PSL

[la_sombra]

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[arasakadogs]

And what does that mean? (oda scoffs as he makes sure to buckle and starts the car. as far as he is concerned there is never a time to misbehave.)

[la_sombra]

I’ll show you when you’re off the clock, if you want…

[Her smile remains toothy and she waggles her eyebrows for added effect.]

[arasakadogs]

(his only saving grace is that it is dark and the flush thay colors his cheeks would not be so obvious. she has taken him off guard, implying what she is, and oda cannot help the moment of dumb-founded silence that hangs before he replies.)

I am never off the clock. (a lie. mostly.)

[la_sombra]

Really? A shame…
[Sombra winks at the rear view before turning her attention to the lights going by.

A meeting with any of THE Arasaka family is amazing enough, but she can’t believe she’s managed to get to the kind of level where she’s actually meeting any of them. Too bad she can’t go public, else she would raise her rates from just being considered.]

[arasakadogs]

Even if I were, I do not "misbehave" as you say.

(he huffs, perhaps trying to hide his curiosity. oda largely tries to focus on the road and the traffic, only occasionally glancing up to the rear view mirror to check on sombra.)

[la_sombra]

I suppose not.

[Sombra makes a show of considering this new information. Fact is, she’s pleased she managed to figure out something to pique his curiosity.]

You’re more of a gentleman, I think

[arasakadogs]

(where is she going with this? oda grunts an agreement, largely because he is not sure how to respond. he would say he tries to be a gentleman, but at times his job requires a more aggressive approach.)

Not always. I must dirty my hands on occasion.

[la_sombra]

[Sombra suppresses a laugh at his admission. She suspects another derail, but her mind goes to the original subject she teased him about.

It’s almost too easy to imagine him close, teeth at her throat, a hand twisted in her hair. Her mouth goes a touch dry at the thought.]

We all do, sometimes. It’s just nice to know somefolks don’t jump to violence at first provocation.

[Of course, she neglects to mention she’s usually on the receiving end of such threats.]

[arasakadogs]

(oda nods in agreement, blue eyes catching hers in the mirror briefly. night city is much the way it is---in his opinion---because people lack restraint and turn to violence over the smallest infractions.

he cannot get back to japan fast enough, but they are well and truly stuck here for the time being.)

What is your skill set? Outside of netrunning. (if anything can grab his interest it is discussing strategies.)

[la_sombra]

[The question is unexpected but for once Sombra tries to take the conversation seriously. Honestly she doesn’t always like to think about what her life has amounted to outside of her hard work as a netrunner.]

I’m a bit specialized. Fairly athletic, I guess.

[Her attention turns back to him, expression a little hard to read.]

What about you? I imagine you have to be good at a little bit of a lot

[arasakadogs]

(he almost deflects before remembering that they would be allies. it would probably be good to know one another’s strengths and weaknesses. to a degree.)

Mantis blades. Katana. Firearms if needed. I have trained since I was very young.

[la_sombra]

[Sombra gives a small, impressed whistle at mention of the weapons he’s proficient in.]

Remind me to stay on your good side.

[Her gaze returns to the city going by, partly to avoid making him feel scrutinized or like she’s watching him (though she definitely is, a little).]


Have you always served the Arasakas?

[arasakadogs]

You will be well protected during the job. (oda does not like to boast; his work will speak for itself. at her further probing question he considers if he wants to answer. it is not necessarily even a personal question but it could lead to some which admittedly puts him on edge.)

Since adulthood, yes. However, I began training in my adolescence.

[la_sombra]

Glad to hear it. [Knowing someone has her back, even temporarily, is a nice change and Sombra can't help but relax. Oda seems capable and there are far worse things to deal with than a stuffy bodyguard.

It also doesn't shock her that he started training young, though she would have guessed that he might have served a lower-rank family before being elevated to serving the Arasakas themselves. Idly, she wonders if he's at the entire family's beck and call or if he specifically serves one member.]

Makes sense. Feed talent early.

[arasakadogs]

Arasaka-sama's personal bodyguard trained me himself. It is a great honor to serve Hanako-sama.

(he affirms, again avoiding dilvulging anything too personal. the road begins to narrow and the traffic thins as they descend the hills into north oak. it is harder to see her as the neon glow becomes more distant, only a flash of purple each time they pass a streetlight.)

[la_sombra]

[Sombra watches as the city begins to fade away, eyes going up to the sky in the search for stars that she usually never gets to see. It's so quiet that if she were anyone else, she might forget the stakes of this car ride. Instead after a lull, she speaks again.]

You're lucky.

[arasakadogs]

Lucky? (he questions her simple statement; it sounds as though she wants to say more. but sombra is not wrong, though oda would perhaps use a different word. fortunate.)

Arasaka gave me a purpose, an education, a valuable skillset. I owe much to them. But I also put in the work, more than what is required of me.

[la_sombra]

[She makes a noise as she sits up, just shy of dismissive in tone.]

What's it like to have a place in the world?

[Sombra's tone is a hair meaner than she intends, but she can't help the surge of envy. Oda might have been good enough to be noticed by Arasaka, but there could be dozens of folks like him that never got their chance.]

[arasakadogs]

(ah, there is is. her tone does not bother him, though when he glances in the rear view mirror there is a certain edge in his sea-colored eyes.)

Purpose does not always choose us, at times we must determine it ourselves. (a pause, and an assumption:)

You value your freedom, do you not?

[la_sombra]

Of course. It's harder than you think to stay ahead of the game.

[She laughs as she says it, knowing full well it's never that simple. Sombra makes it a point to be difficult and difficult to find for a reason, though now it's more of a game than actual necessity.

If it hadn't been for the other streetkids she ran with, she might have never learned how to be a netrunner in the first place.]

I'm probably the best runner in NC, or one of them anyway. But I'm also lucky, y'know?

[arasakadogs]

I am too rigid for mercenary work, (oda readily acknowledges this about himself.) And I suspect you are too much the opposite to find meaning in employment with Arasaka. Our own "luck", as you say, works in different ways.

(they are getting closer to the estate, only a few minutes away.)

[la_sombra]

I suppose you're right about that.

[An astute observation, she supposes. Sombra ponders luck and fortune as Oda drives.]

[arasakadogs]

(they arrive in short order, pulling up to a large black gate with an arasaka logo. there is no mistaking it. oda is waved through without issue and heads to park the vehicle and let sombra out.)

Do you have questions before we go in?

[la_sombra]

[Sombra is smart enough not to gawk, her gaze roving greedily over all the details of the estate that she can see. In short, it's nothing less than what she would expect from one of the most powerful families on the planet.

She stretches a little when she exits the car, shaking her head at his question.]

Not really. Any advice? This is your territory after all.

[arasakadogs]

As I said, behave. Hanako-sama is to be respected, though she will not fault you for ignorance of our traditions, (he notes and gestures for sombra to follow him to the front door. at the moment hanako is the only arasaka occupying the estate---otherwise this meeting would not be happening.)

She will likely invite you to stay in one of the guest rooms before the job tomorrow. You should graciously accept.