The Now...
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The Merc was sitting at the bar evaluating some messages on the panel her left arm sported, "Nonono... Who the frag taught you how to hack ICe... You brainless..." The merc's words trailed off into some not so nice words that were not suitable to young ears and the like.
Doors slid wide for him, there was nothing special about that, they did the same for most. He was stuck in his head for a bit, the door itself was the key, reminding him of the ones he closed in his own thoughts every day. His smile was the same one he wore always. It mattered little if it were walking into a bar, or standing over a field of burning corpses. He only let his guard down for one person, and even that was something so private that no one knew it happened. Kofi was in full tactical gear tonight, caring little about the exposed weapons he carried. A pair of nine millimeter pistols sat at his hips, they saw far less use than the knives that ran diagonally across his chest, or the sharp machete that was shethed along his thigh. His gaze found someone he was interested in seeing, so he crossed the bar and took the stool next to her. "I hear, ya been blendin' in with the locals. This place gettin to ya?"
She glanced over her shoulder and gave a smile, "Somewhat... Though I can see why you like those duels." The smile was one of the first real ones in a long time. "When'd you get in?"
Kofi looked to the watch on his wrist. "Finished debriefing and came here. Wasn't sure I would find you, but it was a place to start." He tapped in an order for a longneck, and waited for it to come to him. "It's a good place to keep your reflexes honed." He grinned taking up the bottle and twisting off the top. "Not much of a mission really." He figured she would understand that meant there wasn't much fight from the soldiers on the other side. "I hate these petty insurgencies with their under-trained armies."
"Still took you long enough there. Was beginning to think Herbert was up to his usual shyte again." She muttered as she looked over the messages. "I've actually run into someone I think I can call... a friend." She hadn't had a real one since Oracle's defection, so she was cautious.
"That wasn't my decision... they wanted to use our presence to force a surrender. Eventually I got tired of waiting. There will be no need of surrender now." His smile disappeared into a long pull from the bottle. "This... friend, tell me about them." He wasn't jealous... exactly, despite the way his grip tightened on the brown glass in his hand.
"Her name is Valentina. She's different... got magic and stuff. And just as much a loner like us." She murmured and laid her right hand on his arm. "You know I can't stand to let any male close to me unless it is a fight." The last was said for his ears only.
"Different? Magic aside, does she understand what you do?" Her touch had a calming affect on him, but then he was sure she knew it would. It was less about another man than it was a loss of intimacy. "What we do? Not many would accept it, if they knew the whole truth."
"No, not... yet. Hints, but I do not trust easily. Place is crazier. Easier to hide what we do, shift the blame to others." She did not move that touch. "Just less empty without my Brutus." She knew he was also protecting her. Sooner or later, people turned against them once they learned. She hated that part. At least she wasn't truly alone, she had her partner.
Kofi's hand moved to one of the pockets in his vest, the velcro tearing away under fingers that reached inside and pulled free a data card. "Possible new clients, but due dilligence. We need to know they are who they say they are." He slid it across the bartop to her. "This came from the Herbert's little b****." He knew he didn't need to say the name, Aaliyah would know. "I never trust the things she gives us to do."
She frowned at that, "Does she want the team, or just... us?" She took the card and slotted it into her arm. The screens came up in a holo display so he can see what she saw.