“I have a suggestion for you.”
Hitomi Shimo did it again - amongst others. Her works are SO freaking awesome, I love it more and more and I’m so indescribably glad someone cares about own characters and not the usual ones. She does such great things. Here she cretaed a scene between Samuel and Jace who’s acting like the cunning charismatic snake he is.
This picture perfectly fits to the scene from chapter 35 of my fanfiction on AO3: “Kalahira’s Depths and Spider’s Web”. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/25884322/chapters/74158203)
Here’s the written scene:
Jace sat on a sofa in the most secluded corner of the club, smoking an e-cigar as usual. As usual, he was wearing a rather provocative outfit with tight-fitting trousers that sat very low on his hips and a belly top, plus heaps of necklaces and bracelets. He was able to hide all this by closing his black coat, which hung loosely around his shoulder. To his left and right sat a female turian and an asari, probably serving as pretty decorations.
"Glad you came here." He greeted him. "Want something to drink?"
"No, thanks." Samuel declined. "What's important?"
"You never relax unless you're forced to, huh? Sit down."
He eyed the other man with a suggestive smile behind his mandibles.
Samuel made no reply to this. He glanced at the turian's two companions and learned that the asari's name was Amunis Januve and the turian's name was Taia Alerian, names of people he had stored away for the time being but would quickly forget again if they were not part of a mission sometime, somewhere.
The asari had recently looked him up and down and seemed more than taken with him. He was used to these looks, he knew that he had a strong attraction for some people and the three in front of him were no exception, Jace included. He didn't necessarily want to be able to read Jace's mind, though.
"Wouldn't you like to introduce us to your friend?" The asari chirped, smiling at Samuel.
"Oh, of course, this exceptionally handsome human is Samuel Wolfsbane, a very capable fighter, well versed with the blade and exceedingly ...agile and flexible."
Jace's voice rang out at Samuel's introduction in a way that seemed to emphasise other qualities of the adept. Samuel's expression remained that of a mask, although in his innermost being he shuddered and would have liked to leave the club.
The asari smiled and looked at Samuel as she spoke to Jace.
"Mhmm, sounds like you've gotten to know each other better."
"What do humans say? A gentleman never tells." Jace replied, taking a drag on his e-cigar.
Sullenly, Samuel looked at Jace and snorted: "get to the point.”
Stupid wording as he noticed too late, Jace was only too happy to reinterpret it.
"Mmm, right here? And so publicly?" He grinned dirtily, then grew more serious when he saw that Samuel looked anything but amused. "Alright ladies, dismissed, there's business to do."
When Amunis snorted, he put her off until later.
"You have me all to yourself tonight, my sweet." He purred.
"If your friend wants to come, he's welcome to." Amunis smiled.
“If one makes him come then it’s me.” Jace chuckled
And triggered a desire in Samuel to shove the e-cigar down the turian's throat and let him choke on it. Instead he ran his hand through his white hair out of habit after the women had left and sighed softly. He often did that when he was stressed or annoyed. Jace sipped a drink that was probably something like turian coffee.
"You should be used to it by now. Pretty much everyone who's into humans and men wants to score with you. I’m no exception, as you know." Jace smirked. "You could really make a lot of money with your looks, should think about it sometime."
"Is that why you called me in, is that the business part?"
Samuel leaned back and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Oh, no, that was just one of my many thoughts and ideas I get when I see you." He teased.
Yes, Jace was turian, but he acted like a typical human runner from Seattle as far as that was concerned. He set the cup down on the table and struck a more businesslike tone.
"I heard you were suspended."
Samuel was surprised - and not in a good way - to hear that from Jace who continued speaking.
"My first information was that the Nexus has started an investigation against you because they doubt your...authenticity."
Samuel returned the other's inquiring gaze with coolness, but there was suspicion in his voice as he asked:
"First, how do you know that, second, what kind of investigations?"
He knew what kind of investigation Jace was speaking of but the turian didn’t need to know that he knew.
"First, I usually know everything, second, investigation regarding your … shady past, they're working on clearing it up, at least that was my first stand."
"Where do they get off doing that?"
"A leak, someone slipped them any informations, routine screening. Could be all sorts of reasons." Jace shrugged.
He took a quick look around, then made a gesture to Samuel to sit down next to him. The latter hesitated, but then rose and settled down beside him. This way they could talk more quietly and it gave Jace the opportunity to put his arm on the sofa and slowly place it around the elf's shoulders as he spoke.
"Listen, Wolfsbane. I know that you once used to be a shadowrunner back in the UCAS and Asia. And if I know that, it won't be long before the righteous people assigned to this investigation figure that out, too."
Samuel stiffened, lowered his gaze. Jace’s voice became softer, alluring, while he put his arm around the elf.
"You don't have to pretend to me. You know Varius and I are ex-Eclipse. We're sort of...not so different."
He studied Samuel who was staring at the mug, its black contents steaming away on the table.
He didn't like where this conversation was going right now, he absolutely didn’t. That was why Jace had called him in? To tell him that he knew he was a former criminal? What else might he know? And above all: how would he have known all that? And for what did he tell him this?
Obviously, Jace had already looked at his cards before Samuel had even been able to lay them out. That did not make the turian any more trustworthy. Samuel felt caught. He closed his eyes for a moment, suppressed a sigh, breathed in softly and out again. His voice sounded calm as he spoke.
“And..you are telling me this because you want to blackmail me?” He stared at the other.
“No though this might be a good idea.” Jace mused.
“It would be your last.” Samuel said unmoved.
“Aaww, you’re always threatening me, and I’m such a nice guy.”
Samuel wasn’t in the mood for silly things, he let his gaze run through the room. The Vortex was hardly crowded at that time of day.
"If they find out I'm a former runner..." he was interrupted by Jace.
"They won't, handsome." The turian grinned.
"Why? How?" Samuel asked in a confused-annoyed way.
"Because your data, your CV, your alibi, so to speak, is watertight. Your decker did a good job, actually, he did an excellent job of cleaning and yet he was sloppy, left a few anomalies for the Nexus’ dataslave to track, but I've, shall we say, sanitised the whole thing. The spider won't find anything any more." Said Jace.
The Spider. He didn't mean himself, spider was a term for a corporate security hacker or rigger, dataslave was the same though in an insulting way.
Of course, since the Nexus was something of a high or highest end facility, it had one or even more paid computer geniuses who looked after the security of the station and jumped around in the matrix. These guys were about as much fun to mess with as a bunch of angry krogans.
Samuel had once overheard Jake tell of a decker friend of his who had gotten into a cybercombat with an Azzie spider and got barbecued. Literally. The biofeedback had been so violent that his brain was nothing but some piece of coal. Nobody messed with a highly modified decker who know their way around when jacked in unless they were at least that powerful.
But, wait – what did Jace say? ’Your decker did a good job’ and he remembered how Jake had said he would need ‘a little help from a friend’. So that meant..
"You are Goodwin’s acquaintance? So you are also a decker? What else, a Hideth Turram master player?" Samuel asked, puzzled.
"Oh, you know Hideth Turram? Charming.” Jace grinned. “Certainly Vary told you of that game, he loves to chat about sports and things after good sex.”
Samuel gritted his teeth, he should have shut the hell up. Jace went on speaking.
“I am a Shadow Broker, probably the Shadow Broker, your first address as a fixer by the way, as far as I know fixers back in Seattle were called Johnsons, right? I’m your Johnson. I have a great many contacts and a great, great many favours open. And I know more than your wonderful Alliance will ever know. When the Alliance, the Network, learns something, I know it long before. I also knew about Poison and I could have given you coordinates of important drug labs."
Samuel now turned directly to Jace and glared at him.
"Andn why didn't you say anything then?!"
Jace remained completely relaxed on his sofa, casually taking a drag on his e-cigar before giving his answer first.
"You didn't ask."
Samuel bristled and said flummoxed: "Touché."
"And asking me costs. Even you, handsome." Jace added.
"Nothing is free in the shadows. You've been something of a shadowrunner, too."
"Mmm." Jace nodded slowly. "I moved up pretty quickly from just being a lowlife runner who carried out orders to being a go-between for orders."
Samuel wanted to lean back when he felt Jace’s arm who eyed the white-haired man and, trying to resist to reach into and pet him. These feline purring creatures liked that a lot, Jace knew, Wolfsbane, however, would probably break his arm at worst. Well, he would tame this dangerous white kitty one way or the other he was sure.
"That means they won't find anything?" Samuel asked carefully.
"Not a single data anomaly." Jace replied, describing in a chatty tone: "you've had a perfect little military career, you were a little cop on the Citadel, got attention because you were so talented, became bodyguard of the emissary - from that point on the data is actually correct."
Samuel had to digest those informations. He puffed out his cheeks, formed his mouth into a "u" and exhaled, yet leaned back and ran a hand through his white hair again, trying to sort out his thoughts and ignored Jace's physical closeness for the moment.
When he looked at him, he found that he was already watching him and it seemed as if he was waiting for something and Samuel guessed that it was a very specific question.
"What an exceedingly noble act on your part." He said.
"So am I." The turian cooed.
"You mentioned a lot of favours. You probably had to call in a few for that action."
Jace raised his horn eyebrows briefly in response and took another drag on his e-cigar. Samuel's voice darkened slightly as he asked with a sceptical tone:
"Why did you help me? You could have asked me instead of presenting me with a fait accompli."
"Would you have agreed that I help you?" Jace asked.
"Maybe." Samuel replied. "But probably not."
"So. You still don’t trust me?" Jace tilted his head slightly.
"To be honest, no. And that hasn't exactly made it any better."
"What? I'm outraged." Jace didn't sound the least bit outraged.
"Anyway." Samuel sighed softly. "How much is this going to cost me?"
"You're finally asking the right question." Jace smiled. "I usually charge credits for my services, a lot of credits."
"How much?" Samuel wanted to know.
"We are talking about amounts in the six figures, I don't think you have that much, unless you were to sell the Phoenix, however, as far as I know, you don't own it."
Samuel paled a little. Perhaps he would have paid back this amount in the next ten or twenty years.
"I didn't pay all myself, of course, redeemed a few favours from important people - you will probably meet some of them soon. Here we come to the part that should be more realistic for you in terms of repayment."
Samuel tensed, anticipating what was about to follow.
"I am your Johnson. And you will carry out missions that I pass on. The usual runner business." Jace announced.
"I'm not a runner any more, Jace!" Samuel said firmly. "I have turned my back on the shadows, I no longer work illegally."
"And you now have a huge mountain of debt to work off." Jace remarked.
Samuel glared at the turian. "This wasn't planned. Jake could have done it without any trouble.”
"Jake came within a hair of messing with the Nexus Spider, Wolfsbane. I saved him from lying in his chair with his brain scorched and his tongue bitten off. As for you, I saved you from being sent to prison and, at best, exile.” Jace replied.
Samuel narrowed his eyes. “You interfered without being asked, calculating that I would have no other choice, what a dick move..."
Jace, holding Samuel tight now, came so close to his that he could feel the turian's breath on his face.
“I think it's better that you owe me and work it off than possibly be stuck in a jail on an asteroid where guys would tear you apart! You may be dangerous, but even you wouldn't stand a chance, Wolfsbane, you would be nothing but a meretri, but..maybe you’d like getting fucked by hundreds of bastards night and day. Hm, yeah, probably you would after they stuffed you with drugs.”
Samuel gritted his teeth, before he could react Jace spoke on.
“Or, with any luck they would sell you to someone who has use of your body or your assassination skills. If that's what you want, then go to Tann and tell him the truth. He won't give a shit, I guarantee you. Tann and all those hypocritical licisin that are with him, have nothing but the good reputation of the Initiative in mind to strengthen their bond with the angara and gain more and more power on the field. At any price. I will be happy to send you more information on this matter when I have the opportunity. You would be shocked.”
Samuel remained silent. He had withstood Jace's gaze until now, now he looked at the floor while the thoughts and his heart leaped around.
He wasn’t sure what to do with those informations, whether he should be shocked that he might have to go back into the shadows, or whether Tann & Co might have been involved in dark dealings. Jace's hand gripping the back of his neck with gentle force was therefore almost like a spark in a gas-filled room. He looked up at him again, stony his expression.
"I am not your enemy, Wolfsbane."
Jace purred honeyed, looking at the elf's kissable lips.
"And don't worry, I'll see to it that I only slip you the high-profile assignments."
Samuel's expression remained motionless, the look in the diamond eyes cold and steady. Seemed he had no choice – yet again.
"No wet work, no kidnappings, blackmail or anything like that, understand?" He said sotto voce.
"Actually, you're in no position to make demands, handsome." Jace's smoky voice became even more flirty.
His glowing eyes, sometimes scorching yellow, sometimes bilious green, wandered up and down the other man's body with increasing frequency and the way he looked at Samuel left little doubt that he wouldn't mind going somewhere quiet for a while to have a little fun. Samuel fought the urge to jump up and run, he was so tense he was struggling not to show it.
It didn’t get any better when Jace stroke his jawline with one finger, on the contrary. Samuel swallowed nervously and felt transfixed by the moment. Jace on the other hand seemed to enjoy.
“Shall I tell you a secret?” He whispered playfully.
“What secret?” Samuel asked as calm as possible.
He felt that his throat was dry and constricted. Jace drew him closer with a finger.
"Poison's gift, finest wetware, hot sigmaware, a cranial cyberdeck – I know our friend Micta doesn’t posses that but wants it, you might want to go and fetch it soon.”
“How’d you...mh, nevermind.” Samuel mumbled. “Thank you.”
“Would normally had cost you a blowjob.” Jace grinned salaciously.
"I assume we are finish here, accordingly I will go back to the Phoenix and mind my own business. You have my contact details." Samuel frowned.
He broke away from Jace, who accepted this with regret and let him.
"Did your beloved drell master order you to be so good and chaste, huh?" He asked sharp-tongued. "I hope Vary can convince you a little better. Give him my regards."
Samuel shook his head. Let's get out of here.
He left the Vortex in silence, feeling so sick to his stomach.
Here’s Hitomi’s devianart page: https://www.deviantart.com/hitomishimo
