[Mercy Merchant]

Tanya slides to the door and takes your hand as she steps out of the limo.  You keep your smile on but cannot help wondering how she can show so much leg without showing so much more.  It must be an acquired talent.  She steps out into a small crowd of triderazzi, who ask her lots of silly questions, for which she has no answers other than that she is here for the opera.  She slides her arm into yours and allows you to escort her past the people and up the broad stairs to the entrance to the Seattle Opera House.  Doormen are holding the doors open for you as you arrive at the top stair, greeting Tanya by name.  There is a crowd of opera goers in the huge lobby and some come over to greet Tanya.  You see your friend approach.  Her diminutive form is stuffed into a very nice gown, even if the vibrant colors seem a bit out of place.  She must have spent hours putting her face paint on.  While Tanya seems occupied with some man you think you recognize, but cannot quite place, Radiant Shadow comes up to you. 

She gives you a playful punch and says, "So, big guy.  Doing all right, it seems.  Nice suit, by the way.  Gisseppi's?  Good choice.  So, what is the scoop here?  You sounded a bit concerned, but you know I got your back.  Your new friend is not a customer, but I would like her to be one.  Maybe you could, you know.........see if she plays around and maybe shift her business my way?"

[Beta]

Quietly Preston asks "You got a commlink I can ping you the story at?"

Once he has that he sends a quick summary of the situation.

RadiantShadow [Preston] On the face of it, she's rich enough to be eccentric, and is making me jump through hoops to see if I'm suitable for some unspecified job in the future -- but paying well for said hoop jumping.  Or maybe she needs a fall guy sometime soon and I seem like a good candidate.  She almost has me thinking that the former is actually possible, but I'm still ready for the latter.  Or it could be something else entirely that I just don't have enough information to even think of.  I'm way out of my depth on this one.

Not to stand there silently for too long, he goes back to speaking quietly "I'm not sure that her tastes in recreation run your way -- so far I've mostly seen games, both matrix and erotic -- but I will try and bring it up.  I also trust you to charm at least a few people here or at the party and make new connections.  Hell, you charmed Fisher and I out of turning you in for a bounty, once we had you locked up on en route for delivery; I'm sure you can convince some socialites that you'd liven up their next party or gloomy afternoon."

"And good eye about the tux.  A few dozen grades above what I was wearing the first time that we met.  Hopefully no chainsaws will be involved this time."

Which gets his mind on the likely difference in security levels between that incident and this one, and and he takes a look around to try and spot the security here.  Always good to know what the local version of the constabulary looks like. 

[Mercy Merchant]

You get a response almost immediately.  >>Preston. Radiant Shadow.  I have done some checking since we last talked and she seems to be exactly what she claims to be.  Rich and eccentric, and a noble title in England.  Her father was a Viscount over there but he died in a car crash that also killed her mother and two older brothers.  She was pretty fragged up in the accident and it took a year or so to get her put back together.  Strange laws in England say a man has to inherit a title unless there are none left in the family.  They dug around and found some fourth or fifth cousin to take the job.  So she is kicked out of the castle and most of the lands and money.  But her mother was very rich and had been smart enough to keep a bunch of it separate from the estate so the kid got it.  A year or so later comes some whomping huge scandal involving a boyfriend who died on top of and inside the underage daughter of some cabinet minister, or was it daughters?  Not sure, but the scandal went viral after the tridarazzi got some really nice pics of the naked underage girls.  It all caused the cousin, who is now the Viscount, a ton of trouble, even though your girl was not even in town for the party.  Just being tied to it was enough to get her quietly exiled and she ended up here.  It seems like she is on the up and up, but you might still be the fall guy for something.  Her record here is spotless for any sort of criminal activity, but her personal life is a zoo.  She has been romantically linked to half the influential people in Seattle and she does not seem too picky about whether they are married or not, and seems to have as many women as lovers as men.  To her credit, though, she does not acknowledge or refute the claims so a good bit of that could be false  She probably has a ton of baggage with her, though, so be careful, even if she sounds legit.<<

She nods and whispers back.  “Yeah.  I am pretty sure that she is not into any sort of drugs herself.  I found no evidence at all, but who is completely clean? Huh?  I am planning on meeting some of the people at the party and taking advantage of it if I can.  Frag, I probably already know most of them professionally anyway.  You might be amazed at how the rich and famous like to spend their time.  But in any case, I am here mostly for you, tonight.  You called and I came running.  Long time since that night with the chainsaw., kid.  You’ve made it up several times.  Shame what happened to Fisher, though.  He was a dick and a half, but he did not deserve to go like that.  Or at least not how the rumors say he went.” 

Looking around you can see several men in the dress uniform of the KE, including one man Tanya is talking to now.  She does not appear to notice, but the man cannot seem to keep his eyes focused above her chest, even when talking directly to her.  There are some off-duty KE here as added security, but most of the security seems to be provided by men and women dressed in the jackets of the opera house.   



 

[Beta]

After finishing his conversation with Radiant Shadow, Preston really thought about ducking into the washroom for a bit to get out of the crowd.  With a mental sigh he decided that really was not in keeping with his role for the evening.  He couldn't quite bring himself to re-enter the press around Tanya just yet however.  How did she put up with it?

In the crowd and chaos it would be so easy to pull so many things.  Sure there was security around, but the opera's security wouldn't know all the KE and vice-versa, plus there was a mix of extra security either layed on by the opera or brought by attendees.  For that matter the opera didn't have a constant enough flow of shows that they would have much permanent security -- for all that their uniforms proclaimed their association with the opera house he'd wager that they were provided by an outside contractor, and as such that there would be a certain rotation in their members.  In short, there was no way that all this security would operate together seamlessly. 

If he were here to abduct Tanya he'd likely want to fake a uniform almost like that of the opera security but slightly different, slightly fancier, then spoof that he was someone senior and special, call it a special agent.  That would have a high probability of giving enough credibility to buy the couple of minutes it took to call her out of sight of the crowd, subdue her, and cart her out through a side entrance.  Perhaps have a battered box stashed somewhere, that could look like it was used for props or catering or something.  Hmmm, caterers, probably a degree of rotation there too.  Possibly take out a bartender or something?  Yes, best bet would be for him to look like service staff, to excuse a cart of boxes, and Fisher to be the special agent.

Except there was no Fisher anymore.  Damn that still hurt when he stubbed his thoughts on that.  And he wasn't here scouting out any normal job, he was here to, well, something.  On trial?

Anyway, now that he'd scouted out the easiest ways to pull something he might as well as take a couple of minutes to look for anyone matching the description -- at the very least take a good look at the servers and any security that looked unique. Then he'd make himself attend her Ladyship.  Not that being with her was unpleasant -- rather too much the opposite -- but that crowd, the way they played their social games.  He suppressed a shudder, and launched himself into the crowd to run his circuit before returning to his closer orbit around his star for the night.

[Mercy Merchant]

Your thoughts about the security at the opera house are certainly borne out by your quick walk-through of the grand lobby.  Most of the off-duty KE officers seem relegated to crowd control outside of the building, but there are several different security firms represented inside the building.  You must be correct about the opera house staffing, because many of those wearing the uniforms look like they were put into them at the last minute as they do not fit well.  You even see one man in a slightly fancier jacket and wearing a name tag that identifies him as the “Special Supervisor”.  Additionally, there are a number of people with private security, most of whom are well dressed.  Two men standing near the man talking to Tanya are clearly professionals as their heads do not stop moving as they continuously evaluate and update potential threats.  The caterers for the bar and snack tables all seem to come from the same outfit, but of course, you are right to think that some might be last minute replacements for someone calling in sick or delayed.  You uncomfortably feel eyes upon you, but cannot identify from where.  Certainly, Fisher would have been so much better at this.  He seemed to just fit in as if he belonged in whatever environment he was in.  But Fisher is gone and now you are Fisher.  What would you do if someone made a play on Tanya Marisart?  What is she to you?  A client?  Certainly.  An unknown that is setting you up for something?  Possibly.  One of the prettiest women in the room right now, despite the number of trid starlets on the arms of older gentleman?  Most definitely.

You feel a light touch on your arm and turn to see Tanya looking into your eyes and smiling that smile that almost makes you forget that she might just be the enemy.  “Here you are, Peter.  I have someone very important to me that I would like you to meet.  Please?”  She slips her arm inside yours and glides across the floor to where an older man is standing with a beautiful young woman at least a few decades younger than he is on his arm.  He is surrounded by a knot of people trying to get and hold his attention and you quickly identify two of the men as probable private security.  Tanya excuses herself to several people and walks up to give him a kiss on each cheek before doing the same with the woman.  The man returns the kisses but his eyes are on you and they are sharp eyes indeed, despite his apparent age.  The woman also looks at you, and her gaze is just as appraising.  Sir Gregory looks you up and down but turns his attention away from you as Tanya steps back.  Tanya motions to you and says, “Lord Gregory Murdoch, Lady Bridgette Murdoch, may I present Peter Preston?  Peter, this is my uncle, Sir Gregory Murdoch and his wife Bridgette.”  The man grips your hand in a firm handshake and the woman offers her hand in a slightly less firm manner.  A quick matrix search reveals that this man controls nearly all media outlets in England and many in the UCAS.  A side note lists Bridgette as his wife of ten years and that she had been his personal assistant for several years before that.  Tanya continues, “I did not know you were in Seattle, Uncle.  You should have called me.  I would have thrown a party.  In fact I am giving one tonight at my place after the opera.  Why don’t you and Bridgette come?”

The man responds warmly, “That is why I did not call you.  You and your damnable parties.  Still, I may make an exception.  Do we have time, Bridgette, dear?”

The young woman on his arm shakes her head as her eyes focus on something invisible to you, but right in front of her.  “Not unless you cancel on the governor tonight, dear.  But we are available tomorrow night before we fly out  We do need to be at the airport by nine.”

Murdoch looks at the girl warmly and thanks her.  “It looks like I can meet you for dinner tomorrow, dear.  Say sixish?”

Tanya laughs, “Say half fivish so I can spend some time with you.  I will break out the Glenlivet 21.”

“Done.  You always know how to get me around your finger.  Half fivish.”  He looks up at you.  “Nice to meet you Peter.  Perhaps we will meet again.”

The pair brush cheeks again with Tanya, who takes your arm and leads you to the grand stairway.  You see Radiant Shadow walking through the crowd to fall in at your side as you climb to the next floor.

[Beta]

Preston fights off a surge of panic at being looked at carefully by people who are that perceptive, but relaxes a little when it turns out that they won't be around for long.  Then he marvels at the deft interplay between Tanya and her Uncle.  He sincerely hopes these are not the people he needs to investigate!

As they finally start moving towards the staircase his internal voices go through a whirlwind exchange, arriving at a rare consensus: I can't put it off any more, I simply have to get better at dealing with people.

I wonder if you can find lessons on that in the matrix?

   * Gamma: I am joking about that, right?

[Mercy Merchant]

Tanya picks up the side of her gown with her free hand and lets you escort her up the wide stairway to the next floor.  A uniformed matronly type of woman greets her at the top of the stairs.  “Good evening, Lady Marisart.  Your box is ready for you and your guests.  You will let me know if you need anything, won’t you?”

Tanya nods, “Of course Mabel.  But you always have everything so perfect.  I am quite certain this time will be no different.”

The woman smiles and leads you down a hallway of plush carpet to an open door with a dark curtain drawn across it.  She pushes the curtain aside and the three of you enter a spacious box elevated about forty feet from the lower audience level.  There is a small table with several chairs about it and a row of luxury high-backed chairs at the balcony that will give you a magnificent view of the stage.  And just about everything and everyone else in the house.  The lights over the main seating area are brightly lit, but those in the box less so for a bit of privacy.  Each of you has a name tag on the table done up in some fancy calligraphy style, along with a set of opera glasses and a tray of mints and chocolates.  An ice bucket to one side holds a bottle of what is probably champagne and there are two more bottles in an ice tray near the door.  Tanya had earlier given the roses to someone and they have magically appeared on a smaller table off to the side of the box.  Tanya turns to Mabel and says, “This is amazing, Mabel.  Many thanks.”  The woman almost melts, but bows and leaves the room instead. 

As Mabel steps out, a uniformed man enters and pours a glass of the champagne for each of you before withdrawing with a thank you from Tanya.  A few minutes are spent in pleasantries before Tanya picks up her set of glasses and goes to stand just behind the loge seats.  Radiant Shadow takes the opportunity to raise a glass to you and whisper, “Thanks again for having me invited.  If this is having your back, I can do it anytime.”

Tanya turns and motions for you to come forward with your glasses.  She carefully demonstrates how they should be held and there are some soft giggles as you struggle with it a bit before getting it right.  “I used to hate these things when I was young.  I looked for any excuse to not go to the opera with mum, usually something to do with getting myself grounded.  I was a foolish and willful child.  I hope that you enjoy the performance.  Both of you.  I am pleased that you could be my guests tonight.”

The dwarf smiles and nods her head as she finishes some of the chocolates on her tray.  “This is heaven, Lady Marisart.”

“Tanya, please.  And yes, it is nearly so.  You should try the mints with the red dot on top.”

]You hear nothing but satisfied sounds and a low moan of appreciation from Radiant Shadow as she eats from the tray.  Tanya reaches over and touches a button on your glasses and softly says, “Row forty from the front, end seat, wearing white.  Distinguished, with graying hair.  That is your target, Peter.  Remember that this is a test, but not one I wish you to fail at.  You should be able to identify him and find out a lot about him, but then I would like to know if there is anything not in the public arena that you can find out.  You are on the clock and have one week from tomorrow noon to get me any information.  Remember, you are not to get found out, and even if you are, you are to keep me from being involved.  The time between now and noon tomorrow is a bonus time for you to plan your approach.  Are you still up to this, Peter?”  The view through the glasses is amazing and you realize that they must be augmented in some fashion.

After a short pause she adds, “I owed you two thousand just for showing up.  That has now been paid to you.”



 



 

[Beta]

For the first minute or so in the box, Preston stays quite quiet externally, while internally he let's Monkey express the sheer pleasure of such luxury.  Once he finds himself repeating thoughts of what one could probably do in chairs that luxurious looking he shuts down that train of thought in order to consider other factors.

   * Gamma: Champagne, but no 'caff.  These people have different priorities than I do.
   * Coleman: Nice sight lines from here.  Of course nice sight lines to here, too.  I wonder how solid the front of the box is?  Or even the backs of the chairs?
   * Oleg: A lot of money was poured in here to make listening to a bunch of nancy-pants gargling at the top of their lungs seem like a privilege.
   * Gamma: This is something I should consider in the future, people might go into situations they would not otherwise accept if they feel that it shows that they are special or privileged.  I'm just not good at selling anything as special or privileged.
   * Monkey: Maybe I need to hang around this sort of place more often in case some of it rubs off.  And if it doesn't work at first, I'll just need more luxury until it does!
   * Coleman: Actually this is a bit of a trap, fleeing the box only leads into the corridor, and I wouldn't know what was out there.  Nice way to scoop someone up.
   * Monkey: Yah, give them laxatives, then when they have to make a run for it grab them! 
   * Coleman: it would be better in that case to grab them after they have been to the washroom, so the escape vehicle didn't pick up a tell-tale odour.
   * Monkey: Oh, oh, I know!  Catch them in the washroom, with their pants down!  The look on their face would be hilarious!
   * Coleman: Perhaps I should investigate the washroom cubicles, see how secure they are?

Preston pinches the bridge of his nose.  These are all my thoughts, how is that I don't recognize where some of the weirdness comes from?

Then fortunately Tanya interrupts him to point out the target. 

Preston fiddles with the glasses, sweeping the stage and the crowd, only pausing briefly on the target for now.  Neutrally and quietly he asks "Do I get a name, or do I need to figure that out on my own?"  A little louder he adds "Thank you for the lesson on the glasses -- and for everything, really."  He adds a slight nod to emphasize the 'everything' to help make it clear that this includes the just transferred payment.  He carries on "These are quite different from the binoculars I've used in the past--you are right that does make them a bit tricky to get used to.  Same basic principles, of course, but you are right, they will take a bit of getting used to in order to both watch the stage and enjoy people watching fully."  After a moment he adds "I assume that some of the point of this layout is to encourage people watching?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Tanya leans close and whispers, "I will not tell you anything more than pointing him out.  The rest is up to you to determine.  And yes, the layout encourages watching.  Both the stage and also to see who is in the boxes.  It is very much a social thing and many people are here only to see and be seen.  I think that you will find several vision enhancements on your glasses, Peter.  There are about ten minutes yet until the curtain goes up, so get some practice if you like."  At this distance, the smell of jasmine is easily detected.  Something causes you to turn your head slightly and you find her looking at you from only a few inches distance.  Her eyes are amazing and her smile is full of promise.  She does not drop her gaze, but................is she actually leaning even closer?

There is a soft knock at the door to the box and Mabel enters after Tanya recovers and calls out for her to do so.  The woman is carrying a large tray with two pots, several smaller containers, and three cups on it.  Here you go, Lady Marisart."  She points out three different creamers and the sugar bowl, but does not pour out.  Tanya turns and walks to the table to pour herself a cup of tea, asking if you would like some coffee.  "I am told that it is very good here.  I would not really know as I only drink coffee in the morning and so have never had theirs.  Do you take it black?  If not, I will let you decide which creamer to use."

[Beta]

   * Oleg: Don't these damn people know anything about moderation?  Perfume, champagne, real coffee, special binoculars just for the opera, it's fragging excess I tell you.  If this was VR I'd jack out in disgust!
   * Monkey: Oh no I wouldn't!  This is A-MAZ-ING!  What's next?  I can't wait to find out!
   * Gamma:  History says I would not actually jack out.  At least not from hot sim.
   * Absorbing this many sensations is putting me at far less than peak performance.  I should be using this time to gather further intelligence, but instead I'm being overwhelmed.
   * Monkey: Isn't it great?  I could get used to this.  And I haven't even had the champagne yet!  Which first, coffee or champagen?  Maybe one in each hand?  I wonder if anyone has ever combined them?
   * Gamma: I am getting over-stimulated.  I should limit how much additional caffeine I have now.

Preston limits himself to one cup of black coffee, for now.  He did just have one before coming, a cup topped up a couple of times at the tailors, a bunch of soycaff at home earlier -- really not all that much, but he is feeling like he treading near the edge of his nerves all the same.  But he couldn't not have real coffee when it is offered!  So good that he will certainly have more later.

   * Monkey: Ah, that's the stuff!  Keep this coming and I'm good to stay up for as long as Tanya can tolerate!
   * Gamma: Physiologically, staying 'up' that long is unlikely.  But staying away can certainly be managed with enough of this excellent coffee.

Coffee drained, he applies himself to learning the opera glasses, and thereby not having to look at Tanya.  He can still smell her of course, but he can mostly block that out.  Mostly.

He fiddles with the various adjustments and settings, making sure to spend a good portion of the time looking at the curtain and orchestra, but periodically looking around the audience as well.  He makes sure to look at his target periodically, paying attention not only to him but anyone he appears to be sitting with, and even those sitting adjacent to the man's party.  Never know when a secondary source might be available, if he stays alert.

   * Monkey: coffee keeps me alert!!!!!  I should have more.

Trying to block out the lure of the coffee, Preston starts assembling a mental list of things to do in this investigation:  Get the gentleman's name as well as those of any of his companions, kick off a surface matrix search to provide some context, get in more observation of habits and possible weaknesses -- especially vices--of the target and any companions.  Get that fake ID tomorrow.  Follow up on his pay from the Carlin Street job to see if he can afford to get an ID spoofing chip in his car and a morphing license place.  One way or another do a drive by of the targets residence to get a feel for it, and do a more in depth matrix examination.  Poke gently at the security to see if there are clear weaknesses.....

His thoughts were interrupted by catching some motion from his target.  Oh, he was just standing up to let some latecomers get by -- still, it was interesting to note that he leaned on his left arm as he stood up -- poor balance, sore leg, or just coincidence?   Well, more observations to come.

And then finally the lights dimmed.  Good, the dimness would be restful.  Not that he could afford to relax much -- perhaps one more coffee first.

[Mercy Merchant]

Tanya finishes her tea and takes a glass of champagne to her seat with her, unfolding her glasses and looking about at the crowd. 

The magnification ability of your glasses is quite good, and probably far better than it needs to be for the opera.  There are buttons for magnification, low-light, and thermographic viewing   You notice that your target is involved in a conversation with a woman nearly half his age sitting next to him and that he seems to have a hard time keeping his eyes off what the silver-hued evening gown almost completely fails to conceal.  The woman's chest is quite large and from your angle you can see it even better than the man can.

    * Monkey  Bring up that magnification ability to get a closer look.  They might be a clue.
    * Coleman  They are a distraction.  We cannot allow such a distraction right now.
    * Gamma  Why are these women showing off their boobs?
    * Monkey  Who cares why?  I say let 'em.

Besides the perceived issue with his side, you notice that he is missing the pinkie finger on his right hand at the first knuckle.  He leans forward on a fancy walking stick and you catch a sparkle from the ring finger of each hand.  Closer inspection indicates that the one on his left seems to be a wedding band.

The lights dim and Tanya settles into her seat, with RS on her right and you to her left.  There are enough fancy seats here to seat twelve in two rows if she wants to support that many guests here.  She expertly flips open her glasses and watches the first half of the show, apparently paying close attention to the operetta.  On occasion you can see her lips moving in sync to the actor's voices, as if she is very familiar with the lines.

[Beta]

Preston had to admit that the opera was amusing, and the singers were clearly skilled and the whole thing slickly done.  Heck, the music was even catchy, and he knew that snatches of some of those songs were going to haunt him for days to come.  But music without a solid bass beat, preferably from some troll on drums or orc on a reinforced bass, wasn't exactly what he called music.  It was like those fancy litte bites they served at a couple of fancier parties he'd been at once, that had interesting flavour but weren't like a good soyburger or bowl of noodles that fuelled you up for the hours to come.

And so it was that, despite the fast paced and slickly performed spectacle, his attention to the performance became ... erratic. He scanned the audience periodically, but most of them were simply watching the show, or at least faking it reasonably well.  He wondered how many were actually watching an urban brawl game in AR while sitting there and staring at the stage?  Which made him think -- he quickly searched for reviews of the operetta and streams from other attending and ran some simple programs on them to pull out frequently used names and phrases.

Of course he checked on his target the younger woman accompanying him.  Who knew when he might see something revealing in some way? 

But over time, he found attention kept drifting to Tanya.  "About tonight, was she serious?" He wondered.  "Of course I couldn't ..."

   * Monkey: Of course I could!  Hottie like that you bet I could.
   
He glanced at her yet again. With that dress, one could trail a finger down her side ... "No, I could do things with her tonight, but of course I shouldn't..."

   * Monkey: Of course I should!  It would be rude to say no, don'tcha know!
   * Gamma: I am not all that experienced, I could be disapointing.
   * Monkey: It's sex, what is to disapoint, it starts at good and goes up from there.
   * Oleg: A woman being so forward, it isn't natural
   * Monkey: Using your money and position to enjoy life how you like, what isn't natural about that?
   
That was what he accounted for in trying to figure Tanya out.  By the sound of it, there wasn't a lot that she had to do.  She could spend all day with her own harem of young men, or playing video games, or, well, pretty much anything vaguely within reason.  But she wanted him for something -- and obviously as more than a bed mate for the night.  Something challenging enough that she wanted him to prove his fitness for the job -- or possibly the observation was the real job, really it didn't matter -- but she wouldn't be bothering with all of this unless she wanted to do it, and from what he'd seen she liked to enjoy herself.  What would she want, that she would also enjoy, that would require someone with his skills?

He flashed through a lot of possibilities, but none of them made sense for the persona she projected.  "I think the most likely thing is that she has another side, or aspect, or persona, that she hides."

He looked at her again, wondering "What are you hiding, Lady Marisart?"

   * Monkey: Not the side of her breast -- look, you can see how the swell starts right there, before it goes up under the dress ...
   
He realized that he had two investigation jobs to do, one paid for by Tanya, and one for free investigating Tanya.

   * Monkey: and I should absolutely start investigating her tonight!

Then the last song of the first act ended, and Tanya turned toward him, smiling.  A smile that was devastating ... and maybe knowing?

"Like what you've seen so far?" she asked.  Was that a wink?

He stammered, as he rapidly accessed his implanted link to plunder what it had parsed.  "Uh, Lisa Mackinley is quite delightful as Mabel.  Casting M'binda Johnson, a caribean dwarf, as Major-General Stanley is an interesting statement by the director.  I, uh, .... " he trailed off as he saw the silent laugh on Tanya's face.  He swallowed, and admitted "Yes, yes I do."

[Mercy Merchant]

Tanya leans forward a bit and parts of her that should remain concealed in polite company threaten to reveal themselves.  Almost.  She puts a hand on your leg and whispers into your ear. “Good, because I wore this specifically for you and I would hate to think you did not appreciate it.”  With another killer smile, she turns and stands to get herself another glass of champagne before retaking her seat.  Radiant Shadow excuses herself to use the ladies’ room and Tanya turns her head to you.  “I have noticed that you are indeed examining the target and his surroundings.  There is a feature of your glasses that might not be immediately obvious.”  She leans sideways and the dress once again manages to keep her breast concealed.  Taking your glasses she points to a button innocuously labeled as “F/X”.  “This device is a camera as well as everything else it does.  This button here will take good stills for download to your commlink.”

Turning her torso to you, she gets a mischievous grin on her face and says, “Would you care to kiss me?  I would like to know if you are a good kisser.  I am pretty sure you are, but there is a question in my mind.”

[Beta]

February 2063, Edmonton, Athabaskan Council

"You could kiss me if you want to." Juy-Lin's body language was even more hesitant than her words. 

Michael was torn.  On the one hand he'd kissed plenty of VR programs, but never a living person, and he wanted to see what it was like.  On the other hand she didn't seem any too sure, he still half suspected that she was seeing him mostly to get help with her programming class, and if any of the boys from the Korean reserve saw them kissing, there were good odds that they'd beat the crap out of him.

Plus there was the fact that this wasn't ever going to go anywhere, longterm.  The Korean reserve was in a population crunch, and a lot of people predicted that like the Mandarin Chinese reserve a decade ago, they were going to have to fold-- but while the Mandarin's grudgingly merged with the Cantonese, the Koreans didn't have anyone they could easily merge with, and lacking real SINs they couldn't emigrate out of the Athabaskan Council, either.  All of which meant that there was no way they'd let a healthy young woman stay together with someone from the Ukrainian reserve.  Especially not with how they looked down on the Ukrainians as yokel farmers and mechanics.

Which actually made it kind of funny that Juy-Lin was looking to him for help with a computers class.

He glanced sidelong at her as he gave her hand a squeeze through their mitts.  At first all he saw was the side of her hood, then she turned toward him and he saw her big dark eyes -- the best feature in a somewhat plain face.  She had her scarf pulled down, but unless you were looking at her straight on, you'd never know who she was, or who he was either.  With their parka hoods up, if they kissed, all anyone would see was two people, standing hood to hood.  They might guess they were kissing, but they wouldn't know who they were.  So it should be safe.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."  Disappointment was painted all over her eyes as she pulled her scarf back up over her mouth.  Michael wanted to protest "I was just thinking, I wasn't saying 'no,' but that would mean admitting that he'd had to think it through, and maybe explain why he had to think it through, and .... the moment was gone.

"I'm sorry, next time."

But two days later he heard that her family was moving to the even smaller Korean reserve in Fairbanks, and they never went walking again.

2075, Seattle

   * Monkey: Don't blow it, don't blow it, don't blow it!
   * Gamma: History says hesitation is equivalent to a negative response.
   
"I'm... probably not a good kisser.  I guess I never asked anyone.  I mean, I've kissed, and I like it, but it was ... " It had almost always been while buzzing on something a lot stronger than caffeine, body and mind firing five seconds into the future the whole time. "It was good, I think?  But I don't really"

His words were stopped by a finger on his lips.  There was a laughing question in Tanya's eyes.

   * Seize the moment!
   
Who was that? 

But he was already leaning toward Tanya, and then their lips brushed, and his thoughts were seared away by the sudden intensity of the sensation.

[Mercy Merchant]

Tanya breaks from the kiss and gives you a questioning look as she bobs her shoulders a couple of times while pursing her lips and running her tongue over them.  “Hmmmm.  Nice.  I would say that you are a good kisser.”  She reaches up and puts a hand on the back of your neck, pulling you closer to kiss you again.  If the first one was exciting, this one is even better, especially after her soft tongue pushes into your mouth.  The voices inside your head go silent for a bit then explode in a cacophony of noise, glee, and dire warnings.  She lets you come up for air and steps back, panting just a bit herself.  Radiant Shadow takes that moment to return to the box, returning to her seat after taking a good, long look at you.  Soon the lights dim again, signaling the end of the intermission and Tanya smiles at you as she takes her seat for the second half.