After the Dawn (IC)

[Plue]

Operator Grave Moss
March 8 - 6:38 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

"Grave Moss is not asleep~" Yawning, eyes still closed as she rights herself, stretching as she follows the woman down the hallway.

"Lie down right there, Grave Moss. You'll have to hold still for a few minutes, but please try not to fall asleep. And, uh, set the plushie down somewhere."

The pilosa goes very still, as she considers the doctor's outrageous request. "Why~?" She doesn't seem completely convinced that there was any good reason for getting on a bed besides going to sleep. The plushie is set on the chair at the entrance to to room facing the rather large machine.

Laying down her eyes start to close automatically before she forces them wide open, "Not sleeping~ Not sleeping~" She hums to herself, hopefully this would go as quickly as the blood drawing. Somehow this one manages to be even less comfortable than the chairs she was resting on in the waiting room.

[Elyrin]

Operator Grave Moss
March 8 - 6:39 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship


"Alright, let me just put these here." After Moss got herself situated, the doctor walked up with two... pillows? and stuck them on either side of her head. "These will help keep your head still. Oripathy in the brain is particularly bad, so if there's any rocks in there, we need to know. Should help with the noise, too. Alright, we're good."

The other man nodded, not that Moss could see with those pillow-blinders in the way, and pressed a few buttons on the scanner's console. The Pilosa's bed slowly rose until it was level with the scanner, and Doctor Avery pushed it all the way in. It was surprisingly roomy in there, actually. Maybe even big enough to fit her armour inside. Would the bed be able to hold the weight, though? And didn't the doctor say something about-

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-

-yeah, there it was. A nice, loud, droning noise. Like Moss was lying down on the hood of an army truck.

-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-

It wasn't too loud, with those pillow things covering her ears. But it was definitely loud enough to be annoying. Well, maybe it would help keep her awake.

-RRRRRRRRT.

But then, after maybe twenty seconds, it was over. That was even shorter than the blood test, actually. There was a noise from around Moss's feet, a short thunk, and a quieter whirring that sounded like it moved a bit closer. From around her feet to her shins, maybe?

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-

Oh no.


6:46 PM

Fifteen times, it went. Slowly moving up from her toes to her head, 20 or 30 seconds at a time. The last one, around the top of Moss's head, took the longest. Or at least felt like it did.

"Okay, Grave Moss. All done. We're going to pull you out now."

This voice was unfamiliar, probably the Cautus tech. There was a click from something unlocking before the man hauled the bed out of the scanner and lowered it a bit closer to the floor. "Alright, that X-ray still needs fixing. Rest is all yours, doc."

The Cautus ran off before Avery could protest, but the doctor seemed busy anyway. His face was nearly pressed against the computer screen, scouring an image of some part of Moss, presumably. It was zoomed in close enough to be totally unrecognizable though.

[arkturus]

Valravn
March 8 - 5:53 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

Valravn was grateful that the food arrived quickly and hastily took a crunchy bite, almost immediately regretting it as she nearly burned her mouth on the pipping hot fowlbeast meat. Good ol’ bar food: greasy, satisfying, and slightly overpriced compared to a regular restaurant.

"Alright, last one. A Bombardino for Miss Sela, an Old Fashioned for Miss Freya, and a Nutty Taran for Miss Ace. Have a good one, ladies."

“Ah, grazie.” The liberi gracefully accepted her drink and took a sip between bites as she quietly listened in on her teammates and the barkeep’s conversation. After a couple quick sips, she began to feel a pleasant buzz.

"So, Mister Yamamoto. What did it take to persuade such a devout group of women to visit my little establishment? I don't think I can recall the last time you had a lady here, never mind three!"

"I have no idea." Sting said blankly before downing the rest of his drink, before tapping the table for a refill, "I mean, like I told you earlier, I was flat out rejected before I came here, then the Lupo Girl, As...ce, comes up and asks me the address for this place. Still dejected, I gave her the info then made my way here. Alcohol does wonders to nurse wounds of the heart, y'know? Still her showing up makes sense, I suppose, the other two I didn't expect at all."

"Could I...could I have been going about it wrong this whole time, Luca?"

“Oh come on Sti-Kenji. You just need to learn the proper time and place for these things.” She nudged the entoma in the arm with her elbow. “You shouldn’t be propositioning your lovely co-workers while on the clock or mistaking your boss telling you off as a sign that she’s into you.“

She laughed a high-pitched cackle as she remembered their meeting earlier that day.

“Seriously, I can’t believe you got like three citations in the span of twenty minutes. You going for a record there? Enjoying all your sensitivity trainings?” The liberi took another sip and kept chatting away. The pleasant buzz got stronger.

“Though I wonder, do you think Ms. Jordan has a boyfriend? She always makes sure to never mention her private life.” She giggled. “Maybe she’s hiding a lovey-dovey relationship.“

[Ayakashi]

'Sella'
March 8 - 5:53 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

Nuriel calmly disregarded the bartender's remark about her drink, perhaps because this wasn't the first time she had gotten that. She was someone who had been surrounded by alcoholics for the longest time, and not just any kind, the Ursus alcoholic, who drank vodka as if it was water. Granted, rather than for enjoyment, it was most likely so that they wouldn't freeze to death when their source of heating ran out but... ah, better not get nostalgic now, right Sella?

At any rate.

“Not that I got to visit a bar while being a kid… but this does feel somewhat familiar in ambience.”

"Make sure to enjoy the evening then. I would offer a round for the squad or something, uhm, I don't really have a lot of money right now."

It was the norm for the head of the group to buy drinks for everyone before some risky job -- at least it was the culture that Nuriel got accustomed to while she was in Yeti Squadron. While her financial situation didn't allow it, maybe...

"I guess I could reserve some of the money for a party here after the job. Right?"

Hahahahahahahaahahaha. Surely everyone will come back in one piece. Don't f*** this up Nuriel. Second thoughts? Desire to cancel or turn down the job? No.... it's too late for that. Breathe it in again and make sure you don't mentally break down tomorrow!

"..."

"Alright, last one. A Bombardino for Miss Sela, an Old Fashioned for Miss Freya, and a Nutty Taran for Miss Ace. Have a good one, ladies."

A timely intervention from the man so that Sella could shake off those unpleasant thoughts she just had... and an opportunity to cover her taste buds inh sweetness! It's been a while since she's enjoyed something as rich as this, but yes... it lacks any of the nuanced taste and texture from Lateranno cuisine. Oh well, at least it's roughly up her alley, so she won't say it's bad or anything. There are only so many ways one can butcher milk and cream...

“Though I wonder, do you think Ms. Jordan has a boyfriend? She always makes sure to never mention her private life.” She giggled. “Maybe she’s hiding a lovey-dovey relationship.“

"Perhaps she is already taken indeed, but I think it's better not to find out. Besides, how seriously do you take your advances on her, Mister Yamamoto? Did you fancy her on a whim, or did you have eyes for her ever since you've seen her? You should know that with your reputation, you should prove the strength of your flame for her by actions, not words..."

Oh no, she's starting to act all serious again, but well, she can't really help sounding like some straight-laced, no fun damsel. She was always stuck doing damage control and reigning in the more... 'eccentric' members of her previous 'workplace', which is quite surprising, considering that Nuriel herself has her own quirks.

[RacingeR]

Ace
March 8 - 5:53 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

“Sure! I’m always up to go shopping with a friend~!” Asura answered to Valravn 3 minutes ago. It was a lie, of course. She’d never gone shopping with a friend, and she had no friends, but it did fit with her image, so who knows. If they both survived the incoming mission, it could end up happening. “Although I think we’re going to have to drag Nuri with us if we try to invite her. Doesn’t look like she’d be willing to use money on her appearance.” She added, also 3 minutes ago.

Back to the present.

“Thanks!” Ace smiled at the bartender, and sipped on her drink. It had a nice taste, all things considered, fairly strong, a good nutty flavor to it… but it lacked enough punch, compared with what she normally drank. She settled for peacefully taking sips of it while she listened to her companions’ banter.

“Ah, there’s no need to mind paying for the drinks, Sella~. Although, the thought is appreciated, in my former workplace I had to deal with a lot of bosses who thought generosity was a sign of weakness.” Well, it depended under who she was assigned work. It varied a bit. There was one that was a particular stick in the mud, while there was another who was quite ‘generous’ so to speak, but was also incredibly punchable.

All things considered; she’d never really managed to fit there. She was glad she hadn’t quite joined them fully back then. They’d have ended up being such a headache, and here at least she had a lot more freedom on how to spend her time and money, as long as she was available whenever her bosses wanted and obeyed the orders.

“Hmm~ I dunno. Mrs. Jordan looks the type that either has no experience at all with the other gender, or is in a relationship already but will play it cool outwardly, and be all passionate on the inside? Hard to find out, with these types.” She nodded and took another sip. “Well, going out with your boss is never a good idea, or so I’m told.”

“This said… wasn’t there something about opposites attracting? Dunno how it works, but you are quite the opposite from her, aren’t you, Kenji?” Ace drained the rest of her drink.

“Ah~ I give up. I like it but it won’t do. Not quite enough.” She looked up at the bartender. Despite trying to pace herself, she’d gone through her drink quite fast. “Gimme an Old Fashioned as well.”

Well, it was just a question of not drinking enough to get actually drunk. Ace could pace herself just fine.

Probably.

She munched on one of those fries. Yep, they were good enough for bar food.

[Elyrin]

Bar Squad
March 8 - 5:55 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

As Kenji wallowed in misery, probably, the towering Lupo leaned across the bar to clap him on the shoulder. Somberly. Definitely not sarcastically.

"One a' these days, Mister Yamamoto. For a man of your noble stature, I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Maybe throw your life savings away on that vacation and you'll get lucky. Gotta bet big to win big, y'know!"

Luca chuckled to himself, and while the operators at the bar turned to work gossip, he indulged himself in the most famous of bartender pastimes: polishing glasses. At least for a couple minutes.

“Ah~ I give up. I like it but it won’t do. Not quite enough. Gimme an Old Fashioned as well.”

"One more Old Fashioned coming up for Miss Ace." Luca set to work on the next drink, but he couldn't keep himself from commenting on the earlier gossip. Even the most professional bartender couldn't ignore a conversation two feet away from him, and Luca wasn't that type of professional.

"Ya want my advice on the matter, Kenji? Going after your boss: bad idea. Second worst thing ya can do in a workplace environment. Seen it plenty of times. Worked out maybe once." The finished cocktail was placed in front of Asura, and Luca shook his head slowly, arms crossed. "'Course, the worst worst thing is the boss going after you. Doesn't matter what ya do then. It's fucked either way."

[RacingeR]

Ace
March 8 - 5:53 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

"Oh, I tink that 'fucked' is the exact outcome that Kenji's looking for." Ace giggled, then took a mouthful of her drink. Yep, this was it, had a nice enough punch to start building up a nice buzz.

"Seen that one happen a lot? The one with the boss going after the subordinate, I mean. First I hear of that one."

[Elyrin]

Bar Squad
March 8 - 5:55 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

"Well, Mister Yamamoto should keep in mind that word has multiple definitions. Gotta make sure ya know which one yer dealing with before it's too late."

Luca grabbed a bottle of brandy from the shelves and poured himself a glass. He didn't drink any right away, though, instead swirling it around in the glass and watching the ice spin for a moment.

"Seen it twice. One said yes, other said no. Complete shitshow, both times. I'd say the one who said no ended up better, but it was really the group as a whole who was fine in the end, not him."

The Lupo took a hearty swig of his drink before wagging a finger at Sting, doing his best scolding teacher impression.

"So, Kenji, at least hang on until your liver starts goin' before you get dumped in an alley somewhere. Be a real shame if my fourth-best customer disappeared just a month after the third-best!"

[Plue]

Operator Grave Moss
March 8 - 6:39 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship


That was... quite unpleasant, Grave Moss cracked her neck one way and the other as she gets off the bed, finally. Somehow, the pause at the end of each cycle was just long enough to be taunting. She scooped up the fox plush as she moves over towards the doctor.

"Can just give two glasses of blood next time in stead of this~?"

Grave Moss peered over the shoulder of the doctor at whatever image was on the screen. It didn't particularly look like her?

"Would be very hard bed for Moss to sleep in~" She deadpanned, "At least top three~"

"This is Moss~?" Pointing at the screen with a curious expression on her face.

[Zagrin]

Sting
March 8 - 5:55 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

Sting could only sigh and rub his forehead as he felt himself being put on the spot. Sure, he was used to wallowing about his dispiriting love life, Lucca could attest to that, but now everyone seemed to be honing in on it. Well, specifically the part regarding Miss Jordan. With the interest being shown one would think they were more interested in her than he was. Which...well he couldn't really blame them, if that's how it was.

“You shouldn’t be propositioning your lovely co-workers while on the clock or mistaking your boss telling you off as a sign that she’s into you.“

"Hey now, she's the one who brought attention specifically to herself. All I did was give her a compliment and open the door to something more," Sting said as he waved off the idea that he had misunderstood what had happened earlier, "Maybe its the alcohol, but I don't remember that first part though..."

Indeed, he couldn't seem to recall having made any moves on his co-workers, not that he had made any particular moves at all. All he did was dispense some compliments and invite Blacksteel's guests and his superior officer for drinks, nothing untoward there. Also, lovely co-workers...?

He stared at the Liberi for a moment before returning to his drink.

"Yeah, I don't see it."

"Perhaps she is already taken indeed, but I think it's better not to find out. Besides, how seriously do you take your advances on her, Mister Yamamoto? Did you fancy her on a whim, or did you have eyes for her ever since you've seen her? You should know that with your reputation, you should prove the strength of your flame for her by actions, not words..."

"My reputation?" Sting asked, tilting his head in interest, "But ah...no, there is no love at first sight happening here, Sella. I mean it's not exactly like I'm going all in, right? I mean I said it myself back at the meeting, didn't I? I thought those kinds of relationships were a no go, y'know? I just invited her and the guests for some drinks, don't see how there's anything untoward about that."

“This said… wasn’t there something about opposites attracting? Dunno how it works, but you are quite the opposite from her, aren’t you, Kenji?”

"I'm just going to take that as a compliment."

"Ya want my advice on the matter, Kenji? Going after your boss: bad idea. Second worst thing ya can do in a workplace environment. Seen it plenty of times. Worked out maybe once. 'Course, the worst worst thing is the boss going after you. Doesn't matter what ya do then. It's fucked either way."

"Hey, like I told the girls, I said, and I quote, that I thought those kinds of relationships between management and grunts were ruled out. Granted, I wouldn't say no if she was interested in me. Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, and all that jazz."

"So, Kenji, at least hang on until your liver starts goin' before you get dumped in an alley somewhere. Be a real shame if my fourth-best customer disappeared just a month after the third-best!"

"It's always reassuring to know how much you care, Luca," Sting retorted, before taking another swing of his drink, "But seriously, fourth best? Now you've got me curious, I mean who could actually make for a better customer than lovable, old Kenji. They gotta have a lot of money to burn if they're passing me in the rankings."

[Elyrin]

Operator Grave Moss
March 8 - 6:39 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

"Sorry, Grave Moss. We need the blood and the scan, not just one." The doctors face didn't budge from the screen as he slowly scrolled though the image. Moving up? "If that thing isn't a solid worst bed ever, what have you slept on before? Literal rocks?"

This is Moss~?

"Oh, here. I'll move over a bit. The scan looks fine so far, so you can have a look." Avery scooted a bit to the right, and zoomed out on the scan until is was somewhat recognizable as a torso. He pointed at the middle column of the image he had been looking at a moment ago. "Your spine. The spinal cord and the brain are the two worst places for oripathy to hit. Not that it's good anywhere else, but it takes a lot less originium to cause major problems. Memory loss, motor control issues, loss of self-control..."

The doctor scrolled up further to the scan of Moss's head, and zoomed back in. The image spun around, showing the brain(?) at various angles. There didn't seem to be any weird spots, but then again, maybe it was all weird spots and no normal spots? Grave Moss was not exactly a neurosurgeon, and maybe she didn't even know the word neurosurgeon.

"Fortunately, everything seems fine. Most of the originium in your body is in or right under the skin, and your brain and spinal cord are untouched. No signs of originium growth since your last scan."




Bar Squad
March 8 - 5:55 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

"Kenji, my man, you have some work to do if you want to move up in the rankings. The girl I mentioned before, Emma? She bought a few entire bottles on her last day. Gonna be a while before you catch up to her." Luca chuckled to himself, choking his chin with a sparkle in his eye. Must have been quite a payday.

"As for first and second, well, you might want to call it quits when you get back to third place. Those two are running on more than a single man's income, if you get my meaning."

[Plue]

Operator Grave Moss
March 8 - 6:39 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

"Rocks not that bad~ Better than sandstorm~" Grave Moss made an awful expression, "Having to wake up every half hour, unbury Moss, then a little sleep...

She yawned, sleepy just remembering how little she was able to sleep then.

"After week combat Moss surenot keep wake up in time~"

At least rocks didn't move on her, or try and bury her alive. Usually. Those who fell asleep for too long didn't even have grave markers above their final resting spots.

"Grave Moss did not short sleeping that very... gracefully~"

Considering she threatened to throw the doctor out the window for being woken up

"Fortunately, everything seems fine. Most of the originium in your body is in or right under the skin, and your brain and spinal cord are untouched. No signs of originium growth since your last scan."

"Grave Moss good health then~?"

The image on the screen meant absolutely nothing to her.

[SleepMode]

Operator Vitro
March 8 - 4:38 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

"Damn that was clos— Ow!"

Vitro winced at the mess. The notebook needs to be hung dry. The glass shards will be a pain, and the stain is already eating into the floor. The sample is replaceable, at the very least, assuming he has the chance of redeploying to Sargon again, that is.

"...Worry not about that. I'll have it tidied up tonight."

The Liberi is in no place to admonish Santonia. It was no fault of her own failing to navigate this small room, not to mention this was all his mess to begin with. The one drawback of this Operator life.

The sizzling still lingered, but it was mere background noise once business started in full.

"Thanks for the concern but I'm pretty sure my toxin is a lost cause, I gave up on it long ago. I was actually looking for some useful chemicals for our mission. You were peeping my file so I'm sure you know about my chemophony arts, right?"

"Huuu…"

A lost cause…
It was a phrase Vitro was familiar with. It was a phrase of a woman clearly consigned to her lot in life and a phrase no self-respecting practitioner of medicine would accept.
He was no miracle worker, but even his craft could solve what conventional practices could not. But that can be addressed later, after matters of business conclude.

Regarding useful chemicals…

"Yes, I am well aware of your Arts; a most fascinating ability, I surmised as much when you first approached me. What I can offer, however, may not be as varied as you like." Vitro said, scratching his chin in consideration. "Discounting the volatility of certain compounds, there is also the matter of dosage; some require too much or too little for reliable battlefield use — and with you not immune from even your toxins, exposure through the application of Chemophony would be… Errr, unadvised.

"That said, there is still a good plethora of works that I can offer. Heightened heart palpitations? Internal inflammation? Nausea? Those I can readily provide. Not immediately lethal, mind, but a preoccupied target is an easy target!

The Liberi chuckled, before raising his arm towards the vials lining the walls. The sunlight from the window giving them a baleful glow.

"Excluding the exceptions, you are free to 'pick your poison' at your leisure, huhuu. After all, it is the least I can do as a teammate."

[arkturus]

Valravn
March 8 - 5:55 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

"Hey now, she's the one who brought attention specifically to herself. All I did was give her a compliment and open the door to something more," Sting said as he waved off the idea that he had misunderstood what had happened earlier, "Maybe its the alcohol, but I don't remember that first part though..."

Valravn grinned. "Oh come on Mr. Kenji, what do you mean by 'something more'? Most people would interpret being invited out for drinks as a sign that you're trying to take them on a date. Especially if the guests you try to invite are almost always female."

She took a few more bites of her chicken and another sip of her cocktail. As she was happily eating her chicken, she found Kenji staring at her. The sudden attention made her flustered and her eyes flickered from the entoma to her food and back again. Was he...taking interest in her???

"Yeah, I don't see it."

Valravn choked on her food.

She was barely able to spit out an indignant "E-excuse me?!" before succumbing to a coughing fit.

[Elyrin]

Operator Grave Moss
March 8 - 6:40 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

"...they really had you sleeping right in the middle of a sandstorm? No real cover?" The doctor shook his head before he began tapping buttons on the scanner. "Well, if the working conditions were like that, I can't really blame for for going AWOL."

Seemingly done with the button-pressing, Avery flipped a switch and the indecipherable picture vanished as the scanner shut down.

Grave Moss good health then~?

"Everything seems fine, yes. You're free to leave, Grave Moss. As long as you don't forget to come back next time."

[pinetree]

Operator Santonia

"That said, there is still a good plethora of works that I can offer. Heightened heart palpitations? Internal inflammation? Nausea? Those I can readily provide. Not immediately lethal, mind, but a preoccupied target is an easy target!

The Liberi chuckled, before raising his arm towards the vials lining the walls. The sunlight from the window giving them a baleful glow.

"Excluding the exceptions, you are free to 'pick your poison' at your leisure, huhuu. After all, it is the least I can do as a teammate."

"Hmmm... I wish I could take everything but I've learned the hard way that carrying all this much volatile stuff with me doesn't work out." Securing something that burns probably wouldn't be too hard once they got into the city and heart palpitations didn't seem too useful.
"Can you get me nausea stuff? I think that'd be good. Some medicine or anesthetics would be great as well, we have a medic on the team but... you never know. Oh, I don't work with pills though, it has to be liquid."

[RacingeR]

Ace
March 8 - 5:53 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

“Pffft-“ Ace had to restrain her laughter at Sting’s reaction and comment, and then at poor Val’s reaction to it.

She took a big swig of her glass, tasting the pleasant flavor, and the even more pleasant sensation as alcohol started to work its numbing, soothing effect. She then jumped off her chair, and walked past Nuriel and Sting, reaching to the back of the Liberi, patting and rubbing it to help her with her coughing.

“Wait, though. You said last day. If that Emma girl’s gone, doesn’t make that Kenji third-ranking by default?” She asked, still helping her co-worker with her fit.

[Egophobia]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 6:22PM
Kanming's Eastern Delights
Liberty North Side

Grapevine shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. Director Warfarin is deranged.”

On some days, it felt like the only staffers the landship called in from its recruitment offices were the weird ones. Oftentimes, given enough talent, they need not even apply- someone would put in a word here, a summons there, and another oddball from far-flung Higashi or the unpronounceable north would join Medical. So long as they were sworn to caring for their patients, they should be welcomed- and as far as the Sankta was concerned, nobody was as qualified or uniformly deranged as Doctor Warfarin.

“Though if you ever get caught saying that, you may tell her that I put you up to it. It does sound like something I would say.”

On the subject of Rocky Mountain, though… hrm. Jessica’s description of the weather and terrain was as expected, but that the resort’s clientele was predominantly Bolivarian was of interest. Honestly, it seemed like the sort of thing that should have come up in the debriefing. Not that Grapevine had much experience with formal debriefings- but sourcing local knowledge seemed obvious. Perhaps Jessica had been meant to, but Handler Jordan had been thrown off by Muelsyse’s delay. Whatever the case…

“Let us hope, at the very least, that the Bolivarian detachment is working to ensure the safety of their people. Whether they have deployed in force out of humanitarian concern or because the victims belong to the upper classes, a Catastrophe zone is no place for civilians to be fending for themselves.” She made a gesture with her hand, as if the signify a thought escaping her. “But that's enough of my moralism. What stuck out to you? My intuition is quite apart from a soldier's, after all. Like as not I missed something that's obvious to you.”

[Ayakashi]

Sella
March 8 - 5:53 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

"My reputation?" Sting asked, tilting his head in interest, "But ah...no, there is no love at first sight happening here, Sella. I mean it's not exactly like I'm going all in, right? I mean I said it myself back at the meeting, didn't I? I thought those kinds of relationships were a no go, y'know? I just invited her and the guests for some drinks, don't see how there's anything untoward about that."

"I see. Perhaps Miss Jordan and I mistook your jovialness for debonair flirting. Why not go clear the misunderstanding up?"Money is important after all, and if he had his pay decked, then Sting wouldn't be able to do a few things like eating... and donnating to Infected charities!Nuriel's interested was quick to shift when a different subject was brought up, namely the fact that someone somehow went missing? Her eyes narrowed as she heard that this 'third-best' client had disappeared.

"Did something happen to her?" she asks, leaning in and looking quite serious.

She wondered if it could've been an accident? Maybe it wasn't that grim, and she had just moved on to another city or something. Perhaps... that client had become Infected? It could've been anything really, and all Nuriel could do to sate her curiosity was hope that the man would know enough and be willing enough to answer her on that matter.

[Elyrin]

Bar Squad
March 8 - 5:57 PM
L'Antiquario
Liberty

Luca blinked a couple of times, seemingly confused by Nuriel's serious demeanor. He dismissed the Sankta's concern with a casual wave of his hand.

"Nah, she’s fine. Was at the time, anyway. Her job transferred her somewhere further north so she bought a few bottles to take with her. Asked for a couple recipes too. And as for you-" The man waggle a finger at his fellow Lupo. "Loyalty is a big deal around here, ya get me? I'm not denying a good customer of mine her rightful place."



Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 6:23PM
Kanming's Eastern Delights
Liberty North Side

Jessica sighed, perhaps regretting starting the serious conversation instead of thinking about food. Well, what's done is done.

"It's pretty rare for Blacksteel to go up against actual military. Not unheard of, but BSW usually sticks with maximum safety. Small squads only, prioritize stealth, no open combat. Maintain plausible deniability, you know? Sending two direct combat teams is a bit..."

The feline trailed off, staying quiet for a few seconds before drinking another mouthful of water.

"You ever feel like... what was it called, deja vu?" Jessica's brow furrowed as she rested her chin in her right hand, watching Grapevine closely. "A snowy border town struck by an unexpected Catastrophe. A foreign military force in the city for who knows what. And us, sent into the city looking for a single doctor."

Jessica sighed again and sat back up.

"The order isn't quite the same. But I'm still getting a bad feeling, you know?"