Sp-f01 Professional Courtesy

[Sinnamon 0]

“Oh, you know. Trying his damnedest to get your restaurant up and flying. Just randomly stopped. We got the patrons back to the dock but -”

“Again, many thanks for your help. Let me guess, he’s just trying to kick the wheel until it starts moving again?”

Lysette grinned. “Something like that.”

“So what do I owe you?”

“Oh, nothing,” Lysette replied. “You gave me that spear. And Abellio said thanks for that sword you gave him. But don’t you need those for the Frontlines so you can do all your crazy weapon-swapping?”

“Nah,” Oscar said. “Retiring from the Frontlines. Or at least taking a break. Feel like my time’s better spent on places like this.”

Lysette peered over his shoulder, looking over at Sin. “Oh, is this the lady you were talking about wanting to run the place for you?”

“Yep.”

Lysette gave her another glance, this time with a bright smile. “Awesome! Can’t wait to see how she does. I’m gonna go check on Abellio now. If you need anything, reach out ‘kay?”

“If you could hook me up with a live performance from STY/L I’d love you forever.”

Lysette stuck out her tongue and began walking backwards. “‘Kay! I’ll see what the girls think! Bye Oscar! Bye Sinnamon!”

 

 

[Sinnamon 0]

“Popular guy,” Sin remarked as Lysette made her exit. “The way Lisa and Ash made it sound, you’re just a walking dildo. Didn’t have any crude jokes for her though.”

Oscar shook his head, scowling as he turned back to look at her. “She’s taken. Happily so. I’m no homewrecker.”

“Oh I’m sure everyone applauds your restraint.” They probably did, now that she thought about it. The walking textbook definition of mister steal-your-girl had a conscience. “Lysette though. Must be a fan of that pop singer. She was playing in all the clubs before we got trapped here.”

“Yeah,” Oscar said, his face deadpan. “Totally a fan.”

Sin blinked. “No shot. How the fuck? What the- I really should have asked for her autograph. But damn, dude. You never wanted to tap a celebrity?”

“Like I said. Happily taken. Off-limits.”

There was something about his tone. Not acceptance. A warning. The fucking audacity. Like she needed a warning to be hands off from him. But she couldn’t deny that she did. Again. The fucking audacity. Getting in her head like that.

“I’m not happily taken. Am I off-limits?”

[Sinnamon 0]

A test. See what he was really after.

Oscar let out a heavy sigh. “Would you stop pussy-footing around and say what you want to say? It’s not that I don’t enjoy this little tit-for-tit but damn. Is this how you handle all your job interviews?”

If her jaw hung any lower, she would have to pick it up from the floor. Okay, he was serious about it. Wasn’t a man alive who would shut her down like that if he was trying to get with her. She nodded.

“I don’t trust you. I got a real fundamental fuckin’ problem with the hot, mysterious types. You got an Orange at your beck and call. A restaurant apparently. Retiring from the Frontlines. What the fuck are you after?”

Oscar just smiled. “I just want people to be happy.”

Sin blinked. He continued.

“And safe. Maybe forget we’re all stuck in this prison for a minute or two. It wears on you after a while. Wondering what life’s gonna be like when you get out. If you’re gonna get out. What sorta family you’ll have left when you do. And maybe we just all need a little normal. A little distraction.” Oscar shrugged. “Maybe some people just need to get laid. I don’t know. But I do know that I need help here. I’ve overextended myself. And I don’t want to drop all of this on my guys out of the blue. So I need to bring someone else into the fold. Ideally someone with some experience in how this all works.”

 

[Sinnamon 0]

That was… sweet. And direct. Genuine, even. She understood what Ash and Lisa meant when they said he felt safe. She could detect deception. At least not outright. But a lie of omission was still a lie. They needed to deal with that, first and foremost.

“Okay, then. That’s really noble of you,” Sin said. “But I’m not gonna work with someone I can’t trust. And you’re the type of dude that has way too many secrets to trust.”

“So ask your questions.”

“What?”

“Ask your questions. Whatever you wanna know. I don’t think it’s an unreasonable ask.”

Sin pursed her lips, gears turning in her head. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Well why don’t we start with why you got some orange guy running around doing errands for you?”

“You remember the orphanage incident-”

Oscar explained it all. The blood and the bodies. How he wrestled the crown from Ascalon and set his Hounds to work protecting the Floor. He told her about the history there - spoke of his own too. The streets and the Major. That life-changing opportunity and a foster father he loved so very deeply. Sin got the sense that he was being honest, if still a little guarded. He didn’t share freely. She had to ask the right questions. But that was okay. She could play that game. Just so long as he kept being honest with her.

 

[Sinnamon 0]

And she could relate.

God damn it, she could relate.

It was almost midnight before she ran out of questions. She got a sense for the type of man he was. And that was enough. Because Lisa and Ash had been right. There was really nothing for her to sink her teeth into and run with. And she couldn’t really say it was too good to be true. Oscar’s entire story was too good to be true.

“Alright,” she said with finality. “Last condition. Ash and Lisa get VIP treatment.”

Oscar smiled and shrugged. “Your call. But they’re on a really long list of people that get it.”

“Oh really?”

“Really,” Oscar replied. “Total rolling stone.”

“I hate that,” she said with a smile. The edge was gone from her voice. “Got room for more names or is your dance card full?”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Oscar chuckled, finally closing his ledger and placing his pen down neatly upon the cover. “I’m not that easy. You gotta buy me dinner first.”

 

Thread Summary

Sinnamon | [Word Count: 4726/5 = 945.2] * [True Tier: 1] * [Group Factor: 1] = 945 EXP                                    

 

Edited 48 minutes ago by Oscar