[b][center][h2][color=magenta]Reya[/color] & [color=SteelBlue]Ingrid[/color][/h2][/center][/b] The earlier disruption had thrown off Ingrid’s attempt at acting natural, as much as she tried to course correct. She would’ve been better off forgoing the previous casual air, trying to act like she was enjoying all of this, and instead just acted cool and collected. Instead, uncertain after her partner’s own unpleasant break, she was off in a way that didn’t take much of a trained eye to read through. Ingrid was now on edge. It would’ve been much harder if their contact’s hair wasn’t lit up like a flare. Working her way past the drunks and the tired, she heard a call from one of the tables - a local lad making some comment about warming up next to her. She was still visibly suffering from the cold more than the locals were, yes, but she held her tongue and made no rebuke in return. She sat next to the woman with a smile. “[color=SteelBlue]It’s been a while, hasn’t it?[/color]” ----------------------- The shock of the roughly etched message that had been left behind was still pulsing through Reya’s mind as they entered the [i]’Diamond[/i]; however as the image displayed itself again and again in her consciousness, her initial apprehension had begun to fade rapidly. Her rational mind was taking over, pushing away the cloud of sorrow that had followed her ever since the Knights had fled from Balya Gora. All those nights working alone and unable to sleep, all the distractions she’d put in front of herself to try and move on, all the tears and grief she’d held back to look strong and the times she couldn’t- It was a chapter of her life that was [i]over[/i], DONE. Lena was alive. [i]Sunny was right[/i]. With every step, she could feel a growing well of affirmation burning up from her heart. A small voice clamored that maybe it was some coincidence, or some sick scheme of their enemies in the Espian Guard. Maybe they had found the sign on some captured equipment and just splayed it everywhere because they thought it was cool, but that notion was quickly silenced. Her rational mind had evidence. With evidence she could build a conclusion. The chances of anyone else copying that coded language so perfectly were next to zero and the chances of them putting it somewhere with the intention of it being seen were even more remote. Lena was out there, not far from this place. Reya knew her friend could take care of herself. It was just a matter of time now. She could feel a welling smile growing and she had to fight to restrain it. They were still on the mission. She did her best to channel it as confidence and it wasn’t hard. The wave of positive energy made her feel strong and smart. She was ready. On the other hand, incontrovertible proof that one of their fellow mechwarriors was still alive and trying to communicate didn’t seem to mean a lot to Ingrid any more than recovering a lost family pet. It was more like a mildly amusing inconvenience and she seemed more annoyed that the unexpected revelation had caused her strategy of forced composure to be derailed. Reya was unperturbed though and walked behind her through the bar with a gliding step among the professional drunks, ogling soldiers and wistful older men like she was nineteen again. The fact that the woman described in Lena’s message, that was correctly interpreted, was also right there in plain view, just put a button on Reya’s whole vibe. It was amusing watching Ingrid go straight after the prize without question, though subtlety wasn’t exactly her partner’s strong suit. Reya sat down quietly next to her and gave the barman the local sign for “two” using her index and little finger. The sharp but playful look in her eye meant “[i]nothing cheap[/i]” without her having to speak. It was a glance she honed over time that seemed to involuntarily cause people, particularly men, to start doing what she wanted. A bottle of the more rare Timbiqui branded wine was produced in a tasteful ice bucket along with two glasses and placed before them. ----------------------- [color=SeaGreen]“Ohmygod, it’s been for-[i]ever!”[/i][/color] Stiletto played along, letting the newcomers lead for now. She’d been overly eager last time, scaring off a potentially big catch, and been reprimanded for it. This time, she’d let them tell her what they wanted before playing her cards. The first of her guests had established the premise that they were acquainted, and by phrasing it as a question, now put the onus on Stiletto to keep the ruse going. This put her on the back foot, giving the guest a slight edge. She had underestimated the two newcomers; despite the momentary break in her composure, the first had recovered without a hitch. If she hadn’t spent years training her perception to pick up on small details at a glance, she might not have ever noticed that the visitor was out of her element to begin with. As the server placed drinks in front of the two guests, Stiletto raised her own in a toast. Rather than be sly and propose a toast loaded with connotations, she played it safe with a simple [color=SeaGreen]“Cheers,”[/color] and took a long sip from her powerfully sour cocktail. With the opening pleasantries out of the way, she began. [color=SeaGreen]”I’d heard you were in town; how’s everyone been?”[/color] It was an innocuous enough question, one that they could choose to read into or not. While Stiletto was reasonably sure she was correct that the newcomers weren’t alone, she had to confirm it. This initial stage was always tricky, measuring up your mark. Figuring out how much they know without giving away too much yourself. Don’t give them enough, and they lose interest. Give away too much, and you lose leverage. Come on too strong, and you scare them off like she had done with the previous visitor. Stonewall them, and you never get anywhere. The girl who had come in the other night caught onto the fact that she was using Spacers’ Cant. Maybe one of these two could talk the talk as well. [color=SeaGreen]”Didn’t know you’d gotten a taste for cold Timbiqui wine,”[/color] she remarked at the visitors’ drinks. [color=SeaGreen]”I always thought you preferred something more fruity. Something like peach tea, right?”[/color]A couple of bits of ancient slang tied together, a few different dialects of the cant from various regions of the Periphery. All of which roughly translated to “you’re here looking for information, aren’t you?” ----------------------- Ingrid’s eyes caught on the drink as it sailed towards them, and she just couldn’t seem to pull them away for a moment. Though nowhere near the shock to the system that Reya had just experienced, it was like she had seen her own apparition: Timbiqui…the instigator of many terrible things. If there was a reason for someone to get wasted in her presence, it was probably due to its insidious influence. Hell, that ‘businessman’ she mentioned earlier probably ended up in his position because of his love of the brewery! It was hard to find an upper end bar, or just about any place that served military folk, that didn’t carry a bottle or two hailing from that planet in Lyran space. Stiletto was inadvertently right though. Ingrid preferred fruitier things. Her attention ripped back to the conversation at hand after that little drip down memory lane, and to get things out of the way she popped off the cork of the drink without much trouble and poured one out for herself and Reya. It was in a way that suggested a little less familiarity with the bottle and its nuances, with how she briefly struggled to place her fingers along the back edge to make the pour go smoothly, but whether this warranted attention wasn’t clear. “[color=SteelBlue]Yeah, no, seriously,[/color]” she said at the tail-end of her pour, “[color=SteelBlue]things have been wild lately. We’ve had, what,[/color]” she looks at Reya briefly, “[color=SteelBlue]a lot more business than usual, I’d think? At least for this time of year. We’re barely able to keep up with demand, just us and a few dozen employees.[/color]” She pushed the bottle back into the ice. “[color=SteelBlue]Sooner than later, we’re going to need a leg-up if we’re gonna expand off Espia.[/color]” She managed to sound natural enough, though she was basically reading from a script. Her eyes came into contact with Stiletto’s for a moment as she asked about the drink, and for a split second she really was prepared to answer with her real preference - she was from just far enough away from the Periphery border to miss the subtext, though she figured something was up still. “[color=SteelBlue]There’s always a time for trying out new things,[/color]” she managed to get out, before looking to Reya for salvation. ----------------------- Something about knowing that Lena was alive was rapidly uniting the two identities Reya had seen in the shop window only a few minutes before they had entered the [i]‘Diamond[/i], however the product being reassembled in the back of her mind was going to be different than the parts that formed it. She could feel it in her gut. Lena’s message had indicated that the contact spoke in code, which Reya could accept given the circumstances and Ingrid had done a good job of getting the conversation started, but for some reason, once the careful exchange had begun, the entire nuance and overly-cutesy theater left her with a nagging feeling of revulsion. [i]Irreverent[/i] was the first descriptor to come to mind and she hid it as naturally as she properly held the wine glass by the stem while Ingrid uneasily poured. Having grown up under the strict adherence to traditional customs associated with dining and libations, sitting properly for a faux, by-chance, “business” meeting while keeping a straight face was effortless. “[color=magenta]Our cost per hour has never been better, it is true.[/color]” She said, picking up Ingrid’s segway. It was easy to say because it was completely accurate. Employees working as a matter of survival were obviously more productive than those working by the clock. She had encountered enough of her father’s business associates to emulate how they spoke: The haughtiness of salesmen and the tedium of production engineers. She was naturally partial to the engineers and efficiency mechanics, but it all felt so inconsequential now. People were [i]dying[/i]. The Knights were presently trudging through centuries old underground tunnels to stay ahead of a malicious enemy that was actively hunting them night and day while others were languishing in a fortified prison. Reya didn’t want subterfuge and fake pleasantries with a stranger, she wanted [i]blood[/i]. The sentiment was burning behind her cool glance of semi-feigned professional acumen, but the line of thought had given her an idea to test the chops of their contact herself. “[color=magenta]In the interim, we’ve had to temporarily expand into a larger facility,[/color]” She continued, a slight arch in an eyebrow forming towards Stiletto. “[color=magenta]but it’s not easy when your competition doesn’t have to play by the rules.[/color]” ----------------------- At the mention of expanding to larger facilities, Stiletto raised an eyebrow, a small but noticeable slip in her composure. Everything she had been reading indicated that the Green Knights were hanging on by a thread. Sure, they had raided an NPDRE supply depot, but out of desperation. If they had access to larger facilities, they may have gotten new backing. Still, if they were sending out operatives in the hope of a chance encounter, they were likely still in a tight spot. She still had leverage, and could use that to her advantage. [color=SeaGreen]”Well, you know what they say,”[/color] Stiletto said, commiserating over the competition, [color=SeaGreen]”if it weren’t for double standards, there’d be no standards at all. I’ve got some friends who’ve been doing some similar work down south, and they’d run into the same sort of snags.”[/color] This was dangerously close to tipping her hand too much– anyone listening intently might hear about this ‘work down south’ and connect it with the fighting in Yuzhny Portveyn. A risk, but a necessary one, Stiletto believed, if she were to steer the conversation in the direction she’d hoped for. [color=SeaGreen]”They’re in more or less the same business,”[/color] she continued, [color=SeaGreen]”but a slightly different approach. They’re not so big on hardware, so they focus more instead on people-based solutions. Right now their competitors dominate the market, but they’ve got the numbers to make a difference. They just need that one big breakthrough product.”[/color] A sly smile crept onto Stiletto’s face, as if a wild idea just crossed her mind. [color=SeaGreen]”You should really meet my friend Mary K,”[/color] she said, her eyes and smile growing more enthusiastic with each word. [color=SeaGreen]”You guys have so much in common– ohmygod, I can’t even imagine the kind of trouble you’d get into together.”[/color] ----------------------- Though largely on the back foot, Ingrid did pick up on that bit of forwardness from Reya. It was welcome; she couldn’t imagine holding up much longer with this level of indirectness. Still, it passed by mostly well - these people had plenty of manpower, but not the materiel needed to make more decisive strikes. Just that alone made the possibility of partnership seem like a perfect match. However, she made a real stumble for once, though it wasn’t the end of the world - once the name came up, she briefly looked like a deer in the headlights as she tried to place the name Mary K to someone, like it was a name she was supposed to already know. She still smiled right after. [color=SteelBlue]“Really? Well, shoot,”[/color] she said, her accent coming on a little stronger and rendering it more as ‘schüt’. [color=SteelBlue]“I’m not really the wildest girl, you know. We’re pretty serious about our hardware business; that kind of, what, ‘young gun’ attitude isn’t going to cut it. It’s a transitional period, we’re looking to expand, taking a risk on an unknown, you see…”[/color] [color=SteelBlue]“...unless she happens to be [i]really[/i] good at her job.”[/color] ----------------------- [color=SeaGreen]”Her whole team’s capable,”[/color] Stiletto nodded, [color=SeaGreen]”Just running into the same difficulties as your team. But they’ve got vision, and they’ve got big plans for renovation. And what they lack in hardware, they make up for in manpower and in logistical solutions, particularly when it comes to thriving in an asymmetrical market. You’d be pretty impressed at how much they can get done with their unconventional approach. And the best part is? They’re all locals, so they know the market, they know the neighborhoods, the proverbial lay of the land.”[/color] Once again, she likened the conversation to fishing. It wasn’t enough to cast out the line and expect a big fish to throw itself on the hook. You had to make the bait look enticing, let the fish come and nibble at it for a moment, only pull on the line once you’ve gotten a bite. [color=SeaGreen]Of course, in such a competitive climate, they’re a little skeptical about doing any collaborations[/color] she added, [color=SeaGreen]”I mean, who wouldn’t be? Still, I think Mary K might be down to chat if she thinks you’re on the same wavelength.”[/color] ----------------------- Reya was unimpressed with the cliched remark about standards. Such a canned expression wasn’t the language of a high level player. This woman presented this character for money or protection or maybe both; It was a cover for others that could not operate in the open, plausible deniability. Whatever the case, she wasn’t mining Espia’s dive bars for free and whoever the benefactor was, was the person they really needed to be talking with. She kept dangling the identity of this “[i]Mary K[/i]” figure who was undoubtedly a ranking FPA fighter and that lined up with what the Colonel had described about the nature of the contact, however Reya’s gut instinct kept telling her it was something else. It was a nagging feeling, just like she had about Cassandra. She recalled the image of Lena’s low sign message: “[i]could be friend or enemy, be careful[/i]”. In the Combine it was considered etiquette to begin any business conversation with small talk and less consequential topics. The first to press forward with more serious topics lost face. This was a similar game, but the business was hidden behind fluff and innuendo. Reya could tell Ingrid was already tiring from the dance. The indirect nature of the meeting was about as counter to her nature as Espia’s cold climates and Reya could sense the restraint in her partner like water being held back by a dam. She considered her next words more carefully, still sitting properly and holding her glass. Even though she felt much like Ingrid on the inside, she could sit there and hold her peace for hours, it was the Way and she had done it before. Reya looked at the other woman as she replied to Ingrid, finding her green hair more unpleasant the more she tried to sell them on the FPA. It was a natural turning point in the conversation. Both parties had something the other wanted. Now it was a matter of semantics without losing face. “[color=magenta]I think we can talk more about our current expansion and added revenue stream if Miss K was willing to discuss amicable terms.[/color]” Reya replied coolly. She had noticed the small arc of surprise in the other woman’s brow when she mentioned the Knights’ move before. Now she had added another sweetener to the deal. She didn’t trust Cassandra, but her backing was another card to place on the table and she knew the FPA wasn’t exactly loaded with C-Bills either. “[color=magenta]Keep in mind, we do hear this pitch a lot. Our last associate made similar claims and we all know how that ended.[/color]” She continued as casually as if she were remarking on the weather, though it felt right to level the conversation with a reference to the ill-fated Governor Xiu and their [i]other[/i] mutual enemy that the Knights’ were facing at the dam. ----------------------- [color=SeaGreen]”Oh, don’t even get me started on [i]that[/i] guy,”[/color] Stiletto said with a chuckle. [color=SeaGreen]”He had all the organizational skills of a Vegan slug-rat. It’s a shame his business fell apart as spectacularly as it did, but it was bound to happen one day or another.[/color]” Her employers had known full well that Governor Xiu’s grasp on Espia was tenuous at best, but even they had been surprised by the arrival of the Crimson Fists. Their plans had been to make the best use from a long, protracted civil war, not a coup that was all but wrapped up overnight. And given Federov’s desire for centralized control and Malenkov’s bombastic zeal, the new regime was unlikely to cooperate with her employers’ ideas. It was decided they needed to go. The FPA had the conviction, but lacked the firepower to deal with the Espian Guard and Crimson Fists. Conversely, the Green Knights had the hardware to get the job done, but their conviction was questionable. Getting the two to cooperate would be ideal, combining those who had motivation with those who had the means. And she was tantalizingly close to convincing these two. Rather than risk pushing too far, Stiletto decided to put the ball in their court. Producing a small paper notepad, she scribbled something down. [color=SeaGreen]”I’ll be honest, Mary K can give you a better idea of what they’ve got in mind than I can,”[/color] she said with a shrug. [color=SeaGreen]”If you’re interested, just follow up on this number.”[/color] She slid a note to them. [b][i]12-11-04-02-0330[/i][/b] Ostensibly, it was a comms number, but the digits were laid out all wrong for a landline, and only an idiot would attempt calling over an unsecured line, even if they were speaking in code. [color=SeaGreen]”If you want to get serious, give her a call,”[/color] Stiletto said as she rose from the table. [color=SeaGreen]”I’ve got to run, but it was great seeing you two; glad to know you’re still in business.”[/color]