Utterly Mad

Timeline: between 9 and 10 years before the cataclysm.

Characters involved: Catalina Sandell (AKA Catalina Anquiano), Oliver Sandell, Jared.

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Catalina smiled a bit as she looked through several papers. She was still a little nervous as she set aside from papers, waiting for someone at the old manor house she grew up in, and hadn't seen in a few years. Two people walked out of another room to greet her, both in business suits that contrasted sharply to the service uniform she was wearing. A younger man close to her age, and a middle-aged man. The younger one, in a checkered red and black suit she thought would look awful on anyone else, was a bit taken aback by this.

The older man, in a more subdued grey suit, simply walked over to give her a hug. "Catalina, feels like it's been a year since you've visited." he said, a smile on his face as he turned to the other man. "We'll finish our business later, Jared. And quit starin', don't want your face to get stuck like that." he remarked, to which Jared simply nodded.

"Got it. Sorry Boss. And good to see ya, Cat. Growing up fast I see." he said, before leaving the room for now, Catalina a little flustered. "It's only been maybe half that long, dad." she said, before picking up the papers again. "So what's the getup for? Thought your degree would get you a lab coat, not an army uniform." he asked.

She was a bit nervous at that, though offering him the papers that would explain most of it better than she would. "It'd take another 4, maybe even 8 years until I can get into the sort of cutting-edge things, Oliv...dad. Been doing a lot of smaller work to get through college, but I can finish things up this way. There's something available that'll put what I'm learning to good use, and finish it up for getting into research."

The explanation made the man, Oliver as she momentarily almost called him, go a bit pale. That, and reading the paperwork. He didn't even notice the slip of the tongue into a more formal address, normally only reserved for when the two were in the company of people he worked with. "Cat, sweetheart. You should've asked. I helped set things up, was practically pocket change, but could've paid it through completely if you needed to. Or...set you up with something reliable, better-paying." he said. The hesistation in his voice made it clear. He'd struggled all those years he raised her not to get her involved in the family business, but he'd resort to it if she needed to.

"I know you would. I also know it'd kill you to see me getting involved in this. Handling the first few years on my own was worth it though." she answered, but Oliver wasn't any less worried. "Still, you're studying up for nuclear research and such, what the hell kinda army school needs you for that? Am I going to have to explain to the other families that we're not branching out into starting World War III?"

She simply shook her head, bringing one of the papers back up. It had her name listed as Catalina Anguiano. Her mother's maiden name, rather than Sandell. "I don't know what they'd specifically want my degree for, but that won't be needed. I hope this would send the right message to anyone that'd notice it." she said.

"They'll figure it out, yeah..."