Escape Trajectory: Makkuro — IC

[Fialova]

Tess raises an eyebrow at Cass' suggestion of shop talk, and leans forward, leaning her head on her propped-up arms to listen as she speaks. "Having used both guns, I can confirm that the sandthrower is a piece of shit. Accurate, sure, but can't pierce any armor, and we aren't exactly going up against civilians. Probably great for pirates, but I'm fine tossing it. The plasma beam has been serving me fine."

At mention of the idea of hiring more crew, she perks up, leaning back in her seat once more with a smile. "Now that definitely sounds like a good idea. My arm still hurts from earlier, so a proper doc to fix us up after a bad fight sounds heavenly right about now. Not sure why Holland didn't send one with us to the mining station, but what an oversight. More guns can't hurt either, I guess. I feel like we did pretty well on that front, but the more we have, the less we get hit I suppose. The other positions sound a bit pricey, I guess it depends on how much they want and what we can afford. Any of you have anyone in particular in mind?" she asks, hoping they don't have to simply wander the station asking around for new hires. 

[FinalTemplar]

Creed listens to the others talk, chewing his lip as he feels like he doesn't have anything to say. Kind of nodding along. After a moment though, he taps the table, suddenly speaking up; "I couldn't remember his name, but I heard about a guy named uh... Mover, that's what it was. From what I heard he was a pilot, and a damn good one. I could try and find him, reach out, see if he's interested." He says. "Couldn't hurt to have someone take a shift during spike drills." He looks between the others and gives a soft smile. "Besides that, I think filling out a dedicated workshop would be good, lord knows we'll need it eventually and I'd rather have one than not have it... but when it comes to decorations, I don't have much either. That sounds like something you and Tess could put time into, Glitter. You two have the most sense out of all of us on that front... but it would be nice to have a bit of color in there."

[Namelessjake]

Your conversation is interrupted as a waiter arrives with a tray of mostly mai tais. They set down the tray and leave you with a courteous bow of the head.

Warner

A few moments pass before you hear the sound of movement on the other side of the door. The door slides open and a small old woman with long grey hair stands before you. Despite her age, she is less shrivelled and hunch over than you would expect, likely the result of a life spend mostly in lower gravity environments such as the station.

"Can I help you dear?"  The woman asks, apparently unfazed by your hobo disguise.

[ratwizard]

"As long as it doesn't get in the way or limit our functionality, she's all yours," Cass says to Hikaru. "Just... go easy on the kitty-cat stuff. We may not be a military vessel, but we're also not a pleasure barge. Or, you know, a tour bus." He gives the man a cheeky smile. "We're professionals now, for better or for worse."

"Nobody in mind," he responds to Tess. "We can put up postings on Asteria's network and interview whoever responds. Still got a couple days with the Mak berthed, yeah? Should be enough to find at least a couple hires. Anyways, sounds like we're in agreement."

He pauses discussion as the drinks arrive. "What say we drop the work chatter and celebrate?" The technician picks up his mai tai, raising it to cheers.

[BartNL]

Warner

"So good to see you again!" Warner shouts loudly, as he puts one foot in the apartment, and blocks the door with his hand.

[Namelessjake]

Warner

A puzzled look forms on the old woman's face.

"I'm afraid you must have the wrong house,"  she says, being to try and close the door.

[FinalTemplar]

Creed takes his mai tai and whiskey, setting the whiskey aside for a moment. "As with last time, to the Makkuro!" he says, holding it out for cheers, taking a sip after everyone clinks glasses.
"Mmn. Not bad, I don't think I'd replace my go-to, but that tastes... Good." he says, tilting his head.

[BartNL]

Warner

"Are you alright, gran? Nobody is here to break in. It's all under control." Warner continues shouting, hoping to distract the officer and make him come over.

[Namelessjake]

Warner

"You have the wrong house!"  The woman reiterates loudly, beginning to become distressed. Turning to glance in the direction of the security officer posted outside Mover's apartment, you see the man starting towards you, drawn in by the commotion.

"Whoa, Whoa! What's going on here?" The officer asks as he arrives, getting one of his arms between you and the door, keeping his other hand firmly on his holstered sidearm. Behind him you spot Mover entering his apartment.

"This man is trying to get inside!" Mrs. Okumura says.

[BartNL]

Warner

"There, there, calm your nerves gran. Everything is alright. See the officer is right there."
Warner says, now calmer. Then he turns to the approaching officer: "Can you tell gran what you've told me, that there's nothing to worry about and that everything is under control?"

[Namelessjake]

Warner

Mechanics

Make a Talk/Cha check

[Scratcherclaw]

"Can tell you've never been on a tour bus. Maybe I'll get you a VIP pass and let you be a roadie when we're on Strocho," Hikaru says to Cass with a smirk. "Don't worry, not gonna be a party boat. Just less mind-numbingly sterile." The pop star stands from his seat, stretching his limbs to loosen for the dance floor. "Hell yeah. All work and no play is against crew policy." He raises his glass, taking a quick sip after their quick toast.
 

[ratwizard]

"A roadie? Great, more low-paid cable work," Cass says dryly, though he returns Hikaru's smirk. "Just had an idea. You think this station's got a karaoke bar? Something real seedy. Half-off drinks. It's got to, right? Before we jet out, I'd say Glitter here owes us a song. Call it a work function."

[Scratcherclaw]

"Thought I just said not everything has to be work-related," Hikaru says sternly, crossing his arms and casting a judging gaze upon the man. "You've got a deal, on the condition that you just let loose. Work hard, play hard, or I'll have that get that waiter to bring us some shots." He sets his drink down, leaping from his seat and looking at his companions. "C'mon, we worked our asses off to get here. Let's dance."

[greysigil]

"To new opportunities!" Kate adds onto Creed's toast, taking a sip of her own drink.

She watches Hikaru stand up, full of energy, while she settles back into her seat. "Y'all go on ahead, I'll cheer you on from the sidelines." She says. "And karaoke could be fun. Getting a live performance would be one hell of a first impression of his music."

[BartNL]

Warner

Mechanics

Talk/Cha to convince the officer the old lady is demented and panicky for no good reason.
[2d6-1]=11-1=10

[ratwizard]

Cass laughs, hardly moved by Hikaru's stern stare. "Fine, don't call it a work function, Glitter, call it whatever you want. As long as you get up on a stage before we ditch this station."

He takes another sip of his drink, sighing as the liquid courage begins to hit him once he stands up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going. Been a while since I was in the club." Cass turns to Tess, holding out a hand. "Care to join?"

[Fialova]

"Arlight, though if we're going to karaoke, we all have to sing at least once," Tess responds, as the conversation turns to other social outings. Hikaru can dish it out, but what about the others? I know I'm not great, but I'll give it my all anyway. "That means you too," she says to Cass, expecting protest. We can all make fools of ourselves while Hikaru shows off his talents. It will be great. And maybe some of them will actually be good, who knows?

She raises her glass to toast with the others, before the conversation moves to dancing. "You don't have to tell me twice," she responds to Hikaru, before taking Cass' hand. She downs the rest of her drink before standing up with him. Now does he have any moves, or does he just want to dance with me? Hopefully the former. Don't make this boring now. Once out of her seat, she moves towards the center of the dance floor, eager to see what everyone can do.

[Namelessjake]

You dance for a while, when eventually you spot Pia, Marko and Martine entering the Lounge. They see you and head over to join you.

"I see you started the party without us," Pia says with a smirk as they arrive at your spot on the dance floor.

"I'll grab us some drinks," Martine says before heading off to the bar.

"How'd the meeting with Holland go?" Marko asks.

Warner

A look of understanding appears to wash over the officer's face and his pose relaxes, his hand leaving his weapon.

"Ah I see. Yes everything is okay, we have it under control," he says to the woman, making an effort to talk slower.

"No! I'm telling you I don't know who this man is and he's trying to get in my house!" The woman replies loudly, getting noticeably more agitated.

"It's okay, he's your grandson," the officer replies trying to calm her down.

"No he isn't! I want you both to leave!" She yells, trying to push you both back out of the doorway.

[ratwizard]

Cass shrugs at Tess' inclusion of him in the karaoke queue. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure I got something in my back pocket."

After they toast, he leads Tess to the dance floor alongside the others. The music playing isn't quite what he remembers from his time at the Naval Academy, but it's not too bad and he soon loses himself to the beat — though not without finding himself giggling while they dance together. He is feeling plenty loosened by drink and excitement when the rest of the crew shows up.

"Went well," Cass says, hardly eager to talk work at this point in their night. "We're sitting over there." He gestures toward their table, where he sees Kate sitting. He gives the chief a wave. She okay? he wonders, before shaking off his worry as soon as it arrived. Long first day. I'd wanna sit it out, too.

[BartNL]

Warner

While the officer is talking to miss Okumura Warner quickly looks around to see if Mover has completed his mission. Warner takes a half step back, allowing the woman to close to door, but not fully. "Sorry officer, she get's like that."

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru feels energized and at ease, letting the music take a hold of him as he puts years of dance training to work. Fuck, I missed this. No better feeling after a long day. He beams brightly as he catches the other three finally arrive, running up to Marko and giving a short, embracing kiss. "Glad you could make it," he says to his beau before pulling away.

"Went better than well. We got ourselves a nice bonus, so celebrations were in order," he adds triumphantly. "Should do a toast with all of us once Martine's back." At Cass's gesture, he glances toward the table where Kate's sitting by herself. He shrugs. "I'm sure she's fine. Might not be her scene, might still have new kid jitters. Time'll tell."

[greysigil]

Kate waves back to Cass and Hikaru, giving them a thumbs up in response to their glances. Hope they don't think I'm a stick-in-the-mud. Maybe I should try going out there. I'll see what Creed does. She thinks, glancing at the pilot and taking a drink. "You gonna join them out there?" She asks him, "Or is this not quite your speed?"

[FinalTemplar]

An intense hesitation flashes across Creed's face as the topic of dancing and karaoke comes up. I mean... I did suggest spending time together as a crew... to back out now would be cowardly. Is that all I am? He downs the rest of his mai tai in two long chugs, pushing it to the middle of the table as he grabs his whiskey and cola, gripping it tightly. As the others walk off and begin dancing he eases up a bit but looks up towards Kate as she asks him. "It's not my speed... but I think I have to go out there, right? I mean... It was my idea." He hesitated again, sighing. "I probably should. I'd regret it if I didn't."

[Namelessjake]

"Nice going!" Marko says in reply to Hikaru

"Guess you guys can pay for us tonight then,"" Pia adds, giving the pop idol a playful nudge with her elbow.

Martine soon returns with another round of drinks, three beers for the new arrivals along with shots enough for everyone. "Here you go!" She says, grinning as she hands out the shots.

"A toast then?" Marko asks, looking over to Hikaru as he raises his shot glass.

Warner

"No trouble at all," the security officer says to you. "My dad was the same before the end," he sighs.

"I'm not crazy!" You hear the woman yell from inside her apartment as she continues trying to shut the door completely.

Look past the man, you spot Mover dart out of his home, a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The pilot gives you a thumbs up as he quickly makes his way back towards the elevator and stairs.

"Well, I would be here for too much longer I don't think, but I'll keep an eye on her for you as long as I'm posted here," the man offers with a smile, stepping back from the door.

[ratwizard]

"Oh, fuck, more," Cass mumbles as he is handed a shot. "Yeah. Let's get those two in on this." He nods toward the pilot and the chief. I should pull it back after this one. Don't want to have to get a chem cleanse for just a few drinks. Did I take my pills today? he wonders.

[BartNL]

Warner

"That'd be great. Thanks for the trouble, I'm off to see if I can get that coffee someplace else. "
Warner casually moves down the hallway, and speeds up once he's out of sight from the officer.

[Scratcherclaw]

"Definitely," Hikaru says with a grin, taking one of the shot glasses and raising it. "To crew and to friends, old and new. To making it out of another one by the skin of our teeth. To the present and our future, wherever it lead." He hoists the small glass higher, beaming. "And to the Makkuro!" He nearly moves to clink the glass with the others before he adds, "Oh, and to Miss Holland for bankrolling this night of ours." He cracks a smirk, downing the drink after the toast resolves. He winces as the booze burns his throat, still not used to such consumption. Gonna be feeling that tomorrow, but fuck it. Label can get fucked. I can live how I want.

[Namelessjake]

Warner

The man gives you a nod goodbye and returns to his post by Mover's apartment as you make your way towards the exit. Heading back downstairs, you find Mover waiting for you in the lobby of the building. The duffel bag still slung over his shoulder. It appears to be an ordinary bag, black and grey with the letters KCA stamped on it in white in a couple of places.

"Nice going," the pilot says as he sees you approaching. "Those thugs had trashed the place but they missed this luckily," he says, patting the bag.

[greysigil]

"I'm just as out of my element too. But, it might do us some good." Kate says, raising her glass to Creed's. "To getting out of our comfort zones." She finishes her amaretto sour and sets the glass on the table, before finding her water and chugging about half of it. "Gotta stay hydrated, helps with hangovers. See you out there."

She stands, and makes her way over to the group. When Martine arrives with the shots, she accepts with a nod in thanks, and raises it with the rest in the toast. "To the Makkuro!" she echoes, and downs the shot, enjoying and savoring the burn. Probably shouldn't go too hard, but we're here to cut loose. Just as long as I don't black out, we'll be good.

[ratwizard]

"Skin of our fucking teeth is right," Cass says, remembering the pain lingering in his arm. "To the Mak!" he cheers, clinking his shot with the others before pouring it down the hatch. "Augh," he groans. Back to beer and water after this one...

[BartNL]

Warner

"Good. Anything else, or can we head for the ship? "

[FinalTemplar]

Creed grimaces slightly as Kate gives him the nudge he needs. "Oh blast it all. To getting out of our comfort zone." He cheers with the new engineer, taking a long drink before he heads to the dance floor.

He approaches the others, taking a shot if one is offered to him and downing it. "To the Makkuro, may her hull withstand all shots and... hic... her crew stays true." He says, the mai tai he chugged getting to him a little bit already. Eridas has surprisingly decent dancing skills... for gutter trash standards. At least he can stay on his feet and move while drinking and isn't tripping over himself, keeping time to the beat with mostly leg movements.

[Fialova]

"To the Makkuro!" Tess shouts, before downing the shot. She lets out a loud 'woo!' after, before quickly setting the empty shot glass back on the tray she'd got it from. "Hey, you two joined!" she says, as Creed and Kate finally make their way to the dance floor. "That means we get a whole crew dance. Come on, let's see what you got!" she continues, her slightly-flushed face showing her early buzz. She grabs each of their hands and decides to pull them closer to the main group, not wanting them to slink back to the table once their drinks are gone. She backs them towards Cass, before letting go and turning back to the man.

"Alright, you too. We're tear this place up," she continues, before she begins to energetically dance before him. We don't get to let loose like this often, we gotta make the best of it. Who knows when the next time we'll all get to dance like this together will be?

[Namelessjake]

"To the Makkuro!" "The Mak!" "Makkuro!" The rest of the crew say joining your toast.

The trio join in with the dancing, with Marko dancing with Hikaru and the other two dancing with each other.

Warner

"That's it," the pilot says. "Let's get to the docks," he says heading back towards the street. "Oh wait," he says, stopping at you door and rummaging in the duffel bag for a moment.

"Here, it's not much but you did save my life and all," he says handing you a stack of credit chips. Somewhat rare thanks to electronic transactions, credit chips remain mostly filling a niche facilitating more illicit transactions. The stack you have just been handed looks to add up to 1000 credits.

[BartNL]

Warner

Warner nods, and takes the creds.

[FinalTemplar]

Creed continued to dance, letting himself feel the music as he found the beat. He slowly sipped on his drink, his feet tapping and bouncing along. Occasionally he'd toss in a spin, almost looking like he was playing a game.

ooc

I'm good to move on when everyone else is done with the scene. Rat mentioned wanting to get a move on in discord.

[ratwizard]

Buzzed and elated, Cass loses himself to the music — dancing alongside Tess and the others. "Smooth moves, pilote! Tear that shit up!" he whoops at Creed, a wide grin on his face as he tries to keep up with the man's footwork. The rest of the night fades as drink and excitement overtake him.

OOC

Onward! We have crew to hire! A sandthrower to sell! A workshop to build! Guns and armor to mod! PROGRESSION TO EXPERIENCE!

[greysigil]

Kate lurches forward, briefly caught off balance by Tess suddenly pulling her along, before recovering. "Couldn't let y'all have all the fun, now!" She says with a laugh. She blushes slightly, more from the sudden realization of Oh yeah, this is a dance floor. People dance here. than intoxication. But, the alcohol has worn the edge off her worry, and she clumsily tries to follow suit with the others, managing a handful of awkward moves before devolving into giddy laughter.

She eventually settles into a pattern of swaying and stepping roughly in time with the music, much more comfortable watching and amping up her more choreographically inclined comrades than actively joining in.

OOC

Good to continue on. We got credits to make and credits to spend!

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru's cheeks burn hot as he moves with the music, inching closer to Marko with each song. Mind hazy and boozy, he focuses on the sensations, saving thoughts for another day. Damn. He's so pretty. He looks into Marko's eyes, smiling in sheer bliss. After a time, he switches to water, hoping to regain his senses for the walk back to the ship. "Not bad," he says, watching his crew try to tear up the dance floor. Not good either, but I've seen worse.

OOC

Leggo

[Namelessjake]

Tess' Night

With your night at the Orion Lounge beginning to wind down, you change into the dress Holland gifted you and say your goodbyes to the rest of the crew. Leaving the lounge, you make your way back up to the fifth level of the station.

Exiting the elevator, ahead of you the Asteria offices lay dark and dormant, save for a few janitorial robots going about their duties and a bored looking security guard posted by the main entrance. Instead of heading into the offices, you take a tunnel to one side which leads to the residences on this level. After a short walk down the tunnel, it opens up to a small courtyard. A water feature in the shape of the Asteria logo sits in the middle of the courtyard as its centrepiece, while a number of doors are spaced around the walls. You make your way through the courtyard and down the continuation of the tunnel, passing the doors which you presume are the apartments of other high level Asteria executives, before reaching a second courtyard area.

The second courtyard is the same size as the other, however it has only one door which, according to the instructions you were sent, is the entrance to Holland's penthouse. A large lemon tree bearing fruit sits in the centre of the space, while above a reinforced glass window provides a view directly out into the void where the stars shine brightly. Approaching the door you spot an intercom system to its side.

As the night of partying dies down, Tess - still somewhat inebriated - gives each of her fellow crew members a hug before she makes her way to the Orion Lounge’s bathroom. There she removes the hoodie and shorts she’d been wearing, replacing them with the beautiful cocktail dress that Holland had gifted her hours before. She spends about a half hour in total, changing, fixing her hair, and applying some of the spare makeup she keeps in her purse, before she ventures out of the club towards her destination.

Passing through both courtyards, Tess admires the relative luxury of the apartments compared to the rest of the station. Now this almost feels like I’m back on Strocho, she thinks, as she ponders what the interiors of the suites must be like. In the second courtyard, she briefly glances out the window above, but it only causes her to start to become nervous. Instead, she focuses on the tree, and then Holland’s door.

Reaching the door to her employer’s estate, she buzzes the intercom. “It’s Tess,” she says into the speaker, before adding, “er, Ms. Cernei.”

A couple of moments pass before the door glides open. Stepping inside you find yourself in a large circular entrance hall with tens of glowing glass shards floating above the centre, forming a gravity defying chandelier. Two small doors lie to the left and right, while ahead a large set of ornate wooden double doors sit open revealing a large room with a number of sofas and chairs.

As you are taking in the sights, Holland emerges from one of the side doors, shutting it behind her. Wearing an elegant low cut silver dress of her own, she smiles as she sees you wearing her gift.

"You look positively delectable Darling, as I thought you would," she says with a flirtatious smirk as she makes her way towards you. "I trust they treated you well at the Orion Lounge?"

Tess smiles as the ornate decor is revealed, finally feeling back in place for the first time since she stepped on the shuttle to Idarete. Her attention is immediately drawn to Holland when the woman enters, and Tess eyes her in the gown.

“You look ravishing yourself,” she replies to the woman, returning her smirk and giving another wink towards the woman. Maybe it is just a date after all. I could certainly go for that after a night of dancing and drinking.

She steps forward as well, stopping just short of Holland so as not to be too presumptuous about her intent. “It was a wonderful club, it made me feel like I was on Strocho again,” she replies truthfully, as she thinks back to the previous hours of fun. “I can see why your executives are fond of it. We all had a great time.”

"I'm glad to hear that," Holland says with a laugh. "The station being a couple of spike drills from true civilisation does have its advantages but there are some disadvantages. I don't get back to Strocho nearly as often as I'd like," she says.

"Come, can I get you a drink?" The CEO asks, as she starts to lead your through the ornate doors and towards the seating area.

“Yes, and who would keep this place running if not for you, were you to go frequently?” Tess responds to the woman with a chuckle. “And yes, I’d love a drink. Though nothing too hard. I’ve already had my fair share tonight,” she continues as she follows behind. Now what is your taste in liquor? Hopefully something flavored.

"Exactly," Holland replies with a smile. "Take a seat," she adds, gesturing to a pair of small arm chairs arranged around a small coffee table in a corner of the room as she makes her way over to a nearby bar cart.

There she pours two drinks, a whiskey for herself and something from another bottle for you. She makes her way back over to you, handing you your drink before taking the other seat.

"What should we drink to?" She asks.

"How about to good company, and the impeccable taste of whoever decorated your home?" Tess asks, still quite taken by the grandeur of the penthouse. And to whatever job I've signed up for that has brought me here.

"Well then, to good company and to my interior designer," Holland says with a chuckle, clinking glasses with you, before taking a sip of her whiskey and sitting back in her chair. Taking a sip of your own drink, you find it is a strawberry flavoured liqueur of some kind. Smooth to drink and not as alcoholic as something like whiskey or vodka.

"So Tess - you prefer Tess over Esther correct?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. With her using your full first name now and your last name earlier in her office, you realise that you don't recall ever telling her your name other than just now via the penthouse's intercom. 

Tess takes a sip as Holland does, smiling at the sweet taste of her beverage. Well she has good taste in alcohol too, but that's to be expected for someone of her wealth. "I do prefer Tess, yes. Though I don't recall mentioning my legal name before. So I guess you looked me up?" Tess asks, giving a playful grin that hides the small amount of unease creeping into her mind in the moment. If she knows who I am, then maybe she doesn't only want a night of fun after all. Dammit. "Should I call you Nereida, or do you still prefer Holland?" she asks, hoping to continue the playful banter for as long as she is able.

"I like to know who I'm in business with," Holland replies with a sly smile. "Let's go with Nereida for tonight," she adds with a wink before taking another sip of her drink.

"Speaking of business, I'll get to it, shall I? As I said earlier, I would like to make use of your services - and that is services plural," she says with a smile, watching your face closely.

"I have two prepositions for you, one is for you to spent the night here with me and then, after that, I would like you to kill someone for me."

And there it is. The expected. No one ever just wants a good time anymore. Except Cass, I guess. "I had a feeling that was going to be your request," Tess admits, not feeling like there is any point to hiding her line of work from the woman who so clearly knows of it, likely in intimate detail. "To be perfectly honest, I am surprised you wanted both sides. But I'd happily oblige," she continues, trying to sound more eager about the prospect of another murder than she actually is.

"Who exactly is the target?" she asks, more out of a sense of duty than any actual curiosity. And more importantly, how much are you paying? You want me and a murder so clearly you know that neither comes cheap. "A rival to the CEO position, perhaps?"

"Excellent," Holland replies at your tentative acceptance of her offer. "Not exactly," she says with a laugh in response to your guess.

"A woman by the name of Vanessa Klaasen - she's a district representative in the Alldisian Planetary Parliament and my ex-wife," the CEO explains. "Kill her and I'll pay you 60,000 credits, on top of your payment for tonight."

Oh, not even that interesting. Just an ex. And here I thought Ms. Holland would have something more ambitious in mind for me. She smirks at the woman, her feelings of unease beginning to fade some as the nature of the task is revealed. "Sure, I'll do it. But you have to make me a promise first," Tess says, standing and walking closer to the woman, before bending towards her so their faces are near to touching.

"You have to promise not to fall in love with me after tonight. I don't need someone coming after me next," she continues, winking towards the woman once more, now close enough that the next move is entirely on Holland. Now the real question is, does she want me sleeping with Vanessa too? If so, this is certainly going to be an interesting job. I wonder what the others will think, though. Should I even tell them? 

"Oh?" Holland asks as you walk towards her. She laughs at your joke. "I think I can promise that," she says before leaning in to kiss you.

Tess savors the kiss, standing and licking her lips afterwards as she gazes down at the other woman. "So tell me, Nereida: do you prefer to talk business now, or would you prefer to save that subject for the morning?"

Holland stands, her gaze meeting yours. "It can wait," she says, taking your hand in hers and leading you from the room. She leads you through a door and down a corridor before taking you inside of a large bedroom, where an immaculately made bed that looks large enough to sleep five sits in the centre of the back wall.

Holland leans in for another kiss, this one longer and firmer than the first. "Now," she says, turning so that her back is to you and stepping over to a cabinet to one side of the room. She opens it and removes something from inside, but keeps it hidden with her body. "Power can be tiring you know, that's why I want you to take charge now," she says, slipping her dress off of her shoulders and letting it fall to the ground around her feet.

She turns around, now fully nude, and hands you a black leather riding crop.
_

You awake the next morning, alone in bed, its sheets no longer perfect thanks to the night's activities. The rooms lights are on a low setting, mimicking the early light of the morning, but a triangle of brighter light spills out of a half open door to the side of the room. From inside you hear the sound of a shower running and the feint sound of singing. 

Tess takes a moment to bask in the comfort of the room and its warm morning glow, as false as it may be, before she finally pulls herself out of the sheets and off the bed. She stands, still naked, and walks slowly around the room. She'd not had much time to observe it before, but Holland's vanity catches her eye on the side. She spies the jewellery and considers, for a moment, that she ought to take something. She steps closer to get a better look, but catches herself and shakes her head. Perhaps later there will be time for that. I know now she is not above murder, and she's already paying me. Best not to bite the hand that feeds, and all that.

Hearing the sounds of the shower and singing, Tess walks towards the presumed restroom and opens the door to peer inside. "You've a lovely singing voice, you know," she says matter-of-factly, no longer feeling the need to flirt after the lengthy lovemaking session from the night before. "A woman of many talents," she continues, as she peers into the mirror over the sink, eyeing the state of her makeup and frowning slightly at the sight. Will definitely need to wash this off or touch it up. Not in the mood for a walk of shame out of such a fancy area.

The shower is open to the rest of the room, the water seeming to just vanish off of the floor rather than flooding the entire bathroom, and Holland turns to look at you as you make yourself know, You catch her gaze admiring your naked body as she does.

"Thank you my Dear," she replies with a smile to your compliments. "As are you it would seem," she adds with another flirtatious wink. As you examine yourself in the mirror she finishes up in the shower. As she steps out the water stops almost instantly and the CEO wraps herself in a large white towel.

"Feel free to use anything you'd like, once you're ready join me for breakfast and we can talk some more," she says, gesturing to the assortment of hygiene and cosmetic products around the sink. "The kitchen is back down the corridor and on the otherside of the main room," she explains before making her way back out into the bedroom.

Tess nods, saying, "see you in a few, then." Once Holland leaves the room, she steps towards the shower, curious to clean herself in such an odd open space. She spends about twenty minutes washing herself and her messed up makeup away, before drying off and partaking of some of Holland's deoderant and chapstick.

Once clean again, she returns to the bedroom and gathers up her belongings, putting the cocktail dress back on, but leaving her hair to fall naturally instead of how she'd worn it up the night before. She eyes the vanity once more, finding the allure of the woman's jewelry difficult to resist, but she manages once more to convince herself of the value in abstaining. She then makes her way towards where she was told the kitchen would be.

Heading back through the main room of the penthouse, you find the kitchen easily enough. Inside you find Holland sat atop a barstool at an island topped with a dark marble slab. While all the other times you have met her she has been well dressed, you find her now in sweatpants and a loose alumni t-shirt from a prominent Strocho university, sipping at a cup of coffee.

"Coffee?" She asks, seeing you enter the kitchen.

"Definitely, thank you," Tess responds to the woman with a more warm smile, the first one she's given her that doesn't hide an ulterior motive. "Strocho University, huh?" she asks, as she walks in and takes a seat next to her gracious host at the island. "No wonder they put you in charge here," she continues with a chuckle. "I heard they have a very low acceptance rate."

"I put myself in charge," Holland replies with a smirk. She gets up and touches a button on a coffee machine on the countertop, which quickly dispenses another cup of the beverage. "Here you go," she says, setting the cup down on the island in front of you and returning to her stool.

"So this is for last night," she says, sliding a stack of credit chips, similar to the ones you found in Schaberg's apartment back on Idarete, across the marble to you. "I thought you might appreciate payment in that form more," she adds. Looking at the stack, there appears to be 500 credits worth of chips.

"As for my problem, it's not the most pressing issue but as long as it's dealt within a month or so I'll be happy. Is there anything else you need to know? "

"Any form works for me," Tess responds with a shrug. What, does she think I get clients off the streets? I mean, I used to. Not so much anymore. She places the chips in her bag with the rest of her belongings, before taking a large gulp of the coffee.

"I guess any information you have would be useful. I'm assuming she's on Alldis? I can't imagine a politician for the planet would spend a lot of time away. What she's like, what I can expect in the form of security." She pauses, pondering her next words, before sighing and speaking plainly as she had been.

"If you know my work, you know most of my targets are set at ease by assuming our interactions will be limited to a night of fun, much like last night. Is... that how you were hoping it would go down? Or do you prefer something more traditional?" She must have some emotions tied to Vanessa if she's paying me this much to ender her life. Hopefully she keeps those emotions in check.

"Yes she lives on Alldis," Holland confirms. "She'll likely have some security, especially since she was elected last year, but I doubt they'd be expecting anything. It's not like she's League President - not yet anyway," she says with a slight smile.

"She's smart, capable, tenacious, annoyingly determined to always do the right thing. I'll leave the method up to you, you're the professional after all, but I'd like it to be quick and painless if possible."

"Very well," Tess responds, nodding to Holland. Her ex-wife sounds like a great woman, if that's what the person who wants her dead thinks of her. Is it really just a jilted lovers situation? There's gotta be more to this. "Quick and painless can be done. Sounds like a relatively easy hit, apart from her position. I'm guessing you will be keeping an eye on League news for proof of completion?" 

"Yes I'm sure I'll hear about it and can then send you your payment," Holland replies.

Tess takes another large gulp of her coffee, finishing off the rest of the cup, before placing it gently back on the counter. She stands, turning to Holland and offering her a wide grin. "I guess you can consider me hired, then," she says to the woman, before removing her belongings from the island. "I suppose I should head back to the ship, let everyone know that I did not get murdered roaming the station by myself at night."

She turns to leave, before glancing back at Holland once more, a smirk once more streaking across her face. "But, if you want a repeat of last night, we should still be docked here for a few more days. You can always reach out," she adds, winking at the woman once more.

"Excellent," Holland replies with a smile as your formally accept the job. "I'll be in touch if I get the urge," she adds with a wink.

"I'll let you show yourself out - oh, take some lemons from the tree out front if you'd like. My predecessor had that tree planted but I can't stand them," she says with a laugh.

“Sure,” Tess says as she’s leaving, though she doesn’t turn back. Once outside the penthouse again, she takes several of the lemons to bring back to the ship before making her way home. That went better than expected.

---

You continue to party in the Orion Lounge for some time, but eventually you begin to call it a night, with Tess heading off for her meeting with Holland and the rest of you making your way back to the ship.

You are beginning to rise the next morning, slowly congregating in the Makkuro's mess suffering from hangovers of varying severity, when Tess arrives back at the ship still wearing the dress gifted to her by Holland and carrying a handful of lemons.

Transactions

120 credits deducted from the ship's fund to pay for the night's libations. 11,960 credits remain.

[ratwizard]

Cass spends the morning nursing a monster of a headache in the mess hall. Caffeine, water, and something real fatty, salty, he considers, moving about the shared area to drum up whatever he can — offering to share with whoever arrives.

He is munching miserably as Tess arrives. "Morning," he offers, sitting upright from his slumped position. "Long night, yeah?" he asks, his voice brighter than before. He nods at the lemons with awe. "Those real? Holy shit. Real citrus? On this shithole?"

[Fialova]

As the night of partying dies down, Tess - still somewhat inebriated - gives each of her fellow crew members a hug before she makes her way to the Orion Lounge’s bathroom. There she removes the hoodie and shorts she’d been wearing, replacing them with the beautiful cocktail dress that Holland had gifted her hours before. She spends about a half hour in total, changing, fixing her hair, and applying some of the spare makeup she keeps in her purse, before she ventures out of the club towards her destination.

* * *

Tess strolls back into the Makkuro at mid-morning wearing her cocktail dress from the night before, though her hair is down and still damp from an apparent shower, and you see no signs of makeup on her. As soon as she enters the higher deck, she places a dozen or so lemons on the counter, before making her way towards her room. She emerges only moments later, dressed now in simple Makkuro loungewear, before taking her normal seat on the couch.

"Long, but not in a bad way," Tess responds to Cass, eyeing the man she'd spent the prior night with, smirking with her last words. "And yep! Honest to goodness lemons, fresh-picked. Holland had a whole tree growing in front of her penthouse and she said she didn't even like them, so I just snagged a bunch for us. Figured she wouldn't miss 'em. Might go back for more later." I doubt she'd care if I just took the whole bunch. Not like she will ever use them.

"Hope no one is too hungover after last night. I'm surprised I'm not, honestly. But I should probably eat something soon," she continues, her stomach grumbling after the night of exercise and her lack of breakfast. "Only had coffee before coming back. Anyone wanna cook?" she asks, hoping for a 'yes,' though not expecting one.

[greysigil]

Kate wanders her way into the mess hall sometime after Cass but before Tess returns, scrounging for some kind of prepackaged snack to have while she wakes up. While she looks better than Cass, the bags under her eyes are darker than normal and her hair is messy, pulled back but not brushed. Shit, he looks like hell warned over. Guess we went harder than I realized.

She looks up as Tess walks in, then down at the lemons on the counter. It takes her a second to realize that they're real, and she picks one up and starts looking it over, rolling it around in her hands. At the mention of breakfast, she shrugs. "Unless you want reactor-fried eggs and instant noodles, I'm not it. Was thinkin' about goin' to get something, but I was waiting for the others to be up, see what their plan was."

[ratwizard]

"A... whole tree?" Cass remarks. "Just for her? Damn."

His stomach rumbles at the mention of take-out. "Pretty low on groceries to cook anything worthwhile," he admits. "I heated up some biscuits." He nods toward Kate. "Yeah, real noodles are my vote. Ugh, you guys ever had Alldisian ramen? I'd give my good kidney to have a bowl of that."

[Fialova]

"Funny you mentioned Alldis," Tess says, as Cass reminisces about the dish. "Holland actually hired me to do a job, but it's on the planet. I was gonna wait a bit to bring up the subject, but since you mentioned it, I think that should be our next stop after the ship's in tip top shape." Seems as good a place as any to go to next, I doubt any of them would have any issues with it. She glances around, curious to see her companions' opinions on the idea.

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru rolls out of bed, unleashing a large yawn. He hops up, stretching his worn limbs with a grimace. Damn, out of practice. Gonna have to change that. Can't get rusty. After a cool shower to wash away the night before, he steps into the mess hall, eyeing Tess's basket curiously. "Life gave you lemons, huh," he says, picking one up and examining it like he'd seen people do in supermarkets before. "Feeling like some lemonade?" He smirks, plopping down around the table. Pulling out his compad, he scrolls through the station's network to see what sort of takeout options they have.

He glances up as Tess mentions Alldis, wide smile on his face. "Alldis? Fuck yes, I love Alldis." He switches to his photo gallery, pulling up pictures from his last trip with the band. "Best skiing in the sector. Hottest lifeguards too." Might have to dust off the cap and sunglasses though. Place'll be swarming with fans.

[ratwizard]

Cass drops his fork, the metal clanking on the mess hall floor. "No," he gasps, his eyes wide as he leans down to grab the utensil. "I mean... It's not safe there. For me, I mean."

He takes an unsteady breath, licking his lips. Too close to home. And too soon.

"I get that nothing's really safe these days with the League and the Diktat approaching total war, but..." Cass sighs, his nerves getting to him. "I'd really, really like to go anywhere else than there." He looks between Tess and Hikaru specifically, his eyes full of worry. Fucking Alldis. First the whiskey, then this job. Can't I just get away? I'll call them soon... he thinks, considering what his family might be doing this very moment. But not yet. Not until I know I'm safe, and they'll be safe.

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru raises an eyebrow as Cass rejects the idea. Standing from his seat, he crosses his arms and rests his gaze on the man. "Not safe how? It's a fucking pleasure world. Most dangerous thing there is happy hour in my experience." He lets out a sigh, passing Tess a glance before looking back to Cass. "All you told us was you left a mess. I figured it was just family trouble, but saying you're not safe? What, do you owe someone money or something?" The hell is he hiding? Never seen someone so freaked about a planet full of beautiful people and half-priced apps.

 

[ratwizard]

Pleasure world, yeah, Cass thinks, the term turning sour in his mind as he thinks of what he stumbled upon. For disgusting old lizards who traffic kids my sister's age.

"What, no? I don't owe anybody shit. Except... I guess, an apology for why I left without saying bye."

"Some bullshit happened with the League Navy. It's just not safe for me to go back, alright? And I don't mean the shit with the spy, at Bao's lieutenant's pad. I... found something I wasn't supposed to." He grimaces, the memory bringing back disgust and fear.