "In its prime, it was a beautiful city."

Marlene: "Paris was a beautiful places... full of many beautiful places. There was factions, yes, but there was just peace." Her eyes hardened as she recalled the events afterwards, "The british ruined it all with their posh accents and tea and that crap."

Emily: "I quite like tea," she commented with a raised eyebrow. "Berlin had the best beer, though..." She looks a little distant for a few moments. "I wish I could just go back sometimes, to the smell of wurst and vegetables from the kitchen..."

Marlene: Marléne drifted away for a moment. "Je me demande comment la vie aurait été si l'expérience britannique ne avait jamais attaqué les expériences françaises / allemande..."

Emily: Hearing Marlene's French, something in it makes her slip back into her native German in a moment of relaxation. "Ich weiß nicht; es bedeutet, wir würden nie getroffen habe, und dies würde nicht existieren."

Marlene: ''Marléne was too deep in her thoughts she didn't hear Emily speak German. Her mind was set on the day it had all occured,'' "Mais ... sur le côté positif, au moins je ai gagné une sœur." She spoke.

Emily: ''Although still not realising she is doing it, Emily is subconsciously enjoying speaking in her native tongue. There aren't many she knows that can speak it - and the fact that the two can converse in their respective languages is something special. What might have been a smile creeps back onto her face.'' "" Won " ist eine interessant e Art, es auszudrücken." she comments.

Marlene: "Vous ne savez ce que je veux dire. Je ai trouvé la sœur que je avais voulu."

Emily: She understands where Marlene is coming from and nods. "Natürlich. Vielleicht verlässt Berlin war zu der Zeit eine Veränderung zum Besseren, auch wenn ich es nicht wusste." She sighs, entirely unsure of herself on this point, and unsure was not something she liked to be.

Marlene: "Probablement. Si nous savions d'avance, peut-être ce wouldn; t ont été demi-mal, mais là encore, ce est la façon dont il devait être ..." Marléne spoke quietly, looking down at Emily.

Emily: "Das Leben hat viele Hindernisse . Wir überwinden sie dafür, wie das ist ihr Zweck." She then pulls herself from her thoughts, drawing a sharp breath she connects two dots. "Scheiße..."

Marlene: Her eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

Emily: She looks significantly alarmed. "So, Erudite headquarters is here," she says, indicating the Erudite symbol. "We move into Fervor territory here, which from the general report is where she disappeared from in a north-westerly direction. Move fifteen miles north west and you get..." She gestures to a red dot on the map, looking increasingly worried, "the unused but undestroyed Foreign Communications Bureau. It's possible that she got it through London itself...in which case..." She trails off for a moment, "...in which case we're in a huge mess."

Marlene: ''Marléne was silent, her face impassive once again. If Emily was right, like she usually was, then they had a problem. A big one. She wouldn't, right? But then again, Marléne had once been her lab rat, so yes, she should have expected it. Nobody could have told her...'' "That bitch.."

Emily: She sighed a little. "She's had a couple months of communication, easily, and we thought she was off the radar. Anyways, after what she did...who knows how many times our ages have been reset? Her, Jeanine before her, and the English before that..." She shakes her head and rests her hand on her forehead. "Fuck. We have to do something...but other than violence, I don't know what..." ''She looks at her screen again and tries to think.  "There's a good chance she knows about Paris and Berlin," she finishes, not really wanting to say the final words,'' "and that she can connect us to it."

Marlene: "We'd have to stop her." Her eyes were narrowed, different tactics running inside her mind. "If not with violence... She's an Erudite. She must have it all on a computer. Why not just hack in and delete it all?"

Emily: "Since Jeanine, nobody's been that stupid. It'll be in print copy form somewhere, and if any of it's on a computer it's definitely encrypted and untraceable. Think about it...we're dealing with Kyarah Mansfield here. We can't stereotype." Emily frowns a little. "That and they've changed their security system, so I can't tell which one is Kyarah's computer." ''She begins running code until she finds one file. Just one.'' "It's a video file. Could be risky if we play it. Any verdict on that?"

Marlene: She's silent for a moment, before nodding. "Worth a chance."

Emily: ''She nods, scanning it for viruses or tracking cookies, but finding none. Not one to underestimate, she puts the computer on an anonymous proxy she'd created just in case...only to find, as it played through her headphones that she was still wearing, that it was spoken entirely in German. "She knew I'd find it," she says, pausing it just as it begins.'' "It's all German, all of it. A ploy." She translates smoothly as Kyarah begins talking, almost as quick as Kyarah is saying it. "If you found this, you have finally made the connection. I'm so proud of you for learning how to hack. However, I'm insulted you thought it would be this simple. Take note - I know what I am looking for and you don't. Take care, Beilschmidt. Also, you'd have made a wonderful Erudite. Love you," Emily was practically seething. "That presumptuous fucker," ''she hissed. Once she clicked back, there was a similar message for Marlene. She wordlessly hands Marlene the headphones.'' "I fucking hate her."

Marlene: ''Marléne knew better than to go around cussing her out, as much as she wanted to. Although Emily was like a sister to her, she preferred remaining calm. She grabbed the headphones with narrowed eyes, ready to listen to the little bitch.'' "That's two of us." It also seemingly appeared as if Kyarah felt something for Emily other than rivalry, making Marlene somewhat uncomfortable.

Emily: She read the lips and translated for herself easily enough. "I imagine your comrade just found hers and is currently in a worse state than she was. That's failure, and precisely why I do not intend to fail. I know far more than you could imagine, and if you want to play at chess with me, be my guest, Le Tallec. But I will win, and I can tell you that now. It's a pity you didn't stay here at Erudite, by the way. Love you," The same sarcastic tone from earlier shone through.

Marlene: Nope, not holding it in. "Fucking daughter of a bitch!" She gritted her teeth, handing Emily back her headphones. "Stupid slut, stupid fuckers! Fucking experiments have me going nuts."

Emily: ''Unlike Marlene, she handles this in steely calm. She puts the headphones back onto her head, and after a few moments of fully examining the Erudite server, finds their email server. She manages to make her way into one, and it appears to be one of Logan's back-up accounts. "Fight me, Kyarah Mansfield," she mutters in bitter contempt, but smirking when she found an unread email. It didn't say much, but enough for her to go on to formulate a response. 'What information have you acquired? I assume it is of the utmost importance.' Emily presses send, and smiles in satisfaction when she gets a reply, but then frowns again.'' "Distrust for her closest ally?"

Marlene: "Logan?" Marléne raised her eyebrows, partly in shock, partly in confusion.

Emily: "Believe me, I'm as concerned as you are," Emily told her, typing her reply. '''Oh, naturally. Have I ever disappointed you?' Kyarah appeared elusive. She did find a few interesting deleted messages, which she screenshotted and saved for reference.'' "Well, she's as elusive as she ever was. That's for sure."

Marlene: "What about her boy toy? Perhaps she maybe didn't necessarily tell him anything, but his apartment should have something. Or his computer.. The boy is too blind to notice."

Emily: "All I get is a load of flirtatious messages...pictures...and occasions where he frequented Erudite before her disappearance..." She frowns, looking at Wesley's apartment through the computer camera. "Loads of photos..."

Marlene: Naïve boy. "He'd be a powerful ally for us. If we use the correct ways and words..."

Emily: "We're on the same page," she says. "I have a slight idea. If we anonymously pass along the notion that Erudite were being dishonest to Candor, they'll make empty threats, which Erudite will act on. That will bring Dauntless to Candor's side if we release enough that Dauntless feel wary. Amity will then step in, and Pristine will feel it their duty to take their part. And Fervor...they wouldn't want to miss out. Erudite plans debunked by disagreement and conflict without making an established move."

Marlene: "Did you just think that right now?" She raised her eyebrows, "Clearly what I said the day we were first brought here still stands."

Emily: She shrugs. "To beat someone at their own game you have to play theirs, because they expect you to play yours. I'd rather do that as a last resort if we can't do anything else, because there's no telling what state they'll come out of it, and hell knows I don't want mutually assured destruction on my conscience."

Marlene: Marléne patted her head and nodded, "Well at least we know we're loved by her." She muttered, sighing. "This is probably for the best, though. This is either pulling us to the end of the faction system, or bringing us to our demise."

Emily: "Victory or death. Sounds like Battle Royale." she remarks, trying to brush off such a notion. "You win or you die, there's no middle ground." She pauses. "How many people do we have, approximately?"

Marlene: "A bit over 75? I do know it doesn't pass 90.."

Emily: Nodding, she smiled. "I need data from all of them if this is going to work. Strengths, weaknesses, loyalty, previous factions, weapon of choice, and whether they're more action or Intel. Then I can organise them to make this work. Inter-ranks, we can assign each group something they are skilled at, reducing the chances of including people who have no clue what they're doing in certain tasks. We have to come at them in ways they'd never expect us to."

Marlene: "That'll be easy. We can arrange a meeting with the rank leaders." Marléne nodded with a smile.

Emily: "I'll look over most of their files and our resources, and see what we can do with them. With access to the majority of faction records, we should be able to place our pawns where we need them to be to get Stravos. Once that's over, we can use him to manipulate however we like." After bookmarking the server records she uses the button that makes it compact and carryable. "Shall we go for a drink and a light snack?" she proffers, tired of the stress for a while. "I think you and I both need a break."

Marlene: "Then the only thing to do is the meeting." She inhaled and nodded. "Yeah, sure.."

Emily: She grins. "Fabelhaft."

Eighteen
Emily: After putting her laptop in her quarters she leaves the side building onto the grounds; it was a five minute walk to the main city. "Hey Mar?"

Marlene: Marlene chuckled and shook her head, walking by her side. "Yes?"

Emily: "Remember when we were eighteen?" she asked. "Well, eighteen for the second time. Because I do." She runs her hand through her blonde hair, waiting for Mar to answer.

Marlene: Marlene slowly nodded, wondering where that question came from. "Yes, yes I do." She glanced at her, "Why?"

Emily: "Memories... Also, you remember who was in our initiate class?" Emily's mind is far off into the depths of memory again as they walk into a small bakery/cafe just on the street.

Marlene: "Most of them." ''She nodded, a small smile on her lips. Why was she mentioning this now? Walking in, the smell of muffins slapping her.'' "Muffins.."

Emily: "Yes, but anyone specifically important?" she persisted, buying Mar two muffins and herself a slice of cherry pie, as well as particularly large soda drinks for the both of them.

Marlene: "...perhaps there was." Marlene replied, avoiding Emily's gaze.

Emily: "Why the fuck do you think she said Love you,?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, it was like, a week but still, both of us did it."

Marlene: Marlene looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Does it matter that much? We were young, Emmie.

Emily: "Yes, but there are parts of that adolescence, that did matter, and might still,Marley." she replied, eating some of her cherry pie.

Marlene: "Yeah, no kidding.." She muttered, her mind wandering off to that precise moment. "She was never the one who had my eyes, actually.."

Emily: She sighed. "No, mine neither. I never admitted the magnitude to the person who did, and I regret it now." Her mind slowly meanders to the same moment.

Marlene: "Can I know who it is?" She looked back at Emily, curiosity etched in both her voice and eyes, "Or are you too afraid of telling me?" She spoke, a teasing tone in her words.

Emily: She blushes a dark shade of red, and lets out a nervous little giggle. "Haha. You don't really want to know...it can't be that important..."

Marlene: She took notice of her blush, and her curiosity just intensified. "I do wanna know, actually. You never giggle. Come one! Tell me. It's not as if I'd tell..." ''Marlene points out. Although she felt a bit queasy inside, she truly wanted to know.''

Emily: "Marley, look at me and tell me you can't figure it out yourself," ''Her voice is earnest,and if such a thing is possible she blushes even more, wishing she could make the blush go away. She takes a sip from her soda, still dark red.''

Marlene: ''Marley raises her eyebrows, her gaze not moving from her. Suddenly, it clicked.'' "It.. Me?"

Emily: "Finally." She's silent for a few moments. "I thought you'd noticed."

Marlene: "I hadn't. Why hadn't you told me before? Since the first kiss we ever shared, I'd been waiting, but since we mever spoke of it again, I just.. eventually lost all hope."

Emily: "Like you said, I was the brains, but you were definitely the romance expert. It's the pain of mutual waiting I guess..."

Marlene: "Do you know how sexually frustrated I once was?! Not to mention the times I almost slipped up and kissed you."

Emily: "Well, I do now," she replied with a sigh. "Is it..."

Marlene: Marléne fiddled with the ring in her hand, not wanting to look at her, realizing how stupid it had sounded.

Emily: ''She appears a little guilty that she'd never really acted on it before now. She ends up singing a little bit from a song she once knew.'' "Sing, a hallelujah and get up and shout, tell me the sun is shining around the corner...whoever's interested in helping me out, please keep it happy..."

Marlene: Marlene looked up from the ring, recognizing the song, "I'm pretty sure you're capable of remembering things you did when you were barely just one year old." Marley decided, a small grin on her lips.

Emily: She seems a little peaceful for a moment, remembering. "They used to sing it in Berlin. Only in German," ''Thoughts of Berlin drifted into her head, and she kept going with the song so she didn't end up in tears over it, not in front of Marley. Sure, she cried over it, but never anywhere near Marley.'' "I'm only in the market for long, loud, laughter. I'll let you serenade me till dawn comes along...just make it a happy, keep it a happy song..."

Marlene: ''By the look on Emily's face, she figures she was reminiscing old memories, so out of respect, she remains silent. Her eyes never left Emmie, though. She had a great voice, as well. Figures. She was good in practically anything she did.''

Emily: She notices Marley is still looking at her when she pulls herself out of her stupor, and yet another giggle escapes her. "Guess your 'Emmie never giggles' theory has officially been debunked twice," she says, grinning.

Marlene: A grin found her lips as well, "No, no, your acting like a puppy in love when in middle school." She pointed out, her grin turning more mischievous rather than innocent.

Emily: Her smirk is slightly flirtatious. "You know that song I refused to translate for you..." she begins, on the verge of laughter.

Marlene: ''At that, Mar fell silent and slightly wary. She slowly nodded.'' "Yeees..."

Emily: "Welll....there might have been a reason for that that I didn't tell you..." She can barely hold back the tears of laughter. "Sie war'ne death metal rockerbraut, bittersüß und voll versaut. Die Sorte girl, die dich auch mit'm Hocker vom Hocker." She grins. "Get why?"

Marlene: ''Marlene raised her eyebrows, nodding again. German people are seriously dirty af.''

Emily: "Think about the chorus," she advises with a laugh, "I don't want to contaminate my mouth with any more of it."

Marlene: "Well, perhaps if my German tongue was more fluent.." Mar spoke with an eye roll.

Emily: "It doesn't take a genius," Emily replied. "But on note of songs..." She begins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSTOmJlauZ8, and doesn't stop until she finishes. "Get it now?" she asks.

Marlene: "Yeah.. I do." ''Her voice was quiet. She resumed fiddling with her ring, but her eyes, as usual, remained on Em.''

Emily: Her eyes posed the question 'Well?' 

Marlene: ''She nibbled on her lip nervously. It was an old and bad habit she couldn't bring herself to stop.'' "I.. What do you want me to say, Emily?" She sounded frustrated.

Emily: Something that might have been hurt flashed in her eyes for a moment upon hearing the frustration. "It doesn't matter what I want you to say." she says after a moment's silence. "Just speak your conscience."

Marlene: "Okay.. Okay.. Em, I.. what made you hold back?"

Emily: "You had that guy always staring at the back of your head, and you'd look back sometimes and it looked like a moment. It really threw me off."

Marlene: "What? No.. No.. Shit is what we had. Emily, you were always the one I wanted from the start. Fuck it, I still do."

Emily: "I still do, too." she admits. "But I'll bet you already knew that, right?"

Marlene: "Well, yeah, but.." She took in a deep breath, calming down her nerves. "I never really thought of it, thinking you didn't really mean it."

Emily: "Would I lie to you?" she asks calmly.

Marlene: "No, you're right." She mumbled, looking back at her. "If only we had acted sooner on this."

Emily: She sighs. "If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs, the bark on the tree was as soft as the skies. And the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, crying to the moon, if only, if only,"

Marlene: ''Marlene blinked. Poetic much?'' "Can we go back to the HQ?"

Emily: She finishes her things. "Okay, then." She stands up, having already paid for everything she begins walking to the door.

Marlene: Marlene walked by her side, "When did you realize it? Your feelings, I mean?"

Emily: "'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you..." She muses as they walk towards the doors of the HQ, but is hurriedly quiet as they see Ken and Izzy, and tries to assume the look that they were out on buisness."

Marlene: Marlene tensed up slightly, her face turning expressionless as it was during business. "Let's take the long way."

Emily: "It seems advisable. Are you satisfied with what we discovered?"

Marlene: ''Marlene, deciding to do something she's been wanting to do for a while, pulls her down the more secluded and dark alley, which would eventually lead them to the HQ. Glancing back at her, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on her lips.'' "Maybe."

Emily: "Only maybe?" She asked, teasingly if a little flirtatiously.

Marlene: "Hey, you're the one that craves this." She replied with a smirk, motioning to herself.

Emily: "I was under the impression it was mutual," she answered, laughing.

Marlene: "Probably because it is." She grinned, shrugging as she resumed walking.

Emily: Emily giggles, and then says her very favourite three words. "I knew that."

A Peculiar Message
Marlene would receive a very unusual message, from an anonymous number, about one month after the meeting at the club. Can you make it outside the city? It was unsigned, but it was noted that the phone had to translate the message to English.

Marlene: ''Marlene raised her eyebrows, reading the message twice. Who would have sent the message? Was it Emily? 'Yes, I can. Now, I suppose?'''

Another message would come through. '''Yes. The abandoned building, just outside the city. You know which I mean, yes?' As if just in case, a picture of the Allegiant HQ came through.''

Marlene: ''Marlene turned her phone off and slipped it into her back pocket. She grabbed her two knives and slipped them into the pocket inside her jacket, before heading out the Fervor HQ. It took her a few minutes, but finally, she had neared the abandoned Allegiant HQ, wondering why the hell someone would want to meet up there.''

'Marlene would find it cleared up considerably, as if someone had spent a long time here, and had had some inside help, easily.

Marlene: "Anybody here?" ''She asked loudly, frowning. She stepped inside, looking around.''

Emily: The now-blonde turned from her computer - a new one, from scratch and obviously very complex, and smiled. "Me."

Marlene: ''Marlene's hand instinctively went to her pocket, spinning around. When she saw Emily, she relaxed.'' "You're blonde."

Emily: She nods, looking up briefly from her computer. "No shit, Sherlock," she answered teasingly. "I mean, I'm not done yet, but it's coming together."

Marlene: "Oh shut up." She stuck her tongue out, walking towards her. "A few questions: Why blonde? Two, what are we doing here? Three, where did you get that computer?"

Emily: Emily shrugs. "I liked blonde." Pausing, she gestured around her. "What does this look like?" And she smiles slightly proudly to herself. "I built this computer."

Marlene: Looking at their surrounding, she raised her eyebrows. "A building that with help, could be used for something interesting?" As for the last part, Marlene rolled her eyes. "Because that surprises me." She spoke sarcastically, taking a seat next to her.

Emily: "A building that will be used for something interesting." She took out the plans, and a neatly printed, updated version of the Allegiant manifesto. "I've had some help from a few Amity. They don't ask questions."