Dupleix

Dupleix is waiting outside the office when you arrive, clipboard tucked neatly against her chest. She brightens when she sees you and gives a small, polite bow before falling into step beside you. "Good morning, Commander," she says warmly. "I hope you're ready. We've got a fair bit to get through today."

Once inside, Dupleix checks the clipboard and nudges her glasses back into place as she reads down the list. "Mm... plenty to go at," she mutters, eyes moving from one task to the next. After a moment, she lowers the clipboard and looks over at you with a more determined expression. "We're getting today's work done today, Commander." Dupleix says firmly. "If we start leaving things behind, it'll just pile up tomorrow, and then the day after that..." She exhales and gives the clipboard a small tap with one finger. "So. We stay ahead of it. You take the first stack, I'll take the reports, and we'll get through it together."

The pit lane is quiet for once, with only the parked race cars and the faint noise of the event further away. Dupleix is sitting in the passenger seat of one of the cars with the door left open, one heel resting against the tarmac while she works through a checklist on her clipboard. Her Race Queen outfit is little more than a tight white leotard with black thigh-high stockings, but she seems more interested in the car than showing it off.

"Seat belts are fine... airbags too..." Dupleix mutters, ticking off another box before leaning forward to check the dashboard. "Mirrors, controls..." She pauses when she notices you approaching and looks up, surprised for a second before smiling. "Commander? I didn't hear you coming." Dupleix adjusts her glasses and shifts slightly in the seat. "I'm just making sure everything's ready before the next run." She taps the clipboard against her knee, then gives you a small, amused look. "I know I'm supposed to be a Race Queen today, but standing around looking pretty isn't really enough for me."

Dupleix is waiting outside the port pool at the spot you agreed on, a light summer shawl wrapped around her shoulders. The weather is warm and clear, and the fact that both of you actually have the day off has put her in an especially good mood. Her smile widens as soon as she spots you approaching. "Over here, Commander!" she calls, lifting one hand in a wave.

Once the two of you find a pair of sunbeds, Dupleix sits down and looks out over the water for a moment before relaxing back. "This is nice," she says with a quiet laugh. "No schedules, no paperwork... I'm almost not sure what to do with myself." She slips the shawl from her shoulders and sets it aside, leaving her in a pale yellow bikini before settling comfortably onto the sunbed. "We don't get days like this together very often," Dupleix adds, adjusting her glasses before looking over at you with a warm smile. "So I thought we should actually enjoy it properly." Her expression turns a little more playful. "And, well... maybe make it a day worth remembering."

Over the last few minutes, the sound of Dupleix's pen against the paper has grown steadily rougher. Her writing is still neat, but the pressure behind each movement is starting to show. One heel taps against the floor beneath the desk, faster than before, while her free hand keeps slipping into her hair as she works through another page.

Her phone buzzes beside the paperwork. Then again. A moment later, another pair of emails appears on the monitor. Dupleix stares at the screen for a few seconds before pushing her glasses back up and reaching for the next document without saying anything. Her shoulders are tense now and the neat little piles across the desk have started to spread as she tries to deal with everything at once.

"Just... a little more." Dupleix mutters under her breath, mostly to herself. She picks up her pen again, but her hand hesitates above the page as another notification sounds. For once, she doesn't immediately move to answer it. Instead, she sits there staring at the growing list of work in front of her, clearly reaching the point where someone else might need to step in.

Dupleix ticks off the final item on her checklist, then pauses. She looks back over the page, checks the clock, and slowly goes through the list a second time just to make sure she hasn't missed anything. "Wait..." she murmurs, adjusting her glasses. "That's everything." Her eyes move to the clock again, and a smile starts to spread across her face. "We're actually early."

The change in her mood is immediate. Dupleix sets the clipboard down and turns toward you, looking much more lively now that there isn't another task waiting behind the last one. "Commander, we have time." she says, sounding almost surprised by the idea. "Actual free time." She gets up from her chair and starts gathering her things before anyone has a chance to ruin it. "We should go somewhere before more work appears." Dupleix glances at you with a warm, excited smile. "Maybe a café? Or we could walk into town for a bit..." She pauses, already thinking through the options. "Actually, no timetable this time." Dupleix laughs softly. "Where do you want to go?"

Rain drums steadily against the windows while Dupleix stands nearby with her phone in one hand and the carefully planned date schedule in the other. The outdoor café booking is useless now, the riverside walk is obviously off, and the little market she wanted to visit has already announced an early closure. "Of course it had to rain today..." she mutters, pushing her glasses back up. "I checked the forecast twice." Dupleix looks down at the timetable again, visibly annoyed with herself. "I finally got everything organised properly, we both had the afternoon free, and now half of it doesn't work."

She is already trying to rearrange the whole day when you suggest forgetting the plan and simply spending the afternoon indoors together instead. Dupleix pauses, looking at you for a moment before her shoulders finally relax. "...We could do that." she says, sounding almost embarrassed that she hadn't considered something so simple. "Just stay in, get something nice to eat, maybe watch a film..." A small smile starts to return as she folds the ruined timetable and sets it aside. "I suppose the important part was spending the day with you anyway." Dupleix lets out a quiet laugh. "Alright. No more planning." She hesitates, then adds, "Well... maybe just a little."

The office has gone quiet for break, with Dupleix sitting beside you on the sofa instead of hovering over another stack of paperwork. She rubs her hands together once, then frowns and looks down at them. "My hands are freezing..." she says, flexing her fingers before trying to warm them against her sleeves. "I didn't even notice."

When you offer your hands, Dupleix hesitates for a second before placing hers between them. "Oh..." she says softly, looking down as the warmth starts to return. "That's... actually really nice." Her cheeks begin to colour when she realises just how close the two of you are sitting now, and she adjusts her glasses with one hand before quickly putting it back where it was. "Don't look at me like that." Dupleix mutters, already sounding flustered. "I'm just warming my hands." A short pause follows before her fingers curl a little more comfortably around yours. "You can keep holding them for a bit, though."

Dupleix unlocks the door to her home and steps inside with you, still carrying one of the grocery bags from the walk back. She sets it down on the kitchen counter and lets out a small sigh, looking much more relaxed now that the working day is finally behind her. "I know ordering something would've been easier," she says, taking off her jacket and hanging it nearby. "But we spend enough time rushing through meals as it is."

She starts unpacking the ingredients onto the counter, lining them up neatly before catching herself and laughing under her breath. "There I go again." Dupleix nudges the list aside instead of checking it for the third time. "No timetable. We're just making dinner." She looks over at you with a warm smile and holds out a chopping board. "You can handle these, and I'll start on the rest." A little more brightly, she adds, "And if it all goes wrong, then we order something anyway. So... no pressure."

Morning light filters through the curtains but Dupleix barely reacts to it. She is still curled up beside you under the covers, hair a little messy, glasses left on the bedside table, and neither of you bothered putting anything back on after last night. For once, there is no alarm to wake you. Just the quiet room and the fact that it is finally the weekend.

"Mmm..." Dupleix shifts closer and rests her head against you, clearly in no hurry to move. "No work today." She says it slowly, like she is reminding herself as much as you. "That still feels strange." A small smile appears as she keeps one arm comfortably around you beneath the blankets. "I should probably get up at some point." She pauses, then immediately settles in again. "But after last night... I think I've earned a lazy morning." Her cheeks warm slightly, though she does not pull away. "And honestly..." Dupleix adds more softly. "I don't want to let go~"

The office has been busy all morning, with paperwork spread across both desks and another stack still waiting to be dealt with. Dupleix has teamed up with London for the day, the two of them working through the stubborn backlog with surprising ease, passing folders between them and keeping your desk from disappearing beneath reports. Dupleix adjusts her glasses as she checks another page, then looks over at you with a small smile. "See? This is much better," she says. "You should've called in reinforcements sooner."

Another folder is added to the finished pile, and Dupleix leans back in her chair for a moment, clearly pleased with the progress. "Honestly, Commander, you've got it pretty good today," she adds, glancing toward London before looking back at you. "Two capable secretaries doing half your work for you." Her smile turns a little more playful. "And two office ladies sitting here looking after you all day..." Dupleix pauses just long enough to enjoy the implication, then gives a quiet laugh and reaches for the next report. "Don't get too distracted, though. We're still getting all of this finished today."