[cut in: Uniformed and armed paramedic standing next to a Docwagon SRT]

...remember, your DocWagon contract is your peace of mind in today's dangerous world. We have a plan to fit every need. Call your local Docwagon representative today

[logo for KSAF appears]
Announcer: This is KSAF Seattle your window to the Metroplex streaming 24/7. Stay tuned for the new Poolside with Skate and KK show in exclusive Real as Life UltraHD3V.

[fade to scene of what appears to be a luxurious rooftop pool atop a condo tower. It's a warm sunny day, the pool is surrounded by exotic plants and the usual array of poolside furnishings (isn't VR just the bomb?). The image cross-fades to a tokuri of sake and two cups. the Tokuri is picked up and sake is poured into the cups as smooth guitar and saxaphone jazz can be heard in the background. As the camera pulls back a young woman sporting the latest swimwear fashion, a sexy two piece with wild west fringe accents is seen sitting next to the table in a chez lounge chair. She is somewhat short and fairly athletic though very attractive with long thick white hair tied back in a single fall, japanese features, and a tattoo around her right eye of the Japanese rising sun motif. She is also wearing a classic Stetson™. She raises the sake as if in a toast, then downs it in the traditional style]

[Announcer][i] And now, relax, put your feet up, and let your hair down for its time to go Poolside with Skate and KK - Two badass babes with a special style brought to you by the friendly folks at Weapons World .

Now let's join our one of our hosts, the rootin' tootin' six gun shootin' Katana swingin, Bushido cowgirl herself, Kyoto Kid

[applause, music ends]

KK: Well, howdy y'all and welcome to our first show. Skate will be joining me in just a bit, [aside] She's changing into one heck of a knockout outfit she just picked up at Tsunami's Custom Swim Fashions.

[KK stands up and strolls along the pool's edge]

KK: Well. before we get to far, let me give a little background on what this little rodeo is all about. This is not an actual mission so nobody need send their attributes and such to someone called a GM. [aside - laughs] Heh, the only GM I know of makes pickup trucks, well now ya learn somethin' new everyday dontcha? Anyway, as Big J our announcer mentioned, this is a place to set a spell and unwind without worryin' about gettin' buckshot up your behind or one of those mage types messin' with your mind.

Only a few small things to remember. First y'all gotta check your shootin' irons and other weapons at the door. Remember to keep things civil as well, cussin' in moderation is fine but keep the outhouse humor in the outhouse. If'n ya got a rhubarb with someone you take it out to the street and settle it man to man...or woman to man...or woman to woman... or...frag and tarnation, y'all get what I mean. Finally as this is a poolside hoedown, a swimsuit, and the more high falootin' stylin' the better, is required attire. Oh and posotutley no offensive spell castin' or you'll be spendin a memorable night with Bubba.

[There is an off camera sound and KK looks to camera right smiling]

KK: Now hot damn and howdy do. Girl, that is one right fine lookin' set of threads ya got on. [gestures to her right then claps her hands] My friends please give a hearty bit of warm welcomin' to my co-host, the baddest two gun bad gal in all these parts, the one and only Skate...

[Camera pans right to the opposite end of the pool to reveal...]

...reserved

...please do not post any responses before Skate does

[The sound of silence cuts away with a sound like that of the scratch board of a music mixer, being replaced with a heavier, intenser, brooding instrumental techno tune as Skate walks into the camera's eye – the camera rotating to get her into shot faster. Dressed head-to-toe in shiny black club wear with thick purple belts tying her massive, dress-like trenchcoat together, she takes a step back from the Kyoto Kid, twirls around, and smoothly discards her forty pounds of Laytherex © Zoe behind her, off-shot, leaving her wearing an elegantly simple, strapless black top restraining her breasts, a swimsuit bottom that's surprisingly wider than a thong, red, wraparound sunshades, and a burnished brown Fedora © Zoe. She turns to the Kyoto Kid with a smile, and the scene cutting to another camera-drone, showing both women facing one another.]

[Music fades to quiet; does not dissipate entirely]

Skate: I'm glad you like it, Kaykay. Although, I'm still not sure how you talked me into agreeing to check my Predators at the door.

[Skate grins at the Kyoto Kid, warmly, as the upper-right of the viewing area is cut away to show a feed of twin Ares Predators on a complimentary stand – one is an original Predator, burnished in bronze, with a modern Smartgun Link mounted below the barrel, the other is a brand-new Ares Predator IV with sleek opal finishing. The Ares logo spins in the corner, and the slogan “Whether it's brand new or a classic, Ares will get your job done!� spins around it. The “Available @ Weapons World� logo spins in and out, taking the product placement box with it.]

Skate: It's so good to see you again, girl - it's been what, ten minutes? [Skate offers a soft grin while a soft, canned chuckle plays.] Shall we?

[Skate gestures to the two chairs next to the table]

Announcer: - do you mean, she's filtering out my signal?
Technician: I told you, it's in her contract, she can edit the feed live.
Announcer: WHO signed this contract?!
Technician: Sir, you're live!

Announcer: ..... *Ahem!*And the lovely hacker Skate, ladies and gentlemen.

Skate: So, what shall we talk about today, Kaykay?

[Skate offers her hand to KK, turning towards the chairs and drink waiting for them - as she does, her swimsuit's fabric glistens, running through the neon and metallic colors, before coalescing into the Tsunami's logo spread wide over her breasts, then vanishing into black again...]

[Kyoto Kid pours a cup of sake for each of them and hands one to Skate. She bows her head and then knocks hers back.]
KK: Ahh nothing like the best, Kizakura, brewed in Kyoto where I had trained for several years. [She looks over at Skate & smiles] Sorry 'bout the guns. After those two sidewinders we dealt with the other week, I just didn't want our show to turn into another "gunfight at the OK corral". [KK laughs. points her finger, and mimics shooting] Well sort o' gunfight, by the way nice piece o' work taking out "kid ninja". He never saw that coming at all.

[She laughs again adjusts her Stetson then turns in her lounge chair to face the camera]

KK: ...well while we're on the subject let's talk about a gunslinger's best friends. [She motions to someone off camera] Ricky, why don't you go fetch Skate's & my shootin' irons and bring them here?

[A few moments pass and a stagehand brings two metal boxes with swipe slots. KK retrieves a keycard from beneath the top of her swimsuit and motions for the young man to place the boxes on the table She then swipes the card on one of the boxes and hands the keycard to Skate. From the box she just opened she pulls out a pair of exquisite and formidable looking custom Super Warhawks styled in the old wild west Super Blackhawk look in satin metal with pearl handles. She takes one in each hand stands up and performs a series of tricks before mimicking firing them in alternating fashion.]

KK: Now ain't these the purtiest pair o' irons you ever saw? The most powerful handgun available, well unless your a troll with a PJSS. [there is offstage laughter] yep, mah babies here and I have seen a lot o action. Some say they're too slow compared to the automatics but I don''t find that much of a problem considerin' the punchin' power these lovelies pack. Ten and one half inch barrel, .44 Mag, custom grip, and like all Ruger revolvers rugged and reliable. Definitely two of this cowgirl's best freinds.

[She aims towards the camera and gives a sarcastic smile. The camera backs away] ...y'all feeling lucky slot?

[KK then smiles and pulls the gun up using the barrel to tip the front brim of her Stetson up].

KK: if'n ya got a hankerin' for soemthin' a bit more personalised, like these beauties, the fine folks at Weapons World will be more than happy to handle all your customising needs.

[She then turns to Skate smiles and gestrues]

KK: OK girl, your turn to [chuckles] show and tell...

[camera pans from KK to Where Skate is sitting]

[Skate chuckles, shaking her head and smiling.]
Skate: Must you harass the poor camera drones, Kaykay? [Skate shakes her head with a grin.] Alright, alright. I'll show mine.

[Skate swipes the card, springing her box open, and withdrawing a pair of Ares Predator IVs, each finished in the same glossy-black shine as the one which was demonstrated in the pop-up advert.] The Ares Predator IV. Ten inch barrel, ten milimetre caseless rounds, integral Smartgun Link... Yadda yadda, every schoolchild and his robo-dog knows the specs on them.

[Skate rolls to her feet, spinning her pistols into a ready position with lightning precision, as a pair of targeting indicators appear overlaid on the show, at the objects she's aiming at – the output feed from the Smartgun System has been patched into the Trid 'cast.]

Skate: Pity you can't see it, Kaykay. The modern SGL System is a work of art. Range, trajectory – it projects damn-near everything except how hard what you're shootin' at is going to be to kill.... Though I hear tell they're working on that.

[Skate grins – indeed, the Smartgun Link System projection is showing everything – almost. She seems to have omitted the ammo counter from the outgoing feed. If the pistols were properly empty, it would be reading EMPTY!!!]

Skate: They don't have quite as much knockdown punch as Kaykay's Warhawks, but the right ammunition can make up for that; and either one of my Predators holds more ammo than both of her revolvers combined. That's the real beauty of the Predator.

Skate: No offense, Kyoto. [Skate grins widely, letting her arms drift back to her side, removing her fingers from the trigger and deactivating the SGL feed.] I still have the gun-cam footage from that shoot-out you were mentioning. Would you like me to play it for the audience?

[camera drone pulls back a bit as KK moves into view ]

KK: ...why yes, I think that'd be mighty fine...oh and by the way, no offence taken. It's all a matter of personal taste. Were it not for my love of the old west and the dizziness I get using that confounded VR, the Predator IV would be my choice too...

...OK gal, as they say in the moving picture business...roll 'em.

[The scene dissolves to the POV of Skate's Predator guncam]

Skate: Love to.

[The live feed dissolves, being replaced by a complicated view – not from Skate's gun-barrel, but the full sim-feed from that day – the view from her cybereyes and audio from her cyberears. Like the show's proper, the two hostesses are at a pool – this one decidedly less upscale, though still surrounded by shrubs and generally not-bad. Skate is admiring the long tattoo on the Kyoto Kid's back, commenting on how sleek and sexy it looks on her. Kaykay only chuckles in reply, as Skate looks down – her own breasts are bare, and she gives them a squeeze – teasing, and not subtly. The Kid asks her to bring over another cup of sake', and Skate walks towards the table set up with it, when an audible sound akin to that of a blade being pulled from it's sheathe. The view is blurred by static for a moment, then everything seems to be moving at a stupidly slow pace, as she reaches out (from her perspective, her own body is moving in normal time) and grabs her gun from the table, whirling around to see what it was.]

Skate: [The words “voice-over� appears in the top-left of the image]Some people are born inhumanly fast. For the rest of us, there's magic or cyberware; take your pick. And because I'm obligated to plug the manufacturer of any device I showcase on this show, I'm going to avow for the record that my reflexes were scratch-built by a friend.

[The image froze while Skate made her voice-over, and it un-freezes – she is aiming her pistol at a metahuman in full Ninja regalia, brandishing a sword at her – his companion, an Ork in a trenchcoat, has cleared his holster. The Kid seems to be caught off her guard, but space around her seems to almost ooze, and suddenly she is moving as fast as Skate did, drawing her pistol from the back of her thong and aiming it at the Ork before he can get his pistol into line with her. The image freezes again.]

Skate: I reacted to these two party-crashers faster thanks to my Renraku-made cyberears. Don't let the look of it fool you – the Kid can actually move faster than I can. I just moved first... Well, slightly faster than me, anyway.

[The image resumes moving, as the Kyoto Kid squeezes off the first shot from her massive revolver - ka-BLAM! The Ork goes flying backwards with a single hole through his datajack, his brains painting the wall of shrubbery behind them.]

Skate: And she didn't even ruin the coat! That's a nice coat - which is why it's now hanging in my closet.

[The image resumes again, as Skate fires twice into the ninja's torso – the feed from her ammo counter, which appears in the 'bottom-right' of her vision, visually counts off two rounds of fifteen – numerically it reads “EX-EX x 13�, as the metahuman ninja staggers back, falling to the ground behind the pool's wall.]

Skate: By now I'd figured we were in for trouble. I mean, even if we'd killed them both, the 'Star was going to show up sooner or later, and even if they believed that we'd killed in self-defense, they're still fragtards. And I'd just gotten my bra off, too... In any event, I had close air support in the area, because I'm not an idiot.

[The image continues to move again. The Kyoto Kid asks if Skate thinks they're both dead, and Skate says “I donno – let's make sure.� The Ninja then leaps into the air, and Skate's vision slows down again – as the Ninja nearly clears the shrub wall, a line of tracer rounds from somewhere above and to her right, heralded by the thunderous roar of a rapid-fire weapon's report, cuts the ninja down in his jump, sending him sprawling through the air in a tumbling heap.]

Skate: Now, I bet he didn't expect that!.

[Skate looks up to the source of the rain that she just brought – the drone above is sleek, three and a half meter-long hybrid ducted/vectored thrust UAV that sleekly maneuvers like a fish through the air, moving it's whole body to change it's angular lifting thrust and firing glowing blue ducts to gain (or lose) speed or altitude rapidly. It's shape is not unlike a ground-support vector-thrust craft, in miniature, even including a sleek black “cockpit� like housing, which no doubt houses sensors. Under it's main body is slung a machine gun mount, which is what just disgorged ammunition into the hapless ninja.]

Skate: My baby - well, the kind of my baby that I don't try to take home in the early morning of every day that ends with a “y�, anyway. That is an Ares Marauder, and it is far and away the most superior air-guard drone I have ever seen. Don't let mine fool you - the machine gun is the least of what this toy can mount. They can take rockets of all sorts, machine guns, lasers, accelerator guns... If you can imagine it shooting and it's not bigger than a hefty troll could fire, you can put it on the Marauder. She can also carry aloft a fairly generous helping of armor, and/or ruthenium or other active camouflage. Similar but larger models are the Ares Raptor, and the Ares Aerospace Bird-of-Prey, which is big enough to actually fly yourself in.

[The flashback ends, showing that Skate is now fully reclined on her pool-chair, having removed her bra and laid it over the back the chair.]

Skate: You weren't expecting the end there, were you, Kaykay? You were white as a Humanis member in full regalia when the Marauder opened up.

[Kyoto shivers a bit then sits down]

KK: Yeah, those things still give me the willies, almost as much as those Shedim varmints. Brought back memories of one job where I had to dodge two o those steel lynx contraptions that were armed with machine guns. Made mincemeat of the tombstones I was duckin’ behind. Last time I felt that helpless was back in the Tir with all those point eared slots havin’ their fun at my expense. [looks down for a moment] Sorry y’all, still have some bad recollections of those days. Funny, they thought they were so high an’ mighty and look where they are now. I never though I’d see the light of day when that wall would come down.

[She places the two formidable looking revolvers on the table between her and Skate]

KK: Y know I went over that wall…well…with a lot of help from some very good friends. Was pretty scary as I was only thirteen at the time… [sighs] Shoot, there I go again, y’all don’t want to hear about that….

[KK looks down for a few moments and sighs again. Skate looks over at her with a bit of concern. The white hared adept shakes her head and takes a deep breath then The #1 camera drone closes in on her. She unties her ponytail lets her long hair fall over her shoulders. ]

KK: Sorry Skate..didn't mean to get all reminiscin' & all.

[She pours another cup of sake and downs it then sits up on the edge of the lounge chair. The rice brew seems to have helped and a smile returns to her face.]

KK: Anyway, the look on ninja boy’s face when your Marauder gizmo showed up was priceless, I wish I had a camera. The gall of them two sidewinders, thinkin’ they could spoil our afternoon of relaxin’. It’s getting’ that a gal can’t even let her hair down once in a while without getting her behind shot at. You just keep them gizmos of yours handy an I’ll make sure ol’ Butch and Sundance here both have a full load.�

[KK looks over at Skate and blushes, having been preoccupied she has just noticed something obviously missing.]

KK: Ahh, girl,..umm it looks as if… [looks off camera and whispers] Is that okay to keep the cameras running? Shouldn’t we go to a commercial or something?

[she looks off stage and shrugs her shoulders...]

Technician: [A voice from off the screen whispers back to Kyoto Kid.] We're good for anything short of live sex acts or bloodshed. Do you want to go to commercial?

[Skate laughs, having overheard the conversation, and reaches out, putting a hand on the Kyoto Kid's shoulder, squeezing it softly.]

Skate: Would you prefer I put it back on, Kaykay? Does it really bother you? [She chuckles, shaking her head.] And don't worry, nobody'll yell at you if you get all reminiscent or something.

[Skate smiles, and squeezes the Kyoto Kid's shoulder once more.]

[Kyoto looks back offstage again and shrugs, and shakes her head then turns back to the camera]

KK: Sorry, still kinda new at this, Not yet sure just what is allowed or not. I really don’t watch the trivid all that much, well ‘cept of the Cowboy Channel, and The Sports Network. In my spare time I am usually busy working out, meditating, or practising my trick shootin’. When I was a girl back in Salem, the Tir had very strict laws about what could be shown. They would also censor...is that the right word...? shows from outside the country. The only violence I remember was a show called Shadows of Crime, which my friend Des called pro-po-ganda, and the hurling matches. Even the news was closely, as she told me, re-gu-lated. And for bein' bare buck naked, that was just somethin’ an “upstandin’ subject� kept behind closed doors.

[She nods to the technician off camera then looks over at Skate and smiles,]

KK: Well, if Scotty says it’s okay, looks like yer okay pardner. Yeah pretty strange the old Tir were such prudes when it came to the trivid. Not okay to show any "real" action or someone's body, [suddenly her western 'twang' is gives way to a more proper British accent and her voice lowers] but they had no problem using people the Peace Force captured as the prey for those stupid death hunts of theirs. Some sport, even…even Urban Brawl is a fair contest compared to that. At least they...they got docs and mages to patch the players up when they get hurt.

[KK looks down again then to the side. Skate sits up more and turns towards her. The audio feed is muted as it appears the two are talking. KK is shaking her head then gets up and walks offstage obviously troubled by something.]

Technician: Skate would you like to go to a commercial?

<Skate: before responding see PM for a "Behind the Scenes">

[The scene from the pool cuts with Skate standing up and sliding around the table, going to commercials, starting with the Fruity, Oaty Bar advert.]

Advert: Fruity Oaty Bars, Pow! [The advert opens up with an eye-searing (and gut-wrenching, for those experiencing in simsense) explosion of the twenty-seven colors corresponding to the filling of the twenty-seven flavors of Fruity, Oaty Bars] Hey! Fruity Oaty Bars, make a man out of a mouse, [The advert shows a tiny mouse (and feels a sensation of intense physical frailty) growing rapidly into a statuesque human man the size of the average troll in overloaded briefs (and the incredible sensation of hulking muscles and physical fitness)] make you bust out of your blouse, [The advert switches to a flat-chested elf in gray and white 'typical schoolgirl' attire (and a feeling of intense self-loathing) whose breasts grow rapidly enough to burst free of her clothing, virtually shining upon her chest with absolutely pornographic perfection (and the emotional feeling of overwhelming self-confidence and attractiveness)] eat them now, bang! Ping! Zow! [The advert suddenly makes the viewer of simsense feel incredibly hungry, while showing a mammoth stack of all the twenty-seven flavors of Fruity, Oaty Bars in glistening, moist-filling perfection] Try Fruity, Oaty Bars today! Available at all Stuffer Shack outlets, another healthy, healthful product of Aztlan.

[The rest of the commercial break blurs together – who pays attention, after all? When the scene washes back in (after the KSAF and the Poolside logos), Skate and the Kyoto Kid are sitting at the pool's edge – Skate has dipped her feet into the pool, whereas the Kid is sitting long-ways beside it, with her back to Skate's side.]

Skate: Sorry about that, old memories - bad memories - needed to be dealt with. So, Kaykay, can I ask you something? Why did you name your pistols?

[Kyoto looks over he shoulder]

KK: Ahm sorry 'bout all that pardner, thought that seven or so years would be enough time. [pauses, then slides around and puts her feet in the water] Yeah Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid is one of my favourite ol' flatvids. I almost was going to take the name Sundance Kid for my Street nom day plumee'. [totally massicres the French term & smiles] But my pal Harper kinda' was partial to callin' me Kyoto K ever since I came back from Japan. Guess I had grown a piece since he last saw me when I was called Little K by him an his chums. [Blushes] Well I thought why not name my two trusty six shooters after 'em. They've been with me ever since they caught my eye that day at Weapons World and have never let me down.

[KK kicks her feet splashing water then leans back bracing herself on her elbows and looks over at Skate]

KK: I think it's good to name your weapons, gives you more of a connection to them. Do you have names for your guns and those drone gizmos of yours?"

[Before Skate can answer, A stagehand appears and hands KKs commlink to her. She thanks him and takes it, using the device like an old style cell phone.]

KK: One moment, Hey, Harper...Yeah I'm fine...just some bad 'ol recollections got the better o' me for a moment...Yeah everythin's okay now...So you're actually watching the show...? That's great, thanks...Hey, I got an idea, why don't y'all come and join us? You could be our first guest...don't forget a swimsuit though as it is a pool party. OK see you.. [KK pushes a few buttons then winces] Ohh I think I sent that Ork burlesque site to someone again. [blushes then turns to Skate] Skate, would it be okay if my buddy Harper drops in later? He's a good hombre, I think you'll like him...an' he's gosh durn purty handsome to boot too...

[Skate waves at the camera when she hears that someone on the comm with the Kid is watching them, then she leans back, sighing softly, and smiling up at Kaykay.]

Skate: Ork burlesque? I generally save that kind of weapons-grade tofu-spam for people I hate. [Skate chuckles] As for comin' around, well... Y'know me, Kaykay. But since he's your friend, that makes him welcome, provided he knows damn well that people who try to grab these, [Skate gropes her impressive chest, with a grin at the Kid - or the camera on the other side of her head. It's hard to say] And isn't welcome to do so gets to meet them. [She points at her predators.]

Skate: And no offense to your friend, but you know me, Kyoto. If it hasn't got breasts, I'm not interested. [She offers a ludicrously salacious leet at Kyoto Kid, then breaks into a belly-hugging giggle that makes her breasts undulate.

Skate: It's fine, really. As for naming my pistols, I never really saw a need to. They're a part of me, as much as these, and I didn't name them.... Did you name yours? [She shakes her head with a soft grin.]

Skate: My drones, though, I do name. More like call-signs than names, like Butch and Sundance, though. The one that gave that ninja an overdose of vitamin lead, for instance, is “Raindance�, because she brings the rain on demand.

[Kyoto blushes at Skate's comments, particularly the one just before she spoke about naming her drone.]

KK:Guess I still have trouble with hitting the right buttons on my commlink. One time I accidentally sub-scribed all my chums to a dwarf burlesque site when I was supposed to send them a picture I took of someone. I still don't quite get all this new no-wires matrix stuff. In the old days it used to be only people like my pal Harper who had to deal with it. All I would have needed was a phone, a credstick, and one of those tiny two way radio sets. [she picks up the commlink] Now I have this li'l ol' gizmo that is like a phone but is also my credstick and as Harper tells me can be as powerful than the matrix deck he used to use.

[KK waves over a technician and hands her the commlink]

KK:As for Harper, you needn't worry, he's a real genuine A-one gentleman. Very rare these days. He's been kinda' like a brother to me ever since we met. Takes care of things for me I don't reckon with too well, like all that matrix mumbo jumbo I spoke of. He also has a whoppi'n good sense o' humour that could even make his ol' chum Badger laugh, which took quite a bit o' doing mind you.

[KK stands up & stretches then dives in the pool and swims across to the diving platform. She climbs up positions herself and does a perfect two and a half inside flip with a twist and enters the water with nary a splash. She then swims back and climbs out, taking a towel from one of the assistants and dries off her feet & and hands. Next she does a running tumble routine along the length of the pool deck back to where skate is sitting, sticking the landing landing perfectly arms out, and then bows. Her impromptu performance is clearly Olympic gold medal caliber. As she sits back down there is applause from the various stagehands and technicians and of course, Skate.]

KK:Ahh, that feels better. Exercise always does one good. [she looks off stage for a moment] Kat, there's a sarsaparilla wi' my name on it over in the cooler kin' ya fetch it for me?

[A tall brunette enters the scene and hands KK a brown bottle she thanks her, then takes a swig]

KK:Ahh now that wet's the whistle. Nothin' like a Jones™ Sarsaparilla. [an inset appears with the Jones logo] A taste straight out o the ol' wild west. Available at your friendly corner Stuffer Shack. Ask for it by name pilgrim, and tell em KK sent ya.

Skate: You shill! [Skate laughs at the corporate whoring, and leans to the side, getting Kaykay in a bearhug from behind with one arm and giving her a mock-noogie with the other, before letting go.] Not really a fan of alcohol myself, believe-it-or-not.

[Skate chuckles, and shakes her head.]

Skate: I'm fast, but you're something else when you get on flipping and dancing like that. I'm not even going to embarrass myself by trying to match your talent. Besides, I tend to sink. You'd think my bones were laced with high-density plastic made by Shiawase or something. [The Shiawase Biotechnology logo briefly spins onto and off-screen.]

Skate: Ahh, the old days. P-Secs, credsticks, and cyberdecks. [ The long-haired brunette sighs reminiscently, and sweeps her brown hair back, revealing the datajack in the base of her skull.] I miss those days... And I'd still like to put a bullet to the brain-pan of whatever motherfragger is responsible for the Crash.. I'd just gotten, my hand to whatever you hold dear, a fucking Excalibur. A Fairlight Excalibur, no joke! The very day before the Crash, too. I got 'jack her in precisely one time, and then - fzzzt!

[Skate sighs, softly, hanging her head and her shoulders, and then she laughs, softly.] I still have it, actually, now that I think about it.. Ahh, let me have a drink.

[Skate takes a sip from KK's drink, and makes an “Ech� face and sound.]

Skate: More for you, then.

[KK laughs at her friend's reaction to her drink.]

KK: I thought you said you didn't drink much alcohol. There ain't a smidge o firewater in this stuff, or there ain't supposed to be. [Looks at the bottle, takes a drink, swishes it around in her mouth for a moment, then swallows] Nope, just what it says on the label holo, nothin' 'cept good ol' sassafras root, some birch, caramel, & sugar, all natural to boot.

[She looks at the bottle again and shrugs her shoulders]

KK: The only spirited drink I like is Sake, and then only naturally brewed, and served traditionally. That panther pee redeye stuff, it only makes people act stupid and mean like my pa.

[for a moment there is a pause and Skate looks at KK concerned. Kyoto finishes the bottle and puts down next to her then pat's Skate's hand.]

KK: Don't worry, I'm okay now...my friend Badger always said it was the tough times that make you a stronger and better person. [she pauses for a moment] I know only a little about them days you talked about, I was barely fourteen then. I'd been livin' with this nice Japanese woman in Seattle for almost a year when the crash happened. It was a might scary. According to Harper, some kind of computer programme that had it's own smarts tried to take the matrix over. In Boston there were nucular weapons that exploded above the city. [she sighs] Shortly afterwards I was sent to Kyoto where I studied with a Sensei who taught my Sensei. I think my mama-san had me go there for safe keepin' till everythin' was sorted out. Anyway yeah, Harper told me a lot of what it used to be like. Seemed so much simpler back then. [she looks over at Skate and smiles] At least you still have your deck. Harper lost his when it happened, it was one he built up on his own lonesome over many years. Were it not for Eddie yankin' the plug just in time, I'd be teaching him how to do things instead of the other way around.

[KK shivers a bit at the words she just said. She then gently squeezes Skate's hand.]

KK: I'm just glad we all made it through that, you, Harper, my mama-san. He's helping me better understand all this newfangled stuff. Y'know when I first got my commlink, I didn't even know how to turn it on let alone make a call or pay for something. [She smiles than chuckles]

Skate: Just because it's not alcohol doesn't mean I like it. [Skate shakes her head, and sighs softly, leaning back on the tiled floor and tracing her fingers up Kaykay's long tattoo.]

Skate: I wasn't much older at the time of the crash. You were fourteen, I was sixteen.... [She chuckles again, and reaches up, gently trying to tug the Kid backwards and down, by the shoulder.]

Skate: Those were some crazy times... Some very, very crazy times, but we came through 'em, didn't we? That's something.

[Skate pats the Kid's hand in return.] And I'm sure you'll get the hang of the comlink soon enough.

[KK looks at Skate wide eyed in astonishment.]

KK: You were only sixteen? And you already had a deck? And an Ex-cali-i-bur?. Harper would always talk about that. At first I wondered why he was interested in some young'un's fairy tale sword, then he mentioned it was a brand of deck. The 'lam-bor-gini' of decks as he said it was. You must've started in the shadows awfully young. When I was sixteen I was still in Kyoto workin' on earnin' my black belt with Master Haneda.

[KK stands up and takes a fighting stance then goes through several moves with almost blinding speed. At one point her hands appear to be sheathed in crackling electricity. She then does a quick flip and kick move landing about a metre away, after which she clasps her hands together and bows. There is the sound effect of a gong and she giggles]

KK: During my training I learned to better combine my gymnastics with my fighting. [She sighs] I really wanted to be a gymnast and go to the Olympics when I was growing up. But people like me are not allowed because they say our powers is like taking certain drugs used for cheatin'. 'Bout the only other place I could use them is on trivid action shows, but I'm not much o' an actor. Hard to remember the lines an' I didn't want to lose my Ki by havin' wires an all that put in me. No offence pardner, a lot o' my best friends have em. Some of use just ain't made for, how do you say it, aug-men-ta-tion.

[There is a pause as KK suddenly looks confused.]

KK: Skate, what's a lam-bor-gini? It ain't somethin' naughty is it?

[Skate nods at Kaykay.]

Skate: Early?.. Yeah, you could say that... Guess you could also say I was very lucky, too. [Skate chuckles softly, and sighs, standing up and walking to the chairs, settling down on one with a soft sigh, reclining upon it.] Mmmmmm... Yeah. I got my hands on an Excalibur – I was so wired when I first laid hands on it.. So beautiful, so powerful, so illegal. [Skate laughs.] Like holding lightning in your hands, like.. Like the feeling of riding a twelve-inch long, 12,000 pulses per second Mammoth. [The advert for Mammoth-brand toys – generally marketed to the sturdier metahuman females – spins through the screen] Like, well.. Like holding the power to manipulate the very universe in your hands, like becoming The One. [Skate chuckles; quite aware that almost nobody is going to get that particular flatvid reference.]

Skate: A Lamborghini, by the way, was a car manufactured by the Lamborghini company, waaaaay back before the first Crash. Extremely expensive, extremely fast... A Westwind 3K wouldn't come close to touching one, in terms of speed, luxury, or rarity.

[KK gets up and goes over to the other chair]

KKThat was kinda how I felt when my old Sensei Master Kobayashu came to Kyoto and gave me my Daisho set after I attained my black belt. [her western drawl again disappears and she is speaking with a crisp Japanese Accent] He said the Katana was very special and that I needed to bond with it. When I picked it up I could almost feel the energy connecting me with the blade. The more I worked with it, the more it became part of myself. It is as if I could feel myself extend along the blade through each fold of the steel to touch my opponent. It's hard to describe in words.

[She looks to the right and there is a muffled voice offstage. A few moments later Kate hands her a long ornate enameled wood case. KK opens it ro reveal the deadly blades in their sheaths One a Wakasashi, the other a Katana. She then removes the Katana and unsheathes it stepping back from the table and chairs she goes through several moves. The blade appears to blur almost appearing as if it is flickering from the reflected lighting. She then draws it up in front of her and bows then lightly draws the lethal blade across the palm of her hand. She doesn't wince. After wards she is handed a couple linen cloths which one she uses to wipe the blade clean the other she wraps around her hand. She then sheathes the sword and places it back in the case. One of the technicians approaches her with a first aid kit and attends to her hand. After a couple minutes all is good.]

KK [in the same clean accent] Do not worry I am alright. It is the price I must pay to show such an elegant weapon.

[She then sits down and is handed a fresh Tokuri of Sake from which she pours a cup and then downs]

Skate: Wow... [Skate shakes her head, in awe at the Kyoto Kid's display, and claps when she's done – an act which also serves to give anyone watching her breasts a display, no doubt.] You're incredible, Kaykay. That's just.... Just... Magnificant. [The hacker grins.]

Skate: I imagine that's what it's like. It's funny, though... Your powers never get old. My Excalibur? It's the hottest in decade-old technology. Can't hold a candle to anything modern above pure civilian-grade. [Skate lets out a melodramatic sigh, and takes a sip of her Sake – true to her word, she makes a grimacing face as it goes down, setting the cup back down on the table.]

[Kyoto Bows to Skate then closes the weapon case.]

KK: [still with Japanese accent] Why thank you. It is strange how the "old" sometimes can outlast the new. Though if I do not exercise and meditate daily, even my abilities tend to go, "out of date" so to say. [she smiles and closes the weapon case, her old west style returns] Yup one o my pals called me a livin' queezen-art when he saw the way I mowed through a posse of ghouls one time. The thing is it becomes a blur even to me at times. After the fight was over I then rekoned what I had done. Downright scary sometimes. It's like havin' a fever in mid July and you feel like the blood in yer veins is on fire.

[She sighs for a moment, and takes skate's hand.]

KK: Y'know, sometimes I really did wish this whole tech thing would slow down a spell. Shoot, it seems like you go to bed one night and wake up the next mornin an everythin's all brand spankin' shiny new again. [scratches her head] I know I never could keep up with it. Heck, I still think the old fashioned hand held phones are amazin'. Like you could talk to someone in Russia if you wanted while sittin' at a saloon in Seattle. Pardner we all have our callin' in life,you have your computers and drones, I have my blades an six shooters Yet, we each play an important part in this hoedown. [looks down again and blushes] ...shoot there ah go waxin' all philosophical like again...

Skate: Technology's not going to slow down any time soon, Kaykay. [Skate smiles at Kyoto Kid's philosophizing, and squeezes Kaykay's hand tightly.] But if you want to learn to keep up, I can teach you. Can teach anybody who's willing to learn, and clearly you've been willing to learn something at some point; why not again? [Skate nods at the box with the swords in it.]

[Skate leans up, wrapping her other arm around Kyoto Kid's waist, tugging her close.]

[KK rests her head against Skate's shoulder]

KK: Why that's mighty nice of you to offer. Thanks. Yeah I'm kinda tired bein the dumb one on the team all the time. Not that don't appreciate all my pal Harper's done for me and all. It's just that I do need to become more independent.... [she pauses and looks to one side] ...by the way, where is he? He's don't live that far away.

[She shrugs and then looks back at the camera]

KK: Oh well, he's a big boy. Been though his fair share of scrapes before, not the least of which was gettin' my little behind over that confounded wall all them years ago.

Skate: Probably just caught in traffic, you know how that goes in this city.

[Skate chuckles softly, and shakes her head.]

Skate: It's really not so hard to learn to use modern computer technology, you know. You just have to focus on learning... And not the Orkish burlesque.

KK: Forgot about that as I don't drive. Then again I seem forget a lot of things. This is why I have such trouble learning stuff like computers. When Sensei would show me a move, step by step, or when Harry showed me how to load and shoot a gun, that was easy. But when Harper gets to talki'n about codes, pans, subscribing, an'fire-walls, he would lose me. [aside to Skate with a wry smile] I thought at first he said"firewater" which I thought was funny as it's hard enough to figure work these things when yer sober as a nun.

[She sits back and sighs and the smile fades]

KK: Y'see, I was never really good at the technical and science subjects, even back in school. I did okay with history and social stuff. Just givin' ya fair warnin', it could be a might tricky so I hope you have the patience. Though I really would like to be able to send the pictures of a place I'm reconnoitering instead of linkin' my pals to some strip tease or *ugh* elf cooking matrix by mistake.

[she then looks down somewhat ashamed.]

KK: I think this all goes back to when I was living in Salem. My daddy, he would hit me a lot when he got mad at me. The doc I went to after I came here told my mamma-san that it kind of damaged my brain, and would make it hard for me to com-pr- er com- er understand hard subjects. Harper knows all about that too, he does his best to make it simple, but it doesn't always work.

[KK sits forward, grasps Skate's hand tightly and appears to perk up a bit as if a light suddenly turned on upstairs]

KK: Y'know I could teach you a few moves to better help ya dodge outta harm's way, land on your feet when jumpin', defend yerself if some varmint tries to get too close and personal, heck, maybe even swim...it can save yer life someday.

Skate: It's a shame you don't drive - it's so much fun.

[The hacker grins at the Kyoto Kid]

Skate: I've got patience. Don't worry.. And everything computerized comes easier if you can [i]feel it. That's what 'trode paste is for, you know.[/i] [Skate laughs.] Of course, we'd have to shear off that beautiful mane of yours......

[She sighs, and squeezes KK's hand just as tightly.]

Skate: Anyway, yeah... I'd be glad for anything you wanted to teach me.

[KK brushes her had through her own hair]

KK: Well, I actually did drive a few times. I do remember watching daddy and mom drive, it looked pretty easy.

Once we had to vamoose from a bunch o' Orks & Trolls after this concert where the star singer got himself kidnapped. Nobody else knew how to drive either so they made me do it 'cause I was the quickest I guess. Scary havin' those guys jump on top of the car, Found me a neat trick though, stomp on the brake pedal and no more troll on the roof. [laughs] Then there was this other time where I had to be the limo-sine driver to pick up this one couple at the airport. Didn't work as they took that egg beater air taxi instead. By the time I caught up to everyone in the barrens, the whole dang shootin' match was pretty much over. [snickers and shrugs] The car was on loan from a livery, so I couldn't really drive too fast or loco with it. Sides didn't want to attract the attention o' the Star.

[KK pauses again looks distantly for a moment]

KK: I thought 'bout learnin' and getting a motorcycle though. 'Bout the closest thing there is to a horse these days. I like that big Harley Davidson, all that chrome, leather bags and all looks a might real classy. Would definitely go with my getup.

[She looks forlornly at her long white hair which is draped over her shoulder.]

KK: Do I really have to cut it off for those paste doodads? Ever since I was young I always had it long like this. Ah'd look and feel a might strange without it and my hat wouldn't fit right. 'Sides that AR stuff makes me a bit dizzy an' all, like I drank a whole bottle o' redeye.

Skate: Dizzy? [Skate's eyes go wide.] Ah, hell. That sounds like Simsense vertigo. It's pretty much the kiss of death for any real hacking or whatnot.

[Skate sighs, and reaches up, stroking Kaykay's long hair.]

Skate: Ah, well. I can still teach you to use things manually. At least, no more linking your friends to porno or something.

[Skate grins] And I'll have you know I'm not entirely a slouch at defending myself. Probably can't hold a candle to you, though..

[KK Smiles and looks up at Skate]

KK: Well with those drone Gizmos about I'd say your're pretty well covered, at least outside. But like my pal Slick Eddie would tell me, there'd be times you can't always count on em. Like when you're in one of those super secret science labs and a posse of guards shows up. Sometimes you can't help but get all close up an personal. That's when your fists can be your best weapons.

Knowin' how to tumble out of a fall can keep you from twistin' your ankle or worse. Friend o mine had this ditz of an elf mage on a run with her once who was too scared to jump down from the roadway cause she thought she'd hurt herself. Just stood there an let the guards take her without so much a puttin' up any fight. Meanwhile VI, that's my freind, nice fillly, into computers like you are. [scratches her head] Where was I...Oh yeah, well Vi managed to get away cause I taught her how to tumble out of a jump. Never saw that elf again. Now Vi ain't the most athletic of people in the world but she knows enough to save her backside.

[There are some muffled voices off stage which catch KK's attention. Her eyes widen in surprise as tao people come striding in. One is a fairly good looking man in maybe his late 20s who is neatly dressed and groomed. With him is a tall and elegant elf woman with long flowing brown hair who is wearing a cardigan and knee length skirt. KK gets up and appears to want to run towards the couple for a moment, then catches herself and bows politely. The two walk up to her and the Elf woman holds out her arms. KK lets the woman embrace her while the young man tussles the adept's long white hair. She turns back to Skate, a look of disbelief on her face. ]

Woman: Kelly, it is so good to see you again after all these years. When Harper said you had a show I couldn't believe it. Our Little K a trivid star.

[KK Blushes at hearing her old nickname. Harper just stands there grinning at the sight of the two. KK then catches her breath and turns to Skate.]

KK: [falling back into her British accent] Oh, I am very rude now. Skate, everybody, I would like to introduce you to two old and wonderful friends I met when I lived in Portland. [she gestures to the man] This is Harper the Matrix Spe-cialt-ist I told you about. [He nods politely and KK then looks up at the elf] And this is Shana. She is a good friend of Harper's and Randi's who discovered I was an Adept. [The tall woman bows her head in acknowledgment as well KK then looks at both of them again and holds her hand out towards skate.] Shana, Harper, this is my good freind and how do you say, co-host, Skate.

[Skate chuckles, and shrugs.]

Skate: I try never to strike a man with my closed fist, although it is, on occasion, hilarious. I prefer to throw those who attack me about – to use their weight, size, and momentum for my own purposes.

[She grins, miming a perfect throw – the kind used to intercept someone who's punching straight at you and heave him off.]

Skate: As for jumping, I can jump... Somewhat. I don't like it, but I know I'm not going to break any bones. They're plastic-laced, you see.

[Skate tilts her head, and furrows her brow for a moment, looking annoyed.]

Skate: I already shilled out my bone lacing by Shiawase, I see no reason to do it twice! [The Shiawase Biotechnology logo spins across the screen, and Skate rolls her eyes.] But yes, it's certainly better than being caught because you're afraid of jumping... [She sighs] What a waste... Tch.

[Skate blinks as the muffled voices offstage resolve into two people, and the barechested co-hostess stands up, as Kate dashes forward, and pronounces the introductions. Skate puts her hands together and bows, respectfully – giving the camera a magnificent view while she's at it, intentionally or otherwise.]

Skate: Hello, and welcome. [Skate smiles. But there's a look of concentration as she stares at Harper, and Harper stares back – they take a few long moments, before Skate relaxes. She takes Shana's offered hand.] Good to meet you. [Skate smiles, shaking Shana's hand.]

[KK walks over to Skate ans grasps her hands]

KK Blushes I'm sorry I didn't mean to be insulting, Just that for me implants take away from my Ki. I have a few mostly for my speed and athletics but they interfere with my calling up on my real inner power. Mama-San saw that when she had my look changed it took away from a bit of my Ki so she said I should take advantage and add more of that Bio-logi-cal stuff to make me faster and more graceful. This is also why I cannot be a professional athlete anymore.

Shana Ms Skate, she really didn't mean any harm, it's just that she sometimes doesn't realise what she says. [KK looks up at her with an odd expression, Shana gently brushes her hair then turns to her] Little K, you need to learn to listen more to others just like I told you many times. I remember you didn't trust me at all at first but when I got you to slow down you finally realised that I would never ever harm you.

[KK looks down ashamed and takes a deep breath she then looks up at Skate with apologetic eyes]

KK Skate, I am so sorry for making you angry. That is the last thing I would ever want to do. It is dishonrourable to slight someone who count as your friend. [Shana smiles and nods then picks up her duffel an walks to the dressing room. A few minutes later she emerges wearing a very sleek and somewhat revealing bathing suit. Harper actually blushes a bit on seeing her. She looks over at him and smiles wryly]

Shana C'mon Irish this is after all this is a swim suit party.

[Shana takes a running jump and dives into the pool. KK looks at Skate and dives in after the elf. The adept turns and looks back waving Skate to dive in. Harper meanwhile waves at the two and turns to leave.]

KK Harper, don't go.

Harper [in a thick Irish brogue] Little K, ye know I canna swim and bedsides, I really dinna think this is the place for me. You kylies go and have fun, I...I think I got some code to write. [he waves then turns and walks off the set. KK looks at Skate and smiles.]

KK I told you he was a real gentleman. Harper has a lot of respect, something so many people do not seem to understand.

[Skate is left looking more than a little confused as the Kid apologizes for something she wasn't even angry about, and Harper beats a hasty retreat in the face of bare breasts. She sits on the side of the pool, blinking.]

Skate: Errr, KayKay? I wasn't angry... What made you think I was? [She blinks.] Oh, that? I was annoyed at the producer telling me to shill my bone lacing... Whoops. I guess I need to work on that brain-mouth filter thing.

[Skate smiles, and walks back to the chair, picking up his discarded swimsuit top and putting it back on – no doubt to the disappointment of a great many sprawl viewers, before she walks back to the pool and slides in – she doesn't exactly dive, and it soon becomes apparent why – she sinks low in the pool, working hard just to tread water.]

Skate: He is, at that. Didn't even try to stop me from hacking his upper-level PAN.. And you.... [Skate grins at the elf.] You know some interesting people, Kyoto... [Skate smiles, taking the easy way out – latching a hand around the ladder's rung.]

KK [still in her native accent]: You're lucky you didn't go very far in to his deck... er...link. I understand he has some really bad what you call...Ice critters in there. Y' see he was one o the lucky ones to survive the crash. That's what he told me when I saw him again.

Shana: Little...ah...Kyoto is right, I was there when it happened, Fortunately our team's rigger Eddie was there to Jack him out just in time.

[KK swims over to where Skate is]

KK: You really do have trouble staying afloat. I wonder if there is some kind or ware that can help you a bit more. With all the water around here, could be a might dangerous.

[Shana swims over to the ladder, smiles more than politely at Skate and climbs out. She is handed a towel by one of the stage assistants]

KK: [looking up at the elf] Shana, y'know I forgot to ask, but what brings you back here? Harper said that you went to... where was it, Europe?

Shana: Yes I did. I received a very special assignment to work for a young woman named Leela Groznek who is a musician. As a matter of fact that is why I am here. She had to return to give a final depo- [the elf stops and looks at the white hared adept], she has to make a final statement in the case of the bombs which were set off last Christmas.

KK: Oh, yeah, I think I remember that. One exploded by the Market. It killed a lot of people I heard. They said it also has some kind of poison.

Shana: Yes it did in a way, there was radiation in the dust and smoke it was what they called a dirty bomb. Ms Groznek who was visiting for the holidays became a suspect because she knew how to use explosives very well. You see, many years ago she was a member of the Croatian resistance during the war with Serbia

[KK cocks her head to one side as if she is catching at best, every other word the elf is saying. She then smiles and nods as if she understands]

KK: I just remember that was a very bad time. It was pretty dangerous then to do anything because the Star was everywhere. I pretty much kept low. Fortunately I had a decent job before that so I wasn't hurting for money.

[She climbs up the ladder, then offers a helping hand to Skate. With seemingly little effort especially for someone her size, she easily helps her partner out of the pool. The two are handed towels and make their way back to the table and lounge chairs where Shana is already sitting, sipping on a tall exotic drink. There is a fresh tokuri of Sake and a small ice bucket with several bottles of KK's favourite Sarsaparilla]

KK: [in her cowgirl accent again] Shana, you sure have remained a purdy one. I’m surprised you have no beau.

[The Elf Blushes for a moment. She then stands up, dons KKs Stetson and puts and her hands on her hips. After concentrating for a moment, she replies with a perfect impersonation of John Wayne right down to the voice]

Shana: Well, shoot lil’ K, ah just never reckoned ah had the need to get all tied down like a schoolmarm now. 'Sides I have an important job watching over that European pieani player. Takes me all over the world it does.

[KK begins to chuckle then she laughs openly at her friend's act]

[IC] KK: Sister, you know how ah always liked it when you used your magic for a bit o funnin. So many other spell slingers I've met are so confounded serious these days. LIke they got their focus stuck up where the sun don't shine.

<From the Engineering Booth: Experiencing Technical difficulties by exceeding the limit for the [IC] emoticon>

[In a dark booth staring at a static-filled “broadcast� screen with the KSAF technical error logo across it...]

Technician: She shut the feed down the moment “special assignment� was said, sir. She's fast.

Announcer: What do you mean, shut it down!?

Technician: I mean, it's down down, sir. That snow is all we're pumping out. She also killed our cameras, we can't even see or hear inside. Must be something she doesn't want getting out.

Announcer: She can't do that! That's gotta be a breach of contract!

Technician: Read her contract again, sir. She has power of censor over the program if she thinks someone's about to say something incriminating or dangerous.

[Back in the Pool]

Skate: You two should be more careful! [Skate climbs to the top of the ladder.] Special assignments? Depositions? Croatian wars, explosives experts? Are you trying to bring the Star down on you? Worse – are you trying to give your enemies a heads-up as to your activities?

[Skate shakes her head.]

Skate: What part of “Live Trid-show� don't you two get? Good thing I cut the feed... [She huffs, as she pulls herself out of the pool and gets a towel, sitting on it in her chair.] That said, this sounds like a story worth the telling. You've got to let me in on it sometime. [The hacker grins, and turns to look at the elf.]

Skate: Not one for romance? Or maybe just not for the men? [The hacker chuckles softly.] Ah well. She's right, though – you really are exceptional, even for an Elf.

[The live feed clears up, returning to broadcast.]

Skate: You know, that talk about the Crash got me remembering. Work wasn't actually all that tight for me after it. Nothing quite so glamorous, or challenging, as I was used to, but. Well, a lot of people had lost a whole lot of everything, and some of them needed it back. You could get into isolated systems and put the pieces back together if you were careful.

[Before the programme feed comes back on line]

KK [looking a bit ashamed, falls back into British accent]: Sorry for that. It is just that seeing my good friend Shana and all,...

Shana [interrupting] Ms. Skate, it is my fault. Little K...ah...Keiko meant no harm. Ms Groznek has been cleared of any involvement in the matter. The statements she made are nothing more than...formalities. You know how governments are.

[KK stands on her toes pulls Shana down to her and whispers something in the elf's ear. Shana whispers something back then looks at her and smiles after which she walks over to the lounge chairs and sits down. There is a bottle of wine and a glass on the table next to her. KK then looks over at skate]

KK: After the show Shana would be happy to talk more about... ummm...what all happened. She says she may also have a bit of a surprise for tomorrow's show...

[something catches KK's attention. She looks offstage then nods.]

KK: ...well howdy, pilgrims we're back...seems some lil' varmint got himself into the works and done chewed up some o the wirin'. [she looks over at Skate and smiles], Y'know I was still a young'un when that all happened. I do remember things gettin' a might bit scary back then. Shortly after that, Momma-San sent me a packin' to Kyoto to learn the ways of the blade and channel, as she said, the powers that were in me. [She looks down] Shoot, ah think she maybe just wanted me out of any harm's way. As I understand rich and poor Tir folk done up an left right afterwards, many coming to Seattle. Never knew what happened to my ma, pa and sister, and it wasn't like I really hankered to press the question back then. [she looks over at Skate] Pardner, if'n it's not much trouble, could I ask what was it like? Momma-San tried to tell me, but she wasn't, y'know, out on the streets much.