World Tree MUSH

 
     Just along the edge of Santa Domingo in Arroyo, right next to the bridge heading into Heywood's Vista Del Rey, is a bar. To anyone that's been coming for gigs, Twintail has always mentioned it. Despite the fame that the Afterlife has, she's always pointed out that it's her favorite: A dingy little shitty Dive Bar with a small performance stage, stocked with hard drinks, old NUSA dishes, stereos blasting the music of 'Samurai', and a bit of a presence of 6th Street's finest, complete with cowboy hats, tactical vests, and patriotic tattoos. 
 
     Twintail has herself set at the bar, furthest seat from the door with her chair turned to keep an eye on things, all while she fusses around occasionally with a datapad of some kind, as she speaks with what looks like your typical resident of the city standing next to her. "... Yeah, as a matter of fact, I got something for you. Simple work, pick up job, gotta get it past a customs check just outside the city limits." Her eyes glow a blue hue for a moment, and she looks at the man. "Get it to 'em fast, it's a rush order. Pick up your stuff at the No-Tell Motel, room 13, and delta fast." She waves her hand a little as she looks back at her pad. "Now, disappear. I need some time." 
 
     The man pulls a 180 and makes his way out, leaving TT alone as she hangs her head back and lets the sounds and music of the bar fill her senses.

    The man brushes past a fairly tall Exotic on his way out. This creature has pale grey hair, piercing yellow eyes and a very large bundle of wrapped black fabric on her back. She looks around the bar, until her eyes land on Twintail in the back.

    Scavenger makes her way over, pausing a respectful distance back before clearing her throat. "Got any jobs for a gonk-brain bennie?" she asks, looking a mix of grouchy(Normal), upset(abnormal) and antsy(very abnormal).

    She remains standing, looking around the bar in that un-casually casual way of someone who doesn't trust the locals.

 
     Twintail hears that voice. She knows it. Her tilts her head over to look at the rat exotic, to her eyes at least, then looks back up to the skylight ceiling. Inhale... "Fuck." 
 
     "Sitdown, first." Twintail's ears twitch as she sits up in her seat, grabbing a nearby drink of what looks to be whiskey, taking that bottle up and just giving it a swig before she turns, one leg crossing over the other. Hands move to pull out a pack of cigs, pull one out, and put it to her lips before lighting it up and letting it sit in her lips. 
 
     "First, I wanna know why you're here. And I don't mean for jobs." Twintail sits up some, and her ears perk up. Her eyes flash briefly as some internal hardware stares up. All that tech a fixer needs to help their job go better is starting up, ears droning everything out except for Scavenger's voice. 
     "You don't exactly cover it up, but I've checked out just what 'R.I' is and what they do. Now, I'm givin' you the benefit of a doubt, they don't seem like the corpies I know, but why's a street samurai like you goin' around for jobs in a city like -this-?"

    Scavenger sits when instructed, adjusting the bundle on her back so it doesn't interfere with the chair. The query earns a quirked brow, and an askew pair of ears as she thinks on it. "I've been a mercenary for a long time... Rhodes Island has been good to me... and I need them to continue living." she admits. She moves the sleeve of her hazmat-style gear, and shows the white and green bracelet around her upper arm. "Bit of tech they developed. Helps monitor my health state. Including my Infection index."

    She hides it again, making sure noone else is listening in. "I'm here... because I wanted a change of pace from fighting mutant animals and misguided Infected back home... there's only so many brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers you can put down because someone else told them fighting and terrorizing the Uninfected would get them and their families better treatment."

    She sounds bitter at that, but then shakes her head. "Rhodes Island isn't like Arasaka, or Militech or anyone like that here. They genuinely want to help people. Infected or not."

 
     Twintail's ears were fixed on Scavenger the entire time. Not that the Zalek would know, but she was running some programs, reading her vocal patterns and careful for any spikes or fluctuations she might do subconsciously when lying. But none of those showed up on her end. This was the truth. 
     Hearing that, her ears seem to relax again as she sits up, nodding as she closes those eyes. "Sounds reasonable to me. I guess that's why we tolerate shite here in this city. Much as we hate the stuff they give us, it gives us a place to live." She'd end up adding a 'For now' to that in her head, but that's something else to worry about. 
 
     "Just so many bennies coming into Night City all of a sudden, all the stuff they can do, seems like they'd really wipe this place off the map if they could." Her pad is tugged up again as she scrolls through it, eyes lidded. "I ain't complaining too much, though. Gets things done around here... Now, as for this gig." 
     Scroll, scroll... and she looks up. "You workin' alone, or you got some chooms to help you out?"

    "I work best alone." says Scavenger, quickly. She looks back toward the entrance briefly. "I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt 'cuz of me anyway." There's a strain in that part. Twintail would remember what happened with the Boogeyman on that ship, and how badly Hyouka got torn up, protecting the Zalak.

    "Does this job require a team?" she asks next, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees, locking yellow eyes on the Foxer.

 
     "I got jobs that could use a team, or jobs you can do solo. Just tryin' to fit you in where you play best." A glance up. "S'my job. I'm the fixer, the team coach. You tell me what you're good at, I tell you where your skills are needed, easy as that. And as it just so happens, I got a gig for a street samurai like y'self." 
 
     She locks and puts her pad down on the counter, leaning forwards and keeping her voice down. "It's an assassination job. I got a close choom that wants this Valentino fuckin' flatlined for putting his daughter in a coma. I got Pearl on this job as well, she'll work in the background getting you past security. Think of her as your guardian angel. Sound good?"

    "Sneak in, deep six some asshat, get out... there a bonus for doing it without witnesses, or does the client want a message sent?" asks the Zalak, actually managing to get some level of professionality into her voice. Seems she's done this kind of job before, both ways. "Remember that I don't have any chrome, all my gear is external."

 
     "No bonus, that's up to your own morality. You only wanna kill him and knock out the rest, or sneak your way in and only get him? That's your call. They got cameras, Pearl will handle it, she'll try to make it easier for you." 
 
A moment is taken for her ears to perk up as the song switches tracks in the bar, tail flicking. Another favorite. 
     "You really wanna go all out, though? Knock him out and kidnap the guy. Sure my client would -gladly- pay you more if he can dish out the revenge with his own hands." 
 
     "And that's the beauty of my gigs. I don't care how you do it, as long as I get my end result. And I'll make it so the Valentinos don't even know it was you."

    Scavenger is silent for a few moments. Letting the music wash over her. Eyes closed, breath steady.

    <Do you really want to get back into this life again?>
    <You made a promise to yourself. To her.>
    <This guy needs justice. His daughter needs justice.>
    <Am I even sure this is justice, not revenge?>

    Eyes open, refocus and lock back onto Twintail. "Preem. Send me the deets. Your friend's daughter is gonna get her revenge."

 
     "Nova." 
     "But, like you said, you aren't chipp'd in, and that's -usually- how we do things around here for deets. On a datashard or through the holo. Lucky you, I got a new dedicated netrunner since I lost legion to that fuckin' Saka boogeyman." 
 
     "I'll get a hold of Pearl. She'll find you, give you the deets herself. Probably find a way to contact you within the hour." 
 
     "Business aside, kinda surprised you tracked me down and asked for a job personally like this." She seems a bit more... relaxed now. Not so uptight, actually putting on a light smirk as she leans back on that chair, a hand going for her glass and taking it to her lips as the other holds that cigarette to the side. 
     "Specially after last gig's shitshow."

    Scavenger pulls a smartphone-size device from one of her pouches. "Could use my commpad... it's how R.I. gets hold of me." she shrugs, returning the device then sitting up straighter.

    "That was part of the reason... Rebecca caught up with me, out in that old drive-in theatre. I asked her about Smasher... Where I could find him, what weaknesses he has; I came here to get something to do, to take my thoughts away from cyberpsycho-assisted suicide."

 
     Twintail doesn't take the device. Instead, she just seems to scan it with her eyes, letting them flicker blue for a moment. Her ears perk up as Scavenger talks, and she seems to freeze up a little bit. "... Sent over the specs of the padd to Pearl. Pretty sure she can get into it." 
 
     The next part, when she sits up, she looks to the side, almost muttering it. "... You wanna get at Smasher, you wait for me to contact you. I've got something in the works. Gonna take time, but just hold back. For now." She takes that cigarette to her lips again, taking in a slow inhale, then turning aside to exhale it away from her Zalek guest. "That's all I can say on that for now."

    Scavenger's own ears perks up at that. The usually folded back triangles poking straight up at Twintail's words. She looks far more surprised than a normal human might with raised eyebrows.

    She doesn't say anything more on it, just giving a nod in affirmation, then stands. "I'll wait for Pearl to contact me then." she says, then turns to leave unless stopped.