Preston leans close to her too -- goofily close, his eyes almost crossing to look at her. "I'm glad you liked it. And thank you for indulging me the last couple of days. Now ... you have a life to lead, there is a horse race we have to go to tomorrow, and ..." he pauses to take and release a deep breath "I think I've gotten over myself, that I'm ready to cope better with your world now. I'm happy to go back to either place tonight, but hopefully I'm up to speed for now. Although I may have to take breaks now and then, but I think I'm ready to give it a proper run now."

Tanya nods and kisses you before chuckling and moving to the edge of the road where a concrete barrier sits. It is about eight inches tall and maybe six inches wide and she steps lightly on it and walks on it like it was even with the pavement. She moves gracefully along the ridge as she talks. “I am on such a high from listening to the music and dancing. Thank you for bringing me here. I think it is good for us to talk about our issues, especially if they affect one or both of us.”

She flicks her well-formed butt at you and looks over her shoulder to say, “I would go to whichever place you want and will leave that decision up to you. If we go to yours, we will need to leave early enough to get back to my place to change for the day, but that is doable if you are more comfortable there.” She turns on one foot, not wobbling as she looks directly at you. “You are the only man I have ever offered my heart to and I am totally committed to making you happy with me. I am yours. Take me where you want.”

* Monkey: That bed! That coffee!

"Well, I can't deny the comforts of your place -- and I guess I'd like to spend a better morning there, have a better morning memory than we have now. So I'd be happy to go there. I'll need to grab some things from my apartment first -- don't know if you still have old fashion disguise materials around but for now I should stick to my kit, make sure I keep my look consistent."

Tanya smiles at you. “My place it is. I will let Monique know to expect us.” As you walk to your ride, she adds, “I have a ton of stuff for disguises. A girl can never know when she might have to resort to the stuff she cut her teeth on, right? But I encourage you to bring what you are comfortable with. Would it be alright if I left some of my clothes at your place? You know, just in case you ask me to spend the night there again?”

* Coleman: Where am I? Don't move until I've positioned myself and nearby threats.
* Gamma: Waking up in an unfamiliar place is always disorienting.
* Monkey: Feel that sheet, notice the lack of unpleasant odours, hear the lack of traffic -- only one place I could be.

Preston cautiously opened his eyes, and confirmed that indeed he was in Tanya's bed. A quick check on his link indicated that he'd slept in later than he'd intended, and a scan of the room showed that Tanya wasn't in bed any longer.

Pummeling his memories, he realized that it wasn't that last night had been especially crazy after they'd returned to the hotel -- although granted that a certain amount of acrobatics had been involved. It seemed that his disorientation had simply come from incredibly deep sleep. Exhaustion from the concert and later activities, comfort and quiet of the bed and bedroom, and a surprising degree of emotional peace had all led him to sleep more soundly than he could recall doing in years.

* Coleman: sleeping that deeply is a vulnerability, I shouldn't make it a habit.
* Monkey: sleeping that deeply is wonderful, I should absolutely make it a habit.
* Gamma: I do feel fresher, sharper, more focused than normal. I think the sleep did me good, and will let me perform at a high level, and tolerate a lot of disruption better than normal.

Preston stretched luxuriously, and headed into the wonderful shower. He assumed Tanya would show herself, or summon him, in due course. In the meantime he should finish getting himself ready to earn his luxurious keep.

You can check just to make sure, but there is no gauge on the wall of the very large shower to indicate any sort of hot water ration and you can luxuriate to your heart’s content under the warm spray. While you are washing your hair, you hear the glass door slide open and shut and a naked body is pressed to yours from behind. Arms come around you and hold you tight as a head is laid against your back. Tanya’s familiar British accent is somewhat muffled as she says, “You are amazing, Mister Preston. All that you did yesterday and you still had time to work your magic on me last night.” You feel her lips caress your back and she softly adds, “I love you, Peter. I hope like hell that you never get tired of hearing that.”

She takes her arms back and you can hear the second shower head come on as she continues. “Alright, I have arranged for some things, but please let me know if you have different ideas. You know yourself better than I do and might want things done in a specific manner. First, breakfast will be served in the living room. I have had Monique pull up some footage of past races so we can become at least knowledgeable about the sport and we can watch the races while we eat. You will note an emphasis on the races where Howard had an interest. Second, a valet will be in to help you get dressed. I hope that you remember the man because he certainly has some favourable things to say about you. Third, the auto will be round to get us to the track in time to hobnob a bit and get to Howard’s box. Fourth, I do not have any problem with seeing Amanda there today, so I hope you will not. In my opinion, she is a nice girl in a very hard spot and if the two of you can help each other out on occasion, I can support that. From what little I know about her, she could be a good source of information about many aspects of your profession and I encourage you to see her now and again. I will have to pray that the link you and I have will bring you back to me after seeing her. What would you think about me trying to hire her on as a consultant in certain areas?”

She turns her water off and drags a finger down your back before saying, “I might have forgotten something, so any comments from you are well appreciated.”

* Monkey: If she'd just run her finger over ... ah, right there! Oh she is good!

Preston let out a small contented sigh at Tanya's touch, but eventually focused on her questions. "That pretty much matches what I was thinking of for the morning. Except I was wondering about also putting in a bit of time into horse racing in or around China." He turns to face her, to better wave his hands around as he explains his idea. "I thought it might be interesting to say something ignorant about ancient Chinese racing -- like that they raced chariots or something, unless they actually did. Then let him educate me about things Chinese. He seems like the sort who would enjoy proving how much more knowledgeable he is. I don't promise that will lead to an invite to see his vases and whatnot, but it seems like it gives us a chance to get lucky."

* Coleman: Wait, the chit seems pretty cunning, wouldn't she have seen the things yet? If not, there might be a reason.

His face suddenly freezes, and he slowly adds "Unless ... you don't want an invitation to see them, so that we don't become more likely to be suspects, or something?"

Tanya is standing under the other shower head, letting the water pour off her red hair, most of it flowing down her back, but some running down her chest, which is certainly perky this morning. All in all, it is rather difficult to look at her and continue talking, but you manage.

When you are done, Tanya places the tip of a forefinger against your lips. “Now you are second-guessing yourself. It is a brilliant idea and I wish I had thought of it. I have never seen the collection and had planned on doing this without ever having been in the room, but knowing where our target vase is before we go get it might certainly help. If we are good enough, there will be nothing to suspect, so I see no reason why we should not take advantage of your great idea. I will have Monique try to turn up something about horse racing in ancient China while we finish here and dry off.” She looks down for a moment then back up, a smile clearly evident on her face. “Well, I am glad that you can still display that amount of desire for me, Peter. Do you have any idea how much that turns me on? But you know your body better than I do and I will honor your desire to wait and let the anticipation build.” She licks her lips in a particularly seductive manner. “But you will let me know if you change your mind about that, won’t you? I am perfectly willing to forego the whole anticipation thing for some immediate gratification.”

* Monkey: I love how she can always find time for fun!
* Coleman: We have serious preparation work to do.
* Monkey: Pffft, lots of time to do both.
* Coleman: When I'm preparing, I need to focus on the job.
* Monkey: Which is why I should take care of other urges first, so that I can focus after!

Preston bites his lip for a moment, then give Tanya a sidelong glance and says "If you can promise coffee and protein between fun and study, then ... there really isn't much point in finishing drying off because we're going to need to be back in here shortly anyway."

++++++++++++++++++++++++

* Monkey: Real coffee and real bacon -- I'm in heaven!
* Gamma: This is the seventh time I've had this thought in the last five minutes. I am supposed to be focusing on this racing situation.
* Monkey: I know, but my mouth is still so happy! And other parts, too!
* Coleman: I knew I should have skipped distractions
* Gamma: Our interactions with Tanya have been relaxed and productive, and the race background is not so hard to absorb. I do not think we are suffering a loss of efficiency due to our prior enjoyment.

Sipping his second coffee, Preston let his eyes scan around the impressive display, feeling that he was seeing the racetrack at better than real resolution. Then something caught his eye "Wait, I mean pause it will you, and go back just a little? Over to the right, the older heavyset guy with the small beard and the combed back white hair, he was in that group that Howard was talking with earlier, that you pointed out to me. Now he's down track-side. Who is he?"

Tanya's eye's looked into the matrix for a moment before she responded "Monique already flagged him, that's Thomas Gamboza, head of track maintenance, worked his way up since he was young, considered a real asset of the track -- he has a good 'feel' for how to deal with our lovely weather."

"Ok, makes sense for a horse owner to schmooze with him. Sorry, let's carry on."

Tanya shrugged, but with a small effort Preston kept his mind on her words, not her body "No need to apologize -- Monique is usually ahead of me too, but it always pays to watch with my own eyes as well."

"It certainly is nice to have someone do that base research for you, and even better when they are so good at it. It just feels weird for me still to be on this side of things, I used to do the research for Fisher then he'd review it. Looking at this, and looking back ... I wish I could have had some lessons from Monique back then -- she is very slick! Like that note on screen of how long it took him to arrive at his seat from when he left his car, versus the average of other occasions. I don't know that we need to know, but having it right there is nice .... " He trailed off as the trid briefing notes continued.

Tanya’s impish smile turns into something that could banish shadows from ill-lit corners and she throws herself into your arms, wrapping her legs about your waist as she smothers your face in kisses. “God, I love you, Peter. You know just what to say.” The next minutes are lost as you make love and her enthusiasm is evident as is the state of ecstasy you take her to, if her loud vocalization of your name is any indicator. Eventually, both of you lay on the floor of the shower, exhausted and used up, feeling the warm spray of water from both shower heads.

One half of the glass door slides open and Monique pokes her head in to look at the two of you. “Good morning, Monsieur Preston, My Lady. Breakfast will be in thirty minutes.” Tanya waits about eight seconds after her maid closes the shower door and leaves before breaking out into raucous laughter. Looking at you, she says, “She would only do that if she liked you, so you must have passed the Monique test. That is very convenient since I love you so much. I guess that means we need to wash up quickly and get out there. Good thing there are two heads in here.” She weakly makes it to her feet and completes the showering process you started some time ago.

After drying in some really luxuriously soft towels, she shows you where to find a robe as she slips into one. She kisses you with tremendous passion and walks to the living room with her hand in yours. Monique has breakfast trays set up on small tables in front of the couch and you can see that the entire wall is opened up into a multi-screen entertainment system that allows you to watch several events at one time. Tanya touches Monique on the arm as she thanks her and you catch a look between them that defies definition, but is certainly indicative of a relationship that is far more than just mistress and maid. The food is excellent and from some things Tanya says, was apparently prepared by Monique rather than the hotel chefs. Tanya curls her legs under her as she sits on the comfortable couch and the two of you enjoy real food and real coffee as you watch what Monique has prepared for you in the way of horse racing films.

Per her instructions, Monique has made the focus of the films to be where Howard figures prominently. He has apparently had an interest in racing for some years and even owns a small stable that periodically puts horses on the track. You and Tanya watch and take notes and talk as race highlights are accompanied by in-depth analyses of various races made by experts in the field, to include several notable interviews with Howard, his stable manager, and other important members of the race fraternity. Howard is seen with several pretty young women on his arm or near him in his box and the man appears to smile and be happy, but there are several instances where the camera catches him frowning, usually at the end of a race and even when his horse has won.

At your comment, Tanya looks over at you and nods. “Yes, she has proven invaluable to me in many ways. She is the finest researcher I know and I rely on her judgement. This is how she used to make a living, you know. Her field was the track and she has forgotten more than most people will ever know about races and odds and gambling………………and gamblers. She used it all in her line of work, and was probably the best scammer in the business as well as a right dab hand at picking pockets.” She smiles and leans toward you to speak in faux soft tones. “Sometimes I really wonder if I found her or if she found me first and was working a scam from the start. If so, she certainly got more than she bargained for, I would wager.”

From the kitchen, you hear Monique say, “Oui, it has been far different than what I had thought it was to be. I have suffered immensely and do not know what keeps me here. Perhaps it is the coffee?”

Tanya looks at you and giggles then goes back to watching the vids. Monique returns to the living room several times to refill coffee cups and take dishes away. At the end, she stands behind the couch and reaches over to pick up the control remote and pauses everything. “Oui, monsieur et madame, test time. Tell me what you have seen that makes little sense.”

Preston grimaces, sighs, and finally says “Mostly just: why?”

He stands up and starts walking around as he rants further. “This reminds me a bit of high school, when we’d have to read some dreary book that the teacher thought was just fantastic. I could analyze the setting, language, relationships between the characters, maybe even pick out some themes, but most of the time I couldn’t understand why we’d want to read the thing or why someone would even want to write it.”

He spins on his heel as he quickly says “And the same goes here!” Adding some gestures to his words, he makes like a jockey holding reins “Racing horses, I can get – it must take a lot of skill and nerve, you are pushing an animal far larger and stronger than you to its limits, so you have to know its limits better than it does, have strategy and tactics, I’m sure it can be all consuming.”

Then he plomps back down on the couch, sprawling back in a posture of exaggerated disinterest “But betting on someone else racing a horse? Really? And people get so hooked that they lose their living on this sometimes? You have no control over the situation, you are doing nothing, what is the point? I suppose you could say the same about all gambling, but at least most of it all you need is a pack of cards or something, not horses that cost more than that Bentley I assume we’ll be riding in, in huge, custom built, stadiums that aren’t good for a lot else. It seems like a lot of work just to be able to gamble one’s money away.”

“So this is the part I’m struggling with most, figuring out an angle in which I can look like I care. I’m not much of an actor. Most of my work has been playing a stereotype and letting others make their own assumptions, and that is how I’d prefer to approach this – my strength is being a blank canvas, not a dramatic painting. But so far I just don’t have the right mind set not to stand out, from just not feeling it.”

“In short, I’m really hoping that the two of you have been around tracks enough to guide me toward an appropriate generic role.”

He takes a deep breath, and finishes “I apologize for that rant, it was bothering me. I do also have a more specific question: there appears to be almost a ritual to where people go when, that a horse owner should go to places A, B, and C before going to their box about so long before the race, that more casual spectators go to the betting windows in certain patterns … you can see it in how smoothly the crowd flows, it would clump up more if people were moving around more randomly. I’d like to build a rough script of timing if you two can tolerate that – scripts don’t always hold up, but I prefer to work with one when possible.”

(for Mercy, from email)

Both women wait for you to finish and sit back down before saying anything. Tanya puts a hand on your arm and nods. Monique smiles and says, “Very good, Monsieur Peter. You have the crux of the entire thing in one simple word: Why? So, yes, let me try to answer that from experience. People gamble to try to find a way to make money without working. It is so easy to wager a hundred nuyen on something and walk away with a thousand, non? The trids and vids take great care to show when people win and it makes good news. But really, it is only for the house……the establishment. For every person who wins that thousand, there are many that lose the hundred. And for some it is the snowball that grows as they bet more and more to cover the losses they already have. And horses is just one way to lose money gambling; you can also do it on sports, cards, dice…….many things. It is very easy to become addicted to betting and losing, the idée fixe, as it were. The obsession to spend more to get out of the hole you are in.”

“We are going to take something of value from this man, oui? And it make sense to know him, to get inside his head in some ways. To make friends with him and with his friends. So for that purpose we study him and look for things that are odd. And this is what I meant by my question; look here.”

She pushes a few buttons on the remote and seven sets of stills appear on the screen. By the clothes the people are wearing, you can tell that each set is from one of the videos that you have already watched. Some more buttons and a couple of the stills in each set are highlighted while the others are darkened a bit. Once this is done, Monique continues. “Now, this is what I was interested in. These were all taken from the end of each race, after the winner was announced. In every case, Monsieur Howard is frowning; sometimes more than others. This usually means that he has lost, which in this case is entirely true. But, see here? He is even frowning after his own horse wins in groups five and seven. My guess is that he has been losing money at the track for some time, so I look harder. I will not make you guess what I found. He loses much almost every time he goes to the track. Just in these seven races, he has lost over ten millions. Yes, he bet on his own horses twice and won a moderate return, but he had also put an enormous amount on a different horse each time and lost far more than he won. There is a large mortgage on his house, but that would not account for the amount he has lost. Put that with the fact that we know he has spent millions on his collection and the question now is where does he get the money from? Simply put, he is living too large for the income he gets as a lawyer.”
She changes the stills that are highlighted, focusing on one woman who shows up close to Howard in every set. In each frame, the woman has a slight smile on her face. “This is Mademoiselle Evlynn DeGrasse. I cannot find out much about her other than her name and that she runs a money loaning enterprise, which might explain why she is smiling when her friend is losing money. Perhaps she bet on a different horse that did better, but it is also possible that she is holding some or all of Howard’s markers for debt. I am unable to verify that at this time, but it is a good hypothesis in my opinion.”

Tanya nods and smiles at Monique. “Thank you very much, Monique. I do not know what I would do without you. It is too bad that we cannot take more time to look closer, but perhaps you get some more information on Ms DeGrasse? I am very interested in her.” She turns to you. “And your statements are right on the money as well, Peter and if you need to walk about and rant a bit to get these good ideas, then feel free to do it. I would like to say that I think that you are much more of an actor than you give yourself credit for and that you just do not see it from my perspective. I am quite impressed with your analytical and organizational skills. For example, you are a stranger to the track, yet you quickly picked up on the timing of certain events, many of which are imperatives among the social elite. A to B to C is a good way to call it. By all means, devise your timing script. I am interested in anything that would give us new or better information regarding our target. Do you have any questions for Monique or myself to help you in this?”

“Well, yes, gambling – it is an addiction of sorts, so I understand that. But horse racing seems like such an expensive and contrived way to gamble. Does all the expense and infrastructure and pageantry simply help people pretend they are not there to feed their addiction, or is there something more to it?”

* Monkey: She thinks I'm a good actor; she just likes everything about me right now, it is a glorious time of relationship!
* Coleman: Wait, she thinks I may be a decent actor? That is not good, it is dangerous to over-estimate your team-mates.
* Monkey: Don't tell her I suck, I'm not ready to sink in her eyes so much just yet.
* Eliza: That is fine, lead with my strength, but still make it clear where I'm not so strong.

“As to acting skill, well, maybe you could say I’m just good at playing one specific role: the person that people feel comfortably superior to? For certain this afternoon I’ll ask some questions and I’ll make some statements which are not true, but hopefully not so much as to seem a buffoon – but mostly I’ll try to not really say anything of substance, much more of ‘absolutely,’ ‘of course’ ‘that would be terrible’ or ‘my thoughts exactly, but said much better than I would have’. Somewhere in there, eventually, I’ll add something like ‘I’m surprised to see so many Asian faces here, I thought horse racing was a European thing, at least at tracks – although I think the ancient Mongols had cross-country races or something like that, didn’t they?’”

“Hopefully Howard will be comfortable talking to me, will at times forget that he doesn’t actually know much about me, because I fit my role well. That is where the script comes in: because I don’t know the track, because I don’t understand what these people care about, on my own I will … whatever the track equivalent of failing to get back to the opera box before the second act starts is. So hopefully when I do ask my question, by then he’ll see me as safe and go farther than he would with a stranger or with someone who might seem like a threat.”

“That sort of passive infiltration I’m decent at, far from the best, but decent. Fortunately many people are happy to con themselves, because if my fitting-in trick doesn’t work, I’m not very good at more active manipulation. That was always Fisher’s role, and hopefully in this scenario it is where La …. Tanya can step in. So this is why my focus now is on my scripting, because my primary job has to be fitting in, not managing the conversation. Although I need to be able to volley a topic back to Tanya if she serves something my way."

Tanya claps her hands. “Bingo, Peter. There is indeed something far more to it………….social relevance. The people that just want to bet money can do so without going out to the track simply by going to their neighbourhood bookie or sports bar. Going to the track is a social event. The elite of society go to be seen. For most of these people, attendance at certain parties, special dinners, big charity dos, and sporting events is a way for them to feel socially relevant. There is a strong need to feel important and so people go to be seen and to see who else shows up. To spend time in someone’s box or to invite others to sit in their box is a way to judge how relevant you are to the society you are claiming to be part of. Those lower on the social spectrum also go to be seen and to gather in the stands or the track bars. They socialize with others of their strata and sometimes hope to meet or be seen with one of the rich and famous, but mostly to talk badly about the rich snobs that are so out of touch with the common person. Again, social relevance.”

“If your acting role is limited to being the one that others can look down on, then own that role. Be the best at it that you can be. You are a vibrant, handsome, engaging man and so filling the role of someone less than that is a testament to your acting, whether you believe that or not. Remember, most of these people will see you as nothing more than my play toy; someone that I keep around as arm candy and to send to fetch things and to sleep with me. Right now, that is your role and I am sure that you will be surprised at what other people tell you because they assume that is all that you are. It will help that some in my circle will notice that I have a hard time keeping away from you and will leap to the conclusion that I am besotted by you and once a couple of people see that, it will take about three seconds before all of them know it. This is your passive infiltration at its best. You almost have to do nothing or say nothing and yet you succeed.”

She looks over at Monique, who jumps in. “Monsieur Peter, I was asked to find out some things about horse racing in ancient China and here is what I have turned up so far.” She clicks the remote again and the stills go away to be replaced by others. Most are of horse races but the garb is clearly old-fashioned. The central picture is of a stern-faced man. “It seems that much of the horse racing in China can be traced to this man, Tian Ji. He was a scholar and nobleman from the time of the Warlord Period of China, back around 350BC. Some sources say he was a prince, but most agree that he was a general in the kingdom of Qi. He enjoyed some renown for winning at horse races and for winning battles in the field against the enemies of his warlord, King Wei. Certainly he did not create horse racing in China, but he did have some influence in developing it into a sport there and many of his innovations, such as rules of conduct and uniform race lengths, are still used today in some fashion. That could give you something to work with. Remember that this is long before the more famous Ming Dynasty of the mid-1300s to the mid-1600s, which produced the vases we are interested in.”

Tanya nods at Monique and turns to you. “I am sure that you will do great, but you have to be sure as well. What can I do to help you?”

Monique leaves the two of you alone to work on your time table and script. For her part, Tanya sits on the couch and watches you but does not interrupt you, responding to questions but letting you do the work. You are barely aware of a knock on the door, but are quite aware of Tanya putting a hand on your arm. “Your valet is here to dress you, Peter. I will see you back out here shortly.”

Looking up, you see the same man that had dressed you for the opera. He bows to you and motions for you to precede him into the spare room, where you find a nice suit hanging. He takes a good bit of time making sure that you are dressed completely and properly then has you step to the mirror. He steps back and flicks some lint off your sleeve, saying, “The dove grey really is your color, sir. This suit looks very nice on you.” You might just have to agree with his words as you look at yourself.

He thanks you for the opportunity to dress you and walks you to the door. Once back in the living room your eyes feast on Tanya. She is dressed in a two-tone dove grey pantsuit that perfectly coordinates with your suit and was quite obviously tailored to her. She is demurely covered up and exudes charm and sophistication, along with a good bit of sensuality and part of you wonders if this is the same woman who had appeared to be completely comfortable being barefoot and wearing torn jeans and a sweatshirt. Her green eyes sparkle at you from under a hat brim that extends out a good foot from her head. “You look great, Peter. Absolutely dignified in a very delicious way. The women will want to be all over you and I dare say that you would have no trouble finding another sponsor if you ever really decided to take this sort of thing up as a living. I am glad that the suit fits. How does it feel on you?”

Finally ready, the two of you walk to the door and take the private elevator to the lobby level. You notice that almost everyone looks at you, from staff to guests and you are easily getting as many appreciative glances as Tanya is. A uniformed footman already has the hotel door open for you and Tanya bids him a good evening, using his name, which brings a smile to his face as he escorts you down to the curb. The huge Rolls limousine is waiting, with the driver standing by an open door to the passenger compartment. On your arm, you feel Tanya hesitate at the curb, almost pulling back a bit at the sight of the open door. The driver looks about to take a step forward but pauses as she shakes her head. Her smile seems a bit forced as she climbs in, followed by you.

Inside and with the door shut, Tanya seems to recover quickly. She smiles at you as if nothing has happened. “Monique has set the information up so that we can access it from the auto. Please feel free to bring it up on the vid screen just over there if you wish to do some additional work on the way. But could you first please pour me a drink from the iced bottle just there? I could use something.”

When you arrive at the track, a man opens the door to let you out first, followed by Tanya. Looking about, you see other limos disgorging people, who are all moving slowly to a large pavilion, where you see that many are gathering for the pre-race socialization. There are many well-dressed couples and singles mingling together and you stop for a moment, concerned that you are getting in too deep with emotions that you may not be ready to handle. The touch of Tanya’s arm as it slides into yours is as electrifying as it ever is. She leans over to you and whispers, “I do hope that you are planning on coming home with me tonight and not one of these other women.” Her words sort of break the moment and you smile at her, buoyed a bit just be her presence and ready to put the plan into operation.

* Oleg: I hate crowds. Humans are mostly drek as individuals, pile them together and they don't get any sweeter.
* Gamma: There is a substantial crowd of people here. I will be feeling extra on edge, and will need to compensate for that.
* Coleman: Crowds can be a tactical and strategic advantage, providing cover, distraction, anonimity, and sometimes even resources.
* Eliza: and let me not forget about information, both from things overheard but also just from overall crowd behavior. I've never tried manipulating crowds, but it is possible.
* Monkey: Pffft! Usually crowds just mean I have to be so boringly 'well-behaved.' pffft to that! But this looks like a crowd where strong drink and strong drugs might not go wrong, so maybe this will be fun after all.

Arriving in a limo, and the treatment that gained them, still felt odd to Preston. He did his best to relax and to look like all of this was normal for him, but mostly he found himself longing for a hit of The Jazz to keep him sharp and aware of all the possible threats. Not that he hadn't had coffee before leaving Tanya's, but this was one of those time that the gentle embrace of caffeine was a poor substitute for the mental rocket-ride of synthetic drugs.

Then Tanya slid her left arm through his right arm -- meat on meat, leaving cyber to the outside -- and the touch sent such a jolt through his whole system that his cravings went away.

* Monkey: Maybe she's better than drugs? Oh, OH -- Imagine both together?
* Gamma: I don't want to go there again.
* Monkey: Yes I do, I know I do. Sure its a bad idea, but bad ideas are the best ideas!
* Coleman: I will not repeat such a strategic disaster. Full stop.
* Monkey: (sulks)

He flips an ARO to Tanya "Schedule says ten to fifteen minutes of joint mingling, so I'm following your lead on where to mingle with who. I've got my smile pasted on and a whole file of social inanities open so I'm ready to say nothing in many different ways."

Tanya walks into the pavilion on your arm and you realize that you are the center of a lot of attention. It would be normal for people, not necessarily only men, to look at Tanya, but you can tell that a number of women are looking at you with undisguised interest. Tanya gracefully lifts two champagne flutes from the tray of a passing waiter and passes one to you as she sips from the other and she guides you towards a young couple. At some point, she has to let your arm go to give cheek busses to a woman and her husband and as she turns to the man the women leans forward, exposing a bit more of her cleavage as she does, and whispers in your ear while passing you a business card of some kind. "Call me if you want to fool around a bit. I am very discrete and VERY interested in you."

You get two more offers like that in the fifteen minutes that you are mingling in the pavilion.

As scheduled he spends the first little while at Tanya's side, before letting the crowd split them apart. When together he finds he is starting to find a nice rhythm with Tanya on how they can tag team in answering remarks. Once seperated he is happy that he has a ready list of inanities, and that he was ready for most of what came his way.

At the offers to fool around Preston smiles gently, raises his eyebrows a bit, and drawls "How intriguing."

To people gushing about Tanya he uses some variant of "Yes, yes she really is all that and more. A truly amazing woman." or "Yes, I am fortunate to be with her, you are entirely correct." and ignores the other innuendos that may be buried in their comments.

To fill in gaps in the conversation he either asks for help "I really don't know much about the horses running today, have any suggestions?" or goes to a safely limited subject like "Air feels clean today, must make it easier for the horses to give it their all, don't you think?"

He takes a couple of offered drinks, sips them, then manages to put them down while talking to people and forgets to pick them up.

The only rough moment comes when one gentleman -- looking shockingly middle-aged and jowly for how expensive his clothes and jewelry are --- suggests "Want to step to the back and take something stronger than these drinks?" To Preston's baffled expression he explains "I saw you with Radiant Shadow at the Opera, so I know you are a fellow appreciator of the finer pharmaceuticals."

Much to Monkey's disappointment, Preston assures him "No thanks, I'm staying clean for Tanya -- she's worth it." The man gives him a bit of a scowl, but fortunately doesn't push the point.

Eventually the mental chime goes off to let him know to start drifting towards their seats.

You are able to listen more than you have to talk, so are spared some of the discomfort you have prepared for. Half the people you talk to seem to be pumping you for information about Tanya, a few are trying to hit on you, going so far as to slip business cards with com codes into your hand or pocket, and a few are actually talking about horses and racing. As your appointed time ticks past, you slide over to where Tanya is standing and unobtrusively touch her elbow. She turns and gives you one of those smiles that ought to be registered as dangerous weapons and takes your arm before turning back to the man she had been chatting with. As you walk to the exit of the pavilion that leads to the track itself, she looks at you and says, "So, how are we doing on your schedule? It should take us a few minutes to navigate to Howard's box and we will be going past the betting booths on the way. Do you fancy a flutter?"

“For certain – and my schedule has generous time to move towards the box. I’ve realized by now that you’ll have to stop and greet people along the way. And of course I’ll post a bet on – or is that place a bet? I should have taken time to check out the track lingo.” He pauses there, because sure enough someone calls out to Tanya and they have go through the formalities of greetings, introduction, and token small talk.

Once they move on again he continues “Betting on our host’s horse hopefully gives a cause for conversation, some bonding in cheering for it, and a chance to imply future social obligations one way or another. Hopefully he won’t ask how much, because I’m not dedicated enough to that plan to waste more than the cost of a couple of half decent Sonic’s tickets. I'm afraid I'm not one of those for whom a bigger bet makes for a bigger thrill, it just makes me more stressed at the money I'm pissing away.”

Despite his grumbling and protestations of not knowing the lingo, when they eventually get to the betting window Preston is quick to put 100 on Howard’s horse to win and another 100 on it to show. Penny ante money to people like Tanya or Howard, probably, but he can’t afford to pretend he can splash around their levels of cash.

Tanya nods. "Yes, it is good to leave some time in the plan for the accidental meet and greet. By the way, I noticed that you were attracting a good bit of attention back there. How are you feeling?"

She is stopped four times to chat for a bit before you reach the betting window. Once there, you see her take what looks like a platinum 'stick from her purse and slot in the window as she punches in data to make her bets. She pulls the stick out and claims several tickets from the dispenser and places everything back in her purse. She smiles at you then slips her arm into yours and guides you to Howard's box, stopping only once more to chat to someone else. As you approach the box, you see Howard standing at the entrance welcoming his guests.

He beams widely to see you and Tanya. "Welcome, welcome. I am so glad that you were able to come. Grab some bubbly and fancy snacks, or if you prefer, I have some beer in a cooler just over there." He busses Tanya's cheeks and vigorously shakes your hand. "Still on for Monday, right, Peter?"

"Of course, wouldn't miss it."

* Coleman: It wouldn't do to turn down a chance to assess a target's firearms skill.

"Mind you, I may miss a lot of the pigeons -- I'm not an old hand at it like you. But it is not often one gets to deliberately shoot things out of the air -- should be a blast!"

* Gamma: a joke that lame, it will be interesting how he responds.

"And thank you for the invitation today. I hope your horse is feeling fine. I'm not much of a betting man but I couldn't resist putting a token bet on it. Give me a reason to be cheering with you and not against you! I'll leave the educated betting to Tanya, didn't the English pretty much invent horse tracks?"

* Liza: And with that I should be mostly good to nod and agree for a while he lectures me and flirts with Tanya.

Saturday 9 June 2075 1315 Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


Howard smiles broadly as he watches Tanya's as she walks to the refreshment table, his eyes clearly following her ass. "You leave that to me, Peter. That is why it is called a pro-am event. Your handicap ought to give us an edge and even better if you manage to hit a target or two. Other than that, it will be a ton of fun and we may even score in other ways. There are lots of good-hearted charity wives at these events and many of them really get into a man with a shotgun." He laughs at his own joke and turns to greet another couple who are arriving. He nods as he continues his conversation with you. "Yes, Ginger Snap is in rare form today and ought to do well, although I hope that you have not completely wasted your money. She is not the finest horse in the field today, but she has spirit and I think she will surprise a lot of people. Are you saying that Lady Marisart put a lot of money on my horse? Hmm, I hope that she can take bad news if she does not win." He lowers his voice a bit and adds, "And for your information, the damned British only think they invented everything. They are worse than the Russians and the French, who are both ready to claim THEY invented everything. The Chinese were racing horses on official tracks in 350 BO, back when Britain was just land with barbarians roaming across it."

He straightens up and moves off to greet some more guests, momentarily forgetting you. Looking around the box, you see that several other guests are already present and that Tanya is talking to some of them. Your eye is caught by Amanda giving you a short wave from near the rear of the box.

Saturday 9 June 2075 1315 Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle

Preston gives a nod and a smile to Amanda, then holds up a few fingers to try and suggest that he'll see her in a few minutes. In the interim he moves through the small crowd, getting himself a drink, nods to various people, and stops by Tanya long enough to say a few words and message her <<You look fantastic. They don't have a quiet hay loft here do they?>>

Then he drifted towards the back of the box, eventually leaning against a wall next to Amanda, commenting "Good to see you here." Lifting his drink -- he wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it seemed to involve bubbles and a pale pink colour -- he toasted "Here is to making it one day at a time." He took a sip, considered, then commented "I don't think my taste buds are refined enough to tell what this is supposed to be. Doesn't taste very strong and the glasses aren't very big, so I suppose we'll all remain largely sober."

Giving Amanda a sly look he added "I think I recall that champagne flutes were apparently modeled after the breasts of some famous woman -- who apparently had very oddly shaped breasts. Now if only they had used you as the model, I'm pretty sure a glass full or two would have me to the point where I might actually care about which horse won."

Tanya is talking to two other well-dressed women when you move up next to her. She does not break the conversation, but reaches for your hand and puts it to her lips as she smiles at you. As you move away, you overhear a woman near you say to the woman next to her, “Oh, dear, it seems our Lady Tanya has made the classic error of getting too close to the hired help.”

The other woman responds, “Mmmhmmm. But to be fair, I would not mind letting that one get close to me in a bed, either.”

“A bed, darling? He looks more like someone I would let fuck me in the back seat of the Bentley.”

“That is a bit crass, don’t you think?”

“Of course it is, but he looks like just that sort of man. But at least I would keep it to having fun. That poor woman is hooked, poor soul. Still, after what she did to poor Missy Thompson last year, she deserves everything she gets.”

“Poor Missy? Oh my, you do have it wrong. I heard it from Clara who has it on good authority from Mirna who, I believe, got it from her maid, that Missy Thompson set the entire thing up so she could justify her own affair with that Zach Goldman.”

“You don’t say. Tell me all abo…………..”

The two ladies move away and lower their voices. Amanda gives you a nice smile and laughs at your comments. “No, you are right; what you are drinking is not going to put anyone under the table. It would be bad form, don’t you know, to have anyone get rip snorting drunk during the races. They save the really good stuff for the after race parties. Now, THAT is the place to be if you want any of these stuck up wives and or their daughters to shed their panties for you. That whole line about what happens at the party stays at the party is one big truth around these people. There are already at least two men eyeing the ass of your employer, so you might have the opportunity to explore other women for when Lady Marisart eventually grows tired of you.”

She shakes her head and sips at a drink that is clearly not the same as yours. “I am sorry. I did not mean to say that. It’s just that I got my notice this morning. Howard is moving on to his next mistress and this is my final appearance with him. Off to the shadows I go, I suppose. I am sure that your boss will be kinder about it, but it happens to all of us, Peter. One day she will wake up and realize that she is tired of you. You snore too much, or have never learned the right fork to eat the shrimp with, or you are not different enough anymore, or something. At least I get to stay in the apartment for another month while I look around for somewhere to live. So it is not drastic yet and it certainly could have been much worse. At least I may have more time for you if you still want to drop around for tea, chat and sex.”

Another shake of her head. “Sorry again, that was mean. But I hope that you do stop by for the tea and the chat. Frag, who am I kidding, and the sex, too.”

"Ah frag -- sorry that you are a good seer and that your prediction came true. And I'm sure you are right that my turn will come too; I've come to realize how much Tanya loves adventure, and I doubt I can provide enough of that, long term. I tell myself that she could grow out of that need, but realistically that isn't apt to happen before she begins to find life with me boring."

* Monkey: I love adventure!
* Gamma: No, really, I don't.
* Monkey: Yes I do, I just need to get rid of all these doubts and fussing old biddies in my head.
* Coleman: An adventure is generally the lack of sufficient advance planning to avoid uncontrolled variables.
* Monkey: Nice example

Not comfortable thinking too much about likely reality compared to what Tanya has said to him, Preston looks around in search of a new topic. Gazing out over the track he suddenly asks "Do you know if his horse is any good? I put a bet on it, felt it would be good manners, but it was enough money to have paid for a decent dinner for two with wine. Actually, scratch that question, more to the point, do you think he is actually any good at the whole horse thing, or is it just an expensive and prestigious toy?"

Saturday 9 June 2075 1317 Howard's Box Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


Amanda laughs. "Smooth way to try to change the subject. Alright, I certainly understand that the subject is not a pleasant one, and thank you for being sorry. I will land on my feet."

"The truth is that I was never really able to understand the race scene. I do know that Howard is pretty heavily vested in it but only owns this one horse and one other. He thinks the horse is good, but he is never happy, even when it wins. I am confused a bit by it all, to be honest. Watch him closely when it is his turn. There will be several other races before the cup, so you can see what I mean."

* Monkey: I don't want to talk about her screwed up life, but talking about screwing is OK until we can actually do it.
* Gamma: There is not the privacy for either at this venue.
* Monkey: Maybe these boxes have private washrooms? We could be quick.
* Coleman: If I wish to make her a longer term ally, treating her as just a sexual outlet, like Howard and other men did, is not good strategy.
* Monkey: What is wrong with sexual outlets?
* Coleman: People are generally of the opinion that their life and happiness matter, and show more kindness and patience to those who validate those feelings. In many situations this can be conveniently ignored, but there are times where it has to be taken into account.
* Liza: Tactics and strategy aside, it is human decency, aserting that I choose to do something with my life, and being decent to others can help make me happier.
* Monkey: You know what makes me happy? Amanda's boobs, Amanda naked on a bed, Amanda naked on me on a bed with her boob's hanging in my face ...
* Gamma: I need a moment before I shift positions, or the appeal of those thoughts is going to be obvious to everyone looking at me.
* Liza: La, I should talk nicely to her for a while, focusing on things other than her body, then all will be much better.

Preston shuffled half a step and turned somewhat toward the wall to better hide the effects of his thoughts. "Sorry, I shouldn't have changed the subject like that. I'm not one of those people who just seem to know the right thing to say all the time, so I was escaping to a more neutral subject before I said something really stupid. I will think about it, and hopefully be better prepared for the conversation the next time we meet."

Shifting slightly to lean closer without causing too much more discomfort, Preston carried on as quietly as he could and still be heard by Amanda "I admit that I was hoping that you were being paranoid, that Howard wouldn't be so foolish, that things would work out. I've seen enough of life that I should know better, but I clung to the hope that things would work out better for you. I assume that Howard must be good at something, to have the money that he does, so it was hard to believe that he'd be such a buffoon in his personal life."

The conversation had provided enough of a distraction that Preston was able to shift to a less awkward position before finishing up "I wish I could swoop in and fix things up, but I'm in no position to do that. Man disease, I guess -- I don't want to just hear about the problem, I want to fix it! But I'll do my best to listen, and to sympathize, as well as try and think of any way that I could help."

"All of that said, want me to get you about six more of these weak drinks to help you get through the afternoon?"

Amanda nods and hands her glass. When you return, she smiles her thanks and pats the chair next to her again. "You are very nice, Peter. Thank you for caring. I will be alright but it is nice to know that I have a friend in my corner."

The two of you talk about racing but it is quite difficult to keep your attention focused away from her breasts. They are just so right there and available. After about twenty minutes, Howard turns to look at you, frowning a bit when he sees who you talking to. He motions you to join him.

Preston mutters "Social commitment calls, time to earn my keep and all that. Catch you later."

He snags a fresh drink on the way to see Howard, while briefly fantasizing about popping a shot of The Jazz and then pummeling the living drek out of this odious man while moving at warp speed and having no time for second thoughts. Instead, he keeps his face vacuously agreeable as he approaches their host "Races starting soon?"

Saturday 9 June 2075 1345 Howard's Box Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


Howard nods and points out to the track, where you can see a large mobile gate placed across the track. A number of horses are being walked up to the gate and led into it. The riders seem smallish from where you are standing, but then most things below you seem small. "This is the first race coming up, Peter. I really like this part; the time before the race. It gets the blood going and the adrenaline rush is starting to build. Can't you feel it?"

As he is talking, you notice Tanya move over behind him to sit next to Amanda. Words are exchanged and even though you cannot make out what they are saying, Amanda's eyes widen and she looks at you then back to Tanya.

Saturday 9 June 2075 1346 Howard's Box Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


* Liza: Asking questions is always a good way to seem like a good conversationalist
* Coleman: This is what I've usually done, something actually new would be nice. But Howard seems like someone this tactic is appropriate for, so let's go with it.
* Monkey: But it is hard to impress the ladies when I sound clueless! I hate this tactic!
* Gamma: This is business, not pleasure.

Preston smiled blandly at Howard's comments, then swept one hand, encompassing the race track in the gesture. "I'm curious, Howard, how did you get into this whole racing thing? It seems terribly exciting and glamorous, so I can see the appeal. But also so separate from daily life for most of us, seems like a bit of a leap to go from ... law, I think it is? To owning race horses."

* Coleman: There, that should poke enough buttons to distract him from the fact that I was spending too much time with the mistress he just dumped.
* Gamma: Possibly. I don't know him well enough to be positive about that.

Turning to Tanya he adds "You must have ridden when growing up? But I think normal riding is quite different from racing?"

Saturday 9 June 2075 1346 Howard's Box Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


Howard looks over at you and smiles as he nods. “Yes, it is called inheritance and it is a grand thing. Tons of money, a large house, an education at a prestigious law school, some really exquisite Chinese pottery, and a race horse, which I have doubled to two. Never underestimate the value of an inheritance, Peter. Even you could leave something to a child someday. It might start off small, but with careful manipulation through several generations, your legacy could be quite large. All it takes is a vision of the future.”

He gets sidetracked by a man on his other side and Tanya laughs softly, speaking in a voice low enough to not be heard by others. “No, I have been in a saddle maybe three times in my life. Oh, Daddy had several riding horses, but I was the bad girl and always in trouble, don’t you see. He saved the horses for my two brothers, who were the apple of his eye. Mum’s too. No, I am afraid that while I spent a great deal of time outside when I was growing up, it was on my feet. And now my cousin owns the house, the horses, and the rather large pot of money that goes with the family name and I am exiled to the colonies because my fragging boyfriend could not keep his fragging dick out of some drunk and drugged bloody underage daughter of an MP and also had the effrontery to go and die while he was shagging her.” She shakes her head and chuckles. “But I have the last laugh on all of them. Not only am I still alive when most of them are dead, but I have found you, and I would not have if things had not gone all to drek when they did. My cousin can keep the pot of money and the estate and title. What he does not have is you to love. By the way, you are doing great so keep it up.”

She smiles and walks back to the refreshment table to pick up another flute of champagne, although she has just put one down on a nearby table that is still mostly full. You barely notice the drink as your eyes follow her walking away. God! She looks hot when she walks. Howard has to nudge you to get your attention back. “Yes, she is magnificent, isn’t she? But then, you know her more intimately than I do, I should expect. I would not mind having a piece of that, though. Man to man, now......any hints on what I could give her for a present that might separate her from her panties long enough to fuck her? I would really like to feel her squirm under me like the jumped up foreign tramp she really is.”

* Coleman: He might know that a punch is one possible response, but he'd probably expect a right, if I hit with Fisher's arm he wouldn't expect the speed, strength, or direction, and he'd be down before he could retaliate.
* Monkey: One punch? One punch? First in the balls and then in the face then I start kicking him!!!!
* Gamma: I am a guest here, attacking the host is not acceptable behavior
* Monkey: He did it first! And it isn't like I'm going to pull out a taser and jab that into his balls
* Gamma: I am not an animal, I can choose my reactions, even when another man makes moves on my woman. If that is what Tanya is.
* Liza: By not reacting violently, I can show my greater sophistication
* Coleman: Not reacting as a show of confidence and strength? A risky tactic, but it can work ...
* Gamma: by this point indifference is gone, I'm sure my face has gone white

Preston forced himself to take a deep breath, noting that when he did so that Howard's shoulders relaxed a little bit. Perhaps the buffoon had sensed the imminent threat of violence, perhaps he'd even planned for it.

* Oleg: It isn't like she doesn't sleep with lots of people, he just doesn't realize that she isn't bribable that way. She's an honest sort of tramp.
* Monkey: I don't care even if she would want to, he can't say this to me without getting a punch to the junk!
* Oleg: Of course I was just talking to his cast-off, but he may still feel possessive about her. This could be his act of revenge for that.
* Coleman: Ah, then marking the hit and NOT escalating will be the mark of strength. Restrained anger should be acceptable.
* Gamma: no acting is required for that, which is good because I'm terrible at acting.
* Monkey: NOOOO! He is done with Amanda, Tanya isn't done with me yet, it isn't the same. Punch to the junk, punch to the junk!


Preston did not try for a smile, because there was no way he could pretend to be friendly here. He gave a shade of a nod to Howard to acknowledge that the other had scored, then he commanded his implant to lower his voice both in volume and pitch, setting it so that Howard should just be able to hear over the background noise.

"Relationships do come and go, so perhaps someday. But when things are so fresh and new? I lack the sophistication or generosity of spirit for that, I'm afraid."

He starts to turn away, then stops mid-turn, and adds one more thought, in a more normal voice "You are right about my lack of financial inheritance -- what I would have received disappeared into NAN hands a couple of generations ago. But I suppose we all also inherit culture, attitudes, stories -- even recipes. Thank you for the reminder of all that the various things I need to save and accumulate to pass on to my children some day."

* Monkey: Wait, what? Who said anything about children?!?
* Coleman: Children would inhibit free choice, action, and allocation of resources.
* Oleg: but value is a life, without children to pass one's inheritance on to?

Saturday 9 June 2075 1347 Howard's Box Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


As you turn away, Howard steps forward and puts a hand on your arm and hisses. "Don't turn away from me!" He regains some control and lowers his voice as he continues, "I mean, why turn away? I can see that you are a man of conviction and I can appreciate that. Perhaps you are meant for more than just a gigolo to a spoiled rich bitch who spreads for just about everyone. I was only testing you to see how far you might go. She has had so many dicks inside her that I wonder if there is much left to plumb, you get my meaning. No, I am really just trying to feel YOU out; to get the measure of you. I could pay you twice what she is to come work for me. You obviously have something the women like and I need someone to seduce my wife and keep tabs on her comings and goings. Give it a thought and let me know at the shoot tomorrow." He cocks his head. "It is a real good offer. Elaine is not as good looking as her, but she is not as used. I also understand that Tanya has the worst tantrums at times, so this is your opportunity to upgrade your position."

From your angle, you can see Tanya off to the side. She is standing with a drink in her hand, half turned from you as she talks with two other women.

Adrenalin surging, Preston found Fisher's arm moving before he even knew what he was doing.

And then something glorious happened. For the first time in years -- without taking the Jazz -- his thoughts split and he was running full duplex, physical and mental coordinated but not interfering with each other. This was part of why he'd been such a good gamer back in his day, and was part of why he'd been effective as a script kiddie and was why it was a shame he'd never found more time to play the drums.

Feeling more himself than he had in ages, he realized that he knew exactly what to do, what his body was already doing.

* Coleman: The Moment is here. I've got this.

Even as his cyberhand plucked the drink from Howard's grasp he was talking, low, almost urgently. "You've had too many of these already, by the sounds of it." He couldn't quite reach a table from here but he gave the glass a spinning toss that caused it to slide into the middle of the table, not quite touching Tanya's abandoned Champagne flute.

Howard seemed to be moving in slow motion, still reaching for his drink. Preston grabbed the hand and stepped back, accelerating Howard'd motion "Come, let's get you some coffee, help clear your thoughts a bit."

A last tug to force the other man to take a second step and then Preston was back beside him, close enough to speak quietly but rapidly into Howard's ear "You must have a lot of faith in your pre-nup to say that so openly about your wife -- but I think you'll save a lot of trouble if you play that all off as tipsy rambling. We can talk for real later."

The crowd seemed to speed up again as the first rush from the adrenaline faded

* Monkey: Can't I hit him even a little bit?
* Coleman: Revenge is always better served cold.
* Monkey: He'll suffer for what he said.
* Oleg: He'll squeal like the pig that he is.
* Coleman: Yes.
* Gamma: Tanya is my partner now, she should know.
* Liza: At least some of it.

<<<Tanya [Preston] Howard will have to suffer by the end of this whole affair. >>>

Saturday 9 June 2075 1348 Howard's Box Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


As you carefully maneuver Howard away from the drink table, you notice that several people in the box are studiously pretending to ignore what is happening, although a few are watching with interest. It looks like you are going to pull this off when Howard suddenly pulls his arm from your grasp and turns to you. He is clearly inebriated beyond what you had assumed and the smell of the alcohol is quite strong. He is not shouting, but his voice can certainly be heard by others in the box. "How dare you put your hand on me. Don't you know who I am? You are just the hired help. And it's not like that foreign tramp can't find someone else to put between her legs. I think that you should leave and if you do it quietly I will try to find you decent employment. If I have to get rough, I will make sure that you never work in this city again."

* Coleman: he expresses everything in monetary terms -- I have my fulcrum, today is a success. Retreating to plan is tactically and strategically sound.
* Gamma: Could he really keep me from working?
* Oleg: No reason to make him lose more face just yet, wounded prey is always more dangerous.
* Liza: And no reason to puff myself up just now.

Preston let's go of Howard, takes half a step back, and gives him a now verging on a bow. "Sorry that you feel that way. I'll of course leave, per your request."
As he leaves he messages Tanya <<Tanya [Peter] I just got disinvited. Will mingle with the crowd, see if I can some other views on Howard -- unless you want to leave too. The man is crude, lewd, and intoxicated, but I suspect you've dealt with his type before. Up to you on staying or going.>>

Saturday 9 June 2075 1349 Howard's Box Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


You do not even get the message to Tanya completely done when you see her step away from the two women she was talking to. Howard smile and holds out his arms to her. "You are well rid of that, dear Tanya. He is obviously low born and does not know his place. Let me................"

He is interrupted when she throws her drink in his face and slaps him with her left hand. For a second you might not be sure if she had intended to do more, but she shakes her head and leaves him flustering his hands on his very expensive suit and spluttering. Tanya turns and meets your eyes and walks toward you, holding her arm to let you escort her away from the box. She holds her head near your and whispers, "That was very satisfying, Peter. Thank you for allowing me to be the one to make a scene. Now, why don't we take a walk and cool off a bit. I definitely need it. Besides, I have found out something that might just interest you. Well, two things, actually, but one before the other."

She raises a hand. "No, not a word yet. Too many open ears."

She walks with you into the crowd of people, removing her hat to carry it in her hands. Her shoulder is pushed up to yours in the crowd and it feels...............normal. Nice and normal at the same time and how illogical can those words be when used to describe this woman next to you? After walking a bit without really talking, she leads you to one of the stables and points to a set of stairs leading up to a loft. Tanya turns to you and her eyes are bright with something you cannot really identify as she points to the stairs. "I believe that you had said something about hay earlier. Voila, I present to you a hay loft."

She laughs and uses one leg to push at one of yours, causing you to stumble back a step as she hikes her dress up and runs towards the stairs. She calls out to you from over her shoulder. "Last one up has to start off on the bottom."

At first Preston was too busy being made at Howard, however Tanya quickly re-focused his attention. Once he began to get into things, despite the hay poking him in the back and dusting the air he did his best to give a ride the lady would appreciate.

So focussed on the task was he that didn't even notice the first hint of a wheeze, and the second he tried to pretend he could ignore, that he could wind things up more quickly if he just worked it all harder. But working it harder just pulled more hay dust into his lungs, irritated those already scared organs even faster.

As he stopped his efforts and tapped at Tanya's leg to indicate he wanted her off, he tried to breath slowly -- not that it really helped, but despite his body's panic he was trying not to worry Tanya much. It was only as he went scrabbling at his clothes, only to remember he hadn't brought an inhaler with him when they'd returned to Tanya's last night, that he began to truly get concerned.

He could see that Tanya understood something was wrong, but by the feel of his throat words were not likely, especially as the crowd outside was beginning to roar louder. Then he finally remembered his link

<<Tanya [Peter] Asthma. Hay dust bad. No drugs with me. Need to leave now.>>

Saturday 9 June 2075 1407 Stable Loft Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


>>Peter [Tanya]: Calm down. Panic only makes it worse. Do you use a prescription inhaler and will any off the shelf one work? I have something that might help until we can get to your inhaler. It will at least keep you from breathing any additional dust.<< She calmly bends over and you see part of her left thigh open as if a door were there. She reaches in and brings out a small respirator. Holding it up, she places the small mask over your nose and mouth and turns it on as she brings its strap around your head. Closing the door in her leg, she begins getting you dressed, encouraging a slow pace and steady breathing through the respirator. When you are dressed, she works on her own clothing then helps you to your feet.

>>Peter [Tanya]: I am having Alphonse bring the car as close as he can. Do you need to see a physician? I know several very good ones.<<

Preston: Saturday 9 June 2075 1407 Stable Loft Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle

The air from the respirator is cool and has a vaguely metallic tang to it, and just that contrast to the warm, fragrant, and dusty air of the hay loft helps Preston focus.

<<Tanya [Preston] Throat swollen, constricted, but getting a strawful of air. Will stay that way for a while without steroids. Thank you for respirator, lung spasms easing. Short walks, then sit, else may faint. Prescription under another ID; need to get to my apartment, grey market pharmacy, or doc. My doc is OverTheCounter, 2731 NE 65th St Seattle, near 12th ave. Anyone else you know is OK too, whatever easiest.>>

* Monkey: or a shot of the Jazz, that is even better than the inhaler!
* Coleman: these attacks could be fatal in a stressful situation, I might want to consider carrying a dose for emergencies.
* Gamma: I promised myself and Sonya I'd not take it again.
* Monkey: Sonya is old news, who cares!
* Oleg: I'll not lower myself again to being a beast scrabbling after its next hit. Better to risk death.
* Gamma: Or I could finally scrape up the money and time to get fixed.

Preston: Saturday 9 June 2075 1410 Stable Loft Seattle Municipal Racetrack Seattle


>>Peter [Tanya]: I am sending Monique to get you your meds. Can you link me and her to your other ID? Stay on the respirator for now if it is helping. The car is on the way and we will take short walks. You signal to me when you need to sit and rest.<<

Tanya does not do more than take the larger pieces of hay from her hair as she and Peter walk slowly from the stable. Without thinking, she blurts out, "I know this is not funny right now, Peter, but someday we will be able to tell our children and then our grandchildren about this and it will be funny as hell." She blushes quite red after realizing that she has spoken that bit out loud. Perhaps he did not hear her well in his state.

The limousine pulls up to them after they make only two stops for you to catch your breath. Alphonse is out of the car and helping you and Tanya in and is back on the road almost before anyone could notice.

Once they met up with Monique and his throat finally began to open back up, Preston finally allowed himself to take a few moments to shake in terror. Up until now he'd not had the oxygen to spare for such indulgences.

<<Tanya [Preston] Please thank Monique for me. From experience I know my throat is super raw and sensitive right now, so even if my voice modulator can make my voice sound OK, I'm going to avoid speaking for a little bit unless I really need to.>>

He did his best to smile at Tanya, and as she relayed his thanks to Monique he sketched a bow in her direction.

The added bonus of communicating by ARO is that it made it much easier not to put emotion into everything he was about to say. That was another good reason to avoid talking for now.

<<Tanya [Preston] That is not a mistake I'll make again in a hurry. I've been good for months, and I got sloppy about making sure to have an inhaler with me. They have a nanite solution which is more compact and works better, but you've heard the rumors about nanites, so I'm going old school with a puffer, but it is a little more bulky. I'll make sure to have one in my arm compartment at all times going forward.>>

<<Tanya [Preston] And I owe you an explanation. Maybe I already told you, I don't remember, or maybe your research turned this up. But in case you don't know, a mind mage made me eat a tear gas grenade. Same guy, same incident, where he marched Fisher into a Hell Hound enclosure. Had the jaw reconstruction surgery and dental implants done to deal with the concussive damage, and the voice modulator put in since my vocal cords were pretty much trashed. But the mucus membranes of my entire respiratory system got a super-concentrated dose, caused scarring and a real level of sensitivity to irritation. Possibly a little bit is mental, a reflex to seal everything off if it gets too irritated? >>

<<Tanya [Preston] Anyway, I could get new lungs grown, I've been checked out and that is feasible. I just haven't gotten that far into the black. Went in the red while recovering from that damage and dealing with that mage. Some day, I hope. So, if we ever have those kids you talked about, hopefully I'll be good to run around with them all day. Until then though, I need to be careful how hard I push myself -- and apparently avoid hay. Things you don't encounter in Seattle very often! I did use to have a fair bit of allergies as a kid, to things like that. But haven't spent much time in farm country since then.>>

* Oleg: I've said my bit, now to see if she'll dump me now that she knows how damaged I am.

Saturday. 8 June 2076 1430 Seattle


Tanya nods at you as you speak by 'link. She makes sure that you are finished then leans close to you. "Peter, I am so very sorry that I brought this on and I hope that you will forgive me. I have a spare inhaler in my arm just in case this happens again. Unless you have other plans for the rest of the day, I recommend returning to your flat. What do you think?" She pauses for a moment then adds, "Do you think lots of kissing would bring on an attack?"

<<Tanya [Preston] Actually, your place would be nice. Probably closer to medical aid just in case I'm wrong about being OK now. Nicely filtered air. And if we are going to spend the rest of the day snuggling, it has much comfier couch and bed >>

He thought that the leer might lose some impact due to the raspy quality of his breathing, but the sparkle in Tanya's eyes suggested that she appreciated the effort.

<<Tanya [Preston] I'll need lots of breaks between kisses to make sure my breathing is good, but I'm sure we can work out the details with a little imagination.>>

He fired off a matrix search for some of the less aerobic ways to please a willing partner given plenty of time. The number of results were almost overwhelming but he set up filters to make more sense out of all the data, and after all they hopefully had hours to explore so options were not a bad thing ...

* Monkey: Ook-ook!
* Gamma: Indeed.

Saturday 8 June 2075 1547 Tanya's Suite Gates Undersound Hotel. Seattle


Once back in Tanya's place, she takes you to the bedroom, removes your clothes, and gets you into the bed. She stands near you, a slightly worried look on her face. "Look, we can relax our in the living room later, but right now I have a different sort of joystick in mind, as long as you think it would be OK and if you don't mind. I feel that we left something unfinished. Do you mind terribly?"

"I'm not about to jump up and run off, so I guess I'm at your mercy". The words could have meant anything on their own, but his broad grin, saucy tone, and, etrr, erect posture left little room for misunderstanding.

* monkey: this is the life!
* Coleman: everything has its price ... but for now, indeed this is the life

Preston couldn't remember when he'd last been so relaxed, he didn't feel l ike he was on a hair trigger. Hardly good survival tactics, but maybe relaxing and letting go once in a while wasn't all bad.

Saturday 8 June 2075 1710 Tanya's Suite Gates Undersound Hotel Seattle


Tanya had been careful to take things slowly, apparently mindful of your condition. Or perhaps just to extend the sexual experience out to the point where you were begging for release. You might have just been looking for alternative sexual techniques, but Tanya seems to have more than a good familiarity with several already. Both of you are ultimately satisfied and she is now laying next to you, a hand making small, lazy circles on your chest. "Am I forgiven? I should have foreseen how Howard would behave with a few drinks in him. I rather feel quite sad for your friend if she has to put up with that much. Anyway, we have probably blown our shot at an invitation to see his pottery collection. It is good that we don't really need to see it to do our work."

She pauses then adds, "I want to thank you for being so great at the track today. First, I could tell that you really wanted to hit him for what he said about me, but you were focused enough on the job that you refrained from doing so. You were perfect."

Another pause as she positions herself so that her chest is on yours and her face just inches away from yours. "Would you mind terribly if I want to tell you that I am in love with you?"

Saturday 8 June 2075 1711 Tanya's Suite Gates Undersound Hotel Seattle

* Monkey: Love? no-no-no-NO! Lust = good, love just confuses everything.
* Coleman: Her being in love with me should solidify my strategic position, although it may create tactical difficulties
* Liza: A statement like that require recipricoation in some form
* Oleg: Silly girl, tossing a heart around like that is apt to get it broken
* Monkey: I don't want to hurt her, I like her! And lust for her. And want to be with her. Just not this 'love' stuff, blech!
* Gamma: Isn't the combination of like, lust, and longing a passable approximation of love?
* Coleman: My history of falling in love is a series of tactical and strategic disasters.
* Liza: And yet, this is one of those things that you only need to get lucky with once. Somewhat like Russian Roulette, but reversed where the empty cyclinders cause pain and suffering and the bullet shoots happiness into your life.
* Gamma: Comparing falling in love to Russian Roulette does not say very positive things about my emotional status.

Preston blinked three or four times after that question, as he sorted out his thoughts. Finally he furrowed his brow and said "I feel like there is at least two questions in there, so I want to be careful to answer them both."

He stretched his legs out a bit and snuggled closer to Tanya before continuing "So first of all, no, I don't mind. In fact it is nice. I'm a bit worried, because 'love' and I have a ... rocky history, you could say. But I guess that is kind of normal, you get it wrong until you get it right, kind of like ... err, never mind that, bad comparison." He smoothed a lock of hair away from Tanya's face, and then added "I'm flattered and honoured and will try to keep the rocks away from this."

"But I guess that kind of creates a second question, about my feelings. And to be honest, I'm not sure. Generally me following my feelings hasn't worked out that well, be it love, hate, envy, whatever. For most of the past couple of years as I've been putting my life back together I haven't really been on close speaking terms with most of my stronger emotions. Not that they went far, Hate showed up mightly quickly today when Howard started spouting off. But what I'm trying to say is that I don't know for sure that I'd know I was in love."

He let's out a little growl of frustration then explains "I'm not saying it well. Look ..."

* Gamma: is paraphrasing Monkey really wise?
* Liza: Monkey is probably the part of me closest to my emotions, so in this sort of matter, maybe?

" ... Obviously I lust for you. And I like you; like is a nice simple, calm, emotion that helps guide us through the day, I know perfectly well what and who I like and it certainly includes you. And when I'm away from you, already I find myself thinking of things I want to tell you, show you, do with you, wondering what you would say about things, and so on -- basically you are already giving shape to my life and thoughts."

He pulls away a bit and twists so he can look her better in the eye. "Those are the things I know. Love? I don't know -- literally, I just don't know, I'm not sure how I tell, or even if what I've had in the past was love or not. But I want to be with you, I want to please you and excite you, I enjoy doing things with you, I admire you, you are in my thoughts and are mistress of my body. I hope that is enough for now."

* Monkey: Love, why did it have to be loooooovvvve?