Inception - DeCosta Job

The DeCosta Job

B - Mind over Matter

Seeking participants that are willing to go outside their comfort zones in performing an exceptionally difficult extraction. Pay provided regardless of success or failure. Retrieve the Mark's password without getting caught.

"Sofie!" Trevor grinned from his chair and waved for her to join him in the lounging area. "Welcome! Have a seat." He motioned to the sofa and lounge chairs. "Would ya like a cup a' tea?"

No sooner had the question left his lips than he leaned forward and began pouring the contents of a steaming kettle from the coffee table into a delicate, china teacup. "Karina wanted ta be 'ere, but somethin came up. Ya know 'ow it is."

He slid the teacup across the table towards her and leaned back, sipping from his own cup. "How have ya been? Life treatin ya alright?"

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Click-click. Swish.

Click-click. Swish.

Michael caught the pen as it slipped into his palm, pressed the button on the top, and spun it over his fingertips again, repeating the motion. "You're late." He said, not bothering to look up from the schematics on the table.

John pulled the gold watch from his pocket and glanced at the cracked screen. "According to my watch, I'm five minutes early." He shot back, sinking into the seat opposite the boy.

"Which, by my watch, is ten minutes late." Michael responded, spinning the pen once more before quickly scribbling down something onto the grind in front of him. "So, what's the job?"

"Impatient..." John grumbled, flagging down a waitress to order a cup of coffee. After he'd made his order, he turned back to the young Architect, who was actually looking up at him now. "Okay, very impatient." John said, giving Michael a grin. "You'll have to wait though. Someone else is coming, and I don't want to have to share this twice."

The only response was a noncommittal grunt as Michael turned his attention back to the papers on the table.

"What are you working on anyway?" John asked, trying to figure out the diagram, which was even more difficult because it was upside down.

"Schematics for a job next month." Michael responded without looking up. "You'd have to be an Architect to understand them in this form though."

"Great..." John muttered, giving the waitress a grateful nod when his coffee arrived. "You and Hunter should get along swimmingly."

Sofie sauntered into the lounge, looking as bold and confident as ever. She smiled graciously at Trevor and took a seat.

"Tea would be lovely," she said, a fraction too late. Trevor was already pouring. Either he had picked up on things from their last job together, or he was a bit presumptuous.

The mention of Karina was intriguing. What could have come up to distract her? Given her involvement in the cartel still, it probably wasn't anything legal. Then again, neither was their line of work.

"I've been doing quite well, actually," she said, smiling and sipping on her tea. Her last job had been perfectly executed, and she'd even done a special favor for Julian Hollingsworth that had netted her a hefty sum of cash and the exquisite diamond necklace she was sporting. Finding Lana and Mercier had been no easy task - but she was Sofie Verdreaux.

"You and Karina are well also?" Sofie asked. She was tempted to ask if their mutual irritant had managed to drink himself to death yet - and she doubt an invitation would have been extended - but she had decided John was not a subject she was going to indulge in.

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Hunter entered the café and hoisted his messenger bag up his shoulder. John should be here somewhere.

Getting a call from John was always a mixed bag of emotions. Any job with him was equal parts exciting, threatening, and well-paid. They also involved John, so it was always an struggle to decide which side he would fall on. Then again, he always ended up saying yes. Maybe he just had an innate desire not to give in to John.

Speaking of the devil. Hunter spied John and another young man and strolled over to their table.

"Gents," he said, smiling. He turned his attention first to the stranger and extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Hunter."

"Glad to 'ear that all is goin well." Trevor responded with a cheeky grin. "The missus and I are just peachy. Thank ya fer askin."

He took another sip of his tea before sitting his cup on the table. "I suppose you'll be wantin ta know about the job though, am I right?"

Trevor reached for the folder on the couch beside him and slid it across the table for Sofie to inspect. "This time around, things'll be a little bit different. The Mark will be aware of every element of the job. In fact, she thinks that she'll be runnin it."

"I had John collect and brief the other members a the crew, but I wanted ta talk with you personally." He grinned as Sofie opened up the folder. "The Mark will know ya as a Forger, but for this job, you're actually the Extracta."

"Under no circumstances is the Mark ta know your true role within the crew. Is that clear?"

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"Michael. A pleasure, I'm sure." Michael responded without looking up from his papers.

"Don't mind him." John spoke up, motioning for Hunter to take a seat. "He gets lost in his work sometimes."

"Actually, he probably spends more time lost in his work than otherwise occupied."

"Just because I'm working doesn't mean I can't hear you." Michael responded, pointing the tip of his ink pen in John's direction for a moment before putting it back to the paper.

"Of course." John took a sip of coffee and turned his attention to Hunter. At least there, he'd be able to make eye contact with someone.

"So, the job I'm here to offer you is a bit more strange than usual in our field of work. We're intentionally militarizing someone's subconscious." He pulled out a folder and sat it in the middle of the table. "In fact, she'll be the Extractor for her own job."

Michael stuck the tip of his pen into the folder and flipped it open, revealing a woman's photo and a handful of documents beneath it. "So, what? You want me to design something that will fall apart as soon as the dream starts?"

"Not quite." John replied with a grin. "You see, there's a reason we wanted two Architects for this job."

For the first time, Michael actually turned his attention to Hunter, but it quickly moved back to the file on the table.

"Hunter will be designing the original layout for the dream." John continued. "However, Michael will be the one building all of the decoys and distractions, which Hunter will have zero knowledge of. You see, while Hunter will appear to be the Architect, he's really doing my job this time around."

John reached over and gave Hunter a firm pat on the back. "I'll appear to be the Pointman, but I'm really the Forger for this job. And you, my friend, while seeming to be the Architect, will actually be the Pointman, gathering information about the Mark while you work alongside her."

"Michael here is the only member of the team that the Mark won't be aware of until after the Extraction has taken place."

Trevor took another sip of his tea before sitting his cup on the table. "I suppose you'll be wantin ta know about the job though, am I right?"

Sofie raised an eyebrow at this and smiled.

"That is why I'm here, good as the tea may be," she said. Trevor slid a folder across the table to her, and she picked it up to peruse the pages.

"This time around, things'll be a little bit different," he told her. "The Mark will be aware of every element of the job. In fact, she thinks that she'll be runnin it."

Sofie looked up, blinking. Well, this was going to be different. As he went on to discuss her role, that impression was cemented. This was going to be very different, and a challenge indeed.

Not the least which because John was going to be in on this after all. It seemed inevitable. What role would he have then? She would just have to wait and see.

"Under no circumstances is the Mark ta know your true role within the crew. Is that clear?"

Sofie set down the file and looked at Trevor. It hadn't taken her long to come to her decision. No matter how this went down, it proved to be a thrill.

"Crystal," she said, smiling widely.

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Hunter watched the interaction between Michael and John. His suspicions were definitely confirmed - John seemed to have this effect on everyone. Actually, John seemed to be at something of a disadvantage with this Michael. It wasn't too hard to see why. Maybe he should have tried a more stoic approach with John after all.

John finally turned his attention back to Hunter, who tried to pretend like he wasn't just thinking of how to manage John like an ill-behaved puppy.

"So, the job I'm here to offer you is a bit more strange than usual in our field of work. We're intentionally militarizing someone's subconscious." He pulled out a folder and sat it in the middle of the table. "In fact, she'll be the Extractor for her own job."

Hunter was perplexed by John's assessment of the job. It wasn't unheard of for people to pay Extractors to militarize their subconscious, but he hadn't heard of it being done this way before.

It seemed everyone - except Michael, that is - would be swapping their usual positions. He was going to be Pointman, and John would take Forger. If Michael was the true Architect, did that mean a Forger would be taking the position of Extractor?

It seemed a very complicated job, but he'd be lying if he said the idea didn't excite him. Gathering information about the Mark from beside her without her knowledge could be tricky, but if John could do it, so could he.

"And here I thought your job was to annoy everyone else," Hunter said, looking up from the file with a smirk. "Well, count me in. When do we start?"

"Excellent." Trevor grinned and took another sip of tea.

"I'd normally 'ave taken this one meself, but I think that woulda made her more than a bit suspicious." He locked eyes with Sofie across the table. "And don't for a moment let yourself think that you've got her fooled. Tess is nothing if not perceptive, and the more tells that you think you've picked up on, the more layers of misdirection she's laid over your eyes."

Trevor smirked, sitting his empty cup on the table. "Ask John about that one sometime. I don't think I'd eva seen him speechless before she completely flipped his evaluation of her on its head. It was truly a sight ta see."

He pushed himself from the couch, giving Sofie a nod. "If'n you'll excuse me then. I'd best be long gone afore she arrives."

"Good luck." Trevor offered in parting as he exited the loft, leaving Sofie alone with the portfolio.

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"You just did." John responded, giving Hunter another pat on the shoulder, while at the same time completely ignoring the jab about being an annoyance. "Be sure to read that file on the drive over. You'll want to know what's in it before you meet Tess. She's one hell of a trip if you're not prepared for it."

"So, you won't be needing me for the time being then?" Michael asked, but it came out as more of a statement than a question.

Without waiting for an answer, he slid a business card across the table to Hunter. "Call me when you've got the schematics ready so I can review them. I'll also need a list of all the backdoors and diversions you put into the layout. That way I don't input the same defenses for the real thing." He clicked the pen again and began once more to scribble something on the designs, clearly done with the conversation.

"Right then. On we go!" John put an arm around Hunter's shoulders, pulling him towards the parking lot.

"Don't mind the kid." He said under his breath. "He's brilliant, but he's also married to his work. It's kinda creepy, don't you think?"

Sofie frowned at Trevor's warning. While seeing John put firmly in his place would have been a sight to see, the fact that someone could was a bit alarming. Who was this Tess really, to pull that off?

Of course, that didn't mean she wouldn't log that away for future use. Any chance to get an advantage over John was one worth taking.

Trevor excused himself, and Sofie gave him a smile and a wave.

"Give Karina my best," she said before the Extractor was out of sight. Sighing, Sofie picked up the folder and began to peruse it once more.

This 'Tess' was going to be a complication, on top of the ever-present complication that was John. They hadn't spoken since the job with Karina's cartel, and they had parted on very uncertain terms. John hadn't brought up Sofie's perusal of his subconscious thoughts, but she rather doubted he'd forgotten it.

Rather unfortunately, she hadn't either.

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Hunter gazed at the folder, wondering who this Tess could be to make John wary. He recalled a similar warning about Sofie, and that had been a total bullseye. How was Sofie doing anyway? Perhaps John knew. They seemed to have some weird sadomasochistic tango of unresolved sexual tension. Or maybe he'd been reading too much fiction lately.

"So, you won't be needing me for the time being then?" Michael asked, but it came out as more of a statement than a question.

Without waiting for an answer, he slid a business card across the table to Hunter. Hunter took it and the advice Michael gave him. He might be lacking in manners, but not competence.

John's arm was around his shoulder before he could do much else, and Hunter allowed himself to be led along toward the parking lot. John didn't seem particularly keen on Michael, but it didn't bother him so much.

"I've encountered more grating personalities than his," he said, shrugging. "Over-professionalism is easier to handle than unprofessionalism."

He raised his eyebrow at John, but had a feeling that quip would go over his head like the last one. John's bouts of unprofessionalism naturally brought his thoughts back to the interactions between him and Sofie.

"Have you heard from Sofie lately?" he asked as they got in the car.

"I don't know." John responded, freeing Hunter from his grip. "Sometimes, it's best not to take yourself too seriously."

He fished in his pocket for a moment before producing the keys to his Aston Martin, which he unlocked in silence, rather than answer Hunter's question about Sofie. Probably best not to pick that one up anytime soon.

"She hasn't contacted me, but I suppose you'll be seeing her shortly." Was the only response he offered.

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45 minutes later

"Lucy, I'm home!" John stepped into the loft, his eyes darting around the room. Apparently, Sofie was the only one already present though. So, his joke fell on deaf ears.

With a shrug, John made his way to the bar and poured himself a drink, apparently uninterested in where a conversation with the Forger might go. "I take it Tess isn't here yet?" He asked, taking a long sip of the glass' amber contents. "She always does like to make an entrance..."

Sofie was apparently on off-limits topic. Duly noted.

Hunter settled comfortably into the passenger seat and began to study the file John gave him. Like John had said, he wanted to make sure he was prepared when they met the client. Besides, John suddenly seemed uninterested in conversation.

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"Lucy, I'm home!"

Sofie looked up from the file Trevor had given her and stared at John, who had just entered the room. From beside him, Hunter was giving an equally unamused look at him.

With the silence deathly suffocating, John gave up any attempts at humor and crossed over to the bar for a drink without so much as a glance at her. He muttered to himself about the client, but Sofie ignored this.

"Well, hello to you too, John," she said, turning her attention back to the file with equal disinterest in him. Hunter remained by the door, his gaze darting between the two of them.

"This is going to be awkward," he mused.

"The tension is so thick, you could cut it with a knife." A feminine voice whispered into Hunter's ear. When he turned to look at who had spoken, he would find the hallway empty though. As he turned back to the loft, Hunter would find that there was also no one infront of him. At least, that's how it would seem until a hand appeared in front of his face, snapping its fingers for his attention.

"Hey! My eyes are here." Tess said, extending a single, delicate finger to point downwards.

Waves of mussed, copper hair spilled over her feminine shoulders, framing Tess' pixie-like face. At a grand total of five feet tall, including her three inch heels, she stood well below Hunter's eye level. Not that you could tell it from the way she held herself.

"Well. Aren't you the cute one? You're not going to try and psychobabble me like John did, right?"

"For all the good it did me!" John quipped from the bar, taking another sip of his drink.

"Aww..." She turned on one heel, putting a hand on her hip and giving him a withering look. "Did someone get his Freudian complex stepped on?"

When John neglected to comment, Tess turned her attention to Sofie. "Let me guess. You tried to psychobabble her too?"

Without waiting for a response, she shook her head and walked over to the bar, pouring a drink of her own. "I told you that trick might work on girls, but it was no good for picking up a real woman."

"The tension is so thick, you could cut it with a knife."

Hunter gave a start at the sudden, disembodied voice - a rather pleasant one at that. He turned toward the hallway, then back to he loft, trying to identify the source of the voice, when a finger was suddenly thrust before his nose.

"Hey! My eyes are here."

Hunter followed the path of the finger downward to see a beautiful young woman with copper hair and a confident stance. She was also quite short, but that didn't seem to bother her. It didn't bother him either, if it came to that. Hunter had a thing for shorter girls.

Crap. Bad train of thought.

"Oh, hi," Hunter said, taking a step back and smiling nervously.

"Well. Aren't you the cute one?" she replied. "You're not going to try and psychobabble me like John did, right?"

Hunter was fortunately spared having to answer by John's prompt reply from over by the bar. Hunter let out a chuckle and used the opportunity to find a seat. He caught sight of Sofie, who was watching the exchange with delicate eyebrows raised.

"Don't blame it on John," Sofie said calmly - and for a wild moment, Hunter thought she was coming to his aide - before she turned back to her papers. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"Sooooooooo..." Tess dragged out the word far longer than necessary. "You two have slept with each other then?"

She didn't turn to look at Sofie as she stepped around the bar, pulling down a wine glass. John, on the other hand, couldn't help but glance at the Forger's reaction to that inquiry.

"Apparently not." Tess continued, glancing at John as she filled the wine glass with tap water from the sink.

"Tough luck, John." She gave him a hard pat in the center of his back as she walked past him, making her way to the lounge.

Tess dropped into the chair across from Sofie and took a sip of water, her eyes closed in an expression that could only be described as bliss. When she opened them, Tess seemed to realize for the first time that every other gaze in the room was on her. "Oh dear. Where are my manners?"

"I'm Tess, and I look forward to working with all of you, including the loser by the bar." She winked at John, who threw back the remainder of his drink and turned to pour another.

"Sooooooooo... You two have slept with each other then?"

The question was so out-of-left-field that Sofie couldn't help it. For one brief moment, she gave an involuntary jerk of her head up to look at Tess and John before burying her face back in her papers. She only deigned to respond to the question a moment later with the faintest, delicate snort of incredulity.

"Apparently not," the shrew continued. "Tough luck, John."

Well, she was a piece of work. Sofie continued to read on, pretending as though she didn't care what either were doing. It wasn't until the woman dropped with all the grace of a potato sack into the chair across from her that Sofie finally looked up. It seemed she was finally realizing that she was causing some disruption in the room, because the woman finally sat up and introduced herself.

Sofie shifted her gaze to John, who was throwing back drinks like someone was going to take them from him. Actually, a drink was starting to look good right now. The tea wasn't nearly strong enough for this.

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Of the three of them, Hunter seemed to be the only one enjoying himself. Maybe a little too much. This might have been a first, seeing John and Sofie seemingly mute.

"I'm Hunter," he said, extending his hand toward Tess and smiling broadly. "Likewise."

Sofie finally managed to work her mouth into a smile and extended her own with polished grace.

"Sofie Verdreaux."

With names exchanged, Sofie immediately headed to the bar to pour herself a drink. Hunter watched her go before turning his attention back to Tess.

"So, you and John know each other?" he said, unable to resist shooting John a mirthful look. "How did that happen?"

This should be good.

Tess shook Hunter's hand with a firm grip and Sofie's with the same. As the later rose from the couch, Tess took another sip of water. "That's a rather boring story." She responded, glancing in the direction of the bar. "Although, no doubt, you have one of your own. A girl might need a glass of wine to get through the telling." She swirled the water in her glass, and it darkened to a deep crimson.

"Much better." Tess said, taking a long sip of wine. "How I met John, huh? Couldn't think of something better to ask?" She smiled over the rim of the glass. "Much like I'm sure your story goes, I found myself working with him on a job. Apparently, something about the way I present myself rubbed him the wrong way." Tess emphasized the word. "So, he took it upon himself to offer me free therapy. At the end of which, he probably should have been the one paying me, not the other way around."

"How about you, Hunter? What's your story?" Her gaze focused on his as she asked the question.

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"You're losing the game." John whispered as Sofie walked up to the bar. "This is a method of determining our temperaments, so that she can cater her personality to work with us." Despite the words, he slid a glass of scotch towards her.

"It'll all be over in a few minutes, and she'll be her normal, bubbly, seemingly clueless self."

Hunter raised his eyebrows as Tess seemingly conjured wine from water. He'd seen this trick done before, but never executed quite so smoothly.

Interesting. Was she trying to impress them? Analyze their reactions to unusual stimuli? Every since she stepped in, her actions had been more like a performance than anything else.

Hunter leaned forward on his knees, grinning as Tess relayed her first encounter with John. That would have been something to see.

"My story, huh?" he said, sitting back in his chair. "That's a broad question. Well, I worked for the D.o.D. initially. That's how I found out about dreamsharing. It was just... pure creation, you know?"

He picked thoughtfully at his chin and smiled.

"Anyway, I gave up the government side of things. Dived head-first into this world. Sometimes I miss the stability of that old life, but there's nothing quite like this."

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"Thanks for the advice," Sofie said dryly. She had no intention of taking his advice, but she would take the drink. Sipping at the scotch, she turned away from John and leaned against the bar.

Tess and Hunter seemed to be having a moment, so she decided to stay there for the moment. She was only too aware of John's presence so nearby, but she would rather focus on her drink instead.

"Ah, the purist..." Tess smiled at Hunter over the rim of her glass. "I knew I liked you."

"What in the world are you doing hanging out in John's company?" She joked, draining the rest of her wine.

"Actually, you'd better not answer that. I think I've already crushed his ego enough for one day." Tess rose from her seat, gesturing towards the bar, where John and Sofie were having a whispered conversation. "You've gotta be gentle with them, or they'll suffer a breakdown."

Raising her voice, Tess called out across the room. "Do the two of you have something you'd like to share with the class?"

John's only response was to flip her the bird as he downed another drink, which only made Tess giggle.

"See what I mean?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Hunter.

"If you two would like to join us, I'll try to play nice." She directed back towards the bar.

John shrugged and pushed himself away from the bar to cross the room. Now that Tess was done playing around, they might actually get something done.

Sofie allowed John to leave the bar first while she finished off her drink. Setting the glass down, Sofie turned and strode back over to her seat. She took a moment to get settled and crossed her legs before speaking.

"Well, now that we've got the niceties out of the way," Sofie said, putting on a smile. "Let's get to business, shall we? I think it would be helpful if we heard things directly from you, Tess."

Hunter smiled and nodded as well. Sofie had to resist the temptation to roll her eyes. Honestly...

Tess paused as Sofie spoke, taking a closer look at the other woman. "Oh, you're good." She said with a hint of humor in her voice. "John isn't nearly so smooth."

"No offense, pal." Tess gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"It wouldn't have mattered if I'd taken offense anyway." He grumbled. "Now, let's get on with it."

She frowned at that, sinking back into her seat. "And here I thought we were friends." After pouting for a few seconds, Tess shrugged and moved on, as if completely unphased.

"So, as I'm sure you were all informed, I've shelled out a pretty penny for Trevor to collect a crew that could help me militarize my subconscious. For the last six months, I've been working as an Architect on the side. Despite the fact that I enjoy the work, I shared with Trevor that my social talents seemed to be wasted in the process. He recommended learning how to do his job instead." She giggled a little at that, but it was only a brief pause in dialog.

"Unfortunately, in order to make sure the secrets I collect aren't taken from my own mind, I need to buffer my defenses a bit." She waved to the other side of the couch. "John here has helped me with the basics, and I've constructed a few additional layers of security as well. The only problem is recognizing the dream for what it is before too much information has already been taken."

"That, is what you are all here for. In order to prepare my mind for dealing with a real threat, such a threat must be presented to it first-hand. Normally, this would be done without my knowledge, but Trevor also made me aware of the fact that I don't know all the ins and outs of the Extraction business. So, I'll be helping you all design the dream and plan to infiltrate my own subconscious, with the intention of retrieving the access code to my private server."

"Questions?"

Sofie listened to Tess' explanation. It wasn't much different than what Trevor or the file said, but her determination to be involved in the process would complicate things. The more she knew and was aware of, the harder it would be to trick her. Trevor had made some provisions with altering her true role in the process - and, presumably, John's and Hunter's - but would that really be enough?

"How much time do we have?" Sofie asked. Given the nature of the job, she figured time wouldn't be an issue, but it never hurt to ask.

"And where are we setting up shop?" Hunter interjected, looking around the loft. This place would work, functionally, but not everyone wanted their personal life being mixed with the job. That could lead to complications, both outside and inside the dream. There was no easier way of losing track of reality.

"The job is one month in total." Tess responded, turning her attention to Sofie. "Two weeks are allotted for planning, and the Extraction can take place any time during the remaining two weeks. I am to be unaware of when exactly that will be. So, it seemed best to give the team a bit of time to keep me guessing. Trevor assured me that for this team, that window of time would be adequate."

She smiled at Hunter when he spoke up. "I've been given access to this loft if you would like to use it, but I also have some warehouse space about fifteen miles from here, if you prefer a less intimate work space."

"I assume we're starting tonight?" John asked from his seat at the other end of the couch.

"You're welcome to begin tonight if you choose to do so." Tess replied with a smirk. "But the team will begin working together tomorrow first thing tomorrow morning."

"Would you all prefer to see the warehouse, or will the loft work?" She asked the group.

John shrugged. "Either is fine with me."

It would seem that working in the warehouse would be the more ideal situation, so that if need be the team could work on the extraction at the warehouse without Tess' knowledge while she was at the loft.

"I think we'll use the warehouse, if it's all the same to you," Sofie interjected, making the decision. Hunter shrugged.

"Fine with me," he said.

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At the moment, Hunter as less preoccupied with the extraction setup as he was the extraction target.

"Well, if we don't start till morning," he said to Tess, standing up. "I guess that means your night is free?"

He smiled and offered her a hand up. He was supposed to be the Pointman here, after all. And he would need to spend some time with Tess to get the information they needed.

Yes, that was what he was going with.

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Sofie watched Hunter and Tess leave the loft together, her lips pressed tightly together. Well, they did need information on Tess. Hopefully, Hunter had his head in the game.

Standing up, Sofie disposed of the dregs of her now cold tea and retrieved her files.

"I suppose if you're not speaking to me and there's no work to be done, I might as well turn in," Sofie said casually, avoiding looking at him.

"In that case, I'll forward you all the address tonight, and we'll get started tomorrow at nine." Tess said to the group.

As Hunter extended his hand in invitation, she blinked once, apparently caught somewhat off guard. It only lasted for a moment though. "That's a bold assumption to make." Tess replied, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Perhaps I already had plans?"

She let him stew on that for a few seconds. It wouldn't be fitting for him to develop an ego at this point, since he'd failed to display one before now.

"Although if you make me a better offer, I might be open to suggestions." She continued as they made their way out the door.

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"What would you have me say?" John responded as he moved around the bar to wash out his now empty glass. "I'm not going to pretend nothing happened." No, there was no way he could do that.

"You've already given your apology, but I don't want to know if you're sorry. I want to know that I can trust you, and right now, that's definitely not the case." Grabbing a towel from the counter, he wiped the glass dry and sat it back into place on the shelf.

"So, yeah, you're right." His voice, which had been somewhat gruff up until this point had now gone completely cold. "You might as well turn in."

Hmm, maybe it was presumptuous, but he was just going to have to roll with it now.

"Hard to make a better offer if I don't know what the other offers are," he said, laughing. "But I can try."

He hadn't had a chance to eat yet. That might be a good place to start.

"How about a bite to eat?" he asked. "Maybe with some live music?"

He watched her consider, then added with a smile, "My treat - you know, for my presumption."

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Sofie hadn't really expected John to say anything, much less cut so directly to the heart of things. It was surprising to hear him admit that what he wanted from her was trust, not apologies. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get either.

Sofie turned and headed for the door. She paused, her hand on the doorknob, and turned to him.

"I guess you misunderstood somewhere along the line, John," she said, smiling. "I've never claimed to be trustworthy."

With that, she disappeared through the door.

"Well, a lady can't truly expect you to try very hard if you're aware of the competition, now can she?" Tess responded with a playful smirk. Of course, his competition was currently a slice of frozen cheesecake and a romantic comedy she'd watched a million times already, but there was no reason to tell him that.

Tess put a finger to her chin, seeming to think over his offer. "Hmm... Your presentation needs work, although you did a good job of trying to cover for your original mistake. You're also fishing for answers on what I'd like to do when I expressly stated for you to make an on the spot offer."

She let him stew on that for a moment before continuing, almost as if her previous statement had never happened. "I could eat something, but I have to ask," Tess glanced at him, as if measuring her decision carefully. "What do you consider music?"

Hunter smiled and had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. She was definitely engaging in "John-speak."

"You know, you don't have to say everything you're thinking," he said, chuckling. At least it was a little more charming when she did it.

"Does it look like my taste is questionable?" he asked with a laugh. "Wait, no, don't answer that. I've learned to never ask those kinds of questions, courtesy of John."

He shrugged as they made it outside into the brisk evening air.

"Anyway, I was thinking maybe a little jazz or something?" he offered.