The effects were faster than she anticipated, but nothing too unbearable. Her lips curled into a smirk as she wiped her face of any residue. "Whoo...been a while. Good choice going with these, Maria, they seem wiz...inside tip, huh? And lemme guess, we're dead if we make use of it ourselves, right?"
"Hey, I'm no selfish slot," Guillermo says.
"You wanna make some creds, you can bank on it. I only ask that you leave old Guillermo's name out of it."It doesn't take The Phoenix's hyper-awareness to note that Brad is loosening up quite a bit, and seems to be actually enjoying himself now. Seeing his opportunity, Guillermo pulls a small piece of electronic paper from his jacket pocket, and writes down a number, then slides it across the table next to the novacoke and passkey. Brad looks, adds a few addenda with his fingernail, and slides it back. The process repeats a handful of times over the next few minutes as the group otherwise continues chatting and partying as if nothing more important than the booze and uppers is happening around them. Eventually, Guillermo pulls out his commlink, a high-end TransysAvalon, and taps the interface a few times to upload the specifics from their notes, and extends his hand to Brad.
"Wise choice, Brad. It'll be our pleasure. Drinks!" The final exclamation comes with a sharp slap on his leg, and Guillermo is up and re-filling glasses before the third man has a chance to rouse himself from the corner.
Before a toast can be made, a knock comes to the door, and inside walks a middle-aged human woman in a business suit, accompanied by a younger -- looking at least -- elf male with bronze skin and what The Phoenix recognizes as a few-seasons-old sport coat.
"Colinas de Fuego? Really Guillermo?" the woman says.
"Lisette," Guillermo exclaims with much more energy than is necessary.
"Brad, meet Lisette Spooner. Lisette, this is Brad Polke from LFT. Also, allow me to introduce Maria Diaz, and . . . don't tell me, Betsy, whom we just had the pleasure of meeting downstairs. Of course, you know Mr. Franks here,"" Guillermo adds of the man in the corner.
"We were just about to drink to a done deal. How about some glasses, Mr. Franks?"The latter obliges, and Lisette raises her glass ironically.
"Let me guess, CAS uber alles, or some drek like that, right Guillermo? I was hoping that I might catch you both before you were too far into the throes of self-congratulatory hedonism, and judging by the dressed state of your companions here, it looks as though I am arriving just in the nick of time. Would you please be so kind as to the tell the talent to take a hike. I"ll do the same with Ander here. Be a good boy, Ander, and run along now.""Lisette, Lisette, you've got it all wrong. These fine ladies are our companions, not paid companions, but if you need to bend an ear for a moment or two, I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving a bit of privacy for, what ten, fifteen minutes? Good. My apologies ladies for Ms. Spooner's nature. I'd say that she isn't always like this, but . . . Be sure to grab another bump or two on your way out. I doubt this proposition will take too terribly long."#
The Lonestar officer presses the subvocal mic into her neck with her thumb, and says,
"We may have a runner. Let's hit the roto-drone, and run an astral sweep."Before Mr. Hopeless, and Miss Rachel Davenport can breathe too much of a sigh of relief, the officer follows up with a request for Wraith to exit the car. When she obliges, Ian is left face-to-gut with a rather imposing ork who stands just outside the car and fixes him with an awful incisive glare. Once Wraith and her escort have made their way to the side of the Lonestar van, the woman says,
"Look, your 'companion' there, he's SINless as they come, isn't he? No, no, you don't have to answer,and don't worry I'm not that kinda cop, alright? It's just, a girl like you, a guy like him, I know how it goes. He's 'sensitive' right? A good listener, and more than that he's interesting. He's seen things you've never seen, experienced things your parents made damned well sure you'd never have to experience. And, he's a bad boy. But he is. A bad boy. A man really, who has, what, eight, nine years on you? What the frag are you doing, girl? That man is bad news, and that Romeo and Juliet crap didn't do well for them, and it sure won't do good for you, nil. I, uh, I know what I'm talking about here. So do yourself a favor. I'm gonna let you go. You get in that car, you drive him home, and you block that link, natch, do you hear me? I don't want to see you making, I don't, look, here's my comm-code. It goes straight to my work link, alright. This one gives you trouble, and you give me a call, ok sweetie? My name's Starr. Officer Starr Dumolt."And with that, Starr escorts Wraith back to the Shin-Hyung, gives her a stern look of warning, and the cops pile back in their van to go looking for the pervert hacker.
