Having visited the man once or twice since his hospitalization had started, Clem was both surprised and somewhat relieved to receive a call from O'Connor. She let it ring a bit before picking up, as she didn't want the human to think she didn't have anything better to do than to wait for his call. <What happened is we finished the contract and got kicked out of Hollywood> said the ork, thinking back on what she had done in the past two weeks since her return.
Once the appointment had been scheduled for her consultation the day after their return, the ork had decided to send a message to Louis, her contact at KE. She had been out of town long enough, and she knew she needed to give some face time to some of her contacts. After all, nobody likes someone that only reaches out to them when they need a favour. <Hey Louis, how about we meet tonight at The Basin, just to catch up? I'm buying.>
Later that night, Clem had entertained the officer and drowned his complaints to the tune of ¥200. The man had expensive tastes, especially when someone else was paying. Although nothing substantial had come out of the encounter, the Asian woman had come back home satisfied with the night.
The next day, as she was leaving for her appointment, she got a message from Hiroshi, her arms dealer. <Call me when you get this, I have an offer for you.> Clem knew that this offer meant she was going to have to pay something, but sometimes the offer was worth it, so she decided to call the man as she was getting on her bike. <What kind of offer are we talking about> said the ork, dispensing with the formalities and letting the Japanese man know she was aware she was doing him a favour. <I have a friend that has gotten into debt with us and needs to find a job to repay us. He can't do the kinds of things you can Clem, but he has studied martial arts and is quite good at it. Actually, it seems he is as good at it as he is bad at picking horses> said the man, laughing at his own joke. <Anyway, the man is giving lessons once a week for two months for about ¥500 a head. I figured you'd be interested.> Clem frowned as she was driving through traffic. <There is no way I am going to stand in a class with children kicking and crying all around me. If I'm going to learn something from him, it has to be one-on-one, and he has to condense it to within a month, no more.>
Hiroshi heard exactly what he had wanted to hear, but didn't like revealing his cards so easily. <I didn't take you for the type to stand with all the other corpses, anyways. But he needs to make this extra effort worthwhile, so the price would go up to ¥10,000.>
Clem's eyes widened at the nuyen amount. <For ¥10,000, he better come and give me a foot massage every night> answered the ork, a mocking tone in her voice. <I'll give you ¥4,000, and I want to train with him exclusively, at my convenience. If I call him, I want him to drop whatever drek he's doing and meet me, whatever the time.>
This part was something the Japanese man was both expecting and skilled at. <Come on Clem, ¥4,000 is barely enough for him to cover the interest on his debt. Besides, if you want him to be there for you, ¥8,000 is a much fairer price for someone as skilled as him. I know you can already handle yourself in a fight, so he won't waste your time with the kiddy stuff, straight down to business.>
Still feeling the price being too high for her, the ork countered with <¥6,000 is as high as I can go right now, and I won't be starting until next week, so that should give you time to milk him for another week.>
After a small pause, Hiroshi agreed. <Alright, ¥6,000 and you owe me one. I'll arrange everything and send you his info so you can schedule everything at your convenience. Good doing business with you, Clem.>
<Yeah> was Clem's answer, before asking Hiroshi one last question. <By the way, what does he teach?> <He's a Muay Thai fighter> answered the Japanese man before hanging up.
*Great* thought the ork as she arrived at the armourer. An hour and a half later, all the adjustments were made on her new shotgun and she had just enough time to bring her new purchase home and get to her second appointment of the day, at the secretive clinic.
The building exterior was nothing to look at, blending well with its tired surroundings. The paint was flaking, cracks were scattered all over the facade, and the entrance looked like it had been busted in, probably during a raid or a gang war. Taking the elevator to the 6th floor, Clem emerged in front of a sturdy metal door with an intercom on its side. Announcing herself to whomever was on the other end of the camera pointing at the entrance, the door unlocked and Clem walked in.
The interior was a completely different picture than the outside. Marble floors, an aquarium with real tropical fish taking the whole southern wall, an ebony reception desk with a pretty elven lady behind it and a big, imposing troll in a tailored three piece suit standing next to the door threw Clem off balance for a moment. She hesitantly walked to the desk, as if each step was somehow messing the aura of the place.
"You must be Ms. Mitsui" said the elf, a big smile on her face. "Someone will be right with you, please have a seat meanwhile. Would you like something to drink?"
The ork refused the offer and sat down on one of the stylish chairs facing the aquarium. A few moments later, a tall, fair-skinned woman in a white coat came to meet Clem. They exchanged greetings and they were soon inside a comfortable office, talking business. Once everything was decided, with an appointment scheduled the next morning and payment settled, Clem left the posh building and went back home, exhausted but happy about her day. It wasn't the first time the ork was going to go under the knife so she knew what to expect, but being unconscious while someone else opened her up always made her feel queasy.
The ork had quickly fallen asleep that night, the sound of customers next doors a strangely soothing lullaby.