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Alex had always been an early riser, but being awake was very different from being ready. While she'd packed her equipment the night before, there was still the important matter of getting dressed. And deciding how to get dressed.

This one? No, too scruffy. That one? No, too official. Alex sighed. It wouldn't make much difference how she turned up - In her experiences with Shadowrunners, they tended not to appreciate the subtleties of the job. 'Shoot first, ask questions later' had to be the most irritating, off-mark idea she'd ever encountered, but it was everywhere. At least the reputation meant people were more willing to concede without anyone dying. After a few more seconds deliberation, she decided to just throw on a hoodie and jeans. Her clothes were durable enough, and there was always magic if she needed something to look smarter for whatever reason.

Probably better not to waste her energy for now. And it would be easier to decide what angle to take once she'd arrived and had an idea who she was working with, instead of over-committing to an idea. Chances were, it'd be a mixed bag anyway, but she could only hope they'd be reasonable. Constant cynicism really took the spice out of life, and at the very least she could be hopeful until she got there.

Shouldering her backpack, she sighed, heading down the stairs. After arriving in New Reykjavik, she'd managed to work out a deal with the owner of a particularly sketchy bar. The state of her face had stopped shocking her a while ago, but it never failed to get a look from the odd patron. At least, the ones that weren't regulars - Some of the regulars gave her entirely different looks, which she generally ignored. It wasn't worth causing a scene over, and dealing with a few people leering at her was a small price to pay for a roof over her head without questions being asked.

Dealing with them wasn't difficult anyway and besides, at least she knew they'd be easy to wrap around her finger when it became necessary. As for the owner herself, well... Ada was accommodating enough.

[color=goldenrod]"Isn't it a little early to be drinking?"[/color] Alex laughed lightly. Motherly was the word that best described the older woman, a fact which Alex had been quick to pick up on. Sensitive, caring, and perfectly willing to give room to a poor broken youngster with nowhere else to go. Provided she could pay the rent, of course - And Alex even added a little extra to each payment, in return for a tip on any interesting gossip. [color=goldenrod]"I'm out on a job, so if you need anything just tell me and I'll deal with it later. "[/color]

Alex appreciated it when the bar was closed like this. It was good not to need the ditzy act for a while, but she'd have the mask back once she reached the meeting point. After all, there was a lot of value in being underestimated. Besides, she'd worked out a little bit of an understanding with her local friend. Anyone that would see through that mask, that came by asking about her, would get the same reply. Alex, Katherine, or Icarus, whatever name they chose: Ada would swear she'd never seen the girl in her life.
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Well, it could have been worse, Alex supposed. The place was nice enough, and she recognised it from a couple of night visits. She tended to avoid most of the students around here - Too much corporate association, and the risk of recognition, while not [i]huge[/i], was still there. With such lovely consequences as being split open by white-hot metal still a little too fresh in her mind, it didn't seem worth it for a few cheap drinks. Plus, being picked up without an SIN wasn't a good plan in any situation.

There were some downsides of being legally dead, she supposed.

It was a little annoying to do so, but in the spirit of caution she'd kept her hood up on the way over just to avoid drawing too much attention. Frankly, she hated doing that. Her scars weren't something to hide, and they never had been, but they certainly drew some attention. Mostly because she refused to do anything about them even with all the resources available in this day and age, but that was her business. Hiding them at least made it easy enough for her to blend in with the student population and look like she belonged. Pretty natural to carry herself like a corporate hopeful, after all; Not too long ago she'd held their same ambitions.

As she entered the bar, she glanced around with a yawn, before taking a seat at one of the tables. Too early for seafood, really, but she hadn't had breakfast before leaving, and lining up one-by-one at the bar was always going to look a little suspect. After ordering the cheapest thing on the menu, she lay her head down on the table, pretending to be half-asleep. The picture of your average student with too many deadlines to deal with and not enough rest to deal with them.

Her hood still obscured most of her face, which suited her fine for now. It made it much easier to keep one eye on the people around her without drawing attention. Better that she get an idea of the whole situation before making any kind of move.