A Hard Look

Participants:

huruma_icon.gif lucille_icon.gif ryans_icon.gif

Scene Title A Hard Look
Synopsis Huruma and Lucille do a little digging and a little showing up.
Date April 13, 2018

Red Hook Market


The weather is still chilled when Huruma and Lucille find themselves at the Red Hook Market, periodic drizzles outside coating everything and shooing bodies back inside before long. The Market is an oasis, of sorts, the heat of activity keeping the place comfortable. The lantern-like lighting lends it a golden glow, shining orange on red brick. Compared to the blue and gray of the outside, the market turns into another little world of its own. Music out of a radio comes faintly from somewhere, and the square smells like coffee— just as Huruma has become accustomed to.

“When was the last time you made it down here…?” Huruma asks of Lucille past her shoulder, sliding past a group of traders at a stall as they make their way towards the Red Hook Tavern. “Honestly, this place was surprising to me…” Her assessment is a compliment, gaze lifting to mark out her path. Her light coat is slung over an arm, slightly damp; her jeans are dotted with droplets and her thin black sweater cuts a deep neck along her sternum. A shake of coat drips some fresh castoff against her pants. Her nature draws her to warmer places, naturally.

“Recently actually, Col, Burr and I had a lead to shake down.” And that lead led Colette and Lucille to a thread from their past still not something Lucille was sure how she felt about Limerick’s involvement and being so close to home so to speak. Today the woman was hoping to have her mind on other things, happier topics? Though she was beginning to be more weirded out by the subject that was her scar gradually healing by itself and with it being healed also her ability it would seem.

“They’ve.. worked wonders here.” Something she realizes she could have helped with more but.. her fellow Hounds and she were built for other tasks. Pale blue eyes survey the area as she breathes in the smell of coffee. Luce’s asymmetrical blazer is shaken off as well, a few droplets flicking into the ground as she raises an eyebrow. Gloveless hands, something that people haven't seen in years now are pulled up to swipe a few strands of hair out of her eyes.

She's searching for her father, she figures that Huruma would get a bead on him first.

Of Course, the old man is there already. Helps that he lives in the zone, not too far from Red Hook. Situated towards the back, at a table with his back to the wall, where he can watch the entry points. His hair is starting to show the gray, which seems to age him more then in the past. This clothing is simple, jeans and a henley. A tumbler of — more than likely whiskey — is clutched between his hand and other arm.

Where he is allows him to see the woman coming. So when they arrive, Ryans slowly releases his hold on the glass and stands offering both a small smile. “Ladies.” He offers in his rumbled tones.

“An intel trip? Mm.” Huruma furrows a look down to Lucille, anything more passing by without getting spoken. Maybe she is sad that they didn’t take her, or maybe she is just curious. “They really have. And more to come.” She flashes a smile at this, having already been engrossed in how things have changed.

Huruma feels Ryans’ presence long before she sees him, a drop of oil amidst the liquid dwell of people in the market and the neighborhood watering hole. The shape of her smile matches his own— small, but honest all the same— as they move to the back.

“Started without us, I see—” Despite these words, the tall woman still leans in to give a one-armed hug of greeting, head angling around and other arm coaxing Lucille into the fold before she moves back again.. There’s a catlike curl to her lips. “Your daughter has a surprise for you.”

“Yea we need to talk about that. I actually wanted you to be there but the guy was.. well he was scared enough as it was.” She grins darkly at her Aunt and mentor and flashes a bit of gold in her eyes before noticing her father and they fade back to their natural pale blue.

Lu has considered herself a ‘big girl’ for a while now, she had to be a big girl when their mom died and be there for Delia (when she wasn't running away to model somewhere) but as Huruma pulls them into a group hug she closes her eyes and tears well up there. “Daddy!” She breathes out and once Huruma moves back she leaps into her dad's arms. It's not like her at all. Burying her face in his neck she sobs silently, “Something has happened.”

Before pulling back to turn her head to reveal her perfectly healed neck. There's not a mark on her, she's not wearing gloves. A naked thumb is grazin the back her dad's hand. “I'm healed.” The words sound strange and almost like when someone proclaims that God has placed his hand upon them. Whether or not that is the case though, is not something that Lucille offers at this point.

In all honesty she doesn't know much about what's happening to her.

While he does return the group hug… Benjamin is taken complete surprise by his daughter. He Can only blink at Huruma over Lucille’s head with a ‘ what is going on?’ look. Of course, like any father would, he wraps arms around her as she sobs into the collar of his shirt.

When she pulls back, his hand lightly grip her arm, his face holds a mild look of surprise. He palms away tears on her cheek, before he tips her chin up a bit to get a better look at her neck… it’s one of those nights that stick with him and the scar was always a reminder… but..

“How?” He rumbles softly, looking up studying his daughters face. There were any manner of people that could have done something like this. “Healer? Time manipulator?” Now his curiosity is piqued.

It isn’t until Lucille really gets there that Huruma feels her emotions welling up fast under the surface to match the glisten of her eyes. Her brow knits slightly and she stands aside to make sure that Lucille gets that well-deserved time to shower her father in affection— something she hasn’t quite been able to do like this for too long of a time.

The look to her over the young woman’s head is answered with a minute lift of shoulders, an open palm, and a shake of head. Huruma has no answer for him. It is as much a mystery to her. He does the same thing she did, inspecting the site of that old bullet scar and seeing nothing of the kind.

“‘’Oh, mpenzi’’, you’re alright…” Huruma’s hand moves to smooth Lucille’s hair back from her face, fingers reassuring in the soft weight at the back of her shoulders soon after. “And you kept it together that far. I am shocked.” In all her kindnesses, there is still that faint teasing— out of love, of course.

There used to be mostly feelings of anger and pain lurking underneath the surface of Lucille’s outward zen look. Meditation had helped taper and fine tune her emotions to channel in more healthy ways then she use to. The enveloping feeling is joy, at the chance to be able to touch her loved ones again. She's almost overcome with the feelings and then Huruma is at her back and she can only snicker at the teasing, that is something this family does well.

“I'm not entirely sure what's going on.” She answers truthfully as she steps back to look at her father and Huruma. Wiping the tears from her face the rest of the way with a sniff, “I thought I was crazy at first, it just keep slowly.. disappearing. I haven't seen a healer. Time Manipulator? Nah,” she had heard stories before of people who could play with time like she played with her knives. The thought scared her a little.

“I haven't had a full on conversation with the Major over it yet.” That name for Hana bringing back memories of when she was just Hana, she received a lot of help from the woman. She was curious as to what her reponse would be. “My guess is as good as yours.”

It's a strange thing but that doesn't mean it's automatically of a sinister nature but there's a feeling in the pit of her gut. Call it what you will but it didn't seem right all the way. “I was thinking of going to see Tamara. She might have some insight and uh.. maybe a scientist or something? My friend Berlin,” there's a look over at Huruma. “She's good at sensing what's going on with the body.” Being tested like a lab rat is not the goal.

The fact that she doesn’t have a straight answer bothers her father, deeply. Huruma will feel it, all that Lucille will see is a slight concerned dip of his eyebrows as his gaze drops to the scar. “What happened to me was time manipulation… I’ve….” The tilt of his brows drop further. His mind going back to the days of yore when he once worked for the company. “I’ve seen this sort of stuff happen.” He brings up his hand and ticks them off one by one, “A healer… though it doesn’t linger… you said it slowly went away… a time manipulator, again… it isn’t a lingering drawn out that I have ever seen… and…”

Now he looks past her to the tall woman behind her, Huruma will feel his sudden intense worry… Recent memories flooding his mind… “The blood of regenerators, like Adam Monroe.”

Eyes flash back to Lucille and he wraps fingers around her arm, blue eyes seem to bore into her, almost like he can read her thoughts… It’s a parent thing. “Do you have a sense of missing time? Like before you noticed the scar going away?”

Huruma allows her hand to remain at Lucille’s shoulder until the younger woman steps back to look at them, where there is a subdued sort of smile for her. She knows Luce hasn’t spoken to Hana, but after this it seems only a matter of time. Ben’s brow furrows as per usual, and Huruma’s eyes dart quietly at him to mark his discomfort. The worry and the name drop are a natural line of progression.

“If you are wondering if I have seen him around, that would be a negative.” Huruma murmurs, the words carrying a displeasured tone. She sets a hand on both of their shoulders as Ben gets that paternal intensity ramped up. “Easy. You two have a seat. I’ll get us a couple of drinks.” Huruma touches Lucille’s chin with a thumb and forefinger, passively affectionate as she draws her hands away and steps back. It’s almost like she expects them to not listen— but they better. “I did have some thoughts, that it could have something to do with your ability…” She lifts a finger as she says it to them, stepping away towards the bar counter. She’ll continue that thought in a few.

Her father's words are an old tale for her, she remembers well but it's always nice with her father shares his life so she leans in a little listening, on the edge of that joy the beginning of nerves. When Huruma is the voice of sense, she nods to her smiling at the touch of affection, love blossoms from her heart for the other woman as she makes her way to have a seat. That name.. Adam Monroe..

Her body pivots to face her father as she looks over to where Huruma is grabbing drinks.

“I don't have any feelings of the sort..” her brow furrows.. would she even realize? “From what I know of Claire, her blood use to heal rather quickly.” Her frown deepens and the feelings of joy have been dashed by a growing sense of danger in the knot of her back. “I suppose.. if the damage was deep enough it would take time but I think it healed over the course of a month, March. I started to keep a journal of the progress, right before,” she pulls out a tiny notepad as well as her phone. Flicking through the photos part to show her father the progress.

“I wanted to keep it secret.” A wave of sheepish embarrassment as her cheeks burn a little red. “It's hard for me talking about that shit,” heavy zen meditation or not her mouth hasn't exactly cleaned up. “I'm sorry I didn't come to you sooner.” While she feels that apology to be sincere she knows that would have kept that secret again anytime over. Keeping secrets was still.. for better or worse a family trait.

Of course, Benjamin had a look over the notebook, even takes the phone and flips through the pictures. The mention of her ability from Huruma has the old man going thoughtful. “I don’t remember many with your sort of ability, so… you might be right. It might be something in the ability that ended up changing.” He looks up from the data thoughtfully. “You have been using it a lot,” due to her job, but he knows she used it a lot over the war, too.

The notebook is offered back, before he offers her a smile. “Make sure you talk to Hana about it; but honestly, I am happy for you. I know how much it bothered you.”

Huruma knows when to take her time. In this case, she orders Lucille’s usual and something weaker for herself, casually chatting up the bartender there; she’s been in that role, it’s easy to relate. This gives the father and daughter pair a little more time without her standing there.

When she returns, she carries herself with an ease that she hopes bleeds off into them. Huruma settles in beside Lucille, the glass in her hand passed over without fanfare, a look skimming over the notebook’s presence before she speaks again, voice steady.

“Your ability is biological at its purest… and the body has always been a self-healing mechanism. Regeneration is human, to a degree— so part of me cannot help but wonder if there was some sort of… progression of your body’s ability to heal itself of nerve damage and scarring. Someone like you— it would not be completely out of the question.” Huruma turns her own drink around in her fingers, smiling faintly. “Mine was not always as it is now, either. I struggled— for a long time.” She attempts to resist a glance up at Ryans when she says this, but it proves too hard; it’s an apprehensive look, and short— skirting a sense of shame long scarred over as she looks back to Lucille.

“If anything else happens…” Needless to say, mention it.

Their words are a comfort for the woman and she nods her head, taking the phone and notebook back to slide back to their perspective hiding places. “I have been,” using it a lot, for all the fear that she has felt over inflicting harm on a innocent person Lucille has dove head first into the mechanics of her ability and its effect on herself and others. “Maybe a progression of some kind, I'll have to talk to Hana you're right.” She does know that is necessary. She's nervous though and it shows as well as is felt by Huruma. She feels like a freak, a freak that isn't a freak anymore among.. all the other freaks. Freaks United.

“I'll keep you guys updated.” Lucille’s sure to promise them both that so they don't worry. “You have something for dad?” Is asked to Huruma, rarely are visits pure social calls nowadays at least for his daughter, this was something she was working to change this year and moving forward.

“I would appreciate that,” rumbles her father, his head bobbing slowly. “Just so your old man doesn’t worry himself into an early grave.” He gives her a soft teasing smile. Ryans’ might not see his girls all the time, but he still worries about them. What type of father would he be if he didn’t? He reaches over and gives Lucille’s arm a gentle squeeze of affection.

The mention of Huruma having something for him gets her a curious arch of his brow.

Lucille calling her out already, Huruma can’t help but shoot her a look and twist of lip in a “Hush—”. It’s more chiding than anything, because she was going to get to that. Soon. Ish. She takes a drink from her glass as she notices the look from Ryans, still seeming to formulate how to begin. Don’t look so expectant! The taste of grenadine lingers on her tongue, considering in her pause.

“This is going to go quite a ways back.” Huruma warns, somewhat, lifting a brow back at him. “Do you remember Agent Gilmore? Level five, kill squad? Blonde, green eyes, good shot.” Her descriptors are short, and she is to the point; it is a question definitely going back years. A decade. When they had Huruma locked up in Level Five for approximately two days.

Two days of hell for her, anyway.

At the time, she definitely deserved it.

There’s a slight sticking of her tongue out at Huruma, it's a childish action that is saved for her Aunt type and she sips her drink with a smile the wind playing with her auburn hair as she looks from her father to Huruma. Stories of the old days? She loved them. In her mind, Huruma and her dad were some proper ass version of Bonnie and Clyde fucking shit up.

Lucille’s quiet as she listens to the description. Ruffling the back of her head, she tilts it to regard her father and mentor with a curious glance.

Benjamin is quiet for a time, fingers tap against the thick glass of his drink. “Vaguely,” he finally admits, head nodding slowly. “I was with the Company for a very long time, but I wasn’t completely familiar with everyone, but the name does ring a bell.” Blue eyes narrow across the table at her curiously. Or… at least she feels it is done out of curiosity.

Cause there is clearly a reason for the query. “Though I have to admit… I haven’t had the Company come up so much since the trials.” Ryans takes a sip of his Whiskey, rolling it around in his mouth, before swallowing. “I am not sure why the sudden interest everyone seems to have for a long dead institution.”

Huruma leans back in her seat as she waits for his thoughts to process, half expecting a complete ‘no’ with as much as he pauses. ‘Vaguely’ is better than nothing. Her hand turns the glass idly on the tabletop, listening.

“Sudden interest?” It’s Huruma’s turn for palpable curiosity, her eyes narrowing back in question. “Now you have me intrigued over who else has been prodding you for information.” Her lip twitches in a half-smirk, though it seems to be a serious question.

“Wolfhound’s team Wendigo encountered Gilmore on a recent outing.” To say the least. Huruma’s tongue moves over the edge of her teeth, a gritted sort of gesture. “She exhibited abilities and… properties” The eyes, the eyes are hard to forget. “that I never recalled her possessing— and I was hoping you may remember if she was one of ‘us’ or ‘them’.” The partner mantra is familiar to him in this context. “To be quite honest, I thought her dead by now.” Apparently not the case.

The sound of eyes looking weird and an ability makes Lucille’s cheeks suck in as she thinks. Synthetic maybe? “Science somehow… a formula?” She's not sure people are doing this. Anything is possible as long as there were ‘genius' brains dedicated to science.

Her tequila is sipped and Luce takes a chance at looking behind Huruma and her father. Eyes just doing a casual sweep as they converse. Her ears are pricked for anything crazy besides well… what was already told to them.

“People are poking around ghosts?”

“Last I knew she was like me.” Non-evolved.”However, I could be remembering wrong.” There is a slow lift of Benjamin’s shoulders, brows furrowing as he tries to remember with more certainty.

Fingers lift from the glass to scratch along his jaw, worry bleeds past his mask. “So the Institute might have had a way to grant powers to someone like me?” He sighs and glances at the glass in front of him. “Great…” just what the world needs. That one word drips with sarcasm.

“It was a long time ago, I could not blame you for losing the details to memory creep.” Huruma offers that in terms of reassurance; it’s not something that she was ultimately hung up on, but whatever he has could help. His worry has her leaning forward, lifting her own glass with elbow on the table, brows arching back at him. “There’s nothing to indicate it, but I would not be surprised if it was a subject of study…. Though I’ve— seen the pieces of a formula for just that. An age ago.” She shakes her head just once. “If they had it, they must not have perfected it before they collapsed…”

If she is meant to be reassuring here as well, it proves difficult to tell. Still, she gives his sighing and grumbling a crook of a smile, just a bit tight on the edges. They’ve seen worse things. Probably.

Lucille can’t spy anything too strange going on in the Red Hook market’s pub space, though naturally there is going to be one or two sets of eyes sneaking a rubbernecking session and a distant, whispery voice wondering if that’s who they think it is.

Huruma leans her chin on the back of her hand and puts on her best gossip face. It’s really just her happy face, with a sliver of teeth and a narrow of eyes.

“Sooo~… want to tell me who else was asking questions?” If he isn’t going to answer, he’s got to say it!

At the turn of heads Lucille lifts a shoulder and raises her eyebrows at the people. She is use to that, they all are by now. She pulls her drink closer to her and takes a sip before reverting her attention back to her family in front of her.

At the turn to gossip there's a light that enters Lucille’s eyes at the idea of some of Daddy’s Secrets. “What has the old man been up to?” She leans a shoulder into her dad teasingly with a light grin on her face. Lucille is lighter.

That piece of her she had buried or that was fractured was slowly coming back. To her relief.

There is a small smile that is sent Lucille’s way, his head shaking in denial of the question, though his answer is aimed at both of them. “I’m not up to anything.” Ben rumbles out softly. “I was asked to consult on thing company related, that is all.” His gaze shifts to Huruma, cause he knows she can feel the truth of that statement in his emotions.

“There is no worry about anyone else doing shady things,” he points out with a touch of amusement. He doesn’t completely believe his own words, only in relation to the people he has dealt with. “Just an old acquaintance wanting to make sure that the Company’s past stays there.” Don’t they all?

The answer is a little more mundane than expected, but it seems to satisfy Huruma's moment of prying. She gives Lucille an amused look for her joining in.

“…I can understand that.” Huruma murmurs, eyes quietly studying the truth of things that moves in his mood. Nothing to indicate his keeping much in the way of secrets. Just safe omission, if anything. Her look to him speaks her acceptance, the lift of her glass moving with it. “Hopefully, it works out for them. Clearly not all of the old guard has moved on to other things…” In a manner, Gilmore.

“Speaking of old guard— “ Huruma's narrowed look of entertainment flutters back. “Please tell me you watched the Yamagato Gala carpet—”

“It was practically a school reunion.”

Lu makes a face, she wanted something more juicy and she shares that look with Huruma with a light shrug, “Well I'm happy you're having you a completely boring, normal life.” If you could call having a daughter from the future and a baby at his age normal. Light blue eyes stay on her father as Huruma speaks, watching him. She admires him, even when she's pissed at him (this is not one of those times).

At the mention of the red carpet Lucille is clapping her hands and laughing aloud. “It was a party. I got to debut no scar that night. Did you see us pose?” She leans over against Huruma in a mock redo of their pose at the gala.

“You should have been there dad, ya girls got pizazz.”

There is no emotion in his features as he looks from one woman to the other. Both equally important to him in their own ways. The mention of the Gala…. Well this gets a twitch of a brow upward. “There was a gala?”

In other words…. No. No he did not.

What he doesn’t say is he was probably dosing in his chair, in front of the fire, with a lap full of cat and a glass of whiskey in his hand. Though Pippa was probably watching. A normal boring life for someone like him. He really hated it, but everyone wanted him to have it. Of course….

There is a moment Huruma spends entertaining Lucille’s grip on her, one hand moving to brush at the back of her hair, a laugh forming slowly. This one is acting like a little girl again, and it is easy to see that Huruma is just as happy about seeing her full of light. It’s been a long time.

“‘Pizazz’.” There is a small snort. Huruma rolls a shoulder at Ben, taking a sip from her glass. She studies him more closely for those seconds, eyes unabashedly on his. Perhaps she feels that sense of boredom when he thinks back. “Yamagato held a gala to more or less show themselves off— even if it was charitable. We attended with a good deal of Wolfhound.” Her hand moves over Lucille’s head in a ruffle of hair down the forehead in a playful gesture.

Shockingly, there were no fights, and I quite enjoyed seeing the exhibits on display. The relics were not bad either.”

Luci would hate to be called a little girl but today it’s exactly what she is. Giddy, excited. Excited about everything, high on life. Her hand goes briefly to Huruma’s shoulder to squeeze with a light grin on her face but then she's shocked at her father. “Dad are you kidding?”

There's a hand on her hip. “It was like the biggest event of the season!” That line right there takes Lucille back to the days of the twenty year old Lucille, fresh from some exclusive event after a fashion show that her father couldn't begin to care about. It was a fickle time.

“Everyone was there, almost literally. Nicole was, we.. there was a thing with an ambulance. That John Logan guy? The Major’s Not Man. He got hurt.” She's not aware really of what happened after they left the gala.

Though he doesn’t really know much about the event he listens with interest, thoughtful. “Yamagato… worries me.” Ryans finally admits slowly. “Megan came to the house a few weeks back, worried about what they were up too… “ He eyes focus on them both, “So be careful when dealing with them? It sounds like there might be experimentation going on there.” Which sounded a lot like the old days of the Company.

“Have you both heard of the stuff that happened at their park? Visions… regained memories… “ He look at his glass swirling what little liquid is in there. “If I was still Company, I would be taking a hard look at them,” he admits softly.

“I did see something about that, reading papers at the Centre… I did a little more reading while I was up in Rochester.” Huruma nods her assent, though she mentally notes his level of suspicion. Someone like him is used to being skeptical. “They are… fascinating, on some levels. I did not feel anything strange while there, but I did encounter one staff member’s ability.” Just in case, she lifts a hand in easement.

“It was not anything bad. It was more a… personal demonstration.” Huruma did say she was there with the Hounds. “Hana was there at the Gala as well, and I expect it was not purely for entertainment or putting up a face.” If there’s one thing they can agree on, it’s that Hana likes her intel.

“They employ more than Japanese nationals. A few old allies, for instance… but I have my eyes open.”

Her father’s words on Yamagato are met with a tight line of her mouth and a dip of her head. “Same as Huruma, I didn't encounter anything of the sort. But.. it's clear to me if they wanted to do something and hide it, they would be good at it.” Really good at it, her thoughts go back to that night with the ambulance and the Top security with Monica.

“Monica, do you remember her? She works for them, ran into her at the local dojo recently.. she was at the gala.” Flashes of the woman’s face and her new upgrade are on Lucille’s mind. She has a new arm, it's.. impressive.” On the subject of experimentation, she's sure that's a thing.

She had heard of the strange events going on at Yamagato. “Someone’s always playing God..” She mutters softly.

There is a pleased look, once Benjamin knows that someone is one it. It allows him to relax about it, he’ll make sure Megan knows once he sees her again. Any plans he might have been making in his own mind are filed away.

Retired, he has to remind himself… even if he hates it.

The mention of Monica grabs his attention. Someone who had been injured just like him during the events in Alaska. He remembered. He rests his hand over the end of his own ruined arm, like a cap. “Good for her,” he means it. “Sounds like she came out on top at least.”

“Monica is worth her salt, for sure. Elaine Darrow, as well.” She may not be a ninja like Monica, but Elaine has her hands in a lot of pies. Huruma knows she must know what trouble looks like when she sees it. “I suspect many of the staff do not look a gift horse in the mouth.” If the good ones nip any weird stuff in the bud— what else is there?

Huruma’s gaze alights over the gesture to cover his arm, giving Ryans a short, more meaningful look. She still believes he ought to take Raytech up on the offer, clearly. But, she says nothing out loud.

“Yamagato has a file on me, so they have not lost all of their mindfulness from their Company days.” A moment after she is scoffing faintly at Lucille and her comment about playing God. “It will always be true. History remembers.” Her hand gives a passive wave. “It just comes in new shades. Some better than others.” Huruma glances across at Ben one more time, just, you know, making a point.

Watching her father’s movements she studies him with matching blue eyes. Retired, indeed. Lucille likes to think she's grown up enough that he can just sit back and let her blow things up for a change but feelings of sympathy start to penetrate the bubble of joy she's been in. She knows the feelings of being restless, of needing to do something, be on the move.

This sudden epiphany of another trait they share makes her eyes grow soft and Luce reached over to lay a hand on her dad’s, just to show him she's there. Supporting him in anyway he needs and by also making sure he takes the rest he needs. Though she can't help but smirk at the thought of having her dad by her side again during battle, that notion is pushed to the back of her mind. No no, daddy’s earned his rest.

“Even though they work for different government.. or private companies.. I like to believe we’re all still loyal to one another.” Well most of them anyway.

The look that Huruma throws his way is not missed and she gets a rueful smile in return. He gets it, he doesn’t say it, but Benjamin nods slowly in understanding.

His hand moves to grip his daughter’s hand gently, she’ll notice that they are rough and scarred. The smaller hand gets a squeeze before he lets go and retrieves his drink, draining the contents. “I would not be so sure Lucille. Just,” He stops and sighs heavily through his nose. “Just be cautious when dealing with them. Loyalty is a hard thing to find. You might think someone is loyal, only to find discover a knife in your back.”

Huruma can live with that kind of look in response, eyes giving a gaming little roll with her own twitch of lips.

“It's almost like you don't trust anything.” Her words to Ryans are still a bit gaming as before, but to a degree of truth. Huruma tips her head to Lucille then, a considering look for her. “But he's not wrong, either. We're on the same side, certainly. The manner of things differs, though…”

On loyalty she has nothing more than what Ben has already said, polishing off her own glass and setting it down with a punctuated click. “Yamagato buys theirs. That is where we differ.”


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