Chapter Text
Junie stared into the empty black screen of her computer,staring down at a woman she couldn’t recognize. Short choppy green hair,exaggerated eye shadow,and an office casual outfit to pull it together.
About 2 years ago today she was working at a heavily powered company,a company she still held her chains to today. She had only taken up a job at a smaller undercover detective agency for the sake of that company.
Her eyes glazed over the shining name tag of her desk. It read a name that was barely hers. Juniper Beetle. A dumb name if you asked her,although not too different from her true name.
The silence floated in her office,not a single word breaking it. At Least it was like that until the sound of her work phone broke the soft silence of the moment. She let out a gentle sigh,reaching for the older phone.
“Hey mate,come up to my office I got some work for ya” a voice tainted with an Australian accent spoke over the phone.
She spat out a quick “yes octavia.” Agreeing to her request. She was about ready to end the call when she was cut off with one last mention from her boss.
“Oh and you’ll be making this one a team effort.”
Junie froze. She was well aware that her boss was well aware she hated team work. She preferred to work alone,others would tend to get in her way. She bit her lip,considering her agreement to the job.
“That ok june?” Her boss checked,snapping her out of her annoyed mind set.
“Yes ma,am.” She quickly responded back before finishing up the call. She let out a deep sigh of frustration.
She forced herself into this agreement. She knew what she was getting into taking this job. She could do this. She stepped out of her office,bringing herself to the elevator. She waited at the shining metal doors,considering her work. Considering why she took this work in the first place. She couldn’t find any other job who could handle her,customer service wasn't a career that really supported her in the slightest. She was snappy,rude,and blunt as described by the other employees and customers of the past companies.
She heard the elevator doors push open, and she quietly stepped in. She glanced over to who had clearly entered the floor before her. A woman with purple,tightly curled hair,and darker skin stood just barely taller than her. She was familiar with the beautiful golden rings of the woman and casual attire,that in no way said business. Spectra. Not someone she was exactly excited to be in a room with.
She despised her,she hated how everyone seemed to be all over her. She had the attention of anyone. She looked like a piece of art,a man made beauty. She knew why people gravitated to her,she was beautiful and kind. She knew even better why people didn't seem magnetized to her. She was rude,and really not all that beautiful. She was shorter,and closed off with a case of resting bitch face that drew off any kind of attention she would get.
She hadn’t realized her side glanced stare was very clearly being noticed by the work of art of a woman.
“Hello june bug” she smiled at her,with that stupid nickname. A name that almost infuriated junie.
She held her composure together and forced an awkward smile that looked more like an angry glare.
“Spectra.” She said back,giving her a slight nod.
They felt the elevator come to a stop with a slight shake,causing spectra to stumble back a bit. Spectra let out a gentle giggle,a laugh with a smile that made Junie want nothing but to scratch that stupid look off her face.
All she could do was hope she wouldn’t be taking the same stop as her,but when she noticed spectra quietly following her out,she couldn’t help but doubt that the gods had her best interest in mind for this mission.
It was worse when it was obvious it had clicked for spectra that this was her worker partner. A dumb smile arising across her face.
“Headed to Octies office?”spectra said,leaning forward to be more obvious in junies line of sight. Again with the nicknames for people like she had been friends with everyone straight out of the womb,which honestly junie couldn’t doubt.
“…Octie?..as in Octavia. Right. Yes.” She said,a sigh leaving her lips as she realized she truly was working with spectra on this.
Spectra pepped up her step a bit,moving to keep up with junies intentful steps.
“That's nice! She’s told me great things about her June bug. She says you’re a very good worker.” Spectra described. She had this calm,sweet tone to her voice. A tone that said everything was going to be ok,but a tone that installed dread into junie. She was only given more reasons she was so beloved by the world. She was god’s favorite for a reason.
“Mhm.” Junie nodded,keeping her words shortcut and snappy. Junie sped up a bit,her heels clicking against the floor of the hallway. This walk felt like it would go on forever if she didn’t get away from spectra,if she couldn’t escape what was presented to her as perfection.
She reached for the turn handle of Octavias office,pushing open the wood door.
A woman with a slicked back ponytail,white hair,purple shades,and an outfit that only really gave her the feeling of a summer dad,sat at her desk. She looked up as she heard the door open and gave them both a big smile.
“Glad you two could get here at the same time!” Oct happily chirped. Spectra gave her a casual wave and sat down at the chair of her boss's desk.
Junie walked up to the desk,glaring at the old seat of the office. A buildup of dirt and dust sitting against a leather seat. She would prefer to stand if this was her seating option. She carefully pushed the chair out of the way,standing in front of Octavias desk with her hands behind her back.
She could see a slight glint of worry on Octavias face, a worry that would say junie would be her friend despite there being no interest from her.
From what Junie could tell everyone was faking something. Specifically creating parasocial relationships between coworkers that couldn’t possibly combine this well.
“Well I've got a decently big case for you two. I think it would do you both some good to spend a while with each other. Maybe form a bond.” That last part was left with a glance from Oct to Junie. Like Junie was the one in the wrong for not wishing to create false relationships.
Although Junie refused to fully respond,her eyes laid on spectra. Who somehow seemed more than happy to be spending time with her. Like she was some sort of prize to win through the game of investigation.
Junie sort of tooned out Octaivas run down of the situation,not like it held much importance to her. It was always the same information that could be easily read within the file so she really saw no reason in her boss insisting on giving the rundown.
Once the tan folder was slid over to the two,junie quickly put it on herself to do the heavy load of this mission. It's not like she was sure spectra could do it. She wasn't bad at her job but she had her own investigation style. Something Junie only looked at with disgust. She couldn’t understand why spectra would insist on going so off course with her information,she had to be gaining something from it.
Junie took the folder,holding it tight in her hands as she flipped through the information. Small bits seemed to catch her eye,the story of the case being oddly familiar. She could tell spectra was staring up at her,surprisingly not saying a word in fear of disturbing her review.
Junie reviewed the information,realizing this case might be more complicated than originally thought. The situation was familiar,far too familiar. She took a deep breath,trying to process her new found connection to such a case. A story of a woman disappearing without any explication. A story Junie was under the assumption she had long escaped. Junie gently closed the folder,her hands still holding it tight. Almost refusing to let go. She couldn’t risk this job,even if it was a case she knew she needed to be professional during. This wasn't personal. She shouldnt make it personal. This was simply her job now that she was here…although she would have to report this case to her actual boss eventually.
“Junie,go ahead and head out with spectra to her office. She needs to review just as much as you do.” Octavia joked to her. A joke Junie couldn't come even close to finding amusing.
She watched as Spectra lifted herself from the tethered leather chair. And glanced at Junie with the same smile that seemed to never leave her face. She really couldn’t find a reason as to why someone would be so happy all the time. She had this everlasting smile to her,she despised it. It was a waste of time to smile at every single person that crossed your way. Acknowledgement should be earned in Junies eyes. She wasn't someone who could just magically allow anyone into her life in the way Spectra constantly seemed to.
She watched the woman walk out of the office,her jewelry creating a distinct clicking sound as it swayed around with her movement. Junie quickly followed behind,her eyes being caught on each piece of shining gold. It was like the sun itself had personally decided to bless her.
Once they made it to the elevator,Spectra patiently waited for Junie to take her place next to her.
Junie took her stance,leaving a glare from the side that looked up to spectra. She wanted to warn her,to force her to back away. Seemed like spectra didn't take that hint though.
“So any specific Information you noticed?” Spectra asked.
“Nothing Octavia didn’t mention in her run down.”
“..right..um,anything you find interesting about it?” She continued on, like she was almost begging for a conversation from her.
“…does it matter? It's the same case no matter what I think.” Junie countered back.
“Right..”
The shining metal doors finally opened,allowing them off to spectras respective floor.
Although Junie very clearly had no interest in an interaction,she could feel spectra continuing to glance down at her, like she was looking for something to discuss.
Spectra quietly fiddled with the beautiful rings that laid across her fingers,all seeming to be perfectly sized for each.
There were a few times where it seemed like she would almost speak,maybe just to start a conversation but it never resulted in anything. It only created an awkwardly quiet ride down.
The elevator beeped and the doors pushed open,allowing the two to exit upon arrival.
They stepped out,Junie following Spectra close behind to her office. Junie could already feel the dread of working with someone who was clearly so incompetent she couldn’t even work by the standards of the company without twisting them to her own ideal working condition.
Spectra opened the door to her office,inviting Junie to enter.
“Feel free to take a seat or something. Maybe we can get to talking while we review?” She offered. An offer that was clearly unappreciated by Junie. She had no interest in sitting and discussing whatever Spectra would insist on rambling about.
“I'd prefer not to.” Junie quickly said back in potentially a meaner tone than intended.
“Oh…uh…yeah that's ok! I'll see you tomorrow and we can catch up then.” She said with a sweet smile.
Junie gave her a silent nod before walking out of her office. She really didn't intend on sharing any sort of personal conversation with someone she could barely trust at such a job like this. This was a waste of time for her.
She didn’t intend on building a connection to these people knowing she would have to betray them later.
