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It's likely that Julien suspected her. That guy's one of the most paranoid fuckers out there for good reason. This was probably her test to see if she was more valuable as an asset or she'd be easily disposed instead. Funny how luck can be valuable too.

You go through the ring of keys, trying to match the right one with the car, and taking her threat as nonchalantly as you do, "Actually, the plan is to drop off the face of the planet, wait until he thinks I'm dead, then find him and shoot his dick off."

You pause as you glance at her to gauge her reaction. She's silent for a moment, almost stunned before snorting and leaning back, a nervous chuckle. Her cheeks are flushed with clear embarrassment. It's almost cute.

"You're joking?"

You stay dead silent for long enough that she almost looks impressed at your audacity.

You laugh then, loud, before she can respond, "I'm kidding, what I'm planning to do to that fucking traitor will be a lot worse."

If there's another dealer, you get the temptation to shop around and see what they have to offer. It's another thing to stab your back. You might have to set an example.

She ponders your words. There's still that same bloodlust in her eyes, "I want to see it."

You find the right key and turn it into the ignition. The car stutters, tik tik tik, then thrums to life with a startle.

It's like hearing your heart beat as you gesture to her, "Look, I don't want to deal with getting ambushed by more goons. It would be inconvenient as hell, but not impossible. If you want me to accept your help, then tell me what you're getting out of this."

She's silent again. You slowly exhale through your teeth.

"He killed my brother," the words drop like stones, "You're right. I want revenge."

Well. That doesn't sound like the whole story.

"Is that all?"

She stares right into you, "It's my right." Ah, there's that suicidal determination. It might be more than you could persuade.



You wisely set the topic aside for now as you set up the game plan in your mind. You don't want to start pulling teeth.

"Alright, I'll accept your help. Call me Vex."

"Eiko. What kind of name is Vex?"

You don't entertain the question, "Anyway, if we're going to do this, it still has to look like I'm dead first. If they know the mission failed, that makes you a coward at best and a traitor at worst."

You remove your jacket from your INVENTORY and gesture for her to lean forward. She catches your meaning quick and reluctantly obeys as you put it over her shoulders. Eiko's pupils are as black as pits when the scent envelops her.

Instinctively, you stare back, "Even if they don't just kill you, any attempt to talk a way into the compound on my behalf can go up in smoke. If you keep this on, it'll give you more credibility. Only Julien knows my scent enough to recognize me."

Her eyebrows raise, "How..."

You laugh and look around at the car dash since you haven't been looking at it closely, "Nah, he's not my type." A certain someone comes to mind. "But we've spoken enough times alone, I've rarely made deals with just his goons."

"You really have been around. Where do you get your stuff anyway? I've seen some of the magic in person but it's still hard to believe that..."

Her words start to fade as you head down the street. Only one thing stays on your mind.

The only ones that know your actual face and have spread it are the ANGELS. They're not too bad to deal with if it's not your ARCHANGEL around. Unless there are some RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS among the WOLF BITES, you'll worry about that later. For now, the facemask will have to do. And besides your eye color, you can't shapeshift your face adeptly or you'll end up with three nostrils instead. Or something less human.

For your deals, you always wear a SHOPKEEPER mask. It's ENCHANTED to obscure your features and dampen your scent. You took it off after the bust and don't wear it in public since it's very visually striking.

Not even Julien has seen your face in person.



You eat in the car after going through the WCDONS drive thru. Thankfully, that giftcard had enough change to spare after your order too.

And with the cosmos as your witness you are fucking this burger up.

Eiko watches you with both disgust and envy, "You know, you'll have to uncuff me eventually," she leans forward with more desperation than earlier, "At least feed me a fry or something! This is torture! Torture!"

You take a few more bites before mercifully feeding her some of the fries, "So, what's the layout of the compound?"

Half your fries are gone by the time Eiko answers and you squint at her, "It used to be an office building. About four floors with the crab on top. He usually isn't in the crab, but his office is in the very top floor."

Kings do love their towers. At least your wounds have stitched back together and some sensation has returned to your numb limbs. You clench your fingers a couple of times to make sure.

"How's the security?"

"Two guards at every entrance. The most people hang out on the first floor and the underground garage. The second floor is where the main supplies are kept and the third floor is the books area. There aren't really people on the third floor except dispatchers and counters. I know the vault is on the fourth floor, but I haven't seen it or Julien's office in person."

She gestures, "Most of the gang are out right now collecting, but they'll be coming back in waves once it's evening. And they're probably expecting my call now."

Apparently, it's 4PM. You could technically wait until tomorrow to settle things, maybe prepare better, and have less of a risk of more people showing up. Your AW will likely be charged up by then and you could make a quick escape.

Though you have many options. Strangers are generally welcome if they're coming in for loans, so you could pretend to be one that Eiko found. You could also sneak in instead while she works as a distraction.

Eiko's ability to PERSUADE the gang not to suspect anything is also a loose factor. Her status is only slightly better than a grunt but still a newbie.

Ah, that reminds you.

As you draw up your plans, you look at her more pointedly, "I forgot to ask. Did they tell you to stay in the car or did you choose to stay?"

It's quiet. She stares at you. 1 second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds.

Her ears lower and the words come out low, "I told them I'd stay and call back up if needed. I had a bad feeling."

Hmm...

Eiko has good instincts. She'll value her life more than anything depending on the situation and would be able to sense danger. You'll have to take this into account in your plans.

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