Faction Bad Santa - Darkwire lifeday thread

[Darkwire Scion]

DARKWIRE SCION

'Twas the night before life day
When all through the house
Shadowrunners were stirring
So lock up your mouse...

So its a lock down is it? We'll see about that? In the wake of the terrorist attack in Seven Corners, and the subsequent accostment of the pin-up girl of the Jedi order, the eyes of the authorities are squarely fixed on the poor and abused discretes in their homes. But this has not been without it consequences, vast amounts of manpower has been shifted away from more affluent and theoretically more stable areas of Denon in order to try and patrol the three dimensional maze of tunnels and other structures that make up the city.

This is where the idea for the official Darkwire lifeday celebration has come in. We can't party in our homes? Let's party in theirs…

The large and affluent manors of the Denon elite are now relatively unguarded by official forces, and many of them remain empty of their occupants most of the year, serving as temporary bolt holes for the corpos or purely as places to sequester wealth.

Well tonight, we will leave them wondering, if we are watching their homes? Who is watching ours.

The objective has been left deliberately vague to give them the added headache of wondering what we are trying to achieve. A dozen private residences and official office complexes have been selected from visits by bad Santa. Shadowrunners can go alone, or they can pair up and attack their target. The objective is to break in, then use your imagination. Maybe you want to empty their security boxes of cash and steal their brand new Ferrari Repulsorossa? Maybe slicing is your thing and all of their highly classified documents are now in your possession? Or perhaps you simply want to cause chaos and leave reminders that you came. Have fun, it's lifeday after all.

OOC information​

This is basically a party over multiple locations, each single runner or pair will have a a floorplan or residence to target*. The pairs can go as a team or even arrive independently without the other knowing IC as friendly competition.

*I decided against actually handing out floorplans as I couldn't find ones I like, but our imaginations are better than drawing picked for you. I have added a few pictures for inspiration.

Spoiler: corpo mansions

It will also make up a dice game for some super super prizes* to be awarded at the end. The game will take place over 4 posts and at the end of your first, second and third posts, roll a d6 on the board and consult the table. The result should effect the RP in your next post. So if you roll a 1 at the end of your first post (probably entering the building, in your second post you should RP something bad happening.

1-2 something negative or some other obstacle
3-4 pick what tickles your muse
5-6 something good or otherwise beneficial

At the end of post 4, which should be your exit post unless you and your writing buddy want to continue, do not roll a dice. So everyone should have 3d6 rolled for their final score.

*prizes tbc… they might be rubbish

 

[Hex]

Tag: Daiya
Location: Mansion of Doctor Renaulta, cosmetic surgeon to the stars
Objective: Bad Santa

Spoiler: Equipment

• Guarderma HE suit metallic pink hex pattern with mag boots
• Swimwear under clothes
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 1 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex was on her dancer board, flashing along a long elevated drainage channel leading from Seven Corners out towards the more wealthy parts of Denon. Wrapped around her waist were the skinny arms of her best friend and willing partner in crime for this escapade, Daiya . Hex had been looking forward to this, getting to spend some time in a nicely equipped mansion with her friend and generally just doing something a bit different.

The drainage channel was a nice long and relatively casual run, with hex gently skimming the surface at high speed but otherwise staying in a straight line. Until now, the next part was going to be fun, to avoid the corpsec blockade at the edge of the district she was going to have to drop into the lower levels via a vertical drainage shaft. "Hold onto your lunch!..." she shouted over her shoulder at Daiya, then glanced at the hole in the channel about 10 metres wide with water cascading down from both side.

'...She's going to be sick all over you...'
"Oh hush you"

Her voice may have been lost in the wind, but moments later the pair would drop dozens of metres in a few seconds, spinning down around the sides of the shaft like a bathtub that was draining into the sewer. And then there was darkness.

The rest of the run woukd take them along the lower sewers, clear across the underside of district six then out into what looked like artifical countryside with trees and grass growing on man-made grounds. One could instantly believe they had been transported to nother world with the perfectly manicured grounds designed specifically to keep the real denon out of the minds of the residents. Low rolling grounds gave way to a small lake and in the distance, Hex could see their target. The compound belonging to Dr. Renaulta, a very expensive and highly regarded cosmetic surgeon, the sort a celebrity might have on speed dial just in case time dared to rear its head and age them like a normal creature. Rumour had it, he had very tropical tastes and an exotic pool awaited the pair.

Hex had one last suprise for the blonde who was currently being beaten by the long braids that followed the teen's every move. "Security perimeter ahead, remember that amulet I stole, want to see what it does?" she didn't wait for a response, she visualised where she wanted to go, into the garden of the mansion, clear past the security perimeter leaving only the building security between them and their nights entertainment.

A glowing portal opened around eight metres to their right, Hex looked at it and pulled them both into a tight right turn close to the surface of the lake, kicking up spray as she went. A few seconds later the two girls vanished onto the portal.

 

[Hex]

Forgot Hex's roll

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Location: Corpo Vacation Home
Running: Solo
​

From her spot on the perimeter of the property, Ruby peered through the hedges and let out a low whistle. This definitely wasn't the kind of place a Corpo would call home on a permanent basis, but she had to admit it was still pretty nice. It was tucked away from the hustle and bustle, a little secluded spot to escape. And that would make it an easy target.

This time of year, the rich were probably flying off to balmy tropical worlds, not sticking around on Denon.

Heck, she wouldn't stick around, either... if she had any choice in the matter.

Ruby took another glance down at the floor plan displayed on her datapad. It seemed straightforward enough. She wasn't really sure what she was going to find here, but hopefully something worthwhile. She wanted to get Brie Jaxx something nice for Life Day, but her pockets were a bit too empty for that. Still, maaaaybe she'd be able to pick out something for her little sister here. She deserved it -- and the Corpos did, too. If that made sense.

With everything that'd happened recently, Ruby hoped this was going to be a breeze...

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Location: Corpo Mansion, picked from a list of potential gold mines.
Objective: Bad Santa

​

So, it seemed like none of her friends had any scruples breaking in at peoples homes just in time for Life Day. Sure, they were Corpos and they almost got a lot of them killed or put behind bars recently. Somehow though, it became more clear to Brie that they were also families, the closer she got to her designated mansion. Brie didn't want to be less than everyone else, of course, and the convincing skills of her bestie Daiya were as usual too good for her own wellbeing. Brie had done something similar to this once before, when infiltrating that party on Frego, but now she weren't supposed to be seen. That was something she could do, but breaking into peoples homes and taking things of high value weren't exactly like walking around on a scrapyard collecting thrown away stuff.

Even though her bestie constantly put her through a lot, Brie wanted to give her something nice and pretty for Life Day. Not to mention her big sister Ruby Jaxx , who deserved something special for all those Life Days that they had lost while being separated from eachother. And Cassus Akovin ... Stars and nebulas! What would a dangerous... assertive... and... handsome bounty hunter like him like? Who knows, she might even find something nice to give to Hex and Cartri Keswoll . Good thing she brought her backpack with her! Brie had one rule though; no stealing from kids. Their presents were off limits. They couldn't be help being born into a Corpo family.

 

[Daiya]

The rush of air whipped by the teen's head, tugging at her body and hair. Her pink curls, loosened from her fastidious hair tie, flew freely behind her. If she could, Daiya would have let her arms fly behind her, too. They were busy gripping the older girl in front of her as Hex flew the hoverboard toward their target tonight. She barely had a moment to think of tightening her grip as her friend shouted a warning, and they dropped.

Daiya screamed, her stomach jumping straight into her throat and lurching out toward freedom. She couldn't catch it, or coax it back in, the teen could barely do much more than hold on for dear life as they plummeted into the darkness of the drainage shaft. At any moment, Daiya was convinced, they would crash into the murky, gross wastewater and die a disgusting death by drowning. The emotion tugged at her heart and stomach as she tightened her grip even more, only holding together by the force of sheer determination that this prediction would not come true.

"Feth it, Hex!" Daiya panted, wiping her brow of the glistening moisture already forming there onto the poor sponge of a leather sleeve. It wasn't from the drainage pipe, she could feel the dampness beneath her arms and starting on her neck as well. It was hard to convince her body that she was back on solid footing again, it continued to believe she was still moving forward, and the teen lurched for a few more steps. She walked with her hands in front of her, in case she fell and to bat away the whipping motion of Hex's braids, that by the time the teen could see the view in front of them she could barely enjoy it. "Please don't ever do that again!"

The Corpo's estate looks idyllic, even to her unaided eyes. Leaving most of her equipment behind, the young shadowrunner had reluctantly picked up an extra slicing glove and a dark, leather jacket for their incursion. And, at her friend's behest, a swimsuit underneath it all. For what, Daiya couldn't imagine until she was facing the artificial lake in front of her. Her lips curled as she asked, her hands busy again fixing her hair tie this time, "Are you planning on taking a dip in that?"

She never heard the answer to her question, distracted by her friend's newest indulgence. For one fleeting moment, Daiya wondered if others felt the same way around her. At last, the teen giggled, her frustration dissipating as her curiosity returned. "Yeah, let's—"

Daiya couldn't get out another word, before her arm was yanked nearly out of its socket, her stomach flipped, and she plunged into free-fall with Hex for the second time that day.

Hex​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Location: Hawk Wynn Grand Prix Estate
Prize: Two-Seater
Running: Solo
​

It was no secret that Cassus loved to go fast. The variety of vehicles at his disposal exceeded only by his capacity to absolutely run them into the ground. Breaking things wasn't just a pastime for Cassus. It was the unavoidable consequence of his existence. All things considered, he did pretty well for himself, breaking things for money.

Today he was breaking into the private race track and personal residence of super-rich swoop racing celebrity Hawk "Always" Wynn. However, today he wasn't breaking in for money or self-satisfaction--okay, maybe a little bit of the latter--but to provide a gift for someone he cared about. Someone who wasn't Daiya . Someone who came as a surprise to him.

While blasting through the streets, in the Viper they both rode on, Cassus thought about the upgrade he was after. An upgrade not in speed or usefulness necessarily, but definitely in passenger capacity without sacrificing the thrill. Dismounting at the border of the estate's security, Cassus infiltrated right through the energy barrier (although "infiltrate" might be too strong a word as bright light surrounded him crossing through it). He wonders briefly if they had anyone monitoring shield disturbances, and then decided he didn't care...

 

[Hex]

Tag: Daiya
Location: Mansion of Doctor Renaulta, cosmetic surgeon to the stars
Objective: Bad Santa

Spoiler: Equipment

• Guarderma HE suit metallic pink hex pattern with mag boots
• Swimwear under clothes
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 1 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

The trip through the fold in space that her Amulet caused took barely seconds but briefly the girls were surrounded by all manner of colours, almost like a psychedelic version of hyperspace, before the were thrown out of the other portal, still travelling at speed on Hex's board. Hex slowed them right down as they got into the inner area. She had been lucky, the return portal had deposited them behind the security threshold, she glided slowly above the patio behind the glass sliding doors of the mansion. She breathed more slowly now as her adrenaline returned to normal, she looked at Daiya and grinned, her reaction to the ride had been fun, Hex was showing off, she practiced enough to be good but rarely got to really thrash it around with a passenger that for some reason seemed to trust her.

'...For now...' Hex just wrinkled her nose, she was not having that conversation again.

Diaya had asked about her plans to hop in the artificial lake, it could be fun, but no, not today. "The lake? No chance, this guy took delivery of a full on tropical bathing suite so we will be in there. Only the best for us, obviously" she giggled and stopped the board. No alarms had been triggered yet but they still had some way to go.

Beside them was the external section of the pool. Hex was now on foot and walked up to a sliding door, she could see inside, it was pitch dark in there but vague outlines of tropical plants and maybe the faint shimmer of a reflective pool could be seen. "It's a bit dark but I think I see it, think you can slice the heat and lights or something? Think the door is alarmed?" Hex boldly gave Daiya a look that said "dare me to try?" as she began to unzip the hoodie that she had thrown on to cover her swimsuit, feeling her skin pucker up in the light breeze on her chest.

Daiya was better with these lock things, so she would wait and see what happens.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Tag: Cassus Akovin
Location: Hawk Wynn Grand Prix Estate
Objective: Be a pain in the ass

Denon had been put in lockdown, the planet was in chaos, the game had changed. For once Cartri was on his own and going to cause some chaos on his own terms. He was clad in his signature knuckleduster gear and carefully coming up to the target house, one that was left unguarded due to the security being spread thin. After all, Cartri needed it from all the chit that had to happen with the past few weeks. Hopefully, there would be no disruptions along the way to run yet another day in his life.

After traveling some distance he came to the barriers of the estate, ready to make way over to the front in order to break in without hassle from the guards. As he went along, he began to hear something approaching and decided to take cover behind a tree. He looked from behind the large plant and saw a familiar fellow get out and go through the energy barrier. Of course, pool boy couldn't resist an opportunity like this. Shaking his head, he quickly made chase, carefully going through the barrier and coming up behind him.

"Poolboy, of course, you'd be here" the teen groaned, choosing to lean up against a wall and examine him "What are you here for anyway? I certainly hope it wasn't for a swim"​

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Location: Corpo Vacation Home
Running: Solo
​

From what she could see, there was a security system in place. Alright, Ruby was no slicer... but she'd probably be able to make do and disable it. Somehow. She pulled out a security systems tool kit and crept along to the door panel -- looked to be a side entrance. As she started to fiddle with the wires and such, Ruby's body seized --

ZZzzzzzzzp

Her hair stood on end, and her face twitched.

Ah, yes... electricity bad. This definitely would cost her some time.

 

[Daiya]

Daiya shrieked.

Her hands flew to her mouth, clamping down to muffle the sound as the two girls fell out of the portal inside a Corpo's high-end estate. The teen's wide eyes darted about the room, listening and watching for any indication that their presence had alerted...something. No one was in view, and even the security holos were well-hidden. The back of her neck prickled with rising hairs, the absence of obvious security meant this had just become twice as dangerous.

Whoever had this much wealth was not going to be happy to share it with two teenage girls.

"Oh my stars, Hex," Daiya's grin stretched broadly across her face, already sensing the rush in her veins. Adrenaline flooded her with warmth and giddiness as the teen found herself in the inner sanctum of Corpodom. "Betcha not even Knuckles has filched from a place like this. This is a-mazing!"

She giggled, and it almost seemed to echo against the glass window into the darkened room ahead. Stepping up to peer inside, her cupped hands and mouth leaving damp outlines behind, the teen could almost make out the elements of a pool inside. Their promised venue was only millimeters away, and if she thought hard enough, Daiya could almost feel the sensation of the warm water around her body. Warmth bloomed from her stomach to the tips of her fingers and toes, setting the teen on a fiery edge.

Now all she needed was a wet, cooling splash of relief.

"Yeah, I got this Hex." Daiya stepped forward, announcing herself to the door controls as she pulled back her sleeves. The reason for her friend's suggestion revealed itself just like her own reveal, the slicing glove she had worn today. The young shadowrunner found her eyes drawn to Hex, watching her friend slowly expose her swimwear beneath her unusual sweatshirt. Not that unusual, even Daiya was getting used to dressing down to avoid attention in the locked-down district now, but still unusual enough to capture her gaze for a moment.

"Think the door is alarmed? Dare me to try?"​

"Just hold your hyperdrives, stars!" Daiya giggled at her friend, crouching down in front of her task of the moment. She pulled the datalink wires from her glove, and sat squinting at her target. In the dim lighting, it was hard to find the ports needed to override the door lock. "Fething Corpos," she muttered under her breath, attaching the wires where she thought they would work best. She had little better than a guess right now. "Look at me, I'm rich and can afford unhackable locks. Pieces of chit..."

Lights came on inside the pool room, and as she fiddled with the glove, Daiya thought she had the heat turned on. It was that, or the underwater jets to heat the pool. The connections weren't at all clear on the glove's tiny display, and the young shadowrunner wasn't entirely sure what to look for. Doors were simpler.

Just not this door.

Daiya worked at it for longer than she thought seemed right, before slamming her forehead into the glass beside the stubborn lock. It hurt, but the pain brought a grin to the teen's face. "At least there's no alarm. Wanna try it your way?" Misery pinged from the flat of her forehead to the tips of her fingers, itching to make something happen. She busied them by removing the leads and returning her glove to normal, staring at it for a moment with disdain. Then the teen stood up and turned to her friend, an incorrigible grin planted over her face. "The Hex way?"

The young shadowrunner brought up her index finger and thumb in an obvious motion, drawing her arm up as she flattened her thumb against the finger. Her mouth mimed the sound she wanted to hear with it, an obvious shortcut to their locked door problem.

PEW-PEW!

Hex​

 

[Hex]

Tag: Daiya
Location: Mansion of Doctor Renaulta, cosmetic surgeon to the stars
Objective: Bad Santa

Spoiler: Equipment

• Guarderma HE suit metallic pink hex pattern with mag boots
• Swimwear under clothes
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 1 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

"The Hex way?"

"The Hex way? What-ever do you mean?" she laughed and pulled out an explosive party popper, quickly popping the cap off with her dervish knife and pulling out a little cylinder of what looked like playdough before popping it into her mouth. She rolled it around her mouth for a moment with a grin on her face. "It's a good job I don't smoke right? Mmm... ... metally" she pulled out the "chewing gum and jammed it into the locking mechanism of the door. Pulling again from the popper, she used the detonator and lit the wet material. Her face lit up as a flare of flame burst out, quickly melting the mechanism.

With her other hand she pulled the door open "we're in!" she walked in and finished removing her clothes down to her bikini. Hex stood at the edge of the pool looking back at Daiya With a smile. She paused with her back to the water and rocked on her heels, dareing gravity to pull her over the edge and into its embrace. "It's nice in here, very festive, why would they keep it dressed like this but not use it?" There were decorations on the wall, a fake tree in the corner and even mistletoe hanging from the doorway.

'...Kissing under a poisonous berry is a dumb tradition...'
"mmmm, maybe?"

Hex glanced at Daiya and bit her lip as she caught her eye, before finally letting gravity take over and landing in the water with a splash. The teen allowed the water to flow over her and she swam under the surface holding her breath for as long as she could.

 

[Hex]

Forgot to roll again take 1st one

 

[Daiya]

Daiya couldn't help but giggle, soft and long behind her friend's swishing blue braid, as she took care of the lock. It seemed to take every bit of ego Hex carried with her, and the teen was glad that she wasn't such a melodramatic girl. Her steps followed easily behind her friend's, her eyes scanning around the room first as they entered. When Daiya turned back to her partner in crime, she jerked her head back in a double-take.

"You don't waste a minute, do ya Hex?" She grinned at Hex's bikini, and how much of her tattoos it showed off. Daiya could feel her heart start to run, not sure why it would be. She had already seen Hex in various states of dress, it wasn't like this was any different. The teen shook her head, tossing her thoughts away as nerves over their job. "We are getting paid for this somehow, right?"

If she had to clean out the Corpo's safe herself, Daiya would.

The pool room was humid and warm, so Daiya shrugged and followed suit, shrugging out of her jacket. Not pausing to strip off her glove first, she nearly missed what Hex said while her top was over her head. "Huh?" Distracted, her fingers grazed the underside of her swim top, pulling it up along with her shirt. "Chit!" The teen muttered, but a splash drowned out her words. It covered for her as she pulled her bikini top back down to cover herself, blue eyes darting to the poolside where Hex had stood a moment ago. Now she was in the water, and Daiya giggled with a nervous relief.

She considered just sitting by the pool today, but the seismic waves from Hex's splashy entrance had a pull on her. They whispered in lapping voices, begging her to climb in and make more of their kind. Daiya grinned at the temptation, eagerly giving in. When she stood in only her swimsuit, the teen finally felt a chill in the air, making the pool look only that much more inviting. Plugging her nose, she leaped, tucking her knees underneath her free arm to splash rear-end first into the water.

Daiya blew a stream of the pool water out of her mouth as she surfaced, giggling and bouncing her toes off the bottom of the pool. She watched Hex's blue hair trail under the surface as she swam. The water washed her free of her thoughts and cares for the moment, so the teen ducked under its surface again, spreading out her hands to swim along with her friend. She'd come up wherever Hex did, hoping that the blue girl's stamina wouldn't outlast her own today.

Hex​

 

[Hex]

Tag: Daiya
Location: Mansion of Doctor Renaulta, cosmetic surgeon to the stars
Objective: Bad Santa

Spoiler: Equipment

• Guarderma HE suit metallic pink hex pattern with mag boots
• Swimwear under clothes
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 1 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex heard the splash under water as Daiya joined her and dipped under behind her. Hex slid along the bottom of the pool and rolled over on to her back so she open her eyes and see her friend swimming too. The light was dim so it was hard to see her properly but the uplights at the bottom of the pool danced on Daiya's face and hair beautifully. She stopped and allowed the other teen to pass over her and reached up to run the back on her fingernail down her leg as she did.

Running out of breath Hex thought it was probably time she surfaced from the pool. Rising from the water like a blue haired sea monster, she looked over to see where Daiya might pop up. Hex wanted to get herself a selfie of the two of them so she reached for her bag....

'...Its not in there is it?...'

Her eyes widened and she swore aloud as the realisation dawned upon her that she had stuffed her holostick into her halter bikini top when they had loaded up on her dancer board.

"Chit Chit Chit!" she cursed as she pulled herself out of the pool and stood up waving her holostick about, she still hadn't upgraded from the cheap stick she owned when she first arrived on the Darkwire scene and it was NOT waterproof. The screen had a strange wet blurred effect to oneside and the other had tons of dead pixels. "Chiiiiiit!" she pouted as she took a few wet steps away from the pool, flipping her hair behind her with one hand as she lifted her pad into the air as if poor signal was the real problem.

Hex sighed and looked back at Daiya as she now was treading water in the pool, she looked cute with her hair wet against her head. "Well this is dead, looks like I can't catch a break tonight." She laughed and tossed the device onto her bag as it lay on the floor, she would get one of the slicers to have a look at it later. "I suppose I should just eat one of these berries and top it off." Hex giggled and looked up at the little white pearls.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Location: Hawk Wynn Grand Prix Estate
Prize: Two-Seater
Running: With This Kid...
​

"Poolboy, of course, you'd be here" the teen groaned, choosing to lean up against a wall and examine him "What are you here for anyone? I certainly hope it wasn't for a swim"

"Huh, I must've broken that barrier more thoroughly than I thought. I figured it would at least stabilize before gutter trash could fly through." Cassus countered, glad for his helmet to hide his rarely expressive face this time.

"I wasn't expecting company, but I guess I am kind of glad you're here. Trying to grab one of Hawk Wynn's private two-seater Swoops." Cassus kept a low profile, keeping an eye out for signs of a silent alarm or private security patrols.

"Might need someone to cover my ass so I can focus on driving. Or at least cover my passenger side from blaster fire, anyway." Cassus shrugged sarcastically.

"If you got the door, I'll keep a lookout." He gestured towards the front door Cartri was initially headed for while making sure his Darkwire Disruptor was charged...

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Daiya]

Water flowed over the teen as her limbs propelled her through the water, following the blue braid of her friend ahead. Surrounded on all sides by the warm water, she reveled in the feeling of weightlessness as she swam. It buoyed Daiya above the worldly weight of her cares, letting her think about nothing than swimming along with Hex.

Her friend was as natural in the pool as on a hoverboard, and Daiya was almost jealous. The warmth in her stomach turned into a giggle, expelling air from her lungs as she felt a finger tickle the back of her leg. A moment later, her body tried to suck in air, sending her kicking to the surface. She sucked in air, leaving the teen stuck between giggles and coughs that left her stomach sore.

"Whadja lose?" Daiya watched Hex from the pool, unwilling to get out just yet. Her arms glided back and forth, keeping her steady in the middle of the pool, gentle waves cresting over her arms and setting her wet hair to lap at her back. The sensation calmed the itch in her limbs and mind to be doing something else, letting her simply be. The young shadowrunner might be a burglar in a Corpo mansion, stealing a swim in some absent well-to-do's pool, but she was perfectly content in it all.

Hex wasn't. That brought a frown to the teen's face, tilting her head until she could spy the object of her friend's frustrations. "Oh Hex..." Her mouth tipped open and she started to swim for the side to comfort Hex, but the blue girl's demeanor stopped her in surprise. Daiya giggled at the flippant toss, and she was relieved to hear Hex laughing along with. "Serves you right for being a naughty crook," she teased, grinning up from the pool. "Corpos getcha one way or the other, busted datapad or busting your heist."

Daiya giggled at her own joke, but found her eyes drawn back to the plant hanging from the doorway. She rolled her eyes at another dumb Corpo tradition, half the holoflicks at this time of year had some kind of mistletoe in them. Someone always found themselves underneath with the love interest of the movie, and were forced to kiss them. She might have found it romantic if it wasn't so predictable. "Hey!"

She sent a splash out of the pool at Hex to draw her attention away from the poisonous berries, swimming over to lean against the side. "You can just use mine..." The teen pointed with her chin before resting it on her arms, "It's in my jacket."

The teen turned her face up with a glowing grin, poised and ready for Hex's selfie.

Hex​

 

[Hex]

Tag: Daiya
Location: Mansion of Doctor Renaulta, cosmetic surgeon to the stars
Objective: Bad Santa

Spoiler: Equipment

• Guarderma HE suit metallic pink hex pattern with mag boots
• Swimwear under clothes
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 1 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

The blue haired girl did as instructed and grabbed Daiya's holopad. It was obviously locked, so Hex made a couple of guesses at the password before handing it over to Daiya . H.E.X.I.S.A.M.A.Z.1.N.G ..... D.@.R.K.W.1.R.E .....she giggled to herself and handed it over.

You have one attempt remaining

As her friend unlocked the pad with an accusatory smirk and lined herself up for some selfies, Hex slid back into the pool behind her, immersing herself in the water once again before joining the blond and putting her arms around the other teen's tummy for that perfect selfie. She liked Daiya, Daiya made her feel cared about and made her feel safe, relatively speaking. Unconsciously she slid her hand up and across Daiya's heart to her other shoulder and squeezed her tightly, nuzzling her close.

"This is good fun, we should come swimming more often, I hear that Marlene woman has a full on tropical jungle room at her house." she giggled and her tightness eased. For a long moment, Hex watched as drops of water ran gently down her friend's back and shoulders and there was silence in the room while Daiya flipped through filters on their selfies. Hex glanced back up at the berries and felt something pushing her along.

'...Just do it OK...'

Hex blushed, feeling caught out. "Er, Daiya, turn around." her voice was less playful now and when Daiya did as asked she pulled her close and put her elbows on her shoulders to look at her. "This is fun, right? And we are friends, we'll always be friends won't we?"

"This was way more fun than I thought, Hex," Daiya grinned back at her friend. There was no reservation in her voice, or the eyes alight above her smile. "And we're always going to be friends. I'll even pinky swear it."

Hex smiled sweetly as she brought her hand down to link their pinkies together between their chests and they both looked at each other's faces. Hex leaned in and put her lips against Daiya's, fearful enough to be cautious, but honest enough about her feelings to take a chance. Her lips parted as she closed her eyes and began to kiss her friend in the pool. Their fingers were still linked but Hex brought her hand up to put it onto Daiya's face and feel her skin as they embraced each other.

Daiyalogue written by Daiya for use here

 

[Daiya]

She giggled as Hex handed her the datapad, her lips drawing into an unlevied charged against her friend. Daiya had her whole life on the datapad in her hands, of course it wasn't going to withstand an ordinary attempt at breaking in. Smirking lips hid in the blur of motion as she tossed her head, her wet curls stuck in place. She wiped wet hands against her damp arms, as if it might dry them off, and then unlocked her datapad.

Daiya squealed as a splash of water marked the arrival of Hex back into the pool, holding up the datapad to protect herself. "Stars, Hex, you make the splashiest entrances!" The teen giggled as she voiced the accusation this time. Still, she handed over her pad, brushing back hair and fixing the strap on her bikini to look picture perfect. Daiya's hands reached up as Hex curled hers around the teen's tummy, grinning and digging her fingers between locks of her hair. She held it this way and that, pursing her lips or letting her teeth gleam for selfie after selfie. She wasted no time when Hex was done, beckoning the datapad back into her hands with an urgent, "Lemme see, lemmesee!"

The teen was too busy with filters to notice the struggle in her friend. She gladly turned around when Hex asked her, holding up a finger to signal for another moment. When she was done picking the right look for the pursed lips selfie, Hex could have the datapad back for more. Daiya's lungs realized it before the rest of her, drawing in a quick breath as Hex's hands mounted her shoulders. The warmth in her limbs and laughter on her lips gave way to an easy answer to Hex.

"This was way more fun than I thought, Hex," Daiya grinned back at her friend. There was no reservation in her voice, or the eyes alight above her smile. "And we're always going to be friends. I'll even pinky swear it."

Daiya giggled when Hex actually decided to take her up on that, their pinkies joining together in the space between them. It was so little space, the teen realized. Flighted creatures danced in her stomach, and nearby the water nearly churned as the teen considered the moment. There was no one else she would have wanted to spend this moment with, not now. Not here. Here there weren't any boys, or adults, or rules, or even an absentee Corpo to spoil the moment.

Just a special moment with a special—

Her body exploded with a fiery, comforting warmth when their lips touched. It startled her, and Daiya almost pulled back. Then the current of water licked at her skin, and the heavy, humid air weighed on the lids of her eyes, and Daiya closed them to lean into the kiss. Her fingers touched the hand of her nearest, most adoring friend, tenderly cupping their hands together. The touch between them felt intoxicating, wiring up her heart to an electric beat, and sending tingles across her skin.

She never wanted this moment to end!

It did, eventually, leaving the teen suddenly cold and forlorn. She crossed her arms, holding herself, trying to parse the maelstrom of feelings inside her. Thoughts roamed in her mind, screaming over the other, trying to be heard. Daiya knew Hex had always seen her as something more than a friend, something she had never returned in kind. Living together, working jobs together, partying together, it had all brought them close, closer than she had ever been to another girl.

Daiya didn't know how much closer she could get until tonight.

"Hex?" Her lips trembled as the teen hestitated, suddenly reserved. She didn't know if this was right, or smart, or even what she wanted. All that she knew was what she needed right now. Daiya stepped closer to the blue girl, her voice the barest whisper.

"Kiss me again."

Hex​

 

[Hex]

Tag: Daiya
Location: Mansion of Doctor Renaulta, cosmetic surgeon to the stars
Objective: Bad Santa

Spoiler: Equipment

• Guarderma HE suit metallic pink hex pattern with mag boots
• Swimwear under clothes
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 1 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex had never kissed anyone like this and to feel like her feelings were being reciprocated was incredible, she had butterflies in her stomach and her body tingled as the went back into their second kiss. Hex had know idea how long they kissed before her subconscious mind heard a strange noise. She didn't react to begin with, her body just following what her lips wanted.

'...There's someone here...'
Hex did not respond but just waved her hand as if shooing away a distraction.
'...There is someone...here...'

Hex's eyes snapped open and she pulled away from her friend "Chit! I heard something" the pair hadn't even had chance to steal anything and someone was home, was there no end to the injustices perpetrated by the corpos? Hex swam quickly to the edge of the pool and pulled herself up, there was definitely people here, she heard shouting, one sided, male, thinks he is important. "I think the owner is back, we haven't even stolen anything... chit!" she began to pack up her things and stopped for a few seconds to at Daiya and felt a warmth as the other teen also scrambled to get out the pool. Hex felt for her pistol as the voice grew louder.

'...You could just shoot him? What's another corpo?...'

"That's a good idea actually, how about it?" she asked Daiya, in her haste forgetting that the pink teen hadn't heard the internal suggestion. But her demeanor and the fact she was thumbing her pistol made her intent fairly obvious.

"How 'bout what? Run? Daiya replied quickly.

"That works too" she laughed, the smallest hint of disappointment in her voice. Hex gathered up the last of her things and began making for the door, the pair probably needed to talk, but first they needed to escape or they would likely be spending the night in a corporate prison.