Living in the Shadows: IC, your run might be over... Options

[Morgannah]

12:03:46 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo was careful to clear each of the rooms they stepped through on their way to the shoebox on the other side of the walk-in freezer. There were places she would have rather gone, of course, places that had an alternative exit, at least. Still, the fact that even the kitchen staff made a point of ignoring the two of them was comforting. She was dressed to stand out .. not to be remembered.

Even the briefest glance was enough to tell Cosmo that all of her gear was present. She made a show of glaring over her shoulder at Tino's kindly advice before winking broadly and chuckling as she went over to the small pile of gear.

"Four stun, two smoke, two IR smoke, two patches, and the jumpsuit, size five. Tino, you are a wizard!" Deep dimples peeked out of each cheek as she grinned up at the Italian. "How was breakfast?"

[grendel]

12:05:03 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Drago finished his mojito in one long gulp, pretending to ignore Cosmo's looks.

"She was delicious, thank you. Oh, you mean the food? That was palatable as well."

The self-satisfied curl to his lips would not have been out of place on a fox in a henhouse. Cosmo didn't doubt that that was a situation Drago had been in a dozen times before. The older italian shifted gears with the smoothness of a Ferrari's transmission, a charming smile the promised all the attention she could want appearing on his face.

"I don't suppose I could interest you in some lunch, bella signora?"

[Morgannah]

12:05:48 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Unable to help the laugh that slipped out at Tino's smile, she wiggled her eyebrows and carefully packed the new equipment into her soft-sided duffel bag. Rising gracefully, she offered a slim credstick and another wink.

"Business first, Drago. Thirty two hundred for the gear and two hundred for your breakfast, should do it, hmm?"

At Tino's slight nod of assent, Cosmo nodded as well and passed the credstick into his waiting hand.

"Lunch would be lovely, Tino. Grazie."

[grendel]

12:37:21 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Drago leaned back in his chair, dabbing at the corner of his mouth with his napkin and sipping from his wineglass. Lunch was light; ensalata, prima pasta, and then a sauteed chicken breast dusted with a white wine sauce that Drago would not reveal the ingredients to despite Cosmo's best efforts at persuasion. Well, maybe not her best, but certainly the most persuasive she could be in public. A soft chime rang from his wrist chronograph, and Drago stood, bowing slightly and brushing his lips across the back of Cosmo's hand.

"Grazie, signora, your presence made the meal divine. But I regret that I have a prior engagement, prego, stay as long as you like, the fare is on me."

Straightening, he retrieved his data display unit from beside his chair and headed back into the bar.

[Cedric Rolfsson]

19:59:01 January 6, 2063 - Neon Dreams- Ravenna

"Ya, Angel is working the floor tonight. She's in the V.I.P. lounge right now, but I'll get her a message. Who should I say is asking?"

Erebus shot her a tough look, like he was really going to give her his name.

"Just tell her its a friend, and then she decide what to do."

The chick looked pissed but Erebus didn't much care, she should know better than to go asking for names. After the waitress stomped off he looked around the room, watching the people more than the dancers. The dancers were wiz and all but the people watching were far more interesting to him.

The crowd was a blend of college kids, younger corpers, and street toughs, all drinking and tossing money. Part of Erebus wanted to join in, to be like these other people who all about his own age, he wanted to feel free to revel in being young and tough and ready to grab life by the throat. He used to feel like that, back when he'd been running the streets of Berlin, but it seemed almost a lifetime ago. Now his unconscious self simply scanned the room, seeing but not seeing the nearly naked girls grinding and thrashing to the music, paying more attention to crowd and the possibility of a threat than the naked and nearly naked girls.

He watched the waitress slide up out of the corner of his eye, and only turned to her when she came within arm's reach. She set two tumblers of synthahol on the small table along with a small pile of bills and left with out a word. Erebus snorted and the thought of a tip vanished, he pocketed all the bills.

He sat and watched and thought for only another couple of songs, clinically observing that the young norm on the satellite stage had to be double jointed at the hips, until he saw Angel come stalking across the floor, wearing tonight's uniform of 4 inch spike heels, an abrupt halter of looked like liquid chrome and black Plycra short-shorts.

At only 5'6" she didn't tower over anyone and normally a crowd would swallow someone that sized whole, but all the people in the world couldn't keep eyes from following Angel. Her beauty was girl-next-door rather than the classical swan like lines, she was all curves and soft flesh and sex appeal. Erebus watched her stalk across the room, smiling and blushing, looking edible. She caught his eye as she got closer and grinned at him, sliding her hands slowly down her bare waist, and undressed herself with his eyes.

They were both smiling and chuckling by the time she got to his table. She slid into the other chair and appropriated one of his drinks, which was fine he hated gin anyway. He'd ordered them for her.

"So what's up Tiger? You slumming or looking to show a girl a good time?" Angel's voice had none of the sexy sultriness that one expected with a girl that looked like her. It was real and normal and slightly off key with the tiniest hint of a Southern accent. Erebus found it one of her more attractive features, it was real.

"Nah, I'm just wandering through and thought I'd stop in to see you." Erebus looked around a little and leaned closer.

"I was also wondering if you might be up to providing a vice for a possible extraction I might be working? Nothing firm, just speculating and setting the stage. I want to make sure that I have my options worked out before I take the job. It's all low risk, just want you to flirt and maybe allow yourself to be convinced to take a certain individual home with you if I need you to. Nothing else."

Erebus showed her a grin, he knew that Angel had a jones for shadowrunners, she knew most of the shadow gossip and rumors going around town. She knew that he worked the shadows to some extent, Max and he had met here before and she knew something of the fixer. He figured offering her a chance to actually get involved on the edges of a real run, albeit a minor one, would really light her fire. Even if the run never panned out, just making the suggestion wouldn't hurt.

He hadn't bothered to do more than begin the prep work for an extraction he didn't even know was real or not, but things in the shadows moved fast and it was always best to know what angles you could play before getting mixed up in the furball.

[Morgannah]

13:11:06 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Cosmo hadn't lingered over her lunch despite the excellent quality of the fare and the charming ambiance of Il Grano's less formal dining lounge. Even though she hadn't budgeted time for her lunch today the opportunity to cozy up to a contact wasn't lost on her; the value of that prospect alone was well worth postponing her schedule by half an hour.

She smiled, balancing an awkward paper tray on one arm while she buzzed apartment 3G. The four tall cups of coffee threatened to splash at any moment with the very real potential to ruin the soft white cashmere sweater she'd paired with jeans for this trip. A paper bag filled with delectable pastries dangled from her fingers, anxious to find out if Mr. Andersen was in this afternoon.

"Sean? Hello? It's Lisa from yesterday and .. and .. I need your help!"

Lisa Taylor put just the right amount of desperation into her voice to keep her true motive a secret.

[grendel]

13:13:28 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

After a long pause, during which any number of myriad contingencies spin through Cosmo's mind, the speaker clicks on.

"Who?" asks the tinny, obviously confused voice.

"Lisa, Lisa Taylor? You let me in yesterday when I forgot my keys." Cosmo enunciates very clearly, keeping her tone light and sweet.

"Oh, right." Sean's voice was less confused, but he was obviously still having trouble placing the name. The front lock buzzed anyway, and she snatched at the handle, carefully balancing the weight of her packages against the torque required to pull open the security door. Once inside, she headed for the elevator.

[Morgannah]

13:14:03 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Cosmo was on a low simmer all the way up the elevator, no weapon she'd ever held in recent memory seemed as inviting as a cup of steaming hot coffee.

It's barely been a day! She fumed, her pale cheeks flushed with irritation. How could he have forgotten so soon? Stalking out of the elevator with an indignant huff, she strode down the hallway, undeserved gifts in hand, and rapped on the door.

3G, I'll ram it up his..

Lisa took a deep, calming breath and stepped into character, hoping that she wouldn't sound too sweet in her effort to remain pleasant. A shy, dimpled smile was locked and loaded, ready for the eventual appearance of Sean Andersen and her flushed cheeks would appear to be nothing more than an embarassed blush. She held out the tray of coffee and the bag of pastries as an offering once the door was opened.

"Hey, Sean," she started breathlessly, "sorry to bug you. Do you like coffee?"

[grendel]

13:14:27 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Sean blinks in surprise and recognition, his face flushing as he recalled not only their brief encounter but the subsequent dreams. He's dressed in his work uniform, although his shirt is unbuttoned and untucked. He runs a hand through his hair, glancing back ruefully at his unkempt apartment before returning Cosmo's smile.

"Ah, yeah, hi. Come in, please. Sorry for the mess."

He closes the door after Cosmo then hurries to clear off the dirty plates and dishes and dump them in the sink. The drink cartons are swept into the trash bin, and he quickly closes the door.

"So, uhm, it's nice to see you again."

[Morgannah]

13:14:27 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

"It's nice to see you too, and don't worry about the mess. It happens, right?"

She winks slightly and sets her packages down on the newly cleared counter, figuring that her place would likely look like this as well if she could ever stand to stay still. His flush was adorable and clearly he did remember who she was. The soft, sweet smile came more easily as she began pulling pastries out of the bag and arranging them onto paper napkins from her purse. Her constant stream of chatter would hopefully help him calm down a bit.

"Again, I hope I'm not intruding, Sean, but I was supposed to meet a few of my girlfriends for coffee this afternoon but we had to cancel so I figured I'd get them something to go. Well apparently, the lawyers at their firm all decided to go out for lunch so the girls went too and now I have all this," she gestures towards the food and designer coffee, "to share. If you're interested, of course."

Cosmo trailed off with a bit of a question, her gaze flickering to his unbuttoned work shirt.

"Did I show up at a bad time?"

[grendel]

13:14:52 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

"Uh, no, it's fine. I'm, ah, just getting ready for work but I don't have to leave for another couple of hours."

Sean seems at a loss of what to do, standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets. After Cosmo lays out the spread, he scoops up a steaming cup of coffee and pastry.

"Thanks," he smiles.

[Morgannah]

13:14:52 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Cosmo returns the smile with a shy duck of her head and a bashful grin.

"Any time. I mean, well, I'm glad you were around to help me out again and .. it's good to see you again."

Blushing, she raised her paper cup. "To my rescuer...."

They'd spend the next ten minutes or so standing in the middle of the room and chatting about fairly regular things. Lisa displayed a fair amount of interest in his job, even showed a bit of concern over how dangerous security jobs could be if things ever went wrong, hoping that he was well protected at in his line of work. She'd hate to hear about someone as nice as he was getting hurt in the line of duty.

After a little while longer it came to the point where they were both holding their first empty coffee cup. Cosmo affected a bit of a pout and set her cup aside, dusting her fingers off on a clean napkin.

"So I guess you work a lot of late nights, huh?"

[grendel]

13:20:11 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

"Oh, it's not so bad, we're well equipped and the building is secure against the usual rabble. Plus, if things get really bad, we've got back-up waiting at the Hard Corps depot just down the road. But yeah, the night shift is where we expect to see trouble, so we keep the guard rotation up."

Sean talks easily about his job, pleased at the attention from Cosmo. He is not a braggart, though, and does not disclose useful casual details. He's been exposed to basic Operations Security Training, and Cosmo finds herself having to be circumspect about digging for the information she wants. Their protocols seem to focus around containment of valuable merchandise, as well as area denial against an intruding force. He doesn't explicitly state as much, but Cosmo is willing to be that the security system is matrix based and heavily automated, with advanced pattern recognition software running on the security cameras in order to detect unauthorized personnel and to initiate lockdown.

[Morgannah]

13:21:48 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Ahh, crap.

Cosmo made a point of smiling in spite of the slow sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, her expressive eyes taking on a faraway look as she tried to remember what she'd read about matrix-based systems and some of the software they ran. But then what did you expect with a name like FTL Matrixware?

"So tell me, Sean," Lisa dimples as she takes a sip from a fresh cup of coffee. The high colour in her cheeks suggests a bit of embarassment over her current train of thought as does her more .. pronounced breathing.

"Are there a lot of pretty girls where you work?"

Crap crap crap crap crap.

[grendel]

13:22:11 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Sean coughs in surprise, almost choking on the bite of pastry in his mouth. Clearing his throat, he takes a drink.

"Uh, I guess so, sure, but they're just the people I work with. Certainly, ah, not as pretty as you."

What seemed like a good thing to say in his head is altogether different when said out loud, and he flushes with embarrassment.

[Morgannah]

13:22:37 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

There was only a split-second to make the decision and out of all the things she'd done in recent memory, few things had hurt as much as this would. Offering a silent prayer to the Powers that Be, Cosmo feigned a look of wide-eyed surprise as Sean coughs ..

.. and promptly spills her cup of coffee all over the front of her exquisite white cashmere sweater. The tears that fill her eyes are real but calculated to seem as though they're more from the pain of the steaming hot java than the loss of the designer top.

"Oh no," she sobs, pulling the soggy garment away from her chest, looking up at Sean with imploring chocolate-brown eyes.

[grendel]

13:22:43 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

"Oh! Uh, here!" Sean scoops up a rumpled dish towel from the counter, moving to help Cosmo dab at the spill but stopping just short of actually touching her.

"Uhm, why don't you...? And I'll...." He motions towards the roll of paper towel on the sink, smiling gratefully when Cosmo takes the towel from his hand.

"The, uh, bathroom is just through here," he opens the door to the bedroom and motions to his left. "There's towels in the drawer under the sink. Are you, uh, burned at all?"

[Morgannah]

13:22:56 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Cosmo shakes her head gratefully in spite of the two great tears falling down either cheek. My poor, beautiful sweater....

"I don't think so but I'd better check, just in case." She rests her hand delicately against the curve of his bicep but pulls it away just as quickly with an embarassed laugh and a bright blush. "Thanks, Sean, I'll hurry so I can help you clean up."

Hurrying into his bedroom with her small satchel tucked under one arm, she begins pulling the garment up over her head without a thought as to whether or not he might be watching. There's no sound of either door closing, though.

"I'm all right but these are going to have to soak right away if I'm ever going to get the stain out." She peeks around the doorjamb with a worried smile, holding her sweater out for his perusal. "Do you have a t-shirt or something that I could borrow? Just for a little while?"

[grendel]

13:23:08 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

"Uh..." Sean glanced over the wreck of his bedroom with some anxiety, glancing Cosmo's way once but quickly returning his gaze to the far wall after a single glimpse of naked shoulders. Keeping his back to the bathroom, he rummages through his dresser, finally coming out with a gray Screamers! urban brawl t-shirt. He holds it out to Cosmo his gaze somewhere on the ceiling.

"Here you go, this should work."

[Sedna]

1304 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - Puyallup, near the civic centre

There it is.

This pattern Alleycat knows in her bones. Places, crowds just large enough for quiet fades, public washrooms, porn cinemas. Become one with those around you, and who notices that the ebon-black elf of Zerikolopoli's had dismounted from Blaze's chopper once again that faded wageslave from the previous night? For the first place, jagged Noh pattern across a faux-albino face for the first place with matching sharpness of colour across her coat. For the second, a variant on last-night's Alianna, but in a pantsuit this time. For the third, long, tightly braided hair, fur collar. One Matrix café, give the counter people a name (who cares which? it's not like she's planning on returning); find, access, dip in, skim, change locations; a dozen small details from shades to hair to shoes --

And she's finally fixed those fragging shoes -- of course, by now they haven't been shoes for three incarnations.

In an hour, every trace of her passage will have vanished. In far less than that, so will she.

[Morgannah]

13:23:39 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Cosmo smiled, a thin towel clutched to her chest as she took the extended t-shirt with a soft sigh.

"Thanks, Sean. I owe you, big time, for this."

Spotting a rumbled work shirt not too far away from where she stood, she waits for Sean's harried exit and kicks a pile of clothes over where it used to be, scooping the garment up and bundling it with the grey t-shirt as she makes her way into the washroom to change. Less than two minutes pass before she steps back into the kitchen, looking positively adorable in the oversized urban brawl t-shirt. Her satchel (with the tightly packed work shirt at the very bottom) is slung over one shoulder. Her ruined clothes are in a plastic bag.

"I hope you don't mind, but I grabbed this on my way out." Cosmo smiles bashfully and sighs again. "These need to be cleaned right away, too, but I wish I could stick around. When's a good time to bring your shirt back? I can bring something less likely to stain next time...."

[grendel]

13:23:56 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's fine. Um, how about lunch tomorrow?"

Sean smiles, his eyes travelling over her form in an appreciation of how good she makes the simple shirt look.

[Shadowrunner13]

20:06:33 Saturday 06 January 2063 Seattle, UCAS

Tenmou pulled away from the curb and headed home with the remainder of his payment. The events of the past few days just seemed like an unreal roller coaster. Between this crazy job with Akiko and his lovely evening with Mioko, he had barely had time to think back on it all.

He definitely deserved some down time after this...

[Cedric Rolfsson]

19:59:15 January 6, 2063 - Neon Dreams - Ravenna

Angel blinked. Then she blinked again. Erebus could practically see the wheels spinning inside her skull, before she spoke.

"Wait a minute Tiger, I don't do shadow work, I'm just a dancer. I don't sell sex." Her voice had a hard edge to it, Erebus could tell she'd been offended by what she thought he was suggesting.

"No, no, no, no sweetie. I'm not saying that you'd have to do anything. I'm just checking to see if you'd be interested. It'd be like me setting you up on a blind date, only you'd already know who the guy was and you would both know that you'd end up back at your hotel room. Which I'd set up and pay for. It'd just be an easy way to separate him from any security that might be interested in him."

Erebus gave her what he hoped was a winning smile and tilted her chin up with one finger so he could met her gaze squarely to show he was sincere.

"It'd be just a couple of drinks some harmless flirting and then a trip back to a hotel room. Absolutely zero exposure to you beautiful. I wouldn't do anything to put you at risk, you should know that. I'd set it all up before hand."

He leaned back, let her have some space.

"Besides, this is all just speculation at this point, it may never happen. I just wanted to see if you were interested."

A thoughtful look filled her eyes, the idea of playing in the shadows like this thrilled her, but it also scared her. Erebus saw the emotions play across her face, saw the caution and fear there too.

Smart girl. he thought quietly to himself, wondering if she'd say yes or not.

[Morgannah]

13:24:17 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Cosmo nods, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink as he looks her over.

"Lunch." She grins. "I'll stop by around one. Take care of yourself, Sean, and have a good night." Thanks for the shirt.

After taking a halting step towards him, she pauses, laughs softly and turns around, leaving the apartment without another word, a shy smile playing across her lips all the way to the elevator. It was pretty funny, she thought, that she'd be seeing him much sooner if things didn't go according to her plan.

What is the plan, anyway?

She chuckled, stuffing the plastic bag into her satchel with a wry shake of her head. No plan ever survives first contact anyway, right? Be prepared. Stay flexible. The thought was somewhat comforting though it didn't help her feel much safer. Pattern recognition systems and a Hard Corps office right down the street from the target would do that to a body, though, no matter how detailed their plan might be. The first stirrings of adrenaline tingled in her fingertips as she picked up her pace, checking to make sure that the back door in the lobby was inconspicuously wedged open before she strode through the front entrance and towards her car.

"Time for more shopping," Cosmo sighed as she slipped into the sleek sports coupe, resisting the urge to gun the engine and drive until the knot in the pit of her stomach unwound itself. She had a uniform to pick up and a few alterations to make to its components before she started packing her bag for the trip and she still hadn't decided on where she'd leave her car tonight.

...

14:42:06 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Pasadena, CFS

Well .. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

Admittedly, she felt somewhat less than secure, strapped as she was to the underside of Sean Andersen's Americar .. with a small arsenal secured against her stomach, no less. Cosmo was already sweating from the layers upon layers of clothing she was wearing; the black nylon stocking covering her face did not promote proper air circulation nor did the clinging kevlar-reinforced suit that covered her from top to toe allow for optimal ventilation. All in all, she was not terribly comfortable. The armored leather longcoat she wore (with the long tails wrapped about her ankles) saw to it that the trip to FTL Matrixware did not become even more uncomfortable.

It had been a busy hour but overall extremely productive. She'd been able to make a fair copy of the FTL security uniform, complete with transplanted patches for that degree of authenticity and while she lacked a working key card, something that might pass for one at first glance was clipped to the front pocket of her work shirt. Now that she had a bit of time to think (heck, she wasn't going anywhere for a while), Cosmo took the time to study the building's blueprints again using the heads-up display function of her eyeglasses. There wasn't much else to do besides wait for Sean to drive them to work and go over the loose details of her plan, taking all that she knew, and a few things she assumed, into consideration.

And hey, if things don't go well at least the car is only six blocks away....