♡

Aramonta would have felt more inclined to stay home if the curfew had never been implemented. The people she often employed to withstand her pain transference had an easier time visiting her when the overseers weren’t on such high alert and on a night like this, she needed more of her staff. If only she hadn’t caused a handful of them to pass out so quickly. She let out an exasperated sigh as she stepped over a body. “Walter, see to it that you move them off the floor, and make them comfortable before the chef arrives in the morning. I refuse to sit in another meeting with my mother about pain management and manners.” She grabbed her coat and without waiting for a proper response, she headed out the door. 

there were reasons why she felt like she was favorite of the gods. aramonta contacting her was a heaven sent. she needed to be numb. mindless, a shell of herself so she could reset. she no longer felt like a goddess...merely a human plebian with human problems, she didn't have those. and aramonta knew how to get her back to that point. so much so that as soon as she messaged her she'd slipped out of bed to put something pretty together. instead of opting for her usual negligee, she found a skin fitting long sleeve top and matching boy-shorts, letting her body show in a different kind of way. her little socks slipped into nude pumps and grabbed one of her trenches before heading out the door.

the journey to club was beyond her mind, soon enough she was strutting into the empty building, letting her hair out of her clip and allowing the new blowout fall past her shoulders. heels clicking through the door she wasted no time untying the jacket, letting it slip off her shoulders. combing her fingers through her hair she made her way over and took a seat, a vacant look already threatening her eye.

"good to see you again."

The atmosphere was somber, punctuated with a brisk breeze signaling the coming of autumn. People wanted answers and Santi was here to give them one. On a rather simple stage with just a mic stand, Santi addressed the crowd of reporters and citizens of New Jakarta about their concerns regarding the Nemesis heists. “I, Santi Amarin-Zhao, on behalf of X Academy, remain committed to making New Jakarta bett—” A sharp breeze cut through the air, but he barely registered it. It wasn’t until a scream rang out from the crowd that he noticed something was wrong. His hand drifted to his chest, feeling something wet. He looked down. Red. Blood. His blood. He blinked, finally realizing he'd been targeted.

her stride was slow, her breathing was even, only slightly labored, on purpose. she wanted to seem like she was rushing, give her a reason to be moving through the crowd while everyone had already gathered. she moved her head from side to side, brown strands jostling beneath the cute beret that was perched atop her head. she had to seem like she was looking for someone, finding a good spot, but actively listening as he began speaking. it had to be normal, emotions aside, she had to act normal.

she finally slowed when she gathered she'd had a good space. eyes narrowing as she shed everything she was feeling, tearing it off her flesh like contaminated skin until nothing remained but skill...and bloodlust. she squeezed the small pistol in her grip. the silencer extensive, visibly intricately rigged with tech to keep it quiet. no sound. can't afford sound. quick throw. fast. hard enough to cut through the air. fast enough to get deep enough. one. target hit. two. three. too fast to react. your turn. scream. it shot through her brain, bouncing from wall to wall, making stops faster than even her old country's bullet trains could even handle. her hands moved faster than her thoughts. it had to be muscle memory. even more so as flashes of her family's screams added to the chaos, mayhaps it wasn't just her own that escaped her lungs. hands shaky on her throw

her lungs burned from the scream, but she'd sent everyone into the designated panic, joining with no further inhibitions. her target had been hit, anything after that had nothing to do with her. like clock work a man helped usher her along, the pretty girl had to get out of the wreckage.

Santi settled into the velvet couch of a private booth at Nexos, the relentless bass thumping through the walls providing the perfect cover for his restless thoughts. This place was a sanctuary of sorts, where the noise allowed him the rare luxury of sleep without the fear of being overheard.

His eyes flicked to Setsuki as she entered; her presence was a requirement of his. He always insisted she be the one to wait on him—not for the service, but because his paranoia demanded it. Suki was discreet, and discretion was everything to him here. “Thanks for covering me again tonight, Suki,” he said, his voice laced with exhaustion but still polite. He then transferred a large sum of credits from his datapad to hers. “There—that should cover any potential clients you lost because of me, with extra. If you need more, just let Apollo know.” He stifled a yawn. “Sorry. I’m going to crash now. Wake me if something happens.”

Santi sank back into the couch, sleep overtaking him quickly. Within minutes, he was muttering in his sleep, the words slipping out in soft, fractured whispers. “...Kenji was getting too reckless... liability... Father said it had to be done...” The club’s noise almost swallowed the words, but the weight of old sins lingered in the air.

and without protest, namely because she rather apollo didn't slit her throat, she strolled through nexus back to the private den. her specialized rooms had three levels, and his was of the v.i.p variety. so he got to sit in a beautifully decorated suite, fit for the enchantress princess she was, melting into the mauve velvet cushions. the floral lingerie set was shamelessly covered by a the sheer robe that draped behind her, flowing elegantly as if she too paid it for it's services tonight.

bending down slightly, she balanced the tray of his signature drinks various ingredients, ready for her to prepare for his viewing pleasure. except, santi never actually viewed anything, and half the time she was simply guarding him as he ruminated in his mind or did just as he seemed to be doing, drifting to sleep. her lips parted softly as her eyes flashed, system alerting her to the deposit of credits to her account. her pupils showed her the new balance remaining before disappearing from her field of vision.

"anything for you." she purred with a sweet smile. "and i don't think those clients are as worth it if they don't pay out as much as you do." satsuki lied, stretching herself along the couches arm.

"mhmm," she agreed, "will do."

lightly, she bounced her heeled foot, letting the minutes tick by as she occasionally looked to the door. she was bouncing between staring at herself in the wall of mirrors, drinking and tapping through her phone. rolling her eyes, annoyed, that she had to also go through insidious sleep talking, satsuki repositioned herself to lay along her stomach on the heart shaped bed, body not dwindled to just a silhouette through the sheer pink curtains.

she was about to tune it out when she heard the familiar name on his lips. her chest tightened, bringing a slew of flash backs to her memory. she relived her torture, her own screams echoing in her brain as faux pain shot over her robotic limbs. the mechanism now connected to her brain stem had began to beep, warning her against rising pressure levels in her blood. aside from referring to her she'd hardly heard her father's name, and to hear it from his lips, made her blood run cold. she had half a mind to wake him, spring bullets of question after question at his chest until he bled all over the floor between them, gasping for air as his heart pulsed streams of red liquid over her negligée and skin. but training overrode her emotions, needing to hear more, hoping he'd spit more secrets at their feet.

They took their handheld out and looked up the name, showing it to the attempted trespasser, who was now close enough that she could see the screen. "I will call him, I am certain that if he's as drunk as you say, he'll gladly supply a car quickly." Their facial expression turned clouded. "I fear none of that will work on me," they warned. "You'll have to come up with something better." they dared her.

satsuki didn't even glance at it. only wished she said a name like zakir's who she knew at the very least would play along. now she was banking on the politician to actually be as drunk as he usually was at that time of day and conviently forget that he hadn't ordered her for the night.

"you're taking your job too fucking seriously, dude." she didn't spit the words but there was venom laced in it, meant to make him feel small for his crime of simply doing as he was told. it bore into her more that she wasn't being seen as someone deserving of an exception. "oh for fucks sake." suki raised her hand in faux defeat before crossing her arms over her chest. "get to it then so i can go about my day and you can continuing being a pain in the ass to the others waiting."

He took a deep breath. "I can call the venue to flag us through the checkpoint, I am sure they have skin in the game to," he said, gently, not disagreeing with Suki handling it, but not wanting to give her the ok-go either. Not because he didn't trust her, but because he wanted her to stick close. If anything went south, it would be much better if she was there.

It might've gone faster if they'd been walking.

At least that line seemed to be moving.

"This is taking way too long," he decided, as he looked out of the window. "Maybe they did find something." Though he already had his phone out.

zakir finally being able to ease off the break stopped the insatious tap of her stiletto as they sat there, releasing some of the tension.

"i agree, and frankly it's freaking me out...and i never get freaked out." suki stated eyes clocking as zakir pulled his phone to view. the venue had better do it fast, they couldn't afford to be held up there, and she doubted they'd inch any further by the time he could get them on the line. "tell them i'm with you," she purred, hoping that him having a lady present and waiting would light a fire under their asses for his arrival.

"Would it be beyond reason for you to disclose the specifics of this detour so I may accurately recalibrate my current directive?" they articulated, their voice modulating with a carefully engineered inflection that suggested a faint trace of exasperation—an uncommon occurrence for their kind. A subtle grimace seemed to momentarily disrupt the seamless operation of their synthetic musculature, hinting at the artificial nature of their expression. As they processed No0285's demeanor, their interfacing algorithms failed to extract meaningful data or derive actionable insights, rendering their analysis inconclusive.

"I must clarify that a substantial amount of compressed gravitational force would be necessary to dismantle my structural components in such a manner, including bolts. Should such an event transpire, my current mission objective would be rendered unattainable—a contingency I am expressly programmed to prevent."

Belial had also adapted to the newly assigned moniker, "Billy Baby," with a calculated display of indifference, although the gentle curve of a smirk replaces the earlier grimace. "I recognize that an escort may not be required given your demonstrated proficiency in defensive tactics. Nevertheless, I am compelled to ensure your secure arrival at your predetermined destination."

She finds it necessary to remind them, "Your livelihood is paramount."

setsuki pointed her brown orbs towards the sky before smacking her lips, reluctantly. "i suppose." she said simply. looking at their surroundings for a moment, she went to find the words. engrained in her assassin nature, all the information, but none at all. though she spoke in japanese so that the average onlooker couldn't completely grasp their conversation. "i was asked to gather a bit of information on some stuff that's gone down. it'll be quick, simple conversation, you'll be there for cover, in and out and then we...go to work. understand?" she spoke as if she was giving stern orders rather than simply letting belail in on the plan.

she couldn't keep her laugh to herself as the android sputtered on about their actual bolts rather than a simple idiom. "oh jeez, you're so literally baby, it's a saying, i just....modified it to fit who you were." her arm looped into the bot's without consent pulling them closely.

"you're sweet to me, baby, really. but it'll be fine. just a smaaaaaaaall, teeeeeeeny, tiiiiiiiiiiny mission change. just for me okay?"

"Who is your client? I'll make sure they arrange a private driver for you, because anyone out on the street in five by themselves is going to deal with a lot of trouble. The BOARD has its camera's on," they warned her.

she had to search through her mental rolodex for an upper echelon client's name. politian's usually did the trick and when she landed on the golden ticket, a pretty smile pushed her lips, "abdulal vachkti," suki rolled out in a sickly sweet tone. "but honestly, calling him while he's in his drunken state is just going to lead you to frustration and letting me in anyways. why not cut past all the yellow tape. or..." she paused stepping closer into his space, "maybe i can help you with something? i can handle trouble."

To him, language was the most complicated form of art.

Violence on the other hand, was a very simple one.

And one he stayed far away from if he could. Luckily Suki was there to act as his shield.

"I do hope we will be there on time, the streets look so much busier when nobody is taking the metro."

sure he was poised with a slick speech, but it was satsuki who was the blood and gore of their pairing. where he was diplomatic, she was his rabid guard dog, chain wrapped tightly around his hand until he needed to release her. even now she could feel the imaginary collar, tight against her raising pressure but loose in his grip.

"if it has anything to do with this checkpoint darling, we might have to go ahead and give the venue a call. you handle that and i handle the checkpoint? deal?" her tone was sensual, as if she was trying to seduce him into having her way. even the delicate touch of her fingers graced his arm, trailing a long, pointed nail across his umber skin.

where: nexos nightclub

levi was very familiar with the nightlife in new jakarta, it was one of her only escapes. when she went out for the night she could forget about her job, her brother, her issues in life. alcohol didn't have the same affect on her that it did to humans, but it still provided her with a fun time. plus, if she went out to a club she could meet people that didn't immediately associate her with being an overseer. she could leave everything behind, just for a little while.

in her experience at the nightclubs, she had flirted with a number of people, regardless of whether they were human, android, or cyborg. that part didn't matter to her, she was only interested in what they could offer her. she was looking for someone that could give her a good time and more often than not, she got what she was looking for. part of her programming was seduction, making people more inclined to like her. it was almost like second nature when she was out at the club.

after dancing for a little while and having a couple drinks, levi decides to look around and see who she's going to set her sights on for the night. there's good attendance at nexos tonight, the club being more packed than usual. but, she quickly notices that someone she's flirted with before is here. she casually makes her way over to where suki is.

"hey gorgeous, come here often?" she drawls, tossing one of her arms over the other's shoulders. "i feel like i haven't seen you in forever, baby. where have you been?"

tonight mirrored the ladder. setsuki swayed her body to the chopped r&b mix, smoke hazing through space as she danced under alternating blue light. the men closest to her section hooped and hollered, whistling and cat-calling at her even as they threw their arms around other servers and dancers. she arched her back, falling gracefully backward to the floor before the rest of her body followed, the flowing wine red fabric that hung from her outfit floated around her. for a moment she just disappeared into her mind, rolling over to her stomach and pushing her backside into the air.

the set ended soon after, allowing suki to slip from her little stage, walking barefoot around the club in her custom piece, allowing the patrons that hadn't caught her show to gawk just as well, power surging through her from their gazes. not the one to drink on the job, she requested a sparkling water from the tender, pulled from her wandering thoughts by the warmth of skin over her bare shoulders.

the low raspy yet feminine tone was easily recognizable, levi's drawl smooth and hot in her ear beneath the music like a thick whiskey. "often enough for them to pay me," she replied, a smile playing at her lips. "seems to me that you've stopped coming to visit me." suki quipped back teasingly.

While a good number of Overseers were on the hunt for the thieves, another chunk was overseeing the chaos at the races, and yet another was informing the public of the curfew and the work around for the metro, Mentari was running intel. They had little to show for, and plenty of possibilities exhausted. The Skeleton Crew ran a tight ship on this one. 

It made sense, their alliance wasn’t with any of the other organisations, they would deal with their own networks rather than attempt to complicate things for themselves. 

“Sora closes in five,” he told the citizens eager to enter the city. “I suggest you book a hotel in Mawar or dial a private driver.”

the skimpy outfit she'd worn for their meet up would fair as the day kept on, but as the sun set she was on the verge of being a little chilly. and as she checked her phone, late as well.

in true, satsuki, fashion, she threw on a sensual smile, stepping forward as she titled her head at the enforcer. "can you just let me though? i have an important....client, waiting on me." her tone was salacious as if she was trying to seduce the man right there.

Not having heard a mention of the Golden Tears in the UNN news item, Zakir figured it would be safe enough for him to move from his home in the Mawar District to his next show. Safe most certainly, but definitely not easy. He wasn't some award winning rapper with a crew at his disposal, with a car that he could simply hop into that would take him to his destination.

He was reliant on the Mawar Underground. And so far, aside from the usual delays, he hadn't yet experienced any big disruptions.

But now everything was checked continuously by the Overseers, and even a few blocks seemed to be a minefield. He sighed as he hit the next road block, cursing in Hindi as he sought a way through. "As if the thieves wouldn't already be safely hauled up somewhere," he commented, crossing his arms. He was going to be late.

but the addition of a nation wide news outlet causing some simmering panic which led to the overflow of overseers, and suki's growing anxiety. the drive was seemingly uneventful until they were graced with another blockade of lights and uniforms.

leaning back in her seat she crossed slender leg over the other, her own sigh mirroring her faux date as she let her arms rest over her chest. the all black outfit was practically painted on her body, the ruffles around the breast area accentuated the corset that was zipped up her front. one of her black platforms bounced in anticipation, hoping they'd run through this smoothly.

"they obviously don't know how things actually go," she rolled her pretty eyes, "annoying."

There were individuals within Sora who perceived themselves as transcending the constraints of regulations, rules, and laws—individuals whose considerable power enabled them to flout conventions while still finding solace within their exclusive circles and networks. Belial, however, was not among this privileged echelon. Instead of choosing their path, they were duty-bound, or rather, willed to fulfill their obligations. Regardless of how trivial or ostentatious the "let them eat cake" propaganda of their existence might seem, Belial remained steadfast in their role as protector.

Even if an intrinsic component of their synthetic nature prompted them to question their authorities, they would not act upon it. Such inquiries were not within their programming. Instead, they adhered to their directives with unwavering compliance, enduring any associated grievances with a stoic demeanor. Their responsibilities for the day encompassed the protection of a nightclub employee—a dancer identified as Little Kenji, according to their orders.

"We are proceeding directly to the club, are we not?" Belial inquired with a mechanical precision, their tone betraying a subtle undercurrent of formality. Deviating from the prescribed course would entail more complications than they had anticipated. "I must also remind you that certain individuals are adhering to the curfew regulations. We should try to remain elusive."

in truth while they would be heading for suki's shift in just a little bit, she had other more pertinent business to handle...seeing a little man about a horse, before she could click her way into nexus on designer heels.

when things like this happened, even if it wasn't often, the golden tears often had a lot riding on their most skilled. it was time to get dirty, fuck the nitty and the gritty it was full on grime and she had information she needed to gather. over her shoulder went tawny strands, the shine to them moving as her hair did, showing off it's health before she finally gave the android her undivided attention, no longer captivated by her own beauty.

"we are," satsuki told belial simply, her accent thick over her words. "but just not right now....need you for a little detour." her head tilted to the side almost as if a dog was begging to understand their command, "don't get your bolts in a twist, billy-baby, we'll go straight there after."

there was a sickly sweetness to the way she coaxed out their name, the smile on her gleaming red lips was sinister and alluring, meant to be guiltless and bewitching at the same time