((Collab between NarcissisticPotato and LordSanta))

Tardiness was inefficient and as far as Ruby was concerned, it was a rather bad start for the Merc. Like it or not, however, there wasn't a lot of illusion Metas out there and she had snagged an experienced one, from the sounds of it. She already had read through his file so when he came sauntering through the door and placed his order, she already knew who he was. When he did finally shut up and take a seat, she rose slowly and padded over to his table before sitting down opposite him. "You're late." Was all she mentioned, folding her arms a little.

Scarlett, unlike the other recruit, had actually arrived on time. She was apparently going to be offered a lot of money so she made sure to keep some level of professionalism: for the first time in a while, she was wearing normal clothes outside of her house. It felt weird. When the brunette she had identified as the employer rose, Scarlett followed her lead and got up before sliding down beside Loki. "Y'ello!"

"Hi." Loki said casually to the girl who sat down next to him. Who was she? He didn't know. But hey, first impressions count for a lot. Granted, being late wasn't the best impression to an employer. Speaking of employers, his potential employer was apparently in front of him.
"Yeah, sorry I'm late." Loki told her with a stupid grin . He picked up his cup and sipped his drink while pulling out his phone. 
"Stayed all night playing angry birds." He said, putting the phone down on the table. "And all morning, too."

Ruby quirked a small eyebrow - so far, this contact wasn't exactly the most professional person she had ever met. Scarlett was a little childish but she didn't let that get in the way of work. "Mr Ragnarok, maybe I didn't make myself awfully clear when I left that message for you. I will give you one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars now and another one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars when the job is completed. You will have all the time in the world to play Angry Birds, but now I need you to be a little professional and hear me out. Ok?"

"I already finished angry birds, you know." Loki said. "And that is an awful lot of money, I'm interested in what requires that much money."

Scarlett wanted to test the waters with her new partner though and, upon eyeing his hot-chocolate, she grinned softly before turning and analyzing him quickly. He seemed casual, even a little uncaring but there was definitely a way to break through that shell. Shifting a little closer to him in the seat, she made a small show of brushing her hair down over one shoulder before she turned to him, eyes shining and eyelashes blinking innocently. "Could I have your hot-chocolate?" She inquired, her voice small - she didn't want others overhearing and falling under the power of her words; she only wanted his drink.

"Oh, I forgot." Loki said. "I'm being rude to guests!"
This was a cafe, and he was meeting people. Prospective employers at that. The first thing he should do is treat them to something.
"Do you guys want cake? I kind of want some cake." He said to them. 
"And here." Loki said, offering his cup to the girl next to him. "Have some. I can guarantee the taste."

"I'd love to, but with Aperture, I'm a little caked-out right about now but thank you for the offer." Ruby answered, pulling her phone out before she set it down on the table. "Listen, I need you two to help me with a very dangerous mission. Your safety is guaranteed but I cannot determine if in the eventuality of failure, you will not be caught by the authorities. If you do accept the job, you'll receive the money and an opportunity to become a mercenary for Aperture, which has too many benefits to list." She murmured, giving a shake of her head to Scarlett who was slurping on the hot chocolate and giggling. "This is Scarlett, she's a mercenary we've known for a while. Her abilities are to engineer dreams that she can use freely and to charm individuals of her choosing, typically males who find it very hard to resist her. She just gave you an example of her powers."

Scarlett giggled brightly and gave him an innocent wink as she curled her feet up onto the chair and drunk his hot chocolate. "Sorry! I just wanted to test you! No hard feelings, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Loki replied.
Giving Scarlett his hot chocolate was probably better for his health so it really was fine. He didn't want diabetes, after all. That said, he was here for a job. 

The young girl in front of him had told him it was going to be dangerous, right? That was good, it made jobs fun. 1 point in the job's favour. She also said that his safety was guaranteed, and that if they failed, he wouldn't be caught by the authorities. Which was kind of a half point in its favour. Good you wouldn't get caught, but the risk of getting caught added thrill. And then there was something about money and the opportunity to become a mercenary for Aperture, which he didn't care about at all. It's not like he didn't have a lot of money lying around, because he did. He never spent it on anything other than spare clothes and [s]lucky charms[/s] food, and acting was a high paying job. Well, he didn't have a job right now but that wasn't exactly important. In fact, a long term contract in acting had just ended, and it's not like he had anything better to do.

"Well, I'm kind of bored anyway so I'll accept the job." Loki said. His mind had been made a little while ago anyway. If this job didn't pop up, he would probably just go to disneyland or something. There was something else, however. Something important.
"One thing, though." Loki said. "In the text you sent me, you signed it off as a friend, but I'm pretty sure I've never met you before, so I'm really sorry if I actually have met you before and I forgot about you. That said, I think I would've remembered being friends with someone around 8 years younger than me... Anyway, you're either not really my friend or I forgot about you. Not that it matters, but it's kind of important. And sorry if I forgot."

Ruby smiled softly, turning elegantly in her seat before sliding to her feet. "We'll be in contact, Mr Ragnarok." His next question caught her off though and she involuntarily frowned before shrugging. "Well, I suppose strangers are just friends you have yet to meet, as the saying would have it. I have been watching you, Loki. You're very powerful and I am interested in seeing what you can do for us." While they were speaking, Scarlett had drained the rest of the hot chocolate and looked set for another. "You won't regret this, I assure you. There is quite a number of perks. Any girl you want, new tech or maybe even a change of housing? I'm not available but I'm pretty sure Scarlett wouldn't mind too much."

Scarlett frowned upon hearing her name and turned towards Ruby who was smirking brightly. "Huh?"

"Don't worry about it. Also, Loki, could you make sure she doesn't do something stupid. You two are partners now and like it or not, you are both responsible for your safety." Nodding to them quickly, Ruby turned and left the cosy little cafe.

"Hey, hold on." Loki said. "When are we supposed to be doing whatever it is? You haven't really told me much of anything about the job itself!"
Too late, she had already left the cafe.
Loki looked after her and shrugged. Oh well. He had a job now, and he was assuming they would contact him when necessary. With that done, all that was left was niceties.
"Well," Loki said, getting out of his chair. "Nice to meet you Scarlett. You can call me Loki." He said, offering his hand for a handshake.

"Hi Loki! It's Scarlett but you already know that so... yeah. My alias is Sweet Dream if you need to know." She added with a curt nod. "Also, this is probably a bit of a weird request but I need to get you home and asleep! If we're going to work together, you have to understand how my powers work and that extends to dreams.I know it's weird but trust me, I'll just be heading into your mind and taking a quick poke around!"

"Alright, that sounds... Kind of weird, actually. But a good kind of weird, not a bad weird." Loki said, picking up his phone.
"I don't really have anything to hide, though. My apartment is just over there." He said, pointing to the opposite side of the road. "But hold on a sec, let me grab some cookies."

Loki went back into the shop for to buy cookies and say some goodbyes.
"Hey owner, a bag of cookies to go please." Loki said, walking up to the counter.
"Hey, Loki. Done chatting up women?" The owner replied with a sly grin.
"I got a new Job." Loki said, returning the grin. "Don't think I'll be back for a while."
"That's a shame. You're our favourite customer!" The owner said.
"Does that mean you're giving me a discount?" Loki asked cheekily.
"Heh. Don't count on it." The owner said, giving him the bag of cookies.
"Thanks, old man." Loki said cheerfully, giving him the money and walking away.
"Come back soon, okay?" The owner replied.
"Will do." Loki said, waving goodbye as he walked away.

Exiting the shop, Loki felt as if he wouldn't be back for quite some time. A long, long time. Well, it didn't really matter in the end. If he got back one day that would be enough. He soon arrived to where Scarlett was waiting.
"Sorry for the wait." Loki said, mouth full of cookie. "Let's go."