[Thvor]

As the interteam comms fly fast and furious, Mr Fermin pulls out a small datapad for some notes, "So let's see, 2 weeks with an option to keep you longer on site, top notch accommodations, off-grid air travel I assume?  Four member team, you will probably need someone on the ground in LA to help smooth the transition.  I think a thousand should cover your time and expertise?"

When Fermin had indicated the refreshments, Sam poured himself a small glass of one of the better alcohols, then took a seat.

"Two week commitment for a five man team to provide on-site security, room and board. You mention transportation to LA, but what about on-site transportation? We'll need a discrete method of moving our equipment as necessary. We'll also need a per diem to cover incidental expenses; nothing too extravagant--I'd say we shouldn't need more than 200 per day for the team. However, 1000 for the entire two weeks is far too low; our normal fee is more on the order of 1000 per day, each."

[Crossbow]

"Are you new at this?" Fermin smiled, "My offer was per team member, per day.  I will arrange for transportation in the city, but I don't think a 20% bump is in the cards when I am handling most of your arrangements anyway.  That said, it isn't like I can put you on an expense account.  How about a 5k slush fund, lump sum for the team?"

Torley finds a very nice scotch, the bottle worth slightly more than a month's rent.

"Any of your daily duties will still be made through Slade, your fee will simply be paid by Charisma, though I would expect a certain deference obviously for Pandora or myself.  Ben has a movie to make, that's the important thing."

[Thvor]

Sam didn't even blink at the jibe. "No offense, Mr. Fermin, but I've found that it's always best to be as clear as possible when discussing terms. My teammates would...not have responded well if I'd made an assumption which turned out to be wrong."

He took a sip of his scotch, smiled, and leaned back. "The slush fund seems perfectly acceptable. Naturally, we'll need that up front so as to have the funds on hand as needed." His eyes played casually over his teammates to gauge their reaction to the negotiations.

Sam's got kinesthetics, so he can read subtle body language cues, in case someone isn't happy but doesn't want to say it out loud. Now's your chance.

[farothel]

Sammy gave him a slight nod, before she realised something else.  How would she explain things to Marcus.  He finally started to get settled in in Seattle, and now she would move back to LA.  Also could she take him with her on this job, not knowing if it was only one job or if there would be more.  This was going to be one fine mess, she thought.  While Marcus was old enough to be on his own for even a couple of weeks, she really didn't want her house to become the frat party place to be.  Maybe she could ask James to keep an eye on the boy from time to time, or put him in a boarding school.  If she got one in LA, he might like it more than in Seattle.  She would have to think about this.

[Necrogigas]

The shades of a smirk flashed across O'Connor's face after Torley's pause during his reply. For someone that hadn't even left the city before a few weeks prior, he was starting to rack up the frequent flier miles. He figured that leaving town for a bit would be a good move, *The Fists are laying low right now. Being gone for a while might give them enough time to find their spines.*

[HydroRaven]

Clem nodded slightly at Torley, indicating she was fine with the terms. Although she hadn't wished to travel to another city, she didn't have anything tying her down in Seattle for the moment except for the rent. "A change of scenery might be interesting, especially if it's accompanied with a paycheck" thought the ork.

[farothel]

"We will also have to see how to get some of the equipment there," Sammy said, "for me it's less of a problem, as I have valid licences for those items that might give problems and if really necessary, I can leave them behind.  But we might need to get some extra stuff in via irregular ways.

[Crossbow]

Richard agrees, "There shouldn't be a concern , we can send a case for your gear that will travel with us, along with Mr. Slades props. You will be operating as Horizon representatives though, so please do not embarrass the company." 

Slade arrives then, and is filled in as to exactly what happened.  He is fine with the idea of keeping you on as security for the rest of the shoot, especially since he is no longer footing the bill and he doesn’t have to look for anyone for security detail in California. He tells them that his contact, Desperado, will meet them at the airport, and he sends them a photo of Desperado. Slade needs the SINs that they are going to be using while down in LA to quickly get working permits. He’ll tell them that security is a bit tight due to the war going on with their southern neighbors, and the studio is already calling several favors to get Big Ben’s stuff on the plane. He also brings you sticks with the balance of your pay, including a bonus from Fermin, which retroactively equals your new pay.

Fermin takes his leave to check on his client and Slade also goes , wanting to check his gear.

[farothel]

Sammy told to use her Samantha Delavine alias.  While it wasn't her real name, it was a name no cop in LA would stop, except maybe to ask an autograph or a photo.  And she probably still had a work permit under that name.
"Which reminds me," she added to Slade before he left, "Can you get some Pito accounts for the rest of the team?  I still have mine, a bit dusty perhaps, but that should be easily cured when I'm back in Tinseltown."

[Crossbow]

It takes a minute for Slade to register what you are telling him, then he actually calls up some old publicity footage in his HUD before he actually believes you.  "What is this some kind of joke?  Am I being Turbo Punk'd?"  It takes a few minutes to convince him that he is not the victim of a D-list actor's lame show trying to cash in on his grandfather's name.  Once you have have walked him through the mental gymnastics that even though you are movie star, you are really doing this runner thing and it is not some prank or stunt he is still very nervous suddenly about you working for him.

"I am really sorry Ms Delavine (he has been calling you this throughout your explanation, even though you have corrected him twice) but I can't have my stuff pushed into the light that much, some of my sources and other work is very underground.  If you come to LA working for me I will have glitterbugs so far up my hoop they will bill me for a colonoscopy."

Glitterbugs is a slang term (slur) for hackers who work for paparazzi.

[farothel]

"I haven't made a trid in a almost a year now," Sammy said, "so I'm sure they won't be following me.  But I can use another name, Rachel O'Toole.  But then I'll need a second Pito account for that name."

[Crossbow]

That seems to settle Slade a bit, but he warns her, "There was a guy that hasn't made a film since before the Crash that was in the screamsheets last week because he got picked up selling BTLs in West Hollywood, you think they wouldn't be talking about a runner mage?"

Slade get the other SINs and leaves.

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor gave his Mitchell Danvers ID to Slade while he watched the back-and-forth between him and Sammy with bemusement. Though he never openly questioned her about it, O'Connor had never believed her to be the real Samantha Delavine. He assumed that she was either a hyper-obsessive fan with more than a few screws loose or an escaped banraku puppet with the Delavine persona still partially in place. The rarely utilized logical part of his brain cautioned him to never bring that up, and even rarer, O'Connor listened. And then an event of cosmic rarity happened when O'Connor had and listened to a second logical thought soon following the first.

After both Fermin and Slade left, O'Connor spoke up, "Okay, so we may have done well enough here for an extended contract, but we all know that this was a total clusterfrag. We were all out of position to be an effective unit and mostly just got in each others' ways. If we're gonna keep working together, we're gonna have to change that."

[HydroRaven]

Clem gave her Fumiko Eckhart ID to Slade to set things up. She listened to Sammy's conversation, trying to figure things out. She was definitely a little overwhelmed and confused by what was going on, but she didn't let anything show. If she had questions, she could always look things up later. "What the drek is a Pito? And why do I need that nonsense to work in the shadows?" thought the ork, as the conversation was winding down and Slade was leaving. She gladly took the signing bonus though, which quickly dissipated any doubts or hesitations pertaining to the job. She made a mental note to call her contact to see if her new firearm would be ready before leaving for LA.

"I hate to admit it, but Con is right" said the ork. "We need to work together if things are to go smoothly. Let the muscle do the pushing and the background folks support them."

[farothel]

"Sounds like a good plan," Sammy said, "but maybe we can do that over a beer someplace else and not in the Needle.  At the same time I can tell you a couple of things you might need to know about LA, as working there is different from working in Seattle."