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[@Krayzikk] [@Kaithas] [@NarayanK][/center]

[color=a187be]"I see."[/color] The Negasi patriarch's face was inscrutable, even as he turned back to his daughter. [color=a187be]"I bet you're enjoying that big mouth of hers, too."[/color]

Behind Lauren's deliberately bemused face, Ben and Amy both locked up.

[color=8882be]"Whatcha talkin' about, Pops?"[/color] the scrapper asked innocently. [color=8882be]"My mouth hasn't been up to anything in a while--"[/color]

[color=a187be]"Right."[/color] In Pops' right hand, as if by sleight of hand, a wad of lien appeared; he waved it in front of his only daughter, bills making flapping and crinkling noises as they moved. [color=a187be]"So I guess you were just grinding out financial aid forms for the past few weeks to make over ten thousand lien. Knowing how you get about honor among thieves, I'm willing to bet that if I had looked under the other beds in this dorm I'd find some more of your stashes too, right? How much money's here, Lorena?"[/color]

Lauren's face was a lesson in dawning comprehension. Then she laughed, clearly relieved.

[color=8882be]"Shit, Pops, that was for a mission! We went to a brewery near the Atlesian border Friday! It was awesome as fuck! I killed the most Grimm out of anyone, and engineered our escape by using all the lessons you taught me about electricity to get an elevator working again, and then I managed to bring one of the bombed-out trucks back to life and smuggle out, like, hundreds of thousands of bucks worth of chemicals and shit! I got a finder's fee for it, and ooh, Cap killed a Manticore! It was--"[/color]

[color=662d91]"A Manticore?"[/color] Costa Negasi sounded slightly concerned as she turned to Ben. [color=662d91]"They knew there would be a Manticore there?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"--no no no, it was fucking sick! Cap jumped out of a helicopter and his dildo-guns became a giant sword, and then he cut its head off and skull fucked it back to hell from whence it came untilwegotbacktoValewhichiswherewe--[i]mmrrrrrrrrrphle[/i]"[/color]

[color=a187be]"Right. A mission. I'll believe that."[/color] Pops Negasi drew his hand away from her face for a second, ending her attempts to continue the story while muffled, before tossing Lauren's reward money her way and resting both hands on his hips. [color=a187be]"So they gave you the finder's fee..."[/color]

[color=8882be]"Yup! Cap says I should invest it in tech stocks, or making a tofu and kale bar for white people, or for--"[/color]

[color=a187be]"And I'm guessing that they also gave you this handmade Zephyr handbag,"[/color] her father continued. [color=a187be]"And the Palladium card under the [i]alias...[/i] Estellise Sidos Heurassin Nuit? Bit long-winded, Lauren."[/color]

It [i]was[/i] a long name, and even though Lauren had been expecting it, she'd lost a shade of color with every word.

[color=8882be]"I, uh...heh...well, they reward good..."[/color]

[color=a187be]"If you lie to me, I will throw both of these out the window, child."[/color]

...

Lauren pouted softly and crossed her arms defensively. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNJ3sYT_hj8]A noise of upset admonition was welling up in her throat.[/url]

[color=8882be]"You can't!"[/color] she protested. [color=8882be]"I [i]earned[/i] them! In a bet! I talked the girl out of them in under ten minutes! Cap [i]said![/i]"[/color]

[color=a187be]"Cap said."[/color] Negasi's eyes found Ben's sheepish-looking face and then went back to Lauren. [color=a187be]"What did you tell her?"[/color]

...

[color=8882be]"That...it was clearly a fake from Kuchinashi, and you could tell because of the way that they did the stitching,"[/color] Lauren said reluctantly, pointing to the bag. [color=8882be]"I said that they only did it diagonally like this in Kuchinashi factories."[/color]

It was her father's turn to fall silent - before he burst out into a loud, booming laugh, occasionally cracking with incredulous glee. Even Lauren's mother, through her look of disapproval, was clearly holding in an amused smile. Lauren brightened up at the reaction, having clearly expected reprimand - or even confiscation. It would be just like her dad to steal something that she'd earned and then sell it for his own profit.

[color=a187be]"Okay, okay, [i]that[/i] is a worthy boost,"[/color] her father conceded, nudging at Lauren's stash underneath the bed with his boot.
[color=a187be]"She bought that? Why the hell would anyone buy that?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"Because Lauren Negasi, [i]Vale Style Co.[/i] morally murky sales representative, said so!" [/color]

Lauren produced her falsified business card with all the gusto of a police officer pulling his badge. It almost sent her father into tears. 

[color=8882be]"Yeeeeeup!"[/color] Lauren was clearly pleased with herself. [color=8882be]"I made enough money and swag this weekend to even build myself a new weapon, better than that shitty-ass fucking axe that Slo boosted from a primary school for me. Have I shown you this [i]fucking[/i] thing? Where the hell is it, hang on..."[/color]

Lauren bent over to crawl underneath the bed and find her weapon, lower half jutting out from the bed at a dangerous angle. Ben's tight jeans only compounded the issue. 

Her father's stare found those of the poor, brave Redwood boy, daring him to break eye contact.