alnifolia | OPEN POST;

[ She keeps her gaze forward, the grin that spreads across her lips going unseen. ]

Hey, I can stay in cuffs if it's for something fun.

[ You're flirting with danger, there, Kasumi. Literally. But she figures she might as well try and make this ideal any fun. In any case, she takes the stairs up and to the right as instructed, idly noting all the artwork hanging up on the walls. She hates how great Hock's taste is. He doesn't deserve these pieces. ]

[ Peter's grin comes unbidden. He likes her. ]

Whenever Mr. Hock's done talkin' with you, maybe we'll discuss that further, huh?

[ Granted, he's pretty sure Hock's plans for her don't really involve her still breathing much longer afterward, but he blithely sidesteps that little matter.

He directs her here and again, keeping the barrel of his gun pressed into her back, and leads her into a small, brightly lit, undecorated room that screams interrogation more than it says guest quarters. There's a chair bolted to the floor in the center of the room, adorned with straps meant for keeping the prisoner in place. And Peter was not in any way surprised when Hock had initially shown him here.

"If you happen to capture her alive," the man had said as he opened the door, allowing Peter to peek in, "bring her here. No need for the restraints -- she'd simply slip out of them, anyway. Just be on your guard." ]

Take a seat, Miss Goto. I've got a call to make.

[ His voice is still practically frigid, and he pushes her forward roughly. There are cameras everywhere, after all. Hock's a paranoid motherfucker, and Peter has to respect that. He touches the side of his helmet, and with a few little gestures, he patches himself into the security network, tells whatever assholes are running maintenance on it to call their boss -- Star-Lord has a present for him. It's a few moments later that he receives acknowledgment and confirmation that the boss was on his way back from wherever the hell his trip had taken him. ]

Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Mr. Hock should be here in a while.

[ Kasumi takes a seat as her newfound accomplice makes his call, somewhat relieved that he seems to be saving himself the trouble of trying to restrain her. She crosses her eyes, folds her arms, and tilts her head while she waits for the exchange to finish. When it does, she speaks in a hushed but sly voice. ]

Gonna rough me up while we wait for Mr. Hock to arrive?

Har har, Goto.

[ That dry tone, at least, he doesn't have to feign. He keeps his blaster trained on her, almost lazily, and leans back against the door. He inspects the Shuriken in his other hand. ]

Nice little gun you've got here. Where'd you steal it?

Edited 2015-04-21 23:04 (UTC)

Curious, are you?

Snatched it off a guy I beat to a target and came after me for it. Dumb enough to fall for a decoy and got knocked out when it detonated.

[ That earns her an appreciative hum as he inspects it, then swaps it for the Phalanx. Because Mass Effect mechanics. ]

Oh, now this one's cute. This isn't just the civilian issue -- this is the Alliance issue, isn't it?

I bet the boss wouldn't mind lettin' me have a souvenir or two, after this.

[ His smirk is practically audible. ]

Are you trying to steal from the galaxy's best thief, Star-Lord?

The nerve.

[ She sounds vaguely offended, but still, she's grinning. ]

Not really? [ His own grin is audible. ] It's more like takin' candy from a baby, who happens to be napping while all loopy on cold meds.

[ After that, Peter falls silent, gun never wavering. He doesn't typically play guard dog, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the patience for it. He's lain in wait for a whole lot longer than this, after all. (And that's another surprising trait -- hardly anyone ever expects one Peter Quill to exhibit the type of saintly patience he does as Star-Lord.)

It's a few hours later, and while he is a patient man, that doesn't mean he doesn't get bored. It comes as a relief, in a way, when there's a knock on the door, and Peter steps aside, knocking on the door to show it's clear. Not a moment later, Donovan Hock himself steps through, impeccably dressed, looking for all the world as though he's welcoming a visiting dignitary rather than a thief with plans for revenge. ]

Miss Goto. What a pleasure. So good of you to drop by.

[ Peter makes to leave, but Hock stops him with a gesture. ] Please, my good man, stay a while, won't you? I could do with the added company.

Now then. [ He turns back to Kasumi as Peter settles back in again, arms crossed and exuding a general air of annoyance. (He really wanted to sit down.) ] What brings the best thief in the galaxy to Bekenstein?

[ When Donovan Hock finally shows his ugly-ass mug, Kasumi doesn't allow herself to, say, let her hands ball into fists from the anger that begins to boil inside of her. No, she appears completely calm, completely cool, her legs remaining crossed in the chair and her arms remaining folded. ]

You and I both know what I'm here for.

Indeed. But I need what's in your graybox, Kasumi. I trust you understand what that means, yes?

[ It's then that she can't help but sneer, seething from his nerve, calling her by her first name. Hock, meanwhile, pulls out a knife from his pocket. ]

I'm afraid you can't always just get what you want. [ she says with a mildly joking tone; she won't let Hock have the pleasure of seeing her shaken or at anything other than her best-- ]

Oh? On the contrary, Miss Goto, I'm afraid you don't understand how things work around here.

[ He glances over his shoulder at Star-Lord, shaking his head as though to say, this poor woman. ]

I will get your graybox, even if I have to extract it myself. And how fitting is it that I shall do so using the very same blade that killed Keiji Okuda?

[ That's it. That is goddamn it. Although her arms are still crossed, Kasumi's grip on her own arms visibly tighten, and when she responds, it's with a vitriol in her voice that she almost never allows herself to speak with. ]

Go to hell, Hock.

Edited (too many hocks up in here) 2015-04-22 10:53 (UTC)

[ Graybox. Alright. He kinda figured it was something like that, what with the whole, "Keep her head intact" thing. It was either that or something really gross and perverted, but rich dudes have really weird fetishes, and Peter is not thinking about this anymore. He's going to think about beaches or something. Christ.

As it is, Hock grins at Kasumi's outburst, and Peter frowns. He wonders why Hock is letting him witness this, especially given how tight-lipped the man had been during their negotiation about the nature of his relationship with Kasumi. Maybe he figures Peter would appreciate the closure -- he would, in fact, not. He just wants to get paid and go back to his ship and wipe his hands clean of the whole thing. It doesn't matter much to him if Goto kills Hock or if Hock kills Goto. The former has the happy consequence of not having to worry about a target on his back. The latter-- well, doesn't matter as long as he gets his payment. And since he doesn't want to be witness to either of those outcomes-- ]

Sir, with all due respect--

You want to leave, don't you? [ Peter doesn't respond, which is a clear answer in the affirmative, and Hock sighs magnanimously, waving his free hand. ] Go on, then. I thought a man of your discerning tastes would have appreciated watching a show like this, but evidently I was wrong. Your payment is in the account you specified.

[ Peter nods then moves toward the door. ] Thank you. Sorry, to disappoint, sir. Never was one for the finer arts.

[ That seems to amuse Hock, and he laughs. He waves him off again, turning his head to glance over his shoulder. Once Peter's hand touches the doorknob, Hock says, ] Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Quill.

[ And Peter freezes. Hock takes that as his cue to continue: ] I have it right, don't I? Peter Jason Quill. Human. Some twenty-odd years ago, you left Earth. You apprenticed under one Yondu Udonta, code name Ravager. Struck out on your own sometime in your twenties.

[ His hand slips from the doorknob, but he doesn't turn to look at the man. ] You have family on Earth, don't you? Ah, but it's been a long time since you've been home, hasn't it? You have no idea where any of them are. Scattered to the wind. How could you know?

Rest assured, Peter -- I know. And if you want me to forget this information, you will stand by the door like a good little boy and wait until I am ready to speak with you.

[ For a long moment, he doesn't move, head bowed and shoulders rigid. But the moment passes, and Peter stands stiffly beside the door once more, back against the wall. Hock nods his approval, then turns back to Kasumi. ]

I apologize for that bit of ugliness. The help needs to be kept in line. You understand.

Edited 2015-04-22 20:10 (UTC)

[ With Hock's attention diverted towards Peter, Kasumi slips the retracted knife that Star-Lord had given her into her palm, but she stays her hand, now resting her arms on the chair where one's arms would typically be restrained. She's biding her time and hoping to strike at the most opportune moment--

But the exchange between the two men actually catches her interest, by virtue of Hock being a total asshole, outing Star-Lord's identity as leverage. She wonders, at that moment, if the blackmail might be enough to convince Peter Quill that yep, this guy has got to go, and she spares him a quick glance just as Hock turns his attention back to her. ]

I wouldn't disrespect him like that, if I were you. I wouldn't be here if not for him, after all. So are you done being rude?

[ Hock laughs, again, tossing his blade up into the air and catching it by the hilt as he does so. ] No, my dear Miss Goto, I am just beginning.

[ He reaches over with the blade in his hand, holding the very tip of it beneath Kasumi's chin and using it to tilt her head up. ]

Would you like to die just as your Mr. Okuda did? That would be so beautifully poetic, after all.

[ It wouldn't be too terribly difficult to get the jump on Hock, now, with him in close quarters, but she's preoccupied by the anger she feels when he continues to talk about Keiji like he was some piece of game to him, and although that's exactly the rise he wants to get out of her, she turns it into a way to gain the upper hand. If this were another time, perhaps when the wound from losing Keiji was still fresh, open and gaping, Kasumi might have lost her own life by letting Hock really get to her. But not this time. ]

Your little show isn't going to get you anywhere, Hock. My graybox will be empty by the time you so much as dig that blade into my skin--

[ Hock isn't an incredibly patient man. When things don't go his way, when someone doesn't play right into his hands, he gets angry. When he gets angry, he yells, just as he does now, and as tempted as he is to slit her throat then and there, he truly believes her when she says she'd wipe her graybox. And if she did that, they would never be able to crack Okuda's. So he'll have to find another way to break her, which is why he uses the blade to catch the edge of her hood, hastily pushing it back, forcibly revealing Kasumi's face as his laugh takes on a more maniacal tone. ]

You bitch, I am going to enjoy carving your skull open--

[ He doesn't get another word out, because unhooding her? The last fucking straw. No more games, Hock. She coolly uncrosses her legs, raising one and kicking at Hock's arms in a fluid motion, her flexibility doing her some serious favors in this position, and he drops his blade. By the time he's processed what just happened, Kasumi's already cloaking. ]

[ The knife skitters towards Peter when Hock drops it, and he doesn't even pause -- he stomps on it, shoves it to the far corner of the room away from Hock. The man himself is drawing a gun from the holster beneath his coat, sending Peter an outraged look. ]

Imbecile! She'll kill us both if you don't help me.

[ But Peter ignores him. After that little exchange, Peter's pulse had pounded his ears, tinged his sight red. He hasn't been this angry in a long, long time. He had been so careful to keep his lives separate. He'd been so careful to keep a little private part of himself, where he could pretend he was still the little Petey Quill that his mom raised, that he hadn't turned himself into a fucking monster who didn't blink at the trail of bodies he left behind him.

Then Hock went and smashed down the barriers he had built. Reminded him of the family he'd left behind and the lives his lifestyle risked.

Star-Lord does not appreciate it. ]

Listen. I'll pay you double. [ Hock's nervousness, his fear, is showing through the longer Star-Lord's mask stares at him, terribly impassive and silent, the longer Kasumi stays clocked, hidden somewhere in the very same room. ] What I said earlier? A bluff. And consider the records on your background erased, my good man. Just keep me alive and I'll see to it you have everything you could want.

[ Still, Peter stares at him, watches the man squirm. Sure, Goto could turn on them both -- and in a way, he still kind of expects it to happen, that once she gets her revenge on Hock, she'll cloak and literally stab him in the back, too -- but he's getting a sort of satisfaction from watching Hock sweat. He deserves it, threatening his family the way he did.

He also deserves it when Peter steps toward him, drops Kasumi's Phalanx to the ground (sorry, man), and grabs Hock's wrist. He squeezes, pressing just so against the pressure points Yondu had taught him. The gun drops from Hock's hand with a clatter as he screams, as Peter twists, and then he shoves Hock into the chair Kasumi had recently vacated.

Peter grabs the man by the collar. ]

You will not touch my family. Do you hear me? [ His voice is low, almost a growl, something heated and animal and oh, so angry. Hock tries to get a word in, tries to reassure Peter again he was merely bluffing, but Peter yanks on Hock's collar then slams him back into the chair so that his head smacks against its back. ] You will not get that chance.

[ He steps away to press his back against the door, blaster trained on Hock in much the same way it had been trained on Kasumi only moments ago. The statement is easy enough to discern: this is the only way out, and it's through me. ]

[ (oh my god you did not just drop my favorite pistol to the ground.)

After all that, Kasumi reappears beside Hock and the chair, her hood safely back to its usual position, her arm draped casually across the back of the chair. Quill's knife in hand, she gladly reciprocates Hock's earlier act and uses the tip of the blade tilt his chin up so that Kasumi can properly glower down at him. ]

Did you really think you could buy a man back after threatening his family like that? Tsk, tsk, Hock. But you know, desperation suits you.

Also, taking my hood off? Not cool.

Playing the role of scorned lover is beneath you, Kasumi. If I had my way, I would be making sure you felt twice the pain that Okuda ever did before you die. His death was merciful--

[ No, it wasn't. He dug his knife into Keiji's skull and carved out an opening to personally pull the graybox out with his own hands. She presses the knife into his skin, letting it draw blood. ]

If you were hoping to get off on seeing me cry while you talk about Keiji, then you, sir, are horribly mistaken.

[ She moves the blade, now holding it at Hock's throat, and casts Star-Lord a glance. ]

If you would be so kind and hand me the gun you so graciously dropped, Star-Lord?

[ For his part, Peter slides the toe of his boot beneath the Phalanx, tosses it up to catch in his free hand. He flips the gun so he's holding it by the barrel, so that Kasumi can take it by the grip.

All this done silently, of course. At this point, he's only here for the intimidation factor. ]

[ She nods at Peter gratefully, taking the gun and pressing the end of the barrel flush against Hock's head as she retracts the blade on Peter's knife. ]

Unfortunately, I don't have time to do this the merciful way, as you would say.

[ Also, long and excruciating deaths isn't her style. In fact, killing isn't much in her style, but for Hock? She'll make a special exception. ]

You'll never get out of here alive.

[ She grins at him. ]

Please. You know better than most that I always do.

By the way, this pistol? Stole it from your armory on Illium. Now that's what I call poetic justice.

[ And at that moment, Hock opens his mouth to retort, but it's too, too late, Kasumi dispenses a bullet into his brain, the spectacle of which is quieted by the silencer on her pistol. ]

[ Peter waits, listening in for any alarms that Hock might have been able to trigger immediately before his death. Seems they lucked out, for now, but Hock does, at least, have a point -- it's going to look suspicious if they leave without the man in question.

Worse still, is that Peter knows how headshots work -- it's never quite like it is in the movies. The bullet doesn't always exit through the back of the victim's head -- and if it does, it's with a giant splatter of bone and brains and blood. Messy as fuck. Failing that, a bit of blood can burst out from the point of entry, splash on you if you get too close.

With Hock dealt with, Peter's anger drains away, leaving his voice neutral. Professional. ]

Did you get anything on you?

[ she retracts her Phalanx ~~because mass effect guns~~ and promptly holsters it with a shrug at Quill. ]

A little bit. But probably plenty more where that came from. Security won't be too happy when we come out, yeah?

I'll need to break into his quarters to arrange your payment. [ and to gather what she needs to break into his vault. ] If you want to wash your hands clean of this past this point and keep your rep intact, you should leave.

[ Peter gestures up to the ceiling with a twitch of his head. ]

No cameras in here. If you haven't noticed, the shit Hock gets-- sorry. The shit Hock got up to in here, he obviously didn't want to leave any evidence of it. Suspect sound dampeners, too -- don't want the mics in the next room picking up what happens in here.

So I walk out. You cloak and follow close behind me. That shouldn't draw any suspicion. If you're as good as they say you are, and if Hock's as much of a twisted fuckstick as I think he was, you probably have an hour to do what you've gotta before anyone suspects something's wrong with the boss.

But once we step outta here, you're on your own. Get me?

Please. Remember who you're talking to. One hour is plenty enough.

[ With her gun holstered, she holds out the other hand to return his knife. ]

And don't worry. My lips are sealed about--you know.

[ His secret identity. Kasumi really has no business getting on an assassin's bad side, and she has nothing to gain from dispensing that bit of information, anyway. ]

[ He takes the knife and hands her back the Shuriken. He's turning towards the door when he catches what she says, and--

His shoulders go rigid. He's still pissed that Hock managed to figure him out -- and he has no fucking clue how. He had thought Yondu was the only one who knew, and as far as Peter knew, the man had no reason to blab.

Peter turns back toward her, both of his blasters holstered. ]

If I asked you to wipe all of his hard drives clean, how much would you charge me?

[ She responds almost immediately; after all, he's not the only one who had something compromised by Hock during all that. ]

Free of cost, if you forget that you ever saw what I look like.

[ There's no hesitation on his part, either: ] Done.

[ Didn't matter to him, either way. She was pretty, but he doubted the knowledge of what she looked like would help him, in the long run. He turns, to the door again. ]

Remember: you've got an hour. Maybe less. You're on your own once we're out of here.

You don't have to tell me twice, Star-Lord.

And--for what it's worth? Thanks. For this.

[ --just since Kasumi may be a thief, but she's not a total asshole. In any case, the moment they finally open the door to leave, she begins to cloak, and by the time Star-Lord has stepped through the threshold, it's like she was never there.

In the next hour (maybe less), she manages to infiltrate Hock's private quarters by tapping into his security's comm channel, and the first thing she does is hack into his private terminal, siphoning funds from his various off-world accounts (so as not to set off red flags by suddenly taking a huge chunk of money out) and funneling them into the account her would-be assassin specified, first, before taking some for herself. Then she wipes his hard drives of anything to do with Peter Quill or Star-Lord. She wipes any mention of Keiji's or her grayboxes, too, so no one gets the same idea if they come looking through Hock's files. She ends up taking data, though, mostly inventories and locations of Hock's various caches.

After that it's a quick waltz back to his vault's entrance, and she has everything she needs to enter. She'd already cut the power to the laser grid on the way to Hock's quarters, already had a sample of his DNA from--you know, being up close and personal when she killed him--and she already has the password and a recording of Hock's voice from his little spat with Quill.

(The day's password is akai bara, which Kasumi immediately recognizes as Japanese for "red rose," which is no coincidence in the least.)

So getting through the vault is easy. Finding the graybox inside the vault was easy. Getting out? Was fun. By then the mercs had noticed that something was up, and of course the first place they went looking were the exits from the vault.

Unfortunately for them, Kasumi has flashbangs. And a really convincing decoy. And an omni-blade. And also, the gun that killed two presidents, which she'd just stolen from the vault. And she hacks into a couple of their mechs, too, just for fun.

And her getaway vehicle? Hock's very own gunship. Yeah, they don't fuck with her after that.

The moral of the story is, Kasumi Goto is just fine on her own and with a little under an hour. There certainly would have been an easier way to do this, probably, if she enlisted someone else's help and infiltrated the joint at Hock's next soiree or something, but at least this way she's done away with Hock for good and crossed paths with a certain infamous assassin. ]

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OPEN RP POST ① Pick a character ② Pick a prompt (or DIY) (shamelessly and selectively pilfered from bakerstreet's Random Scenario Meme) ③ Do the thing!. table code by betterdolphin