Inception - Hollingsworth Job

The Hollingsworth Job

C - Wedding Woes

I am looking for an extraction team for a very important and delicate task. Must come recommended. My daughter may be at risk, and I need to ensure her safety for her own good and my own conscience. Further details to be given upon meeting. Contact via phone to screen and arrange meeting.

Job Requirements:

Reputation - 3-4

Connections - Yes

At precisely nine o'clock, Julian Hollingsworth sat at his usual table at the country club, overlooking the mountainside upon which the grounds of the club were located. His favorite breakfast - coffee (black, of course), two strips of bacon, one egg, two slices of toast, and half a grapefruit - was arranged in front of him.

Methodically, Julian set into his breakfast, pausing after every few mouthfuls to stare across the picturesque mountain scenery. After a few minutes, he paused and set his silverware down.

"You're late," he commented with looking as his guest approached from behind him to take a seat at the table.

"Order whatever you like," Julian added, sitting back in his chair to observe his potential extractor. "I insist. We shan't get through this business for a bit."

Waving his hand, the elderly businessman signaled the waiter to the table to receive his guest's order as he resumed cutting his bacon into precise cubes.

[Julian's (the Client) profile is added to the front page, as is Gerard's (the Mark).]

Rina

"I am sorry for appearing late." Said Rina, giving a warm smile to potential client. She did not add any excuse why she was late, she was taking the responsibility for her own lateness.

Rina sat on the chair, gently. Then she faced the man, and slowly her gaze drifted to the table.

She nodded as the client offered her to eat breakfast, she responded with a nod and a smile. "Thank you, you are very kind." As the waiter came to take her order, she added. "However, I would like to have just a cup of coffee."

"Please, Mr. Hollingsworth. Do not be offended. It is my way of doing my job." A cup of coffee was served in front of her. She took a sip of black coffee gently and put it back on its plate gently. "It is my principle not to have meals with the client, and I am not planning to make an exception."

"Before we begin, as the rumor spread fast in this world, I take it you know my reputation does not look great as other extractors." Rina said it calmly. "But you have contacted me.

"Yet, you have contacted me, Mr. Hollingsworth. May I know who had recommended me to you?" Asked Rina, carefully.

Rina quickly studied the potential client; as her reputation dropped hard due to recent happening, she had to make it sure it wasn't a trap that someone had set it up for her.

Julian's eyes narrowed slightly as Rina declined his offer. He remained silent as her coffee was fetched and placed before her before replying.

"I'll give you a piece of advice, Miss Valente - and I don't often do that for free. In business relations, you always except tokens of generosity, because they're often far more than that."

He paused to pick at his grapefruit, enjoying a particularly juicy wedge before looking back up.

"As for your recommender, well-" he continued, sitting back. "I expect she'll be along shortly. You appear to not be the only one with issues of tardiness. Ah! I believe that's her now."

A woman had entered the room, and quite a few people had noticed. She was very beautiful, dressed in a fashionable cream-colored jacket and skirt with designer boots to her knees. Her honey-blonde hair hung loose about her shoulders, straight and with a vibrant sheen.

She was pointed to their table, and she approached with a confident, graceful gait as many eyes followed her movements.

"Hello, Sofie."

"Julian," she brightly, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek before taking a seat to his right. "My flight was held up a bit."

"So I can see. Breakfast?"

"Lovely," Sofie replied, signaling to the waiter. "Espresso and two croissants, please."

Julian looked over at Rina, as though to say 'that's how it's done' before looking back at Sofie.

"It's nice to see some habits are as fixed as my own," he commented lightly. Sofie laughed.

"I don't think anyone's habits are that rigid," she replied, earning a thin smile from the elderly gentleman.

"So, this is the 'Miss Valente' of which you spoke?" he asked, indicating Rina. Sofie nodded.

"Hello, Rina, darling," Sofie said affectionately, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek as well. "How are you? It's been quite some time."

Rina

Rina smiled at the potential client, warmly and there was a guilt in the young woman's face. "Thank you for your advice, Mr. Hollingsworth." She said it short, her voice definitely carried appreciation for wise man's advice. However, Rina had to be too careful at the moment. She even made it sure that her bank accounts, her email addresses... whatever information that could trace her was wiped it out clean. Of course, there was an emergency line that she had created for the sake of contacting her families and other connections she had, but very few knew this. She looked at the direction where her potential client pointed out about her referral coming into the restaurant.

Her eyes were widen, and blinked in surprise. It was Sofie, who Rina wanted to contact for long time. Rina bite her tongue as Sofie ordered her breakfast, staring at the coffee. Biting her lips gently, she saw the client's face. She couldn't help, but smiled weakly. It felt like they were indirectly teasing Rina about the inflexibility Rina had.

Then again, as Sofie said her hello to Rina, Rina smiled. 'So... she even knows what I call myself these days...' thought Rina.

Rina let Sofie kiss on her cheek and Rina returned the kiss.

"I am doing alright." Rina smiled weakly, yet the weak smile was trying its best to hide powerful emotion, happiness and relief. "I have to say... I am quite shocked. After my unprofessional behavior, I thought I was definitely out from your favorite list."

Julian raised an eyebrow at Rina's words and looked from her to Sofie.

"Unprofessional behavior?" he prompted.

"Rina is always so hard on herself," Sofie said dismissively. "You know how perfectionists can be, of course."

"Indeed," Julian replied with a gentle sigh.

"You seem surprised though, Rina," Sofie said with a smile. "Like I didn't know you'd be in the area. Seems time has made you underestimate me."

"I've met few people with resources like Sofie," Julian commented lightly, picking out another wedge from his grapefruit. "I think she found out my daughter was engaged before I even did."

"That was just women's intuition," Sofie said playfully, breaking off a piece of her croissant and delicately popping it in her mouth. Julian smiled slightly before setting his silverware down and removing his napkin, evidently finished with his meal.

"Well, I suppose we should get down to business," Sofie prompted, smiling, "After all, time is money."

"This is about my daughter. I have all the time - and the money - in the world," Julian replied, his expression now quite serious.

Rina

"Well, I thought I was really careful. But underestimating you? I know better than that." Rina said it playfully, remembering one of the jobs they did together.

The atmosphere didn't seems to change much, and it was clear that Sofie knew the client pretty well. However, the mood of the client changed drastically as Sofie stated that they should get to the business, and to Rina, it was understandable how client reacted to the matter.

She would have reacted to the same way as he did, if the job was related to the family members. Especially, if that family member was someone who is directly related to you.

This time, it looked like this involved Mr. Hollingsworth's daughter.

"Well then, please, Mr. Hollingsworth. How may I help you?" She said to the client, with a confidence.

Julian regarded Rina for a moment before snatching up the newspaper beside his chair and passing it across the table to her. Splashed across the front was a news piece, complete with picture, about the heir to famous business giant Julian Hollingsworth, Lana Hollingsworth announcing an engagement to artist sensation Gerard Mercier.

The two seemed to be quite affectionate, pictured with genuine smiles, arm in arm on the streets of New York, going to an art expo.

"I'd be disappointed if you hadn't heard word of it," Julian commented, watching Rina scan the pages.

"It's been quite the gossip," Sofie added, taking a sip of her espresso. "They make quite the handsome couple. And they seem very much in love."

Julian snorted and took a sip of his coffee.

"You don't believe in love, Julian?" Sofie asked, leaning forward and resting her head in her hands. "I've met your wife though, and you two have had a very successful marriage, from what I know."

"Oh yes," Julian said dismissively, "our marriage has been quite stable. But that's out of mutual respect and compatibility, not flighty emotions and concepts like 'love.'"

Sofie nodded and leaned back, reaching daintily for her cup and taking another sip of her espresso.

"Clearly, you love your daughter, though," she said, smiling warmly. Julian sighed, sounding a bit worn.

"Yes... even I cannot escape the natural urges and responses of a father. Which is why I cannot allow this marriage to happen, and yet cannot be so direct as to force my hand. Lana can be so headstrong - I suppose she gets that from me - and might resent me breaking apart this relationship."

[OOC: Nex, you can have Rina ask why he wants to break it up at all if they seem to have a happy relationship.]

Rina

"So, why do you want to break this relationship?" Asked Rina carefully. She lean her back gently and took sip of her coffee.

"I do not like to be in the dark; I prefer my clients to be open with me." She added in cautious tone.

She gazed at her coffee, remembering how recent job went. Her twinkling eyes shifted its gaze to the picture of the couples. Definitely they looked happy, Julian's daughter was crazy about the man. However, about the man, she couldn't be so sure.

Was he really in love with this girl? Or was he going after her because of the background she had? Whatever the reason, she would probably find out the reason... if she gets the job that is....

Julian's gaze narrowed sharply as he regarded Rina.

"Young lady, I make it a habit not to play games, particularly when my family is involved," he said in a cutting voice. "I have no intention of hiding anything."

The businessman leaned back in his chair and took a moment to collect himself. His gaze flickered down to the newspaper, and he pursed his lips.

"My daughter doesn't seem to realize that she is not a normal woman," he said, his tone far more gentle. "She is the heir to not only a business empire but a sizable fortune. She cannot base a marriage on flighty emotions and infatuation - particularly given that they can so easily be manipulated."

Sofie sighed sympathetically and nodded at Julian.

"I don't know if his affections are genuine and not simply a ruse to take advantage of her wealth and position. If they aren't, then I cannot allow him to hurt my daughter and take her inheritance fro her. And if they are... I cannot allow him to risk her future and prospects on a man who cannot possibly understand the responsibilities she bears."

It was, perhaps, a rather cold and unfeeling response to a potentially genuine bond of love. But at the same time, it was clear that Julian cared deeply for his daughter and wanted the best for her.

"So where do we factor in?" Sofie prompted, leaning forward. Julian stared into his cup of coffee, swirling it slowly.

"I had considered an inception on Lana to prompt her to end the relationship, but I couldn't permit myself to do that to her. So, it would seem the only other option is an extraction on him. Find out something I can use to force him out of this engagement."

Blackmail, in other words, though words one like Julian would be careful to never use.

Rina

Rina gazed at the photo of the couples, and took another sip of her coffee. She opened her lips after listening to the Julian's request. She gently looked at her potential client, "I am sorry if what I said earlier have offended you, Mr.Hollingsworth." Rina's voice was calm, and her posture showed no fear nor any negative emotion towards the client. "But, that statement was necessary to see your honest reaction. I did several jobs that my client hide their true intention of why they need my help. And those jobs, well, let's just say I didn't like the ending of it." She smiled weakly, "I understand that you really love your daughter dearly, and to you, this is not just a 'job'." Her voice carried warmth and understanding, Rina would have reacted the same way if she had to make a request to the stranger to help her family. "I can promise you, I will do my best if you allow me. And that is a promise I rarely make."

She shifted her gaze to the photo once again, looking closely at the man. The mark she had to confront. "Well, I could already see that this man is hiding something. I do not know what it is, and that is something me, Sofie and others should figure it out." She tapped the man's legs, which looked out of sync with his fiance. It seemed like the mark really wanted to get into the building. Was he afraid that someone might take a photo of him? Was it the cold weather? Whatever it was, it sure made the mark to take unnatural posture.

"Unfortunately, that is all I can say about this man after looking at the photo. But, I have a feeling we should hurry assembling the crew and learn about this man for the safety of your daughter." Rina said it in serious manner, this job had too many unknown variables and for the Hollingsworth family, she got the feeling that she needed to get a crew that does the job fast and efficiently.

Julian nodded slowly, appraising Rina for a few moments. Seemingly satisfied, he pushed his chair back and stood.

"I appreciate your sense of urgency. I'll leave things in your capable hands then. I must be getting back to the office. Sofie, you know how to reach me."

The Forger nodded.

"There's no need to leave. Take your time and finish up your breakfast. Good day, ladies."

Giving a polite smile and inclining his head, Julian turned and left the club, leaving the two women alone.

"So, it's Rina now?" Sofie asked, taking a sip of her espresso and watching Rina carefully. "Prettier than Alex. Why the change?"

Rina

Rina smiled at Sofie, "Well, as you can see, I am out from my town's crew. So I thought I should leave the name 'Alex' behind and start new life with new name."

Her gaze was dropped to her cup, "And well, I also wanted to forget him too." her voice dropped its volume with that comment, but soon she smiled at Sofie, "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. I broke up with that jerk, Mike. But another jerk, Zach decided that I should be his so I decided to come out from the crew." Rina said it in playful tone, gesturing that it was not a big deal, yet her voice gave away her true feeling about that event. She was still sad that she had to leave her crew.

"How about you? I saw your profile when I was on the job, it seems like you were taking a long break... Found a nice man to settle down?" Rina said it teasingly, locking her twinkling eyes with Sofie; Rina knew that such scenario was not likely, if Rina had to guess, Sofie probably was busy with another job that many others would have failed miserably.

That was why Rina admired Sofie and why she liked her so much. Strong and talented, beautiful and graceful. Rina was an amateur compare to Sofie; Sofie was her idol. Time to time, Rina wanted to change her position to Forger, then again, she was not confident enough in her ability to pull it off.

"I really missed you, Sofie. But you really caught me off my guard." She smiled weakly, and as if the little sister telling her elder sister about the things she had done wrong, she blushed. "I was over-confident and screwed up. You heard about the news on Roger Kenzington, right? He was my client... And well, I didn't do a good job... Of course, I manage to get what he wanted, but I tempered with it so that it won't be used against the mark and...." Rina sighed, "You know that job taught me a lesson to chose the job wisely..."

Then she had the flashback of Han, kissing her. Her hand covered her mouth suddenly, remembering the touch of Han's and her lips. "And taught me to chose the crew carefully as well." She could feel her face was turning red. She gently shook it off and took another sip of her coffee. 'I wonder if he is available....?'

Sofie listened to Rina's story quietly, her eyes soft and sympathetic.

"Sounds like you've been through a lot," she said after a pause, setting her cup down. But that was a given for their line of work. No one went into extraction with a rosy backstory.

"Settle down?" Sofie said, laughing and tossing her silky hair over her shoulder. "Not likely. When you're living the life, rolling naked over silk sheets on piles of money, you're not thinking about a husband, mini-van, and 2.5 kids."

She hoped to cheer Rina up, but the other woman seemed to be stuck in a melancholic mood.

"Roger Kenzington... I knew he had a job out," Sofie said, looking thoughtful. "I didn't hear anything bad out of it, though. Are you sure you're not just fretting, dear?"

But for a moment, it seemed like rina was lost in her own thoughts. Thoughts that brought a blush creeping onto her face.

"Ohh..?" Sofie mused, raising her eyebrows. "Is there more to the story?"

Rina

"What? No! I mean, no." Rina avoided Sofie's gaze, but a second later she sighed. "Well, I met a somewhat rude Asian, let's put it that way." Rina let her small face supported by her palm, and smiled at Sofie. "It's really good to see you, Sofie."

Then her gaze dropped to the lovely couples, "So... what's your take in this job? Do you think he is hiding something too? Or you think I was over-analyzing?" She asked carefully. It was Sofie who taught her how to analyze certain gestures of someone by looking at their photo. Miranda's was quite straight forward, but Rina was not so sure about this one. Even though, the leg was out of sync with his fiance, that didn't mean he really had a secret.

Sofie raised an eyebrow at Rina's obviously flustered response, but declined to comment on it. Knowing Rina, the conversation would get her nowhere anyway.

They turned back toward the business at hand, with Rina once more focusing on the man's posturing and the likelihood that he did, indeed, have a secret.

Sofie didn't have to think much on that. She leaned back in her chair, smiling wistfully as she looked away from Rina and picked up her espresso.

"Of course he has a secret," Sofie said softly, stirring her cup slowly as she watched the brown liquid swirl about the white walls. "Don't we all?"

Of course, some were more damning than others.

Rina

Rina smiled, "Of course, we all do have secrets." Then playfully tapping on the photo of the couples, she asked Sofie "so how do you want to form the crew? Have you met any interesting individuals you want me to take a look?" Rina asked in calm manner, "Or do you want me to find interesting group of people and let you know when they are all here?" Rina sipped the last of her cup of coffee, putting it down on the table gently.

Sofie stood up, giving Rina a noncommittal smile.

"Oh, I'll let you take care of those details," she said, slipping into her coat and tossing her silky mane of hair over her shoulders.

"But I will take a look into arrangements for a workshop," she added, winking. "And if you need to get a hold of me-"

She slid a card out of her pocket for the hotel she was staying at and scribbled the room and phone number before setting it on the table.

"Au revoir!" Sofie said with a backward wave as she sauntered from the restaurant, heads following her every step.

Rina

Rina smiled back at Sofie, "Au revoir!" said Rina to Sofie, as Sofie left the stage, the heads that followed Sofie out were now back to Rina. Rina took the last sip of her cold coffee, and stood up from her seat gracefully; she placed the card that contained Sofie's number and room number safely inside her bag and left the restaurant.

The men in the restaurant looked at the table where two beauties were, and stared at the door where each beauty left. One man muttered, "Damn, I should have asked their number...."


Rina returned to her hotel room, turning her laptop on. She soon scrolled down the list of available candidates.

Arias was available again, however, she didn't like his random behavior that he displayed time to time so she quickly skipped him, then there was William, who was on the break.

She made her stop at Han's profile though, for a good minute, studying his feature. For an Asian male, he was quite handsome. Then she gazed at his lips; she could feel her face turning red all of the sudden. She shook her head before any flashback of what happen between him and her. She sighed, and she looked at Han's profile again.

He was really good, well, extremely talented. She slowly moved her gaze to her phone, then her gaze was back to Han's profile.

She sighed and cleared her throat. She was about to dial and call him, however, before she could make that call, she quickly stopped what she was about to do. She shook her head, and instead of a call, she sent a text. To Rina's surprise, he replied to her pretty quick.

'Sorry, I got a job already. I will let you know when I am available.'

She snorted, "Hmph, there are others I could ask to join me." she muttered.

Then another message came from Han, Rina read the message and replied to him.

'I will be busy, Mr. Han. Please do not call me or text me, you may interrupt my job.' She sent it and she regretted little. Not because she felt he really won't call her or text her, but she felt like she gave him a hint that she was into him. Well, may be little.

She shook her head once again, "Focus, Rina" she said to herself and then she spotted a man that was not her style at all. "Good, he will do." and she spotted an interesting architect. She gave young architect a thoughtful look. He reminded her of younger brother she has in her hometown. "Alright then, that's settle."

But before she could finally close her laptop, she also invited a Chemist; it was about digging someone's secret and chemists come in handy in this situation so she let the invitation text go through John Lattimer, Michael David, and Elliot Lewis

Sofie returned to her beautiful hotel room, tossing her coat across the arm chair by the door. The heels of her boots thudded softly in the rich carpet as she crossed to the bed and sat down, eyeing her phone.

Payment due - Hospitalization expenses

Her eyes remained fixated on the screen, her lips pursed in deep concentration. Agitatedly, she ran a hand through her long hair and forced it away from her face with a loud sigh.

Moments ticked by. Her finger hesitated, hovering over the "Deny" button, before finally choosing the option "Accept."

[OOC: Nex, we can skip now to an indeterminate future day where everyone meets up at the workshop. We'll have to wait for Payne to finish up with the Ace Job before his people come on, most likely, but we can at least have Rina, Sofie, and Elliot meet up. By that time, we should probably be finished with the other Job.]

Rina

Rina received the answers from people who she had sent a message to, and she sent them the address of the workshop that was prepared by Sofie. Rina was the first one to reach the workshop, or so she thought. Rina smiled as she entered the workshop, spotting Sofie who looked elegant, if the men had entered, it would hard to take their eyes off from her.

Well, Rina was not doing bad for herself either. She walked towards Sofie, smiling warmly at her. "Nice place, you never cease to amaze me, Sofie." Rina take a quick look at the workshop, "Oh by the way, I have chosen a pretty young architect for this job." She handed Sofie the list of the profiles of the members.

"And I included a chemist in our team. May be I am thinking too much, but well, you never know, depending on what our point-man finds out about the man, we might need to go to third layer." She explained, pointing out at the profile of John.

Well, the workshop definitely suited her tastes. If she was going to have to spend countless hours in here, she would have to like it. And some dusty, dank warehouse simply wouldn't do.

When Rina entered, Sofie smiled and greeted her with a hug before Rina pulled out the profiles of the other members and got down to business. Sofie analyzed each profile carefully, noting their skills and, more importantly, their appearances. The Chemist earned a satisfied nod, and the young Architect a raised eyebrow. But the handsome Pointman got a lamentable sigh.

"Oh, this one will be impossible," she said lightly, handing them back to Rina. "You learn to discern a man by sight, and you can tell this one's arrogant, narcissistic, and completely in love with himself. But that's all right. Life's no fun without a challenge."

Rina

Rina hugged back when Sofie gave her a hug; Rina needed that, and just like old times, Sofie knew her very well.

Rina was glad that Sofie seem to approve Chemist and the young architect; however, as Sofie sighed at point-man's profile, she became stiff little. Then she smiled as Sofie gave her feedback at the point-man that she had invited. "Well, yes, he might provide some challenges, but, actually, I picked him cause he had an aura of perfectionist." Rina took the profiles back as Sofie handed them back to Rina, "And I thought he would be good match for you, you know, you have to be a couple to stalk a couple these days." Rina added cheerfully, She then put the files back where they came, still holding one folder. "To be honest, I don't think there is a man out there that would suit you perfectly, but this guy..." Rina showed John's profile picture at Sofie once more, waving it little, by holding it in her hand. "At least look decent. Right?" Rina gave Sofie a playful smile.

It was like a younger sister trying to tell her older sister that she had found someone that might be a good match for older sister, and trying to convince older sister to, at least, try to meet him in person before she judges him.

Sofie listened to Rina's hastily cobbled defense, her eyebrows raising in amusement with each word.

"Rina, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to play matchmaker," Sofie said amusedly.

It was laughable, really. Dating a coworker was usually a tricky issue. In extraction, that went doubly so.

Besides, Sofie knew she couldn't handle a relationship. Not with skeletons like she had in her closet.

"Hello?"

A man was peeking his head in the doorway, making sure he had the right location.

Sofie felt this was good a time as any to change the subject and walked over to introduce herself. However, upon seeing that this must indeed by the right spot, he bypassed her completely and moved over to the workbench in the corner, setting down the case and all the other assorted packages in his arms.

Once he had thoroughly analyzed his work station and deemed it appropriate, he turned to regard the two young woman.

"Yes, hi..." he said, smiling a bit awkwardly as he stuck his hand first toward Rina, then Sofie, then hovered it uncertainly in the middle. "I'm Elliot. Elliot Lewis."

"Charmed," Sofie said, taking the hand and trying not to look too amused. "Sofie Verdreaux. You're our Chemist then?"

"That's right," he said, turning the hand toward Rina then. "The others haven't arrived then?"

"You're the first," Sofie confirmed. "Go ahead and get set up, if you like. We'll hold a meeting once everyone's here."

Elliot nodded, looking pleased at the opportunity to get his things sorted. Tossing his tie over his shoulder, he immediately began to get to work fiddling with various beakers, test tubes, and vials.

The sound of a small engine slowly grew louder in the distance, and after a minute or so, a moped zipped by outside, coming to a halt only a short distance down the street. The boy riding it sat back on the seat, looking in the direction of the workshop before turning the moped and disappearing into the shadow of the building.

A few minutes later, he walked through the doorway, minus the helmet and leather jacket he had been wearing before. Faded jeans, a pair of sneakers that looked like they'd seen a lot of miles, and a loosely fitting graphic t-shirt made the boy seem out of place, but the strangest thing about him was the mechanical contraption strapped around his head, which appeared to have been pushed up into his hair so he could see where he was driving on the moped.

"Good afternoon." He chirped with a grin, addressing everyone in the room. Then, without any form of introduction, he slid the device down over his eyes and went silent, aside from mumbling the occasional something to himself. Every once in a while, his right hand moved up to the side of the device to spin some kind of wheel there, but that was the only movement that set him apart from any of the other stationary objects in the room.