[center][h2][color=c4df9b]Aiko Kamiya[/color][/h2][/center]

Aiko spent at least one hour and a half testing her new internals. She did spend a good deal of time both looking for those particular pieces and calibrating them, so she hoped they would do justice to the hassle she had to go through. Fortunately her time and effort were well spent. Her rollerblades were as smoother than ever. Normally, in a few specific situations, especially in high speed, tight curves, her rollerblades would start vibrating. Although it wasn't impossible to deal with it, it was very annoying, as it forced her to reduce her speed and required a good deal of effort to keep them in full contact with the ground. After these modifications, that didn't happen anymore. Even though the new pieces didn't offer that big of a raise in performance, it meant a lot for Aiko, whose style mainly consisted in speed and precision. After being satisfied with the results, she slowed down her speed, riding in a much more 'agreeable' and tranquil manner. Those last few pieces she bought did cost a good amount and her money reserves were starting to get close to the limit as she always liked to keep some 'emergency' money in case something happened.

One of these places was a small pub, right in the border between the slums and the middle cities. On surface it was just a 'less reputable' pub for those who lived in the middle cities and one of the better ones around the slums but in reality it was used as a hub for those who were searching to make some money with odd jobs and requests and for people who needed services for all sorts of tasks or those who wanted to be a bit more 'discreet'. Usually they would have plenty of jobs, which at least a few that perfectly suited Aiko's skills.

[color=c4df9b]"Hey Lewis."[/color] Aiko said, as she opened the pub's door, being careful to stop before entering and cleaning the wheels from her rollerblades on the front rug. She knew how much Lewis, the owner of the pub [i]hated[/i] when she left skid marks all over the floor. She also quickly learned that wiping her rollerblades before entering was the easiest way to avoid getting an earful from him.

[color=c4df9b]"Hey little lady! Lemme guess, ya spent more than you should with yer rollerblades again, right?"[/color] Lewis asked with a hearty laugh.

[color=silver]"Yer certainly not here for a drink. Ye know I can't give alcohol to minors."[/color] Lewis said with a chuckle and a mischievous grin.

[color=c4df9b]"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Lewis. You know I am not a minor anymore..."[/color] Aiko said, rolling her eyes.

[color=c4df9b]"But yeah. Need some cash"[/color] Aiko said as she approached the counter. When she finished saying that though, Lewis expression changed as he sighed. Aiko knew very well that it wasn't a good sign.

[color=silver]"Sadly, some shady looking folks been' taking most odd jobs round these parts. Strangely enough, they seem to be targeting specifically the type of jobs ye normally take..."[/color] Lewis said as he looked to Aiko, raising an eyebrow.

[color=silver]"What did ye do this time, lassie? Ye attracted the attention of people ye shouldn't 'ave."[/color] he finished, nodding towards her disapprovingly.

Upon hearing those words, her expression changed for a moment, a small semblance of anger passing through it before she gave a long, hard and tired sigh.

[color=c4df9b]"Corneo..."[/color] she muttered to herself. Even though Lewis was able to hear it too, Aiko was smart enough to not curse a powerful man like Don Corneo out loud. Besides that, the man himself knew very well that Aiko didn't like him even one bit. Even if she didn't say anything, her stares when he did stuff like the one he was doing right now was enough to convey what she thought about him.

[color=silver]"Dammit Aiko... You mean [i]that[/i] Corneo?"[/color] Lewis said, opening his eyes wide for a second before looking at her with a worried expression.

[color=silver]"Wish ah could help ya but... Corneo... he [i]always[/i] get what he wants... Ya have to find a way to make him tired of ya..."[/color] Lewis said with a rather sad expression. Lewis was the first person Aiko went when she was looking for jobs after her mother died. At first he thought little of that but as she continued going, the old barkeeper ended up taking a personal liking to the girl, going as far as to actively searching for jobs for the girl to take when she needed money.

[color=silver]"Aiko lassie, I'll keep an eye open for any jobs I might find, will try to keep them hidden for ya."[/color] he said, looking to her with a kind smile. It was clear that Lewis wanted to help her but his hands were tied when the matter was Don Corneo.

[color=c4df9b]"Thanks, Lewis... For always helping."[/color] Aiko said, looking to the man with an honest smile, which she reserved only to those she really considered close to her before she headed out.

She knew that Corneo was targeting her, but Lewis' pub was one of the most known hubs for those kind of jobs around the area. There were still a lot of other places and some direct contacts Aiko had. It would take more than that to drive her into a corner.
After searching around for a bit more, she had two options. One was from a woman that wanted to hire Aiko as a tutor to teach her children, the other was a strange man with a scar on his face. It didn't take much to realize that the offer he had wasn't exactly 'legal'. His explanation only confirmed that. That said, it didn't seem to be something that bad. It was a delivery service. A type of service she knew well. Taking an important package from one place to another. Fast, quietly and precisely. She also knew that those type of people wanted secrecy and confidentiality above everything else. Questions from her were expected to be kept to a minimum, but in exchange, she could expect them to be as quiet about her services.

[color=c4df9b]"I only need confirmation that the package isn't something that could cause direct harm to myself when transporting it."[/color] Aiko replied. Despite her not saying, it was clear to the man that she knew those types of services and that the client could expect her to follow the 'rules' as long as he followed his. That meant, being quiet about all that, not speaking further about it and not contacting her for some time afterwards in order to avoid connection between both of them.