<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/34/Rebecca_hall_06_%281%29.jpg)<br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">Maria Ewing </span></div>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/c6/Penelope-cruz-in-vogue-magazine-china-collections-february-2014-issue_4.jpg)<br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">Encarna Sanchez</span></div></div>Maria Ewing drummed her fingers on the cement and marble chess board. “Come on Encarna, make a move.” She tilted her head to look past the middle aged woman sitting across from her. The eleven year old girl was running around the pristine green of Gwenhwyfar Park along with a young boy. “I think that young lady you brought with you can only chase butterflies for so long before she gets whiney.”<br/><br/>“Sorry,” Encarna Sanchez said with a chuckle. “I’m not as well versed in chess as I used to be.” The Hispanic beauty moved a pawn down a square. “I bet you’re going to continue to wipe the floor with me.”<br/><br/>Maria leaned back as she examined the board. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”<br/><br/>“That’s what I’m here for,” Encarna crossed her arms and leaned forward. “In a way I’m kind of happy we can’t talk via phone or email anymore. I think meeting up to chat is a bit of a lost art and us corporate risk professionals get to bring it back.”<br/><br/>Corporate risk professionals. That was an interesting euphemism. “Is that why I don’t just get to file my first report and be done with it?” Maria moved her bishop.<br/><br/>Encarna steepled her hands and placed her chin on them as she examined the board. “That and I wanted to see how you’re handling your first field operation. So, how goes your recruitment?” She moved another pawn.<br/><br/>“Well, if by ‘recruitment’ you mean relationship.” Maria pretended to examine the board. “And it’s going very well. Diana keeps asking advice for the show and I keep giving her the, ah,<em>right</em>advice.” The bishop moved again and took Encarna’s knight. “And now this advice is veering into budget and security. On top of that I was able to get<em>more</em>jewelry into the show.”<br/><br/>Encarna’s eyebrows raised. “And the insurance companies…”<br/><br/>Maria snorted. “Insurance company’s conditions are going to be a cakewalk for any professionals even if they look intimidating. Thanks to me, Diana thinks they’re more than sufficient and hasn’t thought about investing more.”<br/><br/>Encarna laughed as she swung her rook across the board to defend her queen, taking one of Maria’s knights in the process. “At this point<em>I’m</em>tempted to steal everything that isn’t nailed down. It sounds like you have things well in hand.”<br/><br/>Maria idly moved her bishop back and forth by the tip. “And everything on<em>your</em>side is coming up okay? We only have three weeks until the show so if your people…” She moved the bishop down the board. “Check.”<br/><br/>Encarna scowled. “Shit.” She moved her king to the side. “They’re fine don’t worry about it. I know this is your first operation but be careful. I don’t want you coming down with a case of the ‘need-to-knows.’ Left untreated that can be bad for you.”<br/><br/>Maria suppressed a shiver. This wasn’t the first time Encarna had not-so-subtly threatened her but it never got easier. At all. “Okay well how about after the mission? Assuming everything goes according to plan…” She picked up her queen and sent it up the board. “Would it be all right if I kept this relationship with the ‘asset’? Check by the way.”<br/><br/>Encarna raised an eyebrow. “You’re falling for her? She’s pretty and all but I would think she’s a bit on the young side isn’t she?” She moved her king again.<br/><br/>Maria shrugged. “A little bit but we’re really clicking. Besides once the operation goes off Diana won’t be relevant will she?” A knight moved to Encara’s king’s flank. “Check.”<br/><br/>Encarna smiled in a way that Maria didn’t like whatsoever. “So long as you keep your occupation, your<em>real</em>occupation, private then I don’t see why not.” She flicked her king down with the tip of her manicured finger. “I concede. No way I’m getting out of this am I?”<br/><br/>“I suppose not,” Maria’s eyes left the board and matched Encarna’s own. “Is there anything else you want to know?”<br/><br/>Encarna stood up and hooked her tote on her shoulder she glanced over to her daughter who was showing off a butterfly she had captured to her new friend. “No, I suppose not. It looks like you have everything well in hand. I do have a question for you though.”  She paused. “Do you know a good place to eat in New Lyonesse that isn’t<em>too</em>expensive? My husband and I<em>finally</em>got a babysitter and are looking to go out this weekend.”<br/><br/>Maria had never had such a chatty handler before. Of course, before she was just passing on intelligence and had very little reason to get close to her “bosses.” She pointed to the other end of the park. “Nino’s On The Green is excellent Italian food and pretty reasonably priced for downtown New Lyonesse. Just don’t go tonight if you don’t mind.”<br/><br/>“Oh? Why’s that?”<br/><br/>Maria couldn’t help but give a smile herself. “I got a hot date there tonight and you don’t want to interrupt an ongoing operation now do you?”<br/><hr/>Merlyn University. For Maria it wasn’t just her alma matter but it was also the place where she got recruited. At the time it was really exciting and unique. Sure she couldn’t tell anybody about it but it didn’t stop her from dreaming about all sorts of high action hijinks. Wondering if this was a the path to being the James Bond of the private sector. All terribly exciting.<br/><br/>Of course it wasn’t until a few years later did she find out what being a “corporate risk professional” really was about.<br/><br/>Maria pulled up to Aquinas Hall and looked at the benches and saw nobody familiar sitting on them. God. Young people and punctuality. She scrolled down to “Diana” on her smart phone’s contact list and dialed. “Hey lazy bones!” she said with a smile when the young woman picked up. “I just wanted you to know I’m waiting for<em>exactly</em>two minutes for you before I zip off to dinner.” Her laugh betrayed any possibility that she was being serious. “Time’s a wasting and I don’t have all night you know!”