:It's hard, because I can't claim you're a friend from work because... the Eyes know who else is an Eye.:

:I see. Are there departments other than the Eyes, where you might plausibly be assigned to work with a representative?: He smiles slightly. :I have never known of a government sufficiently transparent and well-coordinated that this could not be done somewhere without discovery. Though, of course, your computers may make this more challenging:

:...I mean, I probably could claim you were from a black site and then no one would ask too many questions... they'd all think you were someone else's secret. It's risky but we should probably take more risks because you have magic and they don't know about it. We should get someone to make you documents. Asher, probably.:

Leareth nods his approval, and watches Lev’s surface thoughts a few moments longer, trying to gauge how confident he really is - and any additional information about this ‘Asher’.

Lev is kind of terrified about committing treason but thinks this is well within the bounds of the kinds of treason he's observed being committed without an unusually high risk of the treason-committer being sent to a black site.

Asher is tall and good-looking and dark-skinned like a Haighlei. Lev's surface thoughts report that he is VERY ANNOYING. He is incredibly smart and good at math and charismatic and funny and everyone likes him and he's great at leading prayers and he speaks four languages and he's constantly embroiled in fourteen intrigues at once all of which always end with him looking squeaky-clean and he was formerly a track star and still does runs shirtless sometimes past Lev's office window. It is perhaps possible for Leareth to work out that the emotion Lev identifies as 'hatred' is actually 'attraction.'

Leareth is pretty sure that if they do get caught committing treason, he has some tricks the Eyes won’t expect, though of course it’s better to maintain their cover. 

He restrains a smirk at Lev’s thoughts regarding Asher, and decides not to say that Asher sounds like someone he will get along with rather well. :Good: he sends instead. :Shall we go now?:

:Probably tomorrow morning.:

Leareth will read the Bible for a while, then. Maybe it will even help him patch any remaining gaping cultural blind spots.

The first section of the Bible is an early history of the world. Lev left out that the rebellion was eating fruit. And that God killed off nearly everyone in the entire world in a giant flood for being sinful, and the rainbow is a promise he won't do it again. And God raining fire and brimstone on two cities for being wicked and turned a woman into a pillar of salt for looking back.

Honestly that sounds a lot like the petty-tyrant behavior Leareth has come to expect from this God. He’s...still pretty confused about the why. Lev’s God is supposedly omnipotent, but it seems like He often ends up not getting what He wants and retaliating.

Maybe it’s because of the free will thing. Leareth is confused about the free will thing as well. He wonders if Lev’s world has any philosophers with clarifying things to say on the matter.

And in the morning they can go to see Asher.

(Well, actually, the afternoon. Asher does not so much with mornings.) 

When they enter, he's sitting with his feet on the desk looking at his fingernails. "You're a bit of an unusual person to have an early meeting."

Leareth blinks, trying to figure out which of them Asher is addressing, and Reaches out with a light probe to check the man’s surface thoughts for clarity.

Asher thinks this meeting is going to be incredibly boring and is mostly thinking about quantum physics. He was talking to Lev, because he hasn't seen Leareth before, and Lev is a psychologist who typically steers clear of more complex politics. 

"I need full documents for my friend here," Lev says, trying to sound like he knows what he is doing and definitely is not committing treason in any way.

Leareth just barely manages not to dive into Asher’s mind with a deeper probe - which, empirically, people in this world will notice - just out of sheer curiosity about what ‘quantum mechanics’ is. The Bible hasn’t mentioned it at all and it sounds important.

He stays politely silent as Lev makes his request. :Lev, please think it to me if there is a script I need to follow:

:I have literally no idea what I'm doing!:

...well that's new. Asher stops thinking about quantum mechanics.

"Didn't know you did undercover work."

"Yes. Because I'm good at undercover work," Lev says, trying his best to sound bored and annoyed and not terrified.

:It is all right: Leareth sends reassuringly. :We can do this: He's taken much larger risks before – though not so far from home and his resources. 

Leareth immediately turns into someone who is definitely an undercover spy from a 'black site', for whom this is an ordinary, slightly tedious part of his day-to-day, who holds civil respect toward Asher as a fellow competent professional, and is utterly confident that this meeting will go the way he wants. He shapes his expression and posture accordingly, and dips his chin slightly toward Asher. 

"...I don't provide documents."

(Which is to say that he doesn't provide documents for the Eyes. He has a very rewarding business providing them for transsexuals, criminals, ex-Handmaids, and people who would like to disappear.)

:Lev: Leareth sends, without glancing over at the other man. :Are we telling him we are ‘transsexuals, criminals, ex-Handmaids, and people who would like to disappear’? Or are we playing it that I am official but for undisclosed reasons to do with secrecy of the mission we cannot go through the Eyes’ standard channels? I suppose we could imply I am doing an internal investigation, if that is plausible, but I wanted to check your plan first:

:Second seems safer.:

Leareth takes a half-step forward and leans in, meeting Asher’s eyes. “We are aware that this is not, ah, the usual pathway,” he says, perfectly level. “However, there are reasons that we cannot work via the official channels.” A knowing look. “Thus, we would appreciate your assistance.” He says it politely, confidently, and with a hint of boredom. 

That's interesting.

If Leareth could follow Asher's private thoughts right now he'd learn quite a lot about the secret organizational structure of the Eyes, as Asher attempts to slot them in.

"If I happen to know someone who knows someone who can do unofficial work," Asher says, in an equally bored tone, "they will no doubt require their usual fee."

"We can afford it," Lev says, and internally grimaces about the state of his marriage savings account.