OTA

[quartermaster_q]

Hunting down these sorts of men, the kind who bought and sold the innocent, seemed to be a pet project for Bond, and while Q wasn't totally sure what had inspired the man's mission, he respected it.

The first time they'd followed a lead like this, it hadn't gone as hoped. Though this time around at least Q was prepared to play the part. Currently he was alone in the bar, deliberately dressed a bit younger than usual, his glasses swapped out for contacts, and his hair styled in a way that made him look younger. 

Q looked young anyway, but like this he truly looked too young to be a bloody quartermaster.

This was just reconnaissance though. They knew their target frequented the bars on this street, and Q's job tonight was to simply catch his interest. He had tanner in his ear, Eve on his phone sending texts, and he wouldn't have been surprised if Bond was listening or watching as well. Though he was sure they were all bored out of their mind right now. There was no sign of their mark, and he was yet to be approached by anyone who might be involved in the ring. ...Or anyone, for that matter.

(OTA! Q is kinda on the job right now, so expect him to play a part, even if you know him. Your pup can be mistaken for the target, an associate of the target, or just get have a nice chat. If you're in the mood your character can even mistake Q for an actual possible victim/target. The choice is yours.)

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[quartermaster_q]

Q wanted the drink, and nodded his thanks, but he didn't stop working just yet.

"That's a very kind offer," he said, picking up a dainty looking pair of tweezers as he carefully plucked the circuitry from it's casing. "I may take you up on it one day- Though I have to admit, I'm wary of getting you involved in the mess."

He swore softly under his breath, dropping the tweezers and rubbing his eyes. He hated wearing contacts, and though he knew he ought to be a bit more careful, he took them out and dropped them directly into the trash.

"There's a spare pair of glasses on that table behind you. Can you pass them over?"

[codenameathos]

"Will they blow up in my hands if I put my finger on the wrong place?" Oliver could joke about the MI6 tech because he had once worked with it. But even as he said so, he picked up the glasses and handed them to Q. "We're grown men, you'll find. And we have a very hard time doing anything we don't want to do."

He couldn't see any of them turning down the opportunity to help bring down a sex ring.

[quartermaster_q]

"I never got around to adding a laser to that pair," Q replied, his tone so casual it was very hard to tell if he was being funny or not as he took the glasses and slipped them on.

"I'm not questioning your desire to help, or ability. I'm only worried about any black spots on me rubbing off on you."

[codenameathos]

"Like I said," Oliver replied. "Grown men." And Treville would watch their backs. They were well liked within Five, and the higher-ups at Six already disliked them.

Besides, doing the right thing definitely trumped such political concerns.

[quartermaster_q]

Q was quiet for a moment, reaching for the tweezers, then pausing and picking up the glass Oliver had poured him instead.

"Then... Thank you," he said simply.

[codenameathos]

"Don't mention it." There was humour in the words, even if it didn't sound like it, and Oliver turned away to have a look at what else lay in the lab. He knew better than to touch anything, but this was a rare opportunity.

[quartermaster_q]

"Anything catch your eye?" Q asked between sips, attempting to follow the other agent's gaze.

[codenameathos]

"Rather reflecting on how few gadgets we use at Five, compared to Six," Oliver stated. "The right balance is probably somewhere in the middle. What are your pet projects?"

[quartermaster_q]

"Six uses far less than they used to, and unlike my predecessor, I'm not much for exploding pens and the like. My current pet project is a focused EMP. Something that will only disable one thing at a time," Q replied. "Something on a nano scale."

[codenameathos]

"How would you calibrate that?" Oliver asked curiously.

[quartermaster_q]

"That's actually part of the problem I'm having. Big things are easy, you get a large radius to work with. Smaller things... Getting that pinpoint focus is very hard," Q confessed.

[codenameathos]

"I can only guess," Oliver agreed. "Do you work alone?"

[quartermaster_q]

"I run Q branch, so I suppose I have underlings... For the most part it's Tanner and myself though, especially on anything terribly sensitive," Q replied.

[codenameathos]

It still didn't sound like a team, and it made Oliver more grateful, again, for Vincent and Isaac. Working in a proper team; there was nothing like it, he had found since meeting them, despite the unfortunate turn things had taken in Budapest.

"That sounds lonely," he remarked neutrally.

[quartermaster_q]

"Not at all," Q assured him. "Tanner is a good friend, and I have Bond, and Moneypenny. We may not always be working on the same thing, but we're always working together in some form."

He smiled faintly then, and shrugged one shoulder. "I've always done my best technical work on my own anyway."

[codenameathos]

"That's the bit that sounds lonely," Oliver confirmed, although there was no judgement in his appreciation. They simply functioned differently. "I haven't worked alone in years."

[quartermaster_q]

"It's not for everyone," Q shrugged. "I enjoy being alone with my thoughts though."

[codenameathos]

"That is where we differ," Oliver stated evenly. "How is your wrist?"

[quartermaster_q]

"Sore, but I still have full range of motion in my hand," Q replied, glad the man had grabbed for his normal hand and not the one that had been... Improved, after being badly damaged.

[codenameathos]

"You ought to put some ice on it, at least," Oliver advised.

[quartermaster_q]

"Oh? Don't fuss me too much, Oliver. I might start mistaking you for a friend," Q teased mildly, looking at the other agent, then looking at his visibly swollen wrist.

"There's a chemical ice pack in the top drawer of that desk. Fetch that and I'll find a brace. You can help me slip it on."

[codenameathos]

"Your well-being is in the interest of queen and country," Oliver added on his usual dispassionate tone, even as he went to fetch the ice pack. He punched it once as he walked back to Q, efficiently enough to immediately set it to cool.

[quartermaster_q]

Q thanked him with a nod, offering the brace and extending his arm so the other man could help.

[codenameathos]

Oliver abandoned the pack to finish icing up, and put the brace on Q in the meantime, careful not to jostle his injured wrist. He wasn't as good at this as Vincent, of course, but he had basic first aid field training, and he paid attention.

[quartermaster_q]

"Thank you," Q replied softly, flexing his fingers once the brace was on.