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> Living in the Shadows: IC, your run might be over...
grendel
post May 20 2005, 05:07 AM
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19:56:53 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"Well I plan on having you for dessert. But for dinner I was going to get casu bau and then number thirty five: noodles with spicy pork." Caska doesn't look up from his perusal of the menu, his voice casually off-hand.
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Morgannah
post May 20 2005, 05:29 AM
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19:57:03 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo rolled her eyes dramatically, very nearly throwing her napkin at him. She contemplated making funny faces at Caska until he looked up but figured he'd just ask if she was feeling all right and offer to order a cup of herbal tea.

He would, too, she thought, a dimple peeking out of one cheek.

"Wei seems like a nice man but I'm not so sure he'd appreciate me climbing onto his table, and in front of his young daughter, no less. Maybe the steamed sponge cake? And you're right; thirty five sounds excellent. I think I'm in the mood for Empress chicken .. but it's been ages since my last taste of Xang Su Ya. Any suggestions?"
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grendel
post May 20 2005, 05:34 AM
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19:57:32 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Caska laughs.

"That may be, but there's a nice counter in the restroom. As for dinner, I'd recommend forty four, the duck. It's exquisite."

He folds his hands on the table, resting his weight on them, and watches her.
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Morgannah
post May 20 2005, 05:39 AM
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19:57:58 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

She grinned and nodded slightly, setting her menu aside as well.

"Forty four, then. Excellent."

Cosmo folds her hands in a gesture nearly identical to his, her head tilted slightly to one side as she regards him quizzically.

"A franc for your thoughts?"
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grendel
post May 20 2005, 05:49 AM
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19:58:11 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Caska smiles, glancing back over his shoulder at Wei. The owner nods and comes forward, listening intently as Caska orders for both of them. He bows and disappears back into the kitchen.

Caska turns back to Cosmo, a soft smile on his face.

"My thoughts? I think Rick should have taken Ilsa. I think Captain Renault should have had Major Strasser shot the moment he got off the plane. And I think Rick's was a much better bar than the Blue Parrot."
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Morgannah
post May 20 2005, 06:07 AM
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19:59:32 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"Rick's was a much nicer bar than the Blue Parrot and yes, the Major should have been shot much earlier. Blaine wouldn't have been as much the hero if he hadn't done it himself, though."

Cosmo smiled softly and continued. "I think Rick knew that Ilsa wasn't for him any more," she said simply, "even though she would have stayed with him. Why do you think he should have taken her?"
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grendel
post May 20 2005, 06:16 AM
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20:00:03 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"Because he could. Because power, if not exercised, is wasted. That's part of what attracted Ilsa to him in the first place. If we knew more about Laszlo, I'm sure it would be the same. Power is the ultimate aphrodesiac."

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Morgannah
post May 20 2005, 06:33 AM
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20:00:19 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo's eyes darkened somewhat as she eyed him rather frankly although her voice remained a silken caress.

"It can be." Is that what you like, Caska? "Why would Ilsa have stayed with Rick, then, since Laszlo clearly had more influence?"
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grendel
post May 20 2005, 06:39 AM
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20:00:52 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Caska shrugged.

"Laszlo was a known quantity, though, unswerving in his opposition to the Reich. Which takes conviction and a certain amount of courage. But Rick has that dangerous unknown quality, that mystery when combined with the kind of strength and willpower he displayed would be intoxicating to a woman like Ilsa."

He might have said more, but was interrupted by Wei and the plate of casu bau. He offers Cosmo one of the stuffed, steamed buns.
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Morgannah
post May 20 2005, 06:47 AM
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20:01:23 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"All right, I'll bite."

Cosmo half-smiled, accepting a share of the casu bau. She left it on her plate to cool for a bit but gave Caska a few seconds to settle in with the food.

"What kind of woman was Ilsa?"
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grendel
post May 20 2005, 08:51 PM
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20:01:49 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"Yes, and from what I remember, you scratch, too." Caska takes a bite from the steamed pastry, leering at Cosmo. He chews thoughtfully for a minute.

"Ilsa is archetypal, she's a beautiful, dangerous woman. She's like Helen of Troy; a woman men will die for, a woman men will kill for."

Caska's gaze is level and penetrating, and Cosmo knows he's not just referring to a fictional movie character.
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Tiredronin
post May 20 2005, 11:53 PM
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17:33:20 Saturday, 6 January, 2063 - Outside the Puyallup Street Clinic

Daedalus frantically runs through a dozen different options in his mind, everything from flying Dragon back to the clinic on Talos, to crashing Icarus into the building to find the intruder drone...

Frag, this won't work.. I have to get a warning to those people.

Not wanting to take his eyes off of the vent that the drone all too recently dissappeared into, Daedalus concentrates on his physical body to punch out a search on his telecom for a contact number to the Street Clinic.

This place has got have a phone number.



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Sedna
post May 21 2005, 12:19 AM
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17:33:59 Saturday, 6 January, 2063 - Outside the Puyallup Street Clinic

Search by name ... frag, don't know it. And the ones dropped by Dragon wouldn't be listed.

Search by business ... scratch that. If this place even has a business licence, I'll be surprised.

That was odd: hmm, quickly, check those sensors again. No, he's right: drone didn't go deeply into the air vent at all. The audio pattern of its engines against the fans hasn't changed in the slightest. It's out of sight and out of Icarus' reach, but for some reason it's not going any deeper. What the frag ...?

Search by address.

There. John C. Lanier, MD, Sur.Cyb, MSc(Nan.)? Well, at least it's medical. Call.

Frag, this won't work.. I have to get a warning to those people.

Ring ... ring ... ring ... ring ... seven rings at least before a girl somewhere in there gets to a phone, and then she sounds somewhat breathless: "Hello?" And, almost as an afterthought, "Doctor Lanier's office, how may I direct your call?"
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Morgannah
post May 21 2005, 12:46 AM
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20:02:18 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo laughed throatily, murmuring something about chipping her nailpolish on him while carefully appraising her flawless manicure. She didn't look up right away, though. A small, mysterious smile played across her lips as she sat there, her creamy skin all but shimmering in the softly lit dining room.

"A woman these powerful men can't resist no matter how hard they try?"

The full force of her vivid green gaze rises in challenge, virtually daring Caska to prove her wrong. The soft creature of a few moments before had all but melted away, leaving in her wake a huntress that radiated sex and barely-contained animal aggression. Somehow, I don't think Laszlo counted on Ilsa being a killer, she thought, her lip curling in what might have passed for a smile, were she the animal she resembled.

"Tell me, Caska. What would Rick have done with Ilsa if he'd decided to keep her? How long do you think it would have lasted?"

Cosmo winked, a dimple peeking out of one cheek. The predator had vanished as quickly as she'd shown herself, leaving nothing but a deceptively soft creature sitting across the table, her cheek resting casually against her open palm. Yes, she was very dangerous.
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grendel
post May 21 2005, 01:07 AM
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20:02:53 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"It would have lasted as long as Rick was careful. As long as he didn't make a mistake." Caska finished his casu bau casually, his right hand returning to the tabletop without drawing the weapon it had sought when the animal was threatened. More than one predator sat at this table.

"As for what Rick would have done with Ilsa...." Caska's smile wasn't wicked as much as evil.
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Morgannah
post May 21 2005, 01:17 AM
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20:03:24 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo laughed out loud at that grin, completely unfazed by the menacing cast of his features or the fact that he'd almost drawn a weapon at the dinner table.

"Mmm, you'll tell me later, I hope," she chuckled, popping a bit of the soft roll between her lips, looking for all the world like she'd much rather be devouring him instead.

"Now what sort of mistake are we talking about?"
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grendel
post May 21 2005, 01:35 AM
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20:03:36 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"Making the mistake of forgetting, first and foremost, how dangerous a thing a woman is." Caska's smile faded to his usual wicked leer, the flat gaze of his cybereyes unwavering. Once more he folded his arms on the table, watching Cosmo. It reminded her of the first night they met, how relaxed he'd seemed until she'd touched him and felt the vicious energies coursing through him.
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Morgannah
post May 21 2005, 01:48 AM
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20:05:17 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Her smile was light as she devoted a bit of attention to the marvelously prepared casu bau. If Caska was so intent on watching her, she saw no harm in obliging him for a little while. She would have done almost anything to know what he was really thinking, though. A few minutes pass in silence before Cosmo sets her plate aside, quirks a little smile, and reaches high overhead, stretching langourously. She looks up at her linked hands, presenting him with the smooth length of her throat, an invitation she knew he'd resist.

"And Ilsa? What would happen when she made her first mistake?"
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grendel
post May 21 2005, 02:03 AM
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20:05:37 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Caska shrugged, watching the play of muscles as Cosmo moved.

"Ilsa? Depends on what she wanted out of the game. She was in a win-win situation, either man she ended up with would have taken care of her."

Wei choses that moment to arrive with food, the large steaming bowls of noodles and broth delivered with speed to the table. Caska nods his thanks and the slim chinaman once again slips into the kitchen, leaving them alone. Picking up his chopsticks, Caska stirs the noodles around before snapping up a slice of pork.
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Morgannah
post May 21 2005, 02:27 AM
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20:06:40 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo took a second to roll out her neck before she smiled up at the Chinaman, thanking him warmly as he set the plate of crisp duck in front of her. She weilded her chopsticks with the sort of grace that can only come from hours upon hours of practice, that, or one of the greatest Etiquette instructors in the sixth world....

"Ilsa was too soft," she agreed, sighing blissfully over the contrast between the sweet softness of the steamed duck meat and its crunchy skin; the spice that was perfectly balanced by julienned cucumber.

"She needed to be cared for." Some women don't.
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grendel
post May 21 2005, 02:42 AM
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20:08:19 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Several minutes pass while the two of them eat in relative silence.

"That's true, Ilsa was the kind of girl who needed to be taken care of. There are those who want to be taken care of, though."

Caska has known from the beginning that Cosmo isn't one who needs someone to take care of her. That wasn't really the point of the game anyway.

"It's a delicate balance to strike, between soft and hard."
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Morgannah
post May 21 2005, 03:05 AM
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20:10:38 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Got it in one.

Cosmo arched an eyebrow and smiled, clearly impressed by his deduction. She cleaned out her bowl and set it to one side, resting her chin on the backs of her hands as she appraised him, her eyes twinkling with undisguised curiosity.

"And you? How do you find this balance?"
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grendel
post May 21 2005, 03:18 AM
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20:11:24 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"Usually I find someone else to be soft for me." Caska finished his noodles with a quick, economic gesture. "Life for me is not about hard or soft. It is war. The fast, the strong, the smart survive. Anything else will fall by the wayside."

His voice drops again, from the lilting insouciance that's marked the conversation so far, to the gravelly rasp that Cosmo associates with his moods of introspection.

"There are those that believe in balance, that a person must have equal parts of everything to find themselves in harmony. There is no harmony in this world. Existance is war. Power is the currency. And death is the reward. Everything else is a fantasy."
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Morgannah
post May 21 2005, 04:23 AM
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20:13:53 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

Existence is war? Women are dangerous things? Death is the reward?

Cosmo tilted her head to one side, respecting that introspective tone even if she didn't necessarily agree with Caska's opinions. It was a dark world, yes, but having a bit of balance in her life was one of the only things that let her hold on to her humanity ...

that's what it is, isn't it?

She sighed softly and looked into icy blue eyes that were as inert as the bangles around her wrist, eyes that would never show what was not planned. A smile ghosted about her lips but did not grow as she was haunted by a dark soulful gaze.

"Why live at all, then, if survival is all there is to look forward to? What about quality? Contentment?" Dare I ask about happiness?

Was he just keeping her around to be 'soft' for him?
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grendel
post May 21 2005, 06:02 AM
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20:14:40 Wednesday 03 January 2063 - Wei's Noodle House, Los Angeles, CFS

"Jung said 'the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.' Life, even in war, has meaning. No one will remember my life when I am gone, but I will know. And those who see me know that I live my life with purpose. Not haphazardly or accidentally, not floating through or getting by, but imposing my terms upon this existance."

This time, Caska's voice draws aside the steel curtain riveted around his existance, and Cosmo can see a sliver of the will and the strength that burns inside him like a plasma torch.
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