[Mercy Merchant]

Cinnamon nods to you when the man turns to talk to one of the waiters hovering nearby.  She walks over and taps you gently on the chest as if chiding you.  "Nothing preemptive.  We do not yet know for sure that he is going to try anything.  Suspicion is not enough.  We just keep our eyes open.  Our man in the car is already ready to go.  Best damn combat driver in Denver and LA before taking this gig.  He will be fine."

The waiter returns with three flutes of champagne and a glass of some sort of fizzy drink for Nova.  Cinn takes one flute and Horth another before the man turns to you.  Cinn offers a toast for nova and sips at the drink.  When the conversation turns to Nova and the family of four she is talking to, Cinn puts the glass down on a small table.  A couple of minutes later she is asking for another from the waiter, even though she barely touched her first one.  But the indication is that she is already working on her second flute of alcohol.  It takes just over thirty minutes to get through the line of fans and Horth congratulates Nova on her dealing with the small crowd as he hustles the three of you out into the club proper.  You notice that Cinn leaves her nearly full glass behind and asks the waiter to track her down with another.  Horth actually smiles broadly at her and says he is pleased she is having a good time.  She laughs and says a very good time, admitting that she has needed one for a long time.  For some reason, she seems slightly unsteady on her legs.

The main lobby is jumping.  There must be some sort of sonic barrier in place, because you were not hearing the music until you passed into the room.  Horth has to yell that over the noise to be heard.  "Level one.  And each level down is another level of the hell from the book.  Things get pretty strange down past level three and it is pretty much anything goes on levels eight and nine.  I would not take the kid down but would you two like some special one-time passes for the lower levels/"  He takes a couple of coded keys from a breast pocket and holds them up.  Cinn smiles at you deliciously and takes the passes with a wink.  "We might just find a use for these."

Nova can almost be herself on this level as most of the people seem to be her age or a bit older.  The music is loud and has a techno beat that she seems to enjoy.  Before long, a young man comes to ask her to the dance floor and she looks up at you and Cinn, who nods at her.  The pair go off to the dance floor and soon Nova is dancing away like any other teen here.

[PRabel]

"Got it. We wait what happens, but be ready to jump. The way I see, you have more experience dealing with people in a social manner. Just tell me, when the words are no more useful." He tells Cinn trough his subvocal as they're heading to the party area.

*Wow, she really knows how to convince people, acting like she is already tipsy. At least I hope she is only acting it and knows what she is doing.*

"Care to tell me the details of your plan? I don't want to lose sight of Nova. Or this is the part, where we start to dance too?"

*I hope not, because I have absolutly no idea how to dance to this kind of noise.*

[Mercy Merchant]

Cinn gives you a look before tugging on your arm in a little-girl sort of fashion that is completely in sync with being slightly tipsy.  "Come on, G, let's dance, too.  Look, all you have to is move your body."  She takes you onto the dance floor and begins gyrating to the music (noise) while maneuvering through the crowd to stay close to Nova and her impromptu date.  The strobing light above the floor creates an eerie sort of feel to the room as young people, and a few older ones, move their bodies about the floor.  It is not hard to actually just let the rhythm guide you.  It does not appear that any special footwork is called for. 

The floor is large and quite crowded and the music never seems to really stop but just flows from one noisy, bouncy instrumental to another.  There does not seem to be any real sort of purpose to the music other than to make noise and provide a beat to move to.  Nova's partner subtly guides her towards the center of the floor, where it seems a greater bit of noise is coming from, plainly vocal.  The wall of bodies parts a bit and you see that the center of the floor is marked for about a forty foot diameter circle.  Everyone within the confines of the circle is topless.  It would be difficult for you to remember when you might have seen so many naked tits in one place, if you ever have.  The people around the edge of the dancers is moving in time to the music, but cheering on those who are removing their tops, especially anyone just entering the circle.  Cinn looks up at you.  She does not have to yell, thanks to the mic.  "You are insane if you even think I am going in there.  I only take my clothes off for one person at a time."

You see Nova's partner take her hand and motion to the circle of dancers with his head.  She hesitates for a moment then shakes her head.  After another tug, the boy just shrugs and drops her arm to look at the gyrating half-naked people in the circle.  Nova tries to get him to go back onto the floor, but he seems more interested in staring at bouncing boobs.  She shakes her head and turns to walk away through the crowd and Cinn leads you after her.  You follow Nova to the edge of the dance floor, where she is met by Horth.  "Hey, isn't that something?  Having a good time?"  Strangely, from where you are standing, he seems to be a bit disappointed but then covers it with his huge smile. 

Nova shakes her head.  "No, I am not.  Is this what it is about, Mr. Horth?  Just dancing and half-naked people?  What is it like farther down?  More?"

The man grins and nods.  "Oh yes.  It is, after all, supposed to be a sort of place where people can get loose and do what they want."

Nova turns to both of you.  "I would like to go back to the hotel, please.  I do not like it here."

Horth looks shocked and pained, trying to convince her to stay, that he has spent a lot of money on getting passes on shirt notice.  He looks to you and says, "You were having a good time, right?  Convince her to stay."

Cinnamon steps forward to talk to the girl, taking her arm, all sense of being tipsy gone.  "No, Mister Horth, we are leaving.  G, can you call the car, please?  Tell him we are on the way out.  Good evening Mister Horth."

The promoter looks quite angry for a few moments then visibly calms down.  He nods and escorts you all back to the VIP entrance where the limo is waiting.  In the car, Cinn turns to Nova.  "You made the right choice, dear.  I am sorry that it was a disappointment."

Nova nods.  "Me, too.  I though Rupert was nice, but I think all he wanted was to get me to the middle and try to see me with my top off.  I ma not ready for that sort of thing.  Should I be?"

[PRabel]

"Ok, I give it a try, but I'm not promising anything." He says and follows her, dancing through the crowd towards Nova.  *Wow, it's not as hard as I thought, maybe I'm not hopeless.*

As they're moving to the center, he  stare a little at the half-naked dancers, but quickly pulls himself together and answers Cinn: "I dare not suggest anything like that to you. I might risk a knee in my balls. I like to keep them in one piece.
*And that one person is lucky as hell!
Clever girl! She really has a good head about things. I hope her brother won't poison that. * He calls the car. When they are outside, he helps the girls get in, while constantly scanning the area.

"Yes Nova, it was the right thing to do. Just because the other were doing it, doesn't mean you have to do it too."
Poor girl, with this popularity, it will be hard for her to get a decent guy.

After that, he turns ton Cinn: "That was some pretty nice acting back there, you almost convinced me too. By the way: Am I called G from now on?"

*It is good thing, that nothing happened in the club. It was too crowded. Note to self: I should get some 'ware, that can filter the unwanted sounds. That music was a bit distracting.* He quickly takes a note of it in his commlink and gets back to the conversation.

"Is there something to drink in this limo? Preferably non-alcoholic. My throat is pretty dry."

[Mercy Merchant]

In the car, Nova nods to you and sits back in her seat.  She opens a side compartment and pulls out a set of headphones and puts them on before closing her eyes and softly singing to herself.  Sometimes she frowns and starts over.  Cinnamon also smiles at you.  "Thanks.  Yes, that represents a lot of acting lessons that never went farther than high school theater.  But it can usually get the job done.  A real pro would probably glom that I am acting and be suspicious, but I don't think North is a pro at anything except scamming.  Did you see the look on his face when Nova said she wanted to leave?  Like he ate just drank sour milk from a carton he did not sniff at first.  I am not totally convinced he was planning something rotten, but he had some sort of scam going on that our early departure messed up for him.  I think we ought to sic Stella on him and see what she can dig up."

"And your name?  G sounds much better than Grunt, but if you insist............................"

At your question, she points to a cushioned cabinet that turns out to be a mini-frig.  You find bottled water and soft drinks.  Nova comes back to the real world long enough to grab a Soypepper before sinking back to her singing.

[PRabel]

He grabs a bottle of water and starts do drink, but take short pause and says:
"No, it', s ok. It is a lot shorter and it really sound better. I think I stick with that."
He finishes the water and say: "Nice idea, by the way. Stella can surely squeeze his intentions out of Horth. One way or another.
So, what's the plan, when we get back to the hotel? Standard guard duty, I guess: You will be in the room and I'll be in front of the door, right?"

*She has a lot of useful talents. I wonder how old she really is. These skills can't be learned in a blink of an eye, not to mention her augmentations. Those too aren't instant upgrades. Not that she doesn't have it, she is an elf after all. Cinn has a lot more time to live, than I have. However in our kind of work, that time can not be taken for granted.*

[Mercy Merchant]

Cinnamon smiles.  "Then G it is.  And yes, pretty standard, although we will probably have some food sent up.  Here, I just flashed you a hotel menu so you can decide what you want as we drive there.  We can even order from her.  The kid wants a double cheeseburger and a Soypepper.  I like the caesar salad.  I know, stereotype, right?  But I don't like anything too heavy this time of night.  After that, we can both be in her room for a couple of hours.  When she goes to bed, you move out to the living room and take the door.  She likes to stay up and either practice into that broom or play trid games.  You will be her new best friend if you play and are any good because I suck at them."

[PRabel]

He quickly browses through the food selection and orders grilled chicken with some vegetables and water.
"As long as I have access to real food, I try as many as possible. I enjoy the situation as long as I can.
Don't worry, it's only a slight stereotype." He says with a smile. "I totally understand it, by the way. If you eat too much, you might fall into a food come and then I have to cover for you." He continues with an even bigger smile on his face.

"Got it. So we still have some time before she goes to sleep. Ok, I try my best, but I never played any games before. So please don't laugh too hard as she mops the floor with me, alright?"

[Mercy Merchant]

The three of you step out of the car in the parking garage, well away from any rabid fans.  A short elevator ride and you are back in Nova’s suite.  Everyone else is off doing something and you have the place to yourselves.  The food arrives as Nova and Cinnamon go off to the bedroom and a chit for the food is presented for you to sign before you move the cart in to join the women.  You and Cinn place the food on the small dining table and the three of you dig in.  Nova looks at both of you and says, “Hey, sorry if I ruined your night at the club.  And that was some pretty good acting, Cinn.  If I did not know that you almost never drink alcohol I might have been fooled.  So, why was it necessary to fool them?”

She takes a bite of her burger and has to pause to wipe some grease from her chin.  “And did anyone else notice Horth giving that boy something?  The one that was dancing with me?  I thought it was money, but it might have been something else.  And he was a bit upset that I did not want to go take my top off for him.  Yuk.  And in front of all those people?  No way.  I thought for a moment that he was going to push me into the crowd and have them go at me.  I was sure glad you two were there in case I needed help.”

She finishes her burger and fries and looks casually at you.  “Say, G.  I hear that you like to play trid games.  Rumor is that you cannot wait to try to beat my high score.  I say that is a dare.  Come on, I just happen to have a set up here with a couple of consoles.  Cinn only plays a couple and I want to try out Moon Rocket.” 

Cinnamon groans and says, “She is all yours, G.  I hope that you kick her ass.  You two have about three hours until you have to go to bed, Nova.”

[PRabel]

*Damn it! How did we not noticed it ?!
"Nova, do you know anything else about that guy, other than his name? His commlink address, maybe?
That "something" proves, why that little acting was necessary . From Horth's behavior, we suspected, that  he might try something against you.  Cinn did it, so we could get some more leverage over the situation. It seems we were right."

He gives Cinn a mean look, when Nova practically  challenges him to a game. "I don't know where you heard that, but I have an idea.
Anyway, you heard it right, so prepare for a beating. Let's see what you're made of!"

As they're preparing for the game, he says Cinn over his mic: "Can we get access to the club's guest list? Maybe we could get something useful out of it."

[Mercy Merchant]

Cinn looks at you and nods.  "I will get Stella on it tomorrow morning.  I can give her a description and a photo and turn her loose."

Moon Rocket is a fun game, but it is difficult if you do not know how to play.  Nova has played before and is quite good.  After a few beat downs she leans over to you and calls you a good sport then sits next to you as she teaches you the game.  It is easy to forget that she is at the top of the singing charts and is just a teenager having fun.  Soon enough, Cinn comes along to spoil the fun but Nova does not argue.  She thanks you for the game and invites you to try it again.  Cinnamon walks you to the door and mouths "Thank you" at you as you leave the room. 

Your chronometer check lets you know that you have a few hours of standing in front of the door ahead of you before being relieved.

[PRabel]

"Thank you! I'm sure she can dig up something." He says Cinn.

"Is it that obvious, that I never played anything like that before?" He asks Nova as she teaches him how to play the game.

*I wonder how much it was her decision to be a pop-star. She is barely more, than a child. I just hope, that she will not be exploited*

"It was nothing. She deserves to be a normal kid once in a while."

*Let's get comfortable!* He says, while turning on his thermographic vision and constantly scans the room.

[Mercy Merchant]

Standing at the door, you replay what Nova had said about your playing.  She had looked at you with a smile and said, "Are you kidding?  If this is your first time for Moon Rocket, you are doing pretty good.  It is a hard game, but you are doing much better than a beginner.  I just have lots of practice and know some of the little things that will help you.  Mostly, though, it is just practice, practice, and more practice."

You shake your head.  She could be a diplomat the way she talks.  The night passes slowly; the minutes seemingly taking hours to pass by.  The kid must be asleep in the next room and Cinn is likely sitting on one of the chairs and doing pretty much the same thing you are.  Stella comes into the suite at just after 0500.  She smiles at you and takes a seat on the couch.  The headset is already on and she is talking softly into it, her data pad in her hand.  She looks up from her conversation and smiles, mouthing a good morning at you.  At 0600 on the mark, you hear noise from the bedroom behind you and can make out that Cinnamon is talking to Nova.  At first the words are loud enough to be heard.

Cinn says, Time to get up, dear.  Big day ahead at the arena."

Nova makes what sounds like stretching noises and says, "So, G?  Pretty cool guy, huh?"

"Yes.  Pretty cool guy."

"Seems nice, too.  And he did not step on your feet when dancing.  Do you like him?"

Cinnamon laughs.  "No, he did not and that is certainly a big plus.  And whether I like him or not is none of your business right now, but I will tell you when it is.  Now hurry up and climb out of bed."

"Sure thing, Mom."  You can almost see her eyes roll, but you hear sounds of people moving in there.

[PRabel]

*Pretty much like every other thing in the word: the more you do it, the better you get at it. Maybe I can practice a little with Nova, when we have some spare time.*

He says good morning to Stella as she enters. *She is already talking to someone. I've never seen her without her pad and headset. Not that I'm here for a long time, but stil...*

*As I hear, it's time to wake up, Nova. So, it seems Nova too likes me, and...she is curious about me an Cinn. Interesting. The two of them seems to be pretty close. Almost like a family. They are together for some time now. It's no wonder she calls Cinn "Mom", even if only ironically.*

As he hears movement in the room, he says Cinn over the mic:"Good morning ladies! How was the night?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Thursday  June 6  2075  0730  Nova's Suite

You can almost hear Cinn yawn over the mic.  "A bit long.  I am ready for bed.  We'll be out in a few.  Breakfast should be rolling in just about now."  Almost prophetically, a knock at the door heralds the arrival of two carts of food from room service.  The day shift guys come in, Larry rubbing his hands as the trays were revealed.  Everyone starts digging in and even Stella takes off her headset to eat.  Roger strolls into the suite and grabs a few things from the tray, followed by the team driver.  The only one missing is Frankie, who apparently never eats breakfast.  Plans for the day's activities are discussed, with Roger, Stella and the boys going out to the arena to do some site rehearsals and scouting about a bit.  Roger says that you and Cinn will be coming out just before your shift starts so that you can get a look at the place.

The handoff is made official and you and Cinn are off duty for the day.  She walks behind you to your suite and pauses as she opens her door.  "Hey, G?  You did good last night.  We would have kicked their asses if they tried anything.  See you later."  She goes into her room, but does not close the door all the way, leaving it invitingly open several inches.