Faction Too Cool to Corpo [Darkwire Teens]

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Hex and Daiya's apartment
Objective: Dress like a corpo
Attire: Clothing
Tags: Daiya / Hex / Zephyrr / Zenric / Das / Cassus Akovin / Brie Jaxx / Lilianna L'lerim

Cartri giggled along with Daiya and looked back to the rest of the group with the datapad in his hands, a slight roll of his eyes appearing before he spoke "Alright ladies and gentlemen I believe we have found a more than reasonable photo I can post" he said with a smirk over to Daiya before looking back to everyone else "Unfortunately I will not be showing it until my post has been sent, as well as for Daiya's request" he stated clearly as his hands brought up the datapad, leaning back into the chair as he began to type away.

Posting the image first, he began to write a little message below;

"Dear Mr. Hex,
My heart was BROKEN when you upgraded your ancient security protocols and for the longest time, I adored using your services. Our love will never be the same again. But please, find it in your heart to reconsider and bring back your old methods. I miss you, honey...
With unrelenting admiration,
Cartri Deesa"

With one final tap of his pad, he finally sent the message and handed it to Daiya for the agreed thirty minutes. The whole thing was embarrassing, to say the least, but thankfully he was able to put his spin to make things less bad for himself.

"You do realise I'm wanted by many of the corporations on this planet? Hex corp is one of the few where I'm not on their radar" he chuckled, knowing that was about to end after joking he had hacked them before their upgraded security "Stars, I'll never be able to get rid of that picture now..."

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Location: A plaza close to Daiya and Hex's appartment.
Objective: Waiting for somebody.
Tags: Cassus Akovin , Daiya

​

A week or so ago, aboard her ship parked in their neighbourhoods of Denon. Brie stared at the flashing rod in the beginning of the still empty message box. This was not going to be easy.

<''Hi, Cassus!''>

No, no! Sounds way too enthusiastic! Childish, even! Ugh, Brie could almost hear her own voice and how ridiculous she would sound! Erase! Erase!

<''Hey! What's up?''>

Yeah... Yeah, that works! Kind of cool and casual. Not too intrusive.

<''You heard Daiya and Hex is throwing a party next week? The theme is dress like a Corpo, but I guess that's just to make fun of them haha... : D Seems like there will be many of us there. You want to go? : ) /Brie''>

There. Brie read silently through the message. A second time became a third time, while her thumb hovered over the send-button. A minute went by. What could it possibly hurt to ask? It was not like she asked him out on a date or anything! Or... was it? No! It's just a party! A friendly, Darkwire party for everyone to attend to! Young as old. Humans as aliens. Besides, he's probably unavailable that night. Off-world somewhere. Hunting down bad people.

Alright. It was now or never, Brie thought as she remembered her best friends encouraging words from when they raided that broadcasting tower here on Denon.

Send. BLIP!

As quick as the message were sent, Brie dropped the datapad and jumped out of her bunk, thousand thoughts invading her of what his answer would be. In truth, she just wanted to sink through the floor.

​

Finding a Corpo-like attire had not been that easy. Brie had never really reflected on how a Corpo dressed up like, if they dressed up in any particular way. It turned out that it was lots of dark colors. Mostly black, which was good, but as always Brie didn't really feel at home in a fancy dress. It didn't help that Daiya sometimes mocked her for her space suit and fishbowl helmet. She guessed that it ran in the family, as Ruby Jaxx also was not fond of being the pretty girl. So, thanks to the dark colors, Brie had found a rather simple and clean cut dress with flowery embroidery on it, which she actually liked. Now, the most important question that she would soon have an answer to, was if Cassus were approval of it too. The mere thought if he didn't almost caused her to break a sweat. To have something to put her datapad and stuff in and in case the night turned cold, she carried a vintage leather jacket folded over her crossed arms. For the occasion, she had felt the need to put on some eyeliner that Daiya once had given her.

Brie picked up the datapad and begun writing a text to Daiya.

<''Hey, you! : ) The party is not over yet, right? We're on our way... Guess who I'm waiting for? I'm so nervous...!!''>

Send. BLIP!

 

[Zenric]

"Hahaha yeah, weird right? Don't uh, have a stomach to uh, yeah y'know. Hahahaha I'm not awkwardly laughing at all." And at that he just turned his gaze back to the disks and machine because he wasn't the most introverted antisocial butterfly in existence. At least his smile wasn't forced. Sure, he had no idea how to respond to Daiya teasing him, but wasn't that just what it meant to have friends?

Were these teens his friends?

Maybe he should look into a drinking mod some time. .. Just to have fun, maybe get drunk with his friends.

Heh. Friends.

With a renewed bob to his head he started really cranking out tunes. Quiet enough so folks could talk and he could hear the conversations, but really keeping that beat bouncing. He stifled a laugh as he cast a glance to Cartri. His eyes flashed.

"Yeah. That's been saved. Think they'll update your wanted poster with it?"

Daiya | Hex | Zephyrr | Cartri Keswoll | Das | Cassus Akovin | Brie Jaxx | Lilianna L'lerim

 

[Das]

//: Tags: Daiya | Hex | Zenric | Zephyrr
//: Location: DENON...

Das tried covering her mouth to stifle her giggles, but the dare was too good to not laugh at. She hadn't played 'Truth or Dare' since she was little, and even then, a dare usually ended with someone licking a boot - sending selfies to a mega-corporation?! That was nuts! The track changed again, and Das had just begun to sway to the bass when Daiya got the room's attention for her next victim.

"M'kay, we need a truth!" Daiya giggled behind the top of her datapad screen, using it to gesture straight at Das. Her grin tipped to the side, and she shuffled her shoulders to the musical beat. Then Daiya's eyes lit up, bouncing gently in her seat as she spelled out the dare for the new girl. "Das, go sit beside someone and whisper a secret in their ear. Something you've never told anyone!"

Chit. Das shook her head, giving Daiya a playful side-eye, but the hostess wasn't budging. She mouthed a semi-jovial 'I hate you' before scanning the room. The crowd's eyes were on her, and she began to panic. She looked to Zenric, but he was busy behind the DJ booth and likely couldn't hear her anyway. She was close to giving up, willing to take whatever punishment came with refusing a Truth, when her eyes met Zeph's. She shrugged, giggling as she walked to where he was sitting. The room felt like it was slowly spinning, or maybe it was her that was wobbly. The lum was starting to catch up, but she didn't really mind.

The teen sat down beside Zephyrr and leaned into his neck. She pressed her lips against his ear and contemplated what to say. She dug deep, whispering her Daiya-ordained secret, but when she pulled away, she paused. The lum was definitely calling the shots now. She looked over the boy's face for a moment, taking in the deep cerulean of his eyes before leaning in to kiss him.

When she pulled away, there was a brief moment of complete freedom. And then she realized what she did.

(Written jointly with Daiya )

 

[Zephyrr]

The tall, handsome free runner surveyed the room with a subtle grin on his face - admiring what had suddenly become a legit gathering of... Friends. He drank with his group of runners before, passing out on a grimy mattress in a dark corner of the warehouse his companions had commandeered as their "headquarters", but he'd never been to an actual party.

The music thumped in his chest, and the alcohol wound it's way through his system; his metabolism was stronger than most, due to his firrerreo blood, and the drink would hit him quicker but dissipate quicker too.

He was far enough from the speakers to hear as Hex chose a new game: truth or dare. The young man grinned, wondering if he'd be called upon. His confidence was soaring, and he would take any challenge that came his way. When Daiya chose the pretty young woman he'd been talking to previously, Zeph watched curiously - the ridges of his face highlighted by a flash of red laser light as it crossed his features.

Das looked nervously across the room before suddenly settling on him. The young man shifted in his seat as she approached, tilting his head to offer his ear as she settled in beside him. Her warm breath caressed his neck as she nestled her lips against his ear... As she spoke in a whisper to him, an electric chill ran up his spine, turning his stomach in knots.

Immediately after she completed sharing her secret, Zephyrr turned to look into her eyes - inches away. A look of shock, surprise, and curiousity was clearly written on his face.

Then, Das surprised him again.

She leaned in, and their lips met; an instant, intoxicating feeling as Zephyrr drew a surprised breath inward through his nose. His heightened sense of smell drew in her sweet scent, filling his head with emotions he'd never felt before - sending him on a rollercoaster ride.

The kiss lasted only a few moments, but he would remember those moments for the rest of his life.

The taste of her lips was permanently etched into his brain as they pulled away, and his bright, azure blue eyes glittered with amusement, surprise, and excitement. He'd forgotten about the party, forgotten they were being watched. All he could do was goofily grin.

"Well," he coughed, trying to clear his throat from a sudden lump, "that was a surprise." His voice had grown husky, taking on a subtle, gruff tone.

Then, he saw the look in her eyes began to change, and he tried to delay the inevitable by reaching for Das' hand; attempting to keep her from fleeing in panic.

Daiya Cartri Keswoll Brie Jaxx Cassus Akovin Zenric Das Hex

 

[Zenric]

The music cut off with an almost comical record scratch. Almost because it was, in fact, a record scratch. Zenric blinked at the sound before clearing his throat to get the beat bumping again. And hurry himself a bit to not watch the aftermath of the kiss. That was fine, right? He still was human and all, or something. Not cybernetic like him. No reason for him to be jealous. Yeah, Emily was a cool friend! That's all they needed to be, right?

He shook his head as he turned the music up just a bit louder to try and drown out the conversations. Music was easier to listen to by far.

Daiya | Cartri Keswoll | Brie Jaxx | Cassus Akovin | Das | Hex | Zephyrr

 

[Hex]

Location: Daiya and Hex's apartment
Objective: Have an awesome party
Tags: Daiya Das Zephyrr Zenric Cartri Keswoll

Spoiler: Equipment - not on her person

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• Big Bigby
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Gear is stowed in places around the apartment

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

PING

Hex looked at her pad as an alert flashed up from the corpo she was following for this very reason. "Very nice Cartri Keswoll , looks like you already have some replies." she laughed and slid the pad into her pocket. "I can totally see the appeal" Hex winked at Daiya before turning to fetch herself another drink from the fridge. Behind her she heard Daiya move on and hand out the next truth to Das , she smiled, just glad it wasnt her before using her hip to close the fridge.

'...What? Is that it?...'

Hex had to agree, the whispering of a truth to a single person was hardly the salacious reveal her friend had hoped for. She had to turn away though when the pair began to kiss. Das and Zephyrr spent way too much time on each other's faces, Hex had only recently even considered kissing another person like that and seeing it so openly made her blush.

'...You know you want to try it, why pretend to be scared...'
"The Fu....? no, NO! Hex briefly looked cross at herself and glanced at her roommate for a little moral support. But apparently catching her eye was a mistake.

"Hex!" Daiya prompted loudly, trying to draw attention back away from the spontaneous new couple, her eyes lingering on the outline of Das' lips on Zephyrr's cheek. "Truth or dare? It's your turn!"

Hex suddenly felt the eyes of the room on her as Daiya called her name for the next challenge. Her heart fluttered for a moment as she responded "Er... truth, yeah... mmm no, no I'll take dare please" The blue haired teen hesitated as she considered all the secrets she had shared with Daiya since they met.

"HE-ex! First answer only." Daiya rolled her eyes, scoffing playfully at her friend. Her eyes danced with delight in the blue girl's direction, a lopsided grin growing on her face. "And you gotta tell everyone now! What do you really keep on the bottom shelf in the fridge? Y'know, in that container you taped up and wrote 'HEX ONLY' on it?"

Hex's eyes widened and she bit her lit as a mischievous grin appeared on her fave. This was not a great truth to be sharing with so many people here, but it could be worse.

"Oh that, that's just just one of my cooking ingredients..." she laughed.

'...You know that's not gonna cut it right?...' Hex rolled her eyes "noone asked you?"

"Fine... its coaxium, it needs to be kept cool or, well, it coaxifies.... boom!" She cackled, everyone who knew her, knew how much she loved explosives, was it really surprising that she had volatile explosives in the house? She looked very innocently at Daiya and made a kissing gesture.

**Daiyalogue used with permission

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Location: Baker's Row
Objective: Get to the plaza
Tags: Brie Jaxx , Daiya

​

Hunting down bad people, Cassus stalks the back entrance to Irresistible Indulgence. He thought the name was a little on the nose for the bakery, but the storefronts along Baker's Row had ceased to be confectionary distributors for a long time. Or at least distributors of legal confections. A worker stepped out to throw something into the garbage when he spotted Cassus.

"About time," The beer-gut worker said, dropping the trash where he was and pulling out a deathstick.

"Hard to find a place when everything is a damn bakery." Cassus grumbled through his helm, leaning against the adjacent wall.

"Ain'tcha hunter?" Deathstick smoke left his lips as he gestured towards him, "Yaknow, paid to find people and chit?"

"Something like that; I'm not taking commissions right now. I'm just here for what I paid for." The low-life seemed disappointed with that rolling his eyes.

"Some tracker you are. Guess I can't convince ya to use this on my ex-wife then, eh? Next time," He lamented before taking out a dull knife and poking a hole in the garbage bag, before reaching in and pulling out a solid black box. He used his knife hand to scrub some filth off it before dropping it between them. "I think you dropped somethin' there, sir. You want a light?" He offered a second deathstick.

Cassus felt a buzz indicating he'd gotten a message and called it up in his heads-up display.

<''Hey! What's up?''>

It was Brie Jaxx . She was messaging him. That was interesting, far more captivating than dealing with this sleemo.

<''You heard Daiya and Hex is throwing a party next week? The theme is dress like a Corpo, but I guess that's just to make fun of them haha... : D Seems like there will be many of us there. You want to go? : ) /Brie''>

"Hey, you paying attention, kid? I ain't got all day." Cassus had severe doubts about that statement. He leaned over and picked up his illicit package, ignoring the grime that came standard with this kind of deal.

"Something important came up. Buzz off." Cassus remarked and turned out of the alleyway.

<"Yeah I got the invite."> Cassus hovered over the potential message. What else do you say for something like this? Obviously, he had to say whether or not he was going. Does he respond to what he's doing or just take it as a general greeting?

<"Yeah I got the invite. I wasn't planning on attending, not my usual scene."> Cassus sent it, thinking that it covered about everything. Sure, he felt bad about not socializing with Daiya, but he celebrated her birthday, which turned into a whole thing. It was probably his fault somehow, despite how illogical it was to think. He'd hate to do that again by showing up.

His eyes lingered at the end of Brie's message (which seemed very happy) on the words "You want to go?" Something in Cassus' intuition seemed to flare up a bit, though he didn't know what it meant.

<"I might re-arrange some things and come a little later. Is that alright? /Cassus"> He wasn't sure why he was asking permission, but that's how he ended up sending it. It was an unfamiliar excitement, and he didn't know what to make of it, so he pushed it out of his head until or if he received another message.

Unlike the other Shadowrunners of Darkwire, it had been relatively easy for him to acquire the appropriate attire for a corporate outing. It was one of those things you didn't talk about. Money crossed hands with Shadowrunners all the time, but usually, that cash had a flow to it. It came, they spent, it went. Almost none of them had any idea what inheritance was other than something you stole from a corpo, and even then, it was just taking money from rich kids.

He happened to be one of those rich kids; he just did an excellent job of not fitting in with the other kids of his "proper" socioeconomic strata. By the standards of the most powerful corpos, the funds left over from his mother's business were a paltry sum. Yet, still more than he could hope to spend in a lifetime. Or at least not at the rate he was going. A wildly extravagant lifetime might be able to deplete it all and then some, but his mother had always been frugal and more interested in the practical applications of wealth. Wealth to make weapons to make wealth so she could make weapons. Even after years of suspended sales and a period of declining health that exhausted her liquid assets, the rest of her stock was more than enough to keep her boy living on as he did. Especially after her death put everything into his name.

Not that he needed it. Bounty Hunting to acquire funds for her healthcare had more than replenished what had been lost, especially after her death made its acquisition a moot point. Cassus didn't really understand the legal logistics of how he acquired his money, especially with the corporations being the ones responsible for her death. He knew his mother was more brilliant than he ever would be, and she had been savvy with her money even if she didn't "go galactic" with her company. Whatever the case, the account he used seemed untouchable, and he was dropping some of it on the most arrogant, ostentatious suit he could find.

"I'm sure your date will love this!" The flamboyant tailor remarked after putting him in front of a mirror. Cassus gave him a raised eyebrow but nothing more. He hadn't the heart to tell him he was buying his services specifically to look like a tool. Oh, and that it wasn't a date. Somehow, that assumption was made from their dialogue, but he didn't waste energy on challenging it. It was a good cover, anyway. Why else would a street kid that thinks rags are fashion walk into such a pristine establishment if not to impress a romantic prospect?

Finally, Cassus was free of the greedy grip of money and left as fast as possible to rendezvous at a particular plaza...

He arrived on a bike that would be familiar to Brie. It was the same one he stole on the Radio Tower mission. Or rather, he re-stole it after trading it for a blue jacket to blend in inside the tower. It was fast as hell, a bit sneaky, and didn't exactly mesh well with his current attire. More importantly, however, it did have passenger capacity for one other person. In that sense, it was very functionally useful for tonight.

Getting off, he took a few moments scanning the plaza before he saw a blonde woman in a black dress with a floral motif.

"Oh," He exclaimed despite himself, That's Brie. He got off the bike and walked over to her. Fiddling with a watch on his wrist that was bothering him, he greeted her.

"Hi Brie, you dress nicely." He complimented her.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Location: A plaza close to Daiya and Hex's appartment.
Objective: Get to the party!
Tags: Cassus Akovin

Brie had not dared to check her datapad when the first message rang from the bunk. Shortly after, the datapad buzzed again to signal another one had been recieved. Two messages in a row had been too much for the scrapper girl currently having her tummy filled with nabooian butterflies, and she had thrown herself into the bunk to read. What she read had made her smiling widely and roll onto her back in pure ecstasy. She had definitely expected a no in some kind, but no! Here she was, going to a party with the guy!

She had replied with a simple yet happy <''Sure! : )''>

​

After a while waiting by a street lamp, a fast and high-tech looking speeder entered the plaza with a driver dressed in black. She recognized the driver once the speeder stopped and begun to made his way over to her. It was her d- no, company for the night. She had read about a jedi night in shiny armor riding on a varactyl, and it wasn't that far of a fetch.

''So do you, Cassus.'' she complimented back a bit shyly, wearing a soft and sweet smile upon her lips but had her gaze go from his fine face and over his stately suit. It looked expensive. Very Corpo-like. Brie actually thought it suited the handsome bounty hunter. Not because it was Corpo-like, but he looked very stylish and imposing. Daiya might have used the word hot.

''How'd the drive go?'' she added to prevent them from falling into some sort of awkward silence. Asking how the trip went was always a justified question, and practical when you could not come up with much else. Brie had lots to say really, but she were too afraid for it to come out the wrong way or that it would sound silly. ''That is yours?'' she continued, thus forcing herself to take her eyes off the fine boy and focus on something else. She could at least act like she was equally interested in the speeder.

 

[Daiya]

(Post Soundtrack: "Conversations" by MARNEY)

Daiya giggled as she watched Das follow the object of her heart, searching to find the heir to her precious secret. The teen sipped on her makeshift lum cocktail, feeling the warmth spread through her body as her eyes tracked the turqoise-haired girl. Her eyes grew wide when she spied Das giving the cyborg boy a longing look. Daiya pressed a hand to cover the quick intake of breath, and the grin that was spreading on her face.

Das appeared to have more than one secret she was ready to give away.

Daiya giggled again, a self-satisfied grin painting her face while she sipped her lum, watching with the rest of them as Das found her choice. Not the clueless Zenric at the jury-rigged DJ booth, but the other Z-boy of the night. The teen felt her cheeks growing even more warm, dropping the netting over her mouth to find some measure of privacy. Her heart roiled beneath her chest, and for a moment the teen was convinced that she was the one giving away secrets.

Zephyrr looked as surprised as anyone, though he didn't reject Das's approach. Daiya nearly wished he would, disgusted at herself for even the thought. She pushed a pleasant expression to her face instead, staring into her glass of lum. Daiya's own reflection stared back, reminding her that Das was just playing the game, honoring the dare Daiya had set on her, while the young freerunner man was just honoring Das. It was as simple as that, as simple as—

She looked up in time to watch Das press her lips firmly into Zephyrr's, kissing him.

"Oh chit...Das!" Daiya couldn't stop the words from spilling out, still not sure herself what she meant. Her fingers gripped the glass tight in her hand, not certain if it would shatter from the force of it. Her eyes sought the comfort of familiarity, of closeness, turning away from the embrace that was now off-limits. The teen slid closer to Cartri next to her, clasping her free hand into his. Her fingers entwined with his, pressing them to her palm to ease the desire in her heart.

It didn't work.

The teen slid into the safety of her boyfriend's lap instead, giggling as she shifted on the warmth of his sturdy legs, quickly adjusting her dress for the new position. Daiya pulled up the netting again, surveying the party from her new vantage point, while calmer eyes settled onto the aftermath of Das and Zephyrr's impromptu kiss. At least it had seemed spontaneous, though her memory was quick to remind Daiya of how deeply the slicer girl had looked into the freerunner's eyes.

Daiya took a sip of her drink, banishing the thoughts with swill. "What a shocker, girl! And here I wasn't even gonna dare anyone to kiss someone until we were all wasted." She looked over to the DJ booth where Zenric was pumping out the tunes, even louder than before. Or maybe that was the booze. Daiya decided which one she preferred, and downed the rest of her drink, letting the beat shake her very brains if it wanted. "'Cept for you, Borg Boi! Guess you'll have to misalign your optical implants or something to get in on the fun."

She giggled more freely, her heart soaring into her throat to find Cartri's lips pressed against her own. Daiya greeted them gladly, rocking slightly on the boy's legs, loving the warm tingles rushing over her skin and throughout her body. "Mmmm, hi handsome. Don't mind me, just enjoying my new perch."

A finger touched Cartri's lips, pausing the boy's advances just long enough to let Daiya grant a new dare. Or a truth, since Hex requested that first, and the giddy teen was going to hold her to it!

"No fething wonder you got anxious when the power went out, I thought you were just being superstitious," Daiya mused to Hex. Her throat chuckled at the answer, the second —or was it third?— truth of the evening to come out. She rolled her eyes playfully in the blue girl's direction. "Of course it'd be an explosive. Serves me right, rooming with a bomber girl."

Daiya gladly turned back to the boy offering her kisses, letting him plant as many as he wanted on her lips. It kept her mind busy while Zephyrr and Das finished...whatever they needed to finish. The teen pushed her focus on the tingling in her lips, letting them vibrate through the length of her body. "Mmmm, hold on loverboy," she intoned to Cartri, feeling another vibration for the third time now. Separating her datapad from his, Daiya checked her messages, a squeal emanating from the back of her throat. "Oh my stars, it's Brie. She's finally on her way!"

<''Hey, you! : ) The party is not over yet, right? We're on our way... Guess who I'm waiting for? I'm so nervous...!!''>

<"Feth no, the party can't start til you're here. You AND Pool Boy! I'm right, aren't I? It's gotta be Cassus, you love the brooding danger boys. Get here fast! Miss you xoxo /Daiya">​

Grinning from the silent exchange, Daiya slipped the datapad under her knee so she wouldn't ignore it. Or so that Cartri would remind her. Her hands retreated back to his —somewhere she had lost the empty drink glass and couldn't be bothered to care— while Daiya eagerly leaned in for one, two, or maybe more kisses with her boyfriend.

It was something fun to do until a new person was dared.

Or until something exciting happened.

Hex Zephyrr Das Cartri Keswoll Zenric Cassus Akovin Brie Jaxx​

( Cartri Keswoll used with permission)

 

[Makko Vyres]

At any given teenage party, there was always at least one person that no one could quite remember inviting. No one was quite certain if they had arrived to have fun or to start trouble.

On this occasion, those two people stood outside the door dressed for the occasion. Makko and his friend Fiego. If pushed, Fiego would claim to know a friend of a friend of Daiya's. They must have heard about the dress code somehow.

Cassus and Brie might encounter them in the corridor. They might look as if they were hunched over to take something to give them a little pep for the party.

Fractal State were a distant cousin of Darkwire. There were common goals in resisting the Corporate Authorities. However, they were not just a criminal organisation because the ACA labelled them as such. Anyone who know what Fractal State did and owned a dictionary containing the world 'criminal' would agree.

If anyone looked closely, they would see a few brown dots on the back of Makko's white collar. Blood stains, hinting at the borrowed nature of the garments.

On the plus side, in a carrier bag they had enough booze to knock out a Blurrg.

 

[Das]

//: Tags: Daiya | Hex | Zenric | Zephyrr
//: Location: DENON...

Das wasted no time finding the nearest escape route, the closest possible place being the sunroom. The teen stood up awkwardly, struggling to keep her balance at first. She brushed the folds from her dress, doing her best to eye contact as she crossed the room. She closed the sunroom door behind her, then pressed her back against the smooth surface of the wall as she slid down to the floor. The girl pulled her knees up under her chin, giving her turbulent head something to rest upon.

She took a deep breath, holding it in her lungs for several moments before finally letting it go. The sunroom had a beautiful view of the cityscape. Das watched longingly as the neon billboards and passing air-speeders flashed hypnotically beyond the glass. She wished more than anything to be out there, somewhere, anywhere. Anywhere but here. The muffled bass of the music made her feel distant from the spectacle she’d created, but every beat made her think of Zenric .

“Why did you do that?” she asked angrily, interrogating herself.

She replayed the moment over and over again in her mind. It would’ve been easy to blame her actions on the alcohol, but that wasn’t fair. There was something more to what she did. Something about Zephyrr deep-blue eyes overwhelmed her. He saw her. The real her. Not Mr. Kolburn’s daughter, not a distinguished street racer, not her alias as Amaya - not even Das. In that brief moment, he saw Emily.

And so did everyone else.

Das groaned in frustration, burying her face in her hands. Her head was spinning, the lum mingling with the intoxicating emotions of her first kiss. She closed her eyes tight, wishing she could’ve taken a dare instead. Or better yet, that she hadn’t drank to begin with. More than anything though, she wanted to be alone. That would be best for everyone. A gentle knock on the glass-pane of the sunroom door dashed that hope.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Location: A plaza
Objective: Get to Daiya's Apartment, and drive fast
Tags: Brie Jaxx , Daiya

"The drive was smooth, handles like a dream. Even better than any swoop bike I've-" Crashed, he thought in his head before he accidentally said that out loud, and then modified his next word, "ridden." He smiled to seal the deception. Was he a good pilot? Yes, he was. In fact, he felt like he thought better whenever he was going fast. Had he also inevitably driven everything he's ever owned into rapid disassembly? Also yes. The two things were unrelated. He just had rotten luck. Like, the opposite of smugglers' luck. Sometimes. It was complicated; most of the time, stuff broke when he was directly involved, but he also seemed to notice other people's stuff also seemed to break around him as well. Especially hostile people. So his luck had its ups and downs like anybody. That was normal, right?

Let's hope his maiden voyage with a passenger didn't summon up whatever gambling devil was watching over him.

"It's mine, sure. Voluntarily donated to my company, you might say." He tried joking around 'in-character' to skirt around the whole ownership conversation. In case she was opposed to the idea for some reason. However, she hung around Daiya and Darkwire, so perhaps that was naive ideation.

"Want to grab anything from the Plaza before we ride to Daiya's? My treat." Cassus offered politely. He had little experience with this sort of thing, but he wasn't an idiot. Weren't you supposed to bring stuff to parties?

Whenever they were finished with the plaza, either after shopping or after Brie indicated she didn't need anything, and they were both ready to go, Cassus would get on the Viper. The passenger seat was directly behind him. Cassus thought about helmets for a moment. Usually, he wore his, but tonight was about fashion, and it didn't mesh well with his suit, so he didn't wear it. He looked over at Brie and her hair. What would mess it up more, the wind or a helmet?

"Do you want a helmet?" He put it into her court. She'd know better where her comfortability lies.

"I should probably give you a fair warning; this thing has only two real settings, very fast and crazy fast. In either case, it might be a good idea to find something to hold on to, as long as you're comfortable with it. How fast do you want this to go?"

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Location: A plaza close to Daiya and Hex's appartment.
Objective: Get to the party!
Tags: Cassus Akovin

​

Brie eyed the boy suspiciously as he came to an abrupt stop while describing the ride to her, obviously minding his choice of words. She returned his smile with a light and happy giggle, thinking she had figured out what he really was about to say. Without knowing, she guessed that he would be slightly more careful to let himself crash with a passenger onboard.

As Brie took a few steps close to the speeder bike, examining it casually, she listened to him assuring her that it indeed was his. Knowing that he was a full fledged shadowrunner himself, and a bounty hunter on top of that, her suspicious mind persisted. She wasn't dumb. Also, she have never heard of any company that he might have had. Brie guessed that she had only scraped on the surface of who the boy was, but also hoped that it would change the longer they knew each other.

''You stole it... right?'' Brie asked straight-forward, but without any shame pointed at him. It was a fine line between being a scrapper and what many would consider a thief, and Brie had probably passed that line once or twice in her past. Besides, being around Daiya had taught her to endure and accept a lot. She kept a soft and knowing smile upon her lips to ensure that he got the picture that she didn't mind it. At least, not that much that she would blame him for it.

''I'm fine if you are, thanks. If I know Daiya correctly, we won't leave the party hungry.'' she said, before watching Cassus climp into the drivers seat, leaving the only passenger seat for her. Directly behind him. Close to him. Like, what would she hold onto if not him-close! It didn't look like it had any designated handles for the passenger. Brie felt her nervousness rise again, but were soon asked if she wanted a helmet or not. After being introduced to the things two only settings, she were sure she wanted one and pulled out a hair scrunchie and tied her hair up in a ponytail to keep the damage to a minimum. She could always borrow some brushes and hair products from Daiya. Knowing the younger shadowrunner, Brie would probably be dragged into the refresher as soon as they arrived if her hair was even the slightest of a mess.

Brie put on her jacket and the offered helmet, making sure that it was securely strapped on, and took a deep breath before saddling up behind Cassus. So, should she ask for permission to hold onto him? What would Ruby or Daiya have done? No, that just seemed silly! Brie shook off the thought and carefully wrapped her arms around the boys waist, holding her breath somewhat if he would mind her move.

Brie became silent for a moment, not only waiting on his reaction but also thinking of the two choices given to her. She were not stranger to high speed flying or bold moves with her ship. She were in control then, but truth was that this brooding danger boy, as Daiya liked to call his kind, intrigued her and made her bolder than she already was. Offering her a ride on a speeder bike that wasn't his. Revealing to her that he was a speed junkie. He also instilled a high degree of trust in her. ''... crazy fast.'' came the answer, a tad of enthusiasm and excitement shining through, and she subconsciously squeezed a little tighter around Pool Boy. ''As long as you promise not to crash, please!''

 

[Zephyrr]

Tags: Daiya Cartri Keswoll Cassus Akovin Brie Jaxx Zenric Hex Das Makko Vyres

Knock, knock, knock...

Try as he might, he hadn't been able to stop Das from fleeing the moment she saw an opening. She'd left him sitting by himself, concern plainly evident on his face as she excused herself - disappearing into the sun room. He'd waited a few moments, unsure how to respond... the events of the past few moments playing out on repeat in his head. Then, Zeph made a decision: he stood, set his glass down, and followed the young woman who'd opened up to him only moments before. Before approaching the sun-room, he stopped in the kitchen - quickly grabbing two bottles of water which had fallen to rest on their sides, then wove his way through the party to the Das' retreat. He knocked - politely - and hoped she'd open the door to let him in.

The thudding music sounded dull in his head. Hex 's revelation that she was storing explosives in the fridge went ignored outwardly, but inwardly, he found himself still in high spirits enough to privately smirk; which he would wipe away the moment the door before him cracked open.

This night, and his newfound group of friends, were something else.

When Das cracked the door, she would find the tall, clean-shaven, well-dressed young man offering her both a smile & a bottle of water.

"Can I come in?" He gently asked, his voice a husky purr. It was only then that she might notice his canines were longer than she might have expected.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Location: Speed
Objective: Speed!
Tags: Brie Jaxx Daiya Makko Vyres

Cassus couldn't help smiling along with her knowing smile regarding the specifics of the bike's ownership.

"Yeah," He shrugged, "More or less." For all the deceptions he often pulled while hunting a mark or infiltrating locations he wasn't welcome in, when it came down to face-to-face with people he socialized with, he was an open book. Lying came easy to him for strangers, but a name and face—her face—completely evaporated his mask.

Cassus approved of Brie's good sense to wear a helmet. He'd wear one himself if he weren't actively being an idiot for the sake of a costume. Then she mounted the bike and found something—the only thing—to hang on to. His body temperature rose as her arms wrapped around him. Adrenaline rose as he anticipated her answer and the ride.

Crazy fast.

To him, something about that answer felt like it was talking about a lot more than just the ride. He decided it was better to stop thinking altogether after that, lest he read into something he was unfamiliar with.

"Wouldn't think of it!" He said with a giant grin on his face as he revved the engine up. Then, the world was a blur.

Daiya's apartment was not far by any means, and they were moving crazy fast, but the experience of zipping through the streets and alleys of Denon felt like it could have lasted forever. It definitely wasn't because the driver was trying his damndest to show off by taking a more scenic route. Not that you could really see any of it long enough to appreciate it, anyway. This was also probably a good thing, as most scenes on Denon weren't ones you wanted to stick around and sightsee anyway. Not if you wanted to keep your face intact, that is.

Nonetheless, eventually, the wild chase ended, the flapping of his cape at rest, the pair would be able to dismount. He'd offer assistance if she needed it (or desired it if she didn't), and take her helmet to put it back with the bike.

"Think we missed anything?" He offered up to Brie as they walked through the apartment complex.

Cassus and Brie might encounter them in the corridor. They might look as if they were hunched over to take something to give them a little pep for the party.

"You alright?" Cassus wasn't one to pry, but with them outside Daiya's apartment without going in little alarm bells went off in his head. He positioned himself between the Fractal Staters and Brie instinctively. Dressed to impress tonight, he hadn't exactly armed himself as he usually did. He didn't anticipate combat, but these sorts of options always floated through his head when dealing with unknowns.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Hex and Daiya's apartment
Objective: Dress like a corpo
Attire: Clothing
Tags: Daiya / Cassus Akovin / Hex / Brie Jaxx / Zephyrr / Makko Vyres / Das / Zenric

Cartri was relieved to know that the attention had soon been turned away from his embarrassment and instead on Zep who was busy kissing someone. With a deep breath, the teen leaned back and watched the party unfold before him. It was still strange to be in this environment with kids his age, he never had a chance to go to parties like this back in the orphanage. Either way, he was just happy to hang out with them and live the life of a kid. It was about time he caught up on the stuff he missed.

The only thing that drew his attention away was Daiya sitting on his lap. Smiling, his arms wrapped around her midsection and pulled her in close. Right now they just chilled, close and chatting amongst each other as Daiya took a sip of her drink. Then, with a giggle Cartri moved his lips toward Daiya's, their lips interlocking and kissing for a few seconds until Daiya pulled away "Well, I hope you get nice and comfortable hotshot" he winked, his face moving forwards to kiss her again. This time, Daiya raised a finger to his lips and stopped him to share a new dare.

The teen seem to groan from the stoppage and leaned back again with a funny roll of his eyes. Both of them couldn't get enough of each other, and that was only shown by Daiya coming back for more. When she turned to face him, he raised a hand to her cheek and locked in some more kisses, seemingly wanting more from the girl as others chatted amongst themselves. Unfortunately, another stoppage interrupted them with the announcement of Brie coming over

"Oh snap, when will she be arriving?" he asked with a grin "I hope she brings the fishbowl with her, would be a funny sight to see at a party" he chuckled as he glared down at what she was typing. At the same time, his hand gently went up and down her back to let her know he was still there and keeping her comfortable.

"Now, where were we danger girl?" he joked before leaning forwards to give her another barrage of kisses. He didn't care if other people were watching, right now he just wanted to be close to Daiya.

 

[Makko Vyres]

"You alright?"

" 'Sup," replied Makko, before knocking on the door.

Fiego did know a friend of a friend, but this might still require a little convincing to get inside the party itself.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

​

Location: Outside Daiya and Hex's apartment
Objective: Get to the party!
Tags: Cassus Akovin , Daiya , Hex , Makko Vyres

Brie smiled with her whole face as Cassus pushed the pedal to the metal, confidently pushing the speeder bike to its limits. They were late and probably the last ones to show up, so the speed was justified. Everything from skyscrapers and neon signs to other airspeeder traffic passed by them in a colorful blur, but Brie never felt unsafe during the ride. As she helt onto the boy, who Brie felt had a quite athletic build as her hands felt his stomach under the shirt, she felt complete confidence in the male shadowrunner. Every time they had to evade some obstacle in the way or make a turn, it gave her an excuse to hug him tighter. She could definitely get used to hug the young bounty hunter in front of her. She wouldn't dare to tell him that just yet, though! If ever!

As they arrived at Daiya's and Hex's aparment complex, Brie accepted the sweet helping hand offered to her and got off the speeder bike, carrying a shy but happy smile as she gave the helmet back to him.

''Not anything that we couldn't catch up on! Wow, that was fun!'' Brie chirped, all exalted after the adrenaline filled ride, and made some touches to the hair that had not gone too messy from it. That adrenaline were also well enough to push the shy former scrapper girl past her comfort zone, because in the next moment she found herself again gently hugging the guy with an arm wrapped around his lower back as they walked through the complex. Not too intrusive though. She would accept if Cassus wanted it any other way, if he gave her some sort of sign that he was uncomfortable with it. Her mood suddenly became more serious as they turned a corner and encountered two rather shady figures waiting outside the apartment. Two guys that she didn't recognize, much less thought were friends of Daiya. It gave her a bad feeling as she silently scanned them for weapons, just as Cassus stepped up in front of her, seemingly also having a bad feeling about the situation and ready to protect her. It was an incredibly sweet move, she'd admit that.

''Are you... friends of Daiya? Never seen you around?'' she asked curiously as she carefully studied the guys from behind the invisible protective barrier Cassus had built. They were soon to find out, as the guy knocked on the door.

 

[Hex]

Location: Daiya and Hex's apartment
Objective: Have an awesome party
Tags: Daiya Das Zephyrr Makko Vyres Brie Jaxx Zenric Cartri Keswoll

Spoiler: Equipment - not on her person

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• Big Bigby
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Gear is stowed in places around the apartment

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

"And this is why I don't want to try all that kissy stuff" Hex said to herself as she watched Das make a dash for the door.

'...I see your point, that didnt look fun...'
"exactly"
'...On the other hand, noone seemed too borhered by the coaxium...'

Hex didnt reply but a little smile appeared on her lips as she realised that noone had freaked out, noone had shouted at her, they had just accepted it and moved on. It was nice, as Brie Jaxx liked to remind her, she was 'weird' but noone was making her feel that way today. She looked across at Daiya and Cartri Keswoll who appeared to be locked together by the lips.

'...Well, at least someone seems to he enjoying it!...'

Hex wrinkled her nose a little but her train of thought was broken by a knock at the door. "I'll get it!"

She danced over to the door to answer it, her hips swayed to the music and she had a spring in her step. She opened the door and was greeted by a face she didn't recognise, but then she was still getting to know the shadowrunners she greeted Makko Vyres with a smile, "Hey! I'm Hex, come in, come in. Are you one of Daiya's friends?" she turned and shouted back as she welcomed him in "Dai! We got another one, put down the ginger." Hex giggled and then her eyes lit up as she saw Brie Jaxx and Cassus Akovin .

"Brie! Its so good to see you." She went in for a hug on the other girl that she perceived as a friend. "And you brought Cass along! Are you twoooo??" she raised her eyebrows suggestively, her and Daiya had talked at length about these two hooking up. "Dai is going to be so glad you both showed, come in, we've been playing truth or dare."