Recruits [Princess Plot, Claire's side mission]

Meanwhile, Paige's mission, or "assignment", was to join William's forces with the intent to spy on his operations for the sake of Ania. With luck, she hoped to secure a spot close enough to William himself without arousing suspicion. Finding an entryway into William's organization was proving more difficult than she had initially anticipated due to the somewhat secretive nature of the recruitment drive which was undoubtedly to avoid attracting spies such as herself.

Spy. Spy. Spy. Paige repeated in her mind, and she found it difficult to connect an occupation that powerful to a lowly student like herself. When she thought of spies, she pictured men in fancy tuxedos with enchanting British accents, or women in classy red dresses who'd think of a dozen ways to fool you while they distracted their foes with coy smiles and teasing bats of their eyelashes.

Paige, on the other hand, was just a teenager in faded jeans and an old wife beater that was standing in a bustling courtyard, unsure of how she was going to start spying on anyone. You couldn't really direct a powerful spy thriller based on her current actions. At the moment, she was trying to make herself look like an attractive find for any scouting agent by standing tall, arms crossed, and fixing her expression to something stoic and intimidating. She was five minutes in, and she was already feeling like a fool whose face was getting a little sore from how forced her stoicism was.

Cain't give up already, super spy. Just wait a little longer, somebody's gotta notice ya sometime...

The suddenness in which Paige was addressed made the poor redhead flinch instinctively, and the way she turned to face the other girl surely looked too fast to appear casual and unconcerned. Paige studied the serious looking girl and considered the possibility that she was one of William's people. Why else would a random stranger accost her, all of the people in this courtyard? Though her deduction wasn't the work of a genius mind, Paige could feel herself shivering as pride swelled in her chest, she really felt like a spy!

Tough girl image, tough girl image!

Paige coughed roughly into her fist, then spat on the ground beside the other girl's feet. She stared at the girl's... mouth, "hopin' to meet someone important. Heard they're lookin' for people." Paige worded her response carefully, without outright spilling everything she knew about a recruitment effort. She wanted to appear mysterious, menacing, tough; just the kind of person William might need... she hoped.