Dramatic

She'd always had a flair for the dramatic – he'd known that before he'd even hired her, with her resume printed on handmade, pink, scented paper. This time, however, she'd gone too far. He sighed.

"Penelope…" he started.

"Sir, I think it goes without saying that these were clearly unintended consequences. However, in my defense, you never said that we couldn't have a casual dress day, and how was I supposed to know…"

"Penelope."

The nervous blonde's mouth snapped shut as she nearly trembled in front of him.

"I don't care how this situation came about. It reflects poorly on the Bureau, this unit, yourself, and by extension me, as your supervisor. Now, you will apologize to the General, for making a mockery of his meeting, and to Anderson, for this gross invasion of his personal privacy. Then you will personally find something more suitable for Anderson to wear. When you're finished with that, you will return to your office, and you will stay there until the end of the day. Do I make myself clear?"

She stared at the floor and let out a mumbled, "Yes, sir" before turning to leave. Before she'd made it to the door, he called out to her one more time.

"And Penelope," she looked back at him.

"I trust we will never have to have this discussion again."

She nodded sharply and all but ran from the room, the door swinging closed behind her as she scrambled down the stairs.

He followed her with his eyes through the window as she walked over, first to the General and then to Anderson, and had to stifle a laugh as his gaze came to rest on the unfortunate man.

He really should've known better.

But it was her own fault she'd gotten in trouble. If she'd only checked the schedule for presentations beforehand, if she'd done it on a day when one of the most high-ranking army officials in Virginia wasn't visiting the unit, he wouldn't've said anything to her.

But, then, she always did have a flair for the dramatic.