Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2325

When in rome...

Haywire nods. There's something about a fistfight that makes you watch, even though you don't know either side involved.

"Of course. Can't be missing out on entertainment."

As long as it stays entertainment.

"But let's get some beer on the way, while the bar's less crowded. Can't watch a fight properly without some drink. And you're the one who speaks the local language."

Haywire grins at Mac, and hooks her arm through his, leading him to the bar. She needs a beer to appreciate the fight, and to dull the shrinking part of her upbringing that tells her watching violence is wrong.

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2327

When Haywire’s arm touches his she senses the distinct tenseness and subtle movements associated with active wired reflexes. He orders a couple of bottles of the local brew – Born Fi Beur – and they join the crowd outside.

Lots of the crowd are egging on and cheering the fight. She sees people taking bets and the crowd is down-right excited. The fight itself seems pretty intense, neither party is backing down and the skinnier guy is already spitting out blood and one of his eyes is mostly close. The other guy doesn’t seem to be hurt.

As she pushes her way a little closer with Mac she feels the distinct sensation of a strange hand getting a good feel of her butt.

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2327

What the...

"Who just groped me?"

Haywire spins around, trying to spot who was fondling her butt, one hand going to the grip of her Crusader, then she remembers the rules, and removes her hand again.

Don't escalate it...but don't let it slide either...

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2330

It doesn't take much effort for Haywire to find who did it. Only reason his hand is off her butt is because she spun around. The moment she turns around he is already up near her face, all 6'6" of him, grinning down at you displaying his grill of gold teeth.

He's clean shaven, with tattoos covering his head, his body is heavily muscled and glistening with sweat. His red wifebeater is darkened with sweat near his chest and you can see what looks like a well used Predator grip sticking out of his faded camo green cargo shorts.

His eyes are staring down at Haywire and she hears him say something to his friend. You can't make out everything he says but you vaguely make out something that sounded like "booty" and maybe "fire."

Mac feels Haywire spinning around and pull her arm out of his arm and turns around to see what's up.

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2330

Uh... big one. And not alone.

Haywire blinks at the size of the man that groped her. He looks not just muscular, but also experienced in fighting. And the Tatoos...

Hope that's not a posse sign...

The blonde mage glances toward Mac, to see if he knows the man, or his tatoos, then quickly looks over the crowd, trying to see if the same or similar tatoos are worn by others. She doesn't know the rules, but Mac told her enough to make it clear that some response is needed, or she'll be considered fresh meat.

This could get ugly...

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2330

Haywire can tell from Mac's immediate reaction when he turns around and sees what's going that he doesn't know the man. Nor does he seem to care.

He tenses his muscles and raises himself to his full hight and gets in the mans face, "Back the frag up off my woman!" She sees two other men, one human, the other an orc - similiarly dressed and tattooed in various places - draw close to the big guy, and the crowd around you backs up.

The big guy grins, "and who is gonna stop Mogudo from making her mine?"

Off in the other fight the fighter that's been dominating the fight so far delivers a couple punches to the skinny one's stomach and another to his face and he drops to the ground - clearly still conscious and not greviously hurt - and goes down for the fight.

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2330

Crap.

Haywire isn't sure what she should do. Trust Mac to handle it? If he handles it, fine, but if he gets beaten "Mogudo" and more importantly the rest of the crowd might assume she's now his.

And I am not a fucking prize to be fought over...

Haywire narrows her eyes, and stares at Mogudo.

It's times like these I wish I knew a non-lethal show-off spell...

The mage suddenly blinks.

This might backfire, but it might also work...

"Watch."

Haywire turns around, and walks over to the man that just lost the fight and is now getting to his knees. She bends down to him, whispering "hold still", and places her right hand on his shoulder, then starts to cast a Heal.

Gathering the mana is the easy part, in Haywire's opinion. It's said every mage saw the magic differntly, and made up his or her own way of manipulating it. Haywire never cared much if that was true, her training stressed the result, not how one reached it. For her, gathering mana is drawing the tiny particles of mana she imagines drifting all around her in the astral, collecting the energy, and then focusing it and shaping it. Which is the tricky part, especially with a Heal. Far easier, in her view, to destroy than to repair. Entropy at work.

The man is not really hurt, just a swollen eye and some bloodied lips, and bruises that are still forming, so she won't need much power, and it won't do much to help the man, but it's just a demonstration meant for Mogudo anyway. Not like Glen Jenkings, in the Boston op, where she barely managed to stabilise his bleeding, broken body. Channeling the mana into his body, imaging how it rearranges cells, repairs damage, restores what was is still a taxing task, and sweat appears on Haywire's forehead.



Holding the spell until it's effects take root takes a few seconds more, then Haywire stands up, and faces Mogudo again. Tilting her head a bit to the side, she stares into his eyes again.

"I'd say a mana bolt to your face - or groin - would stop you from making me yours."

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2330

When Haywire turns Mogudo starts after her and says in his heavily accented voice, “Where the frag you think you going?�

Mac keeps himself right up in Mogudo’s face, preventing him from grabbing you. Mogudo puts his hands on Mac’s chest and is about to shove him back when you begin casting your heal.

A hushed murmur runs through the crowd, now totally interested in your conflict, since the other fight is over.

As the mana takes hold the man’s swollen, bruised eyes deflate and the color clears up. He moans as he comes to, coughs, turns to his side and spits out the blood in his mouth and wipes to blood of his newly healed lips.

He nods his thanks and slowly gets up as you turn back to Mogudo and threaten him.



His grimace turns into a big gold grin and he chuckles, “Looks like your woman might have bigger balls than you do. You all right, man, you can put your cock back in your pants.� His posture relaxes a bit and the tension between him and Mac goes down a notch. A moment later his two buddies back down a tad too.

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2331

Looks like that did it...smart guy

Haywire steps up to Mac's side again, scanning the crowd for more potential trouble. She's trying to put up a confident but not too agressive front. When the three men back down some, she relaxes a bit as well and glances at Mac, letting him take the lead in handling the situation.

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2331

Mac backs down and Haywire sees the tension release from his muscles. He puts his arm around her and pulls her close, says something in patois to the big guy, chuckles and heads past him with Haywire in tow.

He speaks quietly to Haywire as they pass through the slowly dispersing crowd, “hope you didn’t take what I said personally. I don’t mean to imply that you are my woman, I just wanted to show him I wouldn’t let him frag with you.�

“Anyway, lets not push our luck, eh?� He gets on the bike and waits for you to get behind him, “you want me to drop you off at your home or you rather go somewhere else?�

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2332

Haywire assures him that she didn't mind at all, grinning. As the tension leaves her, she feels good about the scene. Quite a kick, in hindsight.

"The night's still young. I am sure you know some place we have fun at, don't you?"

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2332

“Hmm, alright,� he kicks on the bike and backs it carefully out of the row of bikes.

“But this time I think we are gonna go some place a bit more relaxed. So, what kind of place you want? A bar, a club, a lounge, a beach party or what?�

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2333

A Beach Party? Haven't been to one in some time...

Haywire smiles. The evening is getting better and better.

"A beachparty sounds perfect. Know where's one being held?"

She can't help but picture a clichee pirate party on a beach in her mind, and giggles at the thought, wrapping her arms around Mac from behind.

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2333

Mac laughs as he revs the engine, "I should have guessed. I know just the place too but its a bit of a drive so I hope you are comfortable." He guns the engine and begins to weave his way at a fairly dangerous rate through the city.

About twenty-five minutes later you seem to have cleared most of Kingston and you smell the ocean breeze. A few minutes later he turns off the road towards the ocean and drives around a big hill and you see a small beach spread before you. In the middle of the beach are two bonfires around which you see the silhouette of multiple figures. You hear the sound of the surf, the color of black ink in the night, crashing wildly on the beach.

He pulls up to what looks like a makeshift parking lot where over a dozen bikes and a few cars are parked and turns of the engine. Immediately Haywire hears a mechanical sound and she sees a small tracked drone with a gun mount approach them. Mac puts up his arms in mock surrender, "I'm cool Bee, put the fragging gun away."

A voice erupts from the drone, "Mac! Where the frag have you been? I left you like four messages in the last few hours. About time you got here."

Kingston Beach - 06/10/2070 – 0005

Heavy security... almost like at McArrister's.

Haywire looks around, her cybereyes switching automatically to low-light vision. She's got mixed views about drones. They make good allies, fearless, won't panic, and can carry heavy firepower. Good to have at your side in a hive. But they also will do what they are told, by a rigger usually safe some distance away. Not always the best thing for the people on site. But it never hurts to be friendly when faced with a drone with a gun as long as it's not already shooting at you...

"That's probably be my fault, I must have distracted him."

Haywire smiles at what she thinks is the optical sensor of the drone.

"Hi Bee, I am Haywire."

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0005

Haywire's low-light vision snaps the scene into clarity. The drone is fairly compact and looks worn from frequent use.

The light machinegun's barrel moves up and down Haywire's body and then lowers itself to an obviously disarmed position, "Yowzers! Come on in." The drone, with elaborate graffiti work on its body spelling out "Soldier Bee," rolls back behind a large Mercedes SUV.

Mac pats Haywire on the shoulder, "don't worry about Bee. He's a cool cat. He's just protective of his charge." As the two of them walk towards the bonfires Haywire sees - in green and black contrast - that there are over a dozen people on the beach and there are a lot of surfboards planted in the sand and hears the sound of raggae. As she gets closer she sees that there are a few of them that are surfing right now.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0005

Very well armed...

Haywire feels relieved when the barrel of the drone swings down. Machine guns, especially drone mounted, are bad news. She stands up again, realising that the camera must have gotten a good shot down her cleavage, and follows Mac.

"His charge?"

Haywire looks around, curious about the scene.

Surfing... haven't done that yet... forgot my bathing suit too, although they might not mind.

She slips out of her sneakers before stepping on the beach, enjyoing the sand under her naked feet, and takes the smell of the sea in.

That's why the Caribbean beats Detroit.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0006

"Yeah. Her name is Makeda." His hand sweeps across the beach and the hills above it and stops at a rather large mansion, "she owns this beach, the land around it and that house. Bee's her security and she's nice to let him invite his friends to her beach."

He stops to take off his own shoes, "Might as well take off these." He pauses a moment before starting again, "One thing though. Watch yourself, not everyone here is a good guy, if you get my drift."

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0007

Haywire nods. She doesn't expect anything else, on Jamaica - or in the Caribbean League.

"No problem, Mac. Besides, you'll keep an eye on me, right?"

The blonde woman grins, elbowing the tall man as they walk toward the bonfire.

I do hope he is having trouble keeping his eyes off me... now where's some booze?

"Makeda sounds important..."

Haywire lets the sentence trail off, inviting Mac to answer without asking directly. Smiling widely, she takes the party scene in.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0007

Mac puts his hand around Haywire's hip and pulls her close, "Oh, I'll keep my eye on you, don't you worry."

"As far as Makeda," he hesitates before continuing, "she has her hands in a lot of things. I would try not to get too close to her..." he trails off as a short latino man with a bald head wearing a pair of long swim trunks walks up to Mac with opens arms.

"What's up amigo? Where the hell you been? I been trying to reach you for hours and you never miss one of these things!" He gives Mac a quick thug-hug and Mac takes a step back to introduce him to Haywire, "Bee, this is Haywire. Haywire, this is Bee."

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0007

Not getting too close to Makeda? While we are partying on her beach? That sounds weird.

Haywire waves at Bee, sizing the man up.

"Hi there! So you're the one that throws the best parties around here?"

Never hurts to flatter the guy with the control link to the LMG.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0007

"Yeah that I am," he looks you over, none too subtly, "and I'm guessing you are the reason Mac wasn't taken my calls." He laughs as Mac's face starts too look a little red in the fire light, "I gotta say, I wouldn't have picked up either! Anyway, welcome to the beach. Feel free to grab some brews or snacks or whatever. I'll see you around."

He walks back to the second - much smaller - bonfire a bit further away towards a dark feminine shape laying on the sand alone. They are talking but Haywire can't make out the coversation.

Near the big bon fire it's like a small house party. There are a couple of small groups sitting, talking and drinking with each other, about ten total mostly in beach wear or short sleeved surfing suits.

He guides you with his arm around you to a group - one woman and two men - and greets them. He introduces you to them; Zack, a well tanned orc with a flashy chrome cyberhand; Fisheye, a thin but very fit woman of south asian appearance with sort mohawk of blue hair and an assortment of piercings; and Merc, a local looking man with very long dreads bundled in a big knot behind his back and a grisly scar across his neck.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0007

Free beer!

Haywire smiles broadly, and greets the three, then looks around for some booze.

Can't meet new people properly without a toast...

Picking up a bottle of beer, she opens it with an ease born of long practise, and raises it to the three.

"Cheers!"

Sitting down in the sand, Haywire puts down her shoes, then takes another mouthful from the bottle, wiping her mouth with the back of her left hand afterwards. She leans into Mac, and listens to the music, and the conversation.

Maybe I should not drink that much if I want to swim some still...

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0007

Mac holds you close as you lean into him and pops himself open a bottle. It's a very relaxing night complemented by the sounds of the surf crashing on the beach, the crackling of the file and the sounds of raggae as background music to the soft hum of conversation.

You strike up a casual conversation with the other three. The three others in your group seem nice but not as open to you as Mac and he seems to prefer to just hold you rather than talk. Not that the conversation is unpleasant, it's just not work related.

Fisheye stands up to get a better view of the waves as one of the surfer's picks up a massive wave and crashes spectacularily towards the end of the wave. Fisheye and a few others watching burst into a mix of applause and laughter.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0045

Haywire laughs as well, even though she knows she'd not be able to stand on a board at all. On her second beer, she's now pleasantly buzzed, and both her past and her upcoming job are far from her mind. She looks out to the sea, glittering in the moonlight, and switches modes on her cybereyes for a bit, to enjoy the sigh of the sea in the darkness.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0045

Minutes pass in relative quiet. It's almost as if all the troubles are gone from your life - at least for this moment. Mac stays mostly quiet, seemingly appreciating his turn of luck that landed you leaning against his shoulder. He plants his empty bottle in the sand, and asks, "You want to surf? I can find you a board if you need one."

The surf is rough so it wouldn't be safe for a real swim - without a lot of effort - but it should be okay to stay in if you aren't deeper than waist length under water.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0100

"Ah, no... that's not the kind of thing one should try drunk and at night for the first time."

Haywire grins, holding up her bottle.

"I'd take a dip, but the sea looks a bit rough too, and I don't have a bathing suit either."

She grins at her words, showing she's not entirely serious.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0100

Mac laughs, "Don't you worry honey. I'm an old salt and I never lost a crewman at sea." He gets up and picks you up with him as he stands up - he seems pretty damn strong having done so as if you weighed nothing - and says, "We can find you something to wear in the house if you are feeling modest."

Fisheye slips her arms into her surfing suit and zips it up to her neck over over her bikini top, "I think I'm gonna come with you and catch a couple of waves. The surfs too good to not get seconds." Zack seems like he'd rather keep chilling by the fire but Merc grabs his board out of the sand and is going to join Fisheye in the waves.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0100

"But I've never surfed before..."

Haywire protests half-heartedly, but lets herself be dragged away. It feels right, given the mood. She isn't feeling too modest, but a surfing suit would be good, in her opinion, to offer some protection - she expects to spend more time picking herself up, so to speak, than surfing.

"The house?"

Thought we should stay away from Makeda...maybe she's not at home?

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0100

Mac chuckles, “No no, nothing like that. If you ain’t surfed before this isn’t the time or place to learn.�

“I just meant a swim,� he nudges his head towards Fisheye and Merc, “they can go surf. If you want to grab a swim suit to wear I know we can find one in the house for you. It should be mostly empty right now and Makeda won’t mind.�

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0105

Haywire looks the rest of the people on the beach over, low-light vision active. Spotting no nude swimmer - not surprisingly, all in the water seem to be surfers - she decides against skinny dipping.

I stand out enough as the newcomer anyway...

"Let's get some swimsuit then. I'd rather not be the only nude girl. Not on the beach, that is."

Grinning, she shifts a bit in Mac's arms, and lets herself be carried to the mansion.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0110

Mac carries you easily up to the mansion, a few hundred yards up the beach, while laughing at your comment and dismissing the catcalls from his friends. He takes you up a back porch stairway into the beautiful granite and teak house seemingly built back when handcrafted perfection was still in style.

His feet slap against the tile floor as he takes you up stairs – while humming the “dum dum da duuuummmm� of the wedding march and laughing at his own joke – and gently deposits you on a luxurious bed surrounded by a sheer sheet hanging from the ceiling.

“Well, this is one of the guest rooms. I think I’ve seen some bathing suits up in the closet there as well as some other miscellaneous clothes. Why don’t you find something to put on and we can go get in the water.� He stays in the doorway for a second, “Let me know if you need anything, okay?�

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0115

"I will, Mac."

Haywire smiles, and spends a few minutes going through the wardrobe, looking for a revealing bikini whose color and size fits her. She also looks around in the guest room, admiring the luxury.

Makeda must be rich to afford this. She must trust Bee and his friends a lot too, to let them roam the mansion - or she has something on them...

Finally settling on a black bikini, she slips out of her clothes, bundling them up with her gun holster in the middle.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0115

Mac is at a loss for words when he sees you step out of the guest bedroom from the bottom of the stairs. You hear him mumble something under his breath as you walk down the stairs to him.

He laughs to interrupt the momentary silence, "Maybe we should forget about the beach, eh?� Mac, now changed into a pair of green swim trunks and holding a pair of large towels puts his hand around your waist and leads you back out towards the beach, “alright, ready for that swim?"

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0120

"Of course."

Good to know I still have it...

Haywire smiles, leaning into Mac as he leads her out of the mansion, carrying her clothes bundle under her left arm.

"It'll be refreshing, and the night's still young."

Another advantage of freelancing - no more getting up early.

"Can we use the guest rooms to stay the night too, or is that not allowed?"

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0120

"Can we use the guest rooms to stay the night too, or is that not allowed?"

You feel his arm become a bit tense around your waist when you ask that question. Mac pauses for a moment before he answers, “I uh… I guess we can stay if you want. That’s not really a problem.�

You are pretty sure it’s not the idea of spending the night with you that’s got him tense.

He walks with you towards the beach kicking a bit of sand in the air before he speaks, “just be careful around Madeka. She frags with people’s minds and they don’t always do what they would normally do around her. You know what I mean?�

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0120

Messing with minds? Uh...

"I thought she was away. No, no, it's not that important."

Haywire feels her earlier suspicion confirmed. Madeka must be really scary, judging from Mac's reaction... no wonder she lets Bee's friends use her beach, Haywire doubts they will mess with Madeka's property. And she's not about to go against Mac's better judgement just for some luxury beds.

"Is she a mage?"

I can probably defend myself against spells, just in case...

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0120

Mac continues to pause a bit before answering the question, “No, she’s an adept. Though I guess some of them can cast spells – not that I heard she can – but either way I don’t know much about that drek.�

“What I do know is,� and you feel his arm tightening around you protectively, “that she can make people go against their instincts and better judgment and she tends to take what she wants from people without a care about what they want and often leaves them a wreck afterwards.�

“I’m not talking business mind you. She’s got a killer instinct in business deals and she’ll typically get the better end of the deal and I ain’t got a problem with that. It’s what she does to people that creeps me out.�

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0120

Haywire still doesn't know what Makeda does to people, but she sounds more and more like a real bogeyman. Not that she has that much of good judgement to begin with, given her past.

"Let's just swim, and then retire to somewhere a bit less... dangerous."

Haywire slips her arm around Mac and lets him guide her to the beach.

Don't want creepy tales ruin this night...

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0120

In the middle of your last thoughts you see Marc go down in the middle of a pretty big wave and a wave of applause and laughter. Taking that as his queue, Mac scoops you up in a groom's carry and runs into the waves.

The unpleasantness from the recent topic can't help but fade away in the ocean.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0135

Haywire spends 15 minutes in the sea, swimming, splashing Mac, and watching the surfers at play, before getting out of the water and toweling down. She waits for Mac to come out as well, grinning. It was a perfect midnight swim, in her opinion. She grins at the man, throwing his towel to him, smiling.

"You got another idea as fun as this?"

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0915

Mac catches the towel, "yeah, I might have an idea." He picks Haywire up - giving her a tickle - and carries her up into the mansion.

-----

The next day she wakes up to the bright sunlight pouring through the open window. She hears the sound of the birds and the surf through the window and the deep breaths of Mac from much closer.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0915

Haywire stretches, smiling at the sleeping form of Mac, and gets up, taking a shower, then looking for her clothes.

So we did end up in the mansion... not as scary as he made it out to be.

Checking her mails and messages on her implanted commlink, Haywire deletes more spam. Seeing Mac still sleeping, she ponders whether she should wake him up, or look for something to serve as breakfast, and surprise him.

On a whim, she looks around for hidden cameras while pulling on her top and hot pants. Not really searching in detail, just letting her eyes wander over the room.

Should have done that last night, but... would have spoiled the mood.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0920

Haywire takes a thorough look at the room around her and can’t find any surveillance equipment in sight. There are a number of places that equipment could be hidden in however and it would be difficult to check without the proper electronics.

As she finishes her impromptu survey she hears the sound of running water, vegetables being chopped and other breakfast sounds. Sounds you haven’t heard in ages.

Mac is still thoroughly passed out.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0925

Haywire chews on her lips, a bit unsure. She doesn't recall if Mac ever said if Makeda was home or not. She certainly does not remember meeting the woman the night before, and his warnings are still on his mind. On the other hand, he did take her here, even though she said they could move somewhere else, so it can't be too dangerous in her opinion. And some breakfast would be nice...

Besides, Mac's here, just asleep...

The blonde mage hesitates a bit longer, then puts her holster on the bed, and starts out toward where she hears the cooking sounds come from, the floor feeling cold on her bare feet. Part of her knows she shouldn't, part of her - the part that earned her the nickname "Haywire" - says she should not care, and enjoy the thrill.

Besides, it's probably a maid...

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0925

Haywire slowly walks down the wooden stairwell and steps onto the cool marble tiled floors. You’ve noticed from your doss’ lack of tile flooring that in this kind of heat and humidity, tile is definitely the way to go.

It’s just a short hallway into the huge open kitchen ringed by a semicircle of windows splashing the whole room in bright golden light. Haywire sees who must surely be Makeda by her description in the middle of the kitchen chopping some cucumbers.

Her surroundings and the simple act of cooking breakfast seem to wholly clash with what you see before you. A statuesque goddess with youthful chocolate skin, perfect curves that openly hint at her virility, and silky black hair tied behind her and flowing down her back midway down to her butt. The sun shines on and through her thin linen bathrobe leaving no doubt as to her physical perfection.

As Haywire catches her first sight of her, Makeda without looking up speaks, each word feeling like a delightfully cold drop of water tickling your spine on a hot day, “Good morning dear, I take it your Haywire.�

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0925

Haywire is caught by surprise, and almost overwhelmed by the woman's appearance, her knowing Haywire's name, having caught her approaching without looking, and by that voice that almost feels like a breeze washing over her skin. She starts to stammer some confirmation that yes, she's Haywire, mixed up with an explanation that she was taken here by Mac last night, after the party on the beach by Bee, and she didn't know Makeda was home, and she heard the sound of cooking, and she is sorry... Haywire is not sure what she is sorry for.

I thought rich people had servants for cooking...

That stray thought pulls her mind back from whereever Makeda's voice sent it to, and Haywire starts to compose herself, sort of.

"So, eh, yes, I am Haywire. Ah, you must be Makeda?"

The last line was supposed to be a statement, not a question, but the elf's presence made her falter. She suddenly wishes she had taken a robe from the guestroom's wardrobe.

Focus girl, you've been through worse. This is not breaking and entering, this is not even trespassing. No, don't focus on that...

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0927

She listens to you without looking up from her work – chopping and preparing the food with the skill of a chef – and you see her lips curling into a small smile at your stammering explanation.

“That I am,� she pushes aside the mushrooms into pan on the burner and turns her attention to some onions. “Why don’t you get out of those dirty clothes and put on something comfortable from the guest room’s closet,� she tilts her head slightly to point to the other room the kitchen opens to, "and then have a seat on the couch in the sun room."

“I’ll make you a drink while the omelet is cooking,� she finally looks up at you and you feel her eyes roaming over you absorbing every detail, “you look like you’d enjoy a Bloody Mary.�

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0928

Haywire suddenly feels like she's wearing rags, and really should change into something more confortable, and cleaner. And the thought of a Bloody Mary and an omelet makes her mouth water. She doesn't run back into the guest room, but it's a close call - but how much is her instinct to put some distance between her and Makeda, and how much is her desire to return quickly is hard to say.

Back in the guest room, she changes out of her clothes into a short kimono-like robe from the wardrobe then shakes Mac to wake him up.

Dream Beach, Kingston - 06/10/2070 – 0940

The kimono feels smoother than any other she has worn before. A quick look at the label demonstrates why – 100% silk – and while it’s not the hand-woven super-luxurious type, it’s still not bad for a guest room closet.

Mac waves you away with one arm while using the other to block out the sunlight. “What the hell… it’s not even noon yet,� he mumbles as he pulls the light blanket up a bit and turns over in bed. He had been drinking since noon last night after all.

More insistent shaking will surely result in an awake – if grumpy – Mac, but the omelet might solve that.