— in the night .

     honestly, it’s getting a little bit more ridiculous — if not tiring — to catch a certain regular following her at the corner of her eye. while she was well aware of her innate purpose as to why she was slumming here with their target criminal group, emma was certain that she have never done anything malignantly suspicious enough to attract the hot eyes of the higher ups. so by the time she was fed up of the nuisance of her newfound stalker, the neophyte decided to surprise him by hiding in a corner and calling him out. ❝ you know, full offense, but you are really being fucking creepy, mate. ❞  

     ❝ i was told that you are in need of an assistance. ❞ she announced herself to a seemingly innocent looking man.  ❝ i don’t know the specifics of what i am supposed to do for dry cleaning — or if that’s some kind of a code for something — but i hope you don’t mind having a neophyte like me by your side. ❞

     ❝ considering the fact that i have been leaving you your favourite drink at the reception area, you’d think i’d have your number by now. ❞ emma smiled at the familiar face of the receptionist she has been seeing for a couple of weeks now. ❝ do you mind fixing that error for me, please? ❞

it was almost noon when he woke up and shot an urgent text to his friend.

✉ to: unregistered number

     [ 10:45 AM ]  available? same place. same time. urgent. xx                              — Z

      so that’s where orlando found himself later on in the afternoon, in the same regular spot where he and kennedy used to take smoke breaks before all of them started to move into the hotel. the man in waiting took a deep drag of his cigarette first to loosen up, eyes lighting in recognition as he sees the familiar male walking towards his direction. ❝ is it just me or you always grow an inch every time i goddamn see you? ❞

“Wow, Jenni, you’re no fun. Satisfaction comes in all shapes and sizes, I’ll have you know.” Normally, he would have been all over his friend as her visits were too rare for his taste, but making Jennina uncomfortable wasn’t his goal there, so Eden remained where he was. “Well, you see, I once bought some for work and I had a lot of success. Made some new long-term clients with those, and even Aurel thought they looked great. So there’s a rule now I either wear nothing or the fishnets inside our room!”

     the brunette gasped in mock offense. ❝ how dare you to accuse me of having no fun at all! i’ll let you you know i know how to have a good time, thank you very much. ❞ still holding her pout from the previous statement, jennina couldn’t help but to feel a little more curious about her friend’s story. ❝ wow, those fishnets were that much of a blockbuster, then? i could see why it’s kinda sad for me to miss it. though i’m not going to lie, i think i’m going to consider wearing those type of stockings for my next job. ❞

He pouted as he tilted his head up, thinking if he remembered her visit two months ago. He had good memory and he had remembered. “Ah, yes! You were asking for some sort of poison? Who was it for? Or am I mistaken?” Even if he had good memory, he tended to mix people up.

     beaming, the grifter nodded in a muted enthusiasm at the other’s remembrance. ❝ yep! ❞ jennina exclaimed, popping the ‘P’ as she scuttled closer to milo. ❝ that would be me. the one who ordered a hybrid between an aphrodisiac and a poison. how sweet of you to remember it, really. ❞

“I’d love to be in the front row for that. Make sure you’re also selling popcorn.” She told her, extending the bit of a joke they were having. “That is completely true. No one offers better sex than Kennedy so he’s the only one allowed.”

      ❝ i’ll even give you a backstage pass, if you’re that much of a fan. ❞ she grinned, mirth still coating her tone as she speaks. ❝ mmm, as much as i’d like to contest that statement, collie, most of my sampling size are most probably broke, in jail, or dead as far as i am concerned. ❞

“ I’m glad to have you back,” Max held her hands, squeezing a little as he grinned. Jennina was one of the quieter, easier people to be around in the hotel. Most of the others actually scared the younger one. “I’ll do my best to learn fast anyway! ”

     a softer, genuine smile graced her face at the boy’s statement. ❝ believe it or not, maxwell, i’m glad i’m back home as well. ❞ she squeezed his hands back to show her gratitude. ❝ personally, i think you’d do just fine. though i can’t blame you if you’ll find it hard to blend. god knows i did. ❞

Elisa returned a few minutes later fully clothed. She ran a towel through her hair with a grin. There was something about Jennina’s presence that made her smile. Perhaps it was all the gifts she was receiving from the other girl. “You didn’t have to. Jenni, you’re spoiling me. I’m going to start demanding gifts soon.” She hadn’t received so many since she’d been pregnant. 

     waving her hand in dismissal, jennina gave her a reassuring smile and said,  ❝ please, it’s the least that i could do for helping me and this merry band of shady dorks. i hope you’ll like this one. ❞ she handed the other woman’s gift gingerly, still grinning excitedly. ❝ i got another gift, too, you see. but that one’s for your angelito and i think i left it back in my room. ❞

“Anything! As long as it’s a secret!” Aurel’s eyes opened wide and he picked his head up at her words. “What? That’s terrible!” Aurel knew people could be cruel but he never understood why. “You’re going to pretend to be a minor?” He always worried about his friends when they went away. “Can I give you anything to help?”

     a secret? oh boy, she got plenty of ‘em. but which could probably interest him the most?  ❝ — i have a younger sister. ❞ she finds herself telling the male, surprising even herself.  ❝ it’s not really a secret, per se, but it’s not a common knowledge either. so there’s that. ❞ jennina could only grimace at the shared sentiment that she and aurel both have for this job of hers. there are truly worse people on earth the longer she stayed on her job. ❝ mhmm. that’s the initial plan. and, no, i don’t think i need any help at the moment. i’ll let you know immediately if something comes up that’ll require your help. ❞

“Okay. Good because, like, have you met me? I’m not like that. Duh.” Dimi’s face broke into a grin. “Heck yeah it would. You’re, like, one of the only people who’s not being a dick. Thanks. I know it’s hard for everyone else to, like, remember to be a person or whatever.”

      ❝ i think i’ve known you long enough to confirm that you’re most definitely not like that. ❞ a chuckle escaped her lips, reaching out to ruffle the boy’s head affectionately. ❝ it’s a deal, then. i’ll bring you every disposable gadgets every other job i finish. and please just because you assume that you’re forgettable in this group does not mean that you actually are. though i am more than happy to know that i don’t contribute to your headache of them...much. ❞ 

Antonette smiled smugly at his compliment, knowing that fact already. But when he said it, it made her feel proud for him to notice it, hopefully he had to like her because of it, then if not then she just wouldn’t try making him like her. She watched how his expressions changed from horrified to relief, unsure as to what it meant. Maybe he was just disgusted by the design and all, and maybe relieved because it was an easy to spot tattoo - if placed at the wrong body part. His response made her smile, excited for the investigation they could work on - that would mean more time with him too and no more twelve am phone calls. “I mean, it doesn’t hurt if we try right? Waste of time, yes, but we may be able to get more leads if we’re lucky.” She suggested, hoping he would agree but if he didn’t, she was going to do it herself. “It’s some sort of a puzzle. I don’t know what it forms but I’m going to complete this, hopefully. If I’m not crazy or anything.”

     his quasi-partner’s quiet glow of pride made orlando stare at antonette at little longer than the usual. something inside him twisted almost painfully at the sight of this woman staying determined despite of her previous blunders and his voiced out discouragement. perhaps it was the intensity of his professional admiration for her; perhaps it was, dare he say it, guilt from being the very causation of her troubles in the first place. while he just knows this woman won’t be ever swayed from her decision, the least he can do for now was to mislead her as much as possible — although that could be trickier and more likely bound to happen. ❝ alright. we’ll give this one a shot. but — ❞ he gave her a stern and leveled look. ❝ — if we couldn’t find jackshit from these photos after an hour and a half, we’ll calling it a night and try again later on when we have a good night’s sleep. deal? ❞

Suzy simply grinned at the definitely older man, cheeky and unapologetic. “Aww, don’t worry Orly, you’re still beautiful,’ she patted his face before tapping her chin, pouting in thought. “A safe, huh? Could do. I just ordered some to try dynamite on, I could save one from blowing up and put your precious whatever-the-name in it. But you’ll owe me!”

      huffing and forcing out a childish pout, orlando grumbled under his breath. ❝ at least i age well. not everyone has that kind of a good gene. ❞ pausing to think about the woman’s offer, the spy raised a brow.  ❝ why do i feel like i’m making the devil’s deal if i accepted that offer? nonetheless, i’ll think about it. how sturdy could that safe be? can it withstand forces of nature such as gilbert and tien? ❞

“Now you’re calling me fast? That’s not what I came here for, hottie.” Rolling his eyes, Eden strutted past Orly, not forgetting to slap his butt as he did so. Some things were just mandatory. “What beau are we talking about? You should know I’m no strings attached. Doesn’t mean I’d want you to forget me, though.”

      ❝ would you rather have me calling you slowpoke, sweetheart? and what do you came in here for, eden? miss my presence that much already? ❞ he cheekily replied as he jumped ever-so-slightly at eden’s mandatory butt slap. he’ll probably retaliate later by pinching the other male’s bottom by the time he left his place. ❝ ah, yes. you and your free bird tendencies. that doesn’t stop me from hearing stories, though. something about fishnets? ❞

The male giggled at the compliment the other had given and smiled enthusiastically, “That my friend has earned you one free poison for you to use towards your enemies. Or perhaps an aphrodisiac?” He started to laugh maniacally, already thinking about the fun the other is going to have with the cop. 

     grinning, orlando cocked his head to the side. ❝ how nice of you, milo. i’ll let you know right away if i’ll ever require any of those two offered concoctions. ❞ taking one now under his steed will probably raise too many questions if he weren’t being careful, but he still wouldn’t risk it. ❝ am i only limited to those two options or i could choose from your other masterpieces as well? ❞