Judgement – No Joy
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & Citizen Min Zhao & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
::ON::
"Where is she?" Ahjess was pacing up and down the staff room, supposedly getting changed, but really just worrying and faffing and not really concentrating on anything. "Those old hags can't keep her up all night surely?"
Edward shrugged silently as he leaned against a mirrored vanity table. He was picking at a fingernail, the only external sign of worry. "Who knows," he finally said, trying to be casual for Ahjess' sake.
Min, back in her own skin, slipped into the bar through a back way so as not to attract attention. Quietly going to the staff room she'd hoped to have a few minutes to herself before she'd have to report her failure. Seeing Ahjess pacing, Min's mood slipped a notch. She slowly shook her head.
"No joy."
Ahjess stopped pacing, and looked at her. He breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned. "No Joy? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I failed. I wasn't able to infiltrate the group." Min went over to her locker and entered in her combs. "Apparently I don't have the balls to steal from a street vendor on the promenade." Min punched the locker and retried her code. This time it opened.
"Argh!" Ahjess bumped his head against the locker in slow motion. "You know, we could have paid her back when this was all over? Now those turkey-necked old trouts are going to get away scott-free!"
"No they won't," Edward said as he went closer and straddled a chair backwards. "We just need to come up with something more clever. Something they wouldn't expect in a million years."
Ahjess tapped his chin. This late in the evening, or early in the morning as it actually was, he was sprouting a noticeable amount of stubble. "Easy to say. Not easy to do. What are you thinking of, Rifling their panty drawers?"
"Leverage," he replied thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea, actually." He smiled and turned to the young woman. "Min, do you think you could get some dirt on these old gals - aside from the thefts here, I mean. Do you think they'd respond if you had something to hold over their heads?"
"All I know about these women is they enjoy what they do and really don't seem to care if they get caught. Getting caught is more of a lost hand in a card game then anything really serious," Min sighed. "I could try taking another shot at getting back in these girl's good graces and digging up dirt on them from inside. I'm not sure how good my cover still is though."
Ahjess shrugged. "Everyone has something they don't want to get out. And you don't get to their age without something they'd rather not talk about. One way or the other we have to get it."
She paused. "If you want me to go deep I'm going to need some further support then just my cover story and some makeup."
"Whatever you need, Yolanthe will cover it," Edward said, and then looked at Ahjess. "You know she would."
Min looked at Ahjess. "I've posed Leah as a successful business women, a scout for a regional entertainment agency. The backup story, in case they discover I'm actually undercover, is that I'm a private escort and Leah is my persona to avoid being noticed by Federation Security."
She paused. "To be convincing I'll need a place I can relax with the girls, hang out, and some form of expense account. You also need to know this isn't going to be a one or two day sting. We may be at this a while."
Edward nodded at Min thoughtfully, then looked at Ahjess with a raised eyebrow. "I think it's a good plan. What do you think? The only warning bell I have in the back of my mind is Trellis. If he got a whiff that one of the Box employees was a high-priced prostitute, he'd not listen to explanations. He'd lock up the Box tighter than an alligator's butt and throw away the key."
"Meh." Ahjess gave the slightest shrug. "You'd need an astrogation array to chart the size of the fuck i do not give about Trellis's sensitivities. If he gets his panties in a bunch I'll ask one of the revue girls to give him a lap dance. He should scuttle back to his hole long enough for us to get lawyer-ed up and present an explanation, if we even have to."
Edward suppressed a laugh, his lips twitching. Ahjess was a character, all right. And he really didn't like Trellis. "So," he turned to Min. "Whaddya need?"
"I'll need access to a relatively upscale apartment on the station so I can entertain the ladies. Something befitting a 'business woman' of my stature." Min smiled. "Something a relatively well off exotic dancer might acquire to privately entertain guests in."
"What about Yolanthe's place?" Edward looked to Ahjess.
"That dump? Have you ever been in there? You need a hazmat suit and possible a phaser," The trill scoffed "It won't swing. I think we might be best off renting a suite at one of the hotels."
Edward shrugged noncommittally; he'd never seen Yolanthe's quarters so he had just assumed it was as orderly as her office had been.
"I'll also need the clothes to match Leah's story and the cover-cover-story. Beyond that, we're just trying to build a house of cards so whatever you think she'd need."
"No problem." Ahjess said. "We can talk to Madam Miaow, get some of the outfits her dancers wear, she can probably help with everything else too."
"I'd prefer to avoid the hotels if possible. That would attract some notice I'd rather not have. Could we swing a short term lease on an apartment? Cheaper then a hotel if we're going to be at this for a while."
She glanced at Ahjess. "You think she could give me a few pointers on the trade? Help make my act more convincing." She shrugged her shoulders. "You never know, right?"
The trill tried, and failed, to hide a smug grin. "I'm sure she'll be more than glad." He looked over to Edward. "Anything else before I step into the lion's den and see if Madam will assist?"
"I was just thinking," he said, an amused twinkle in his eye at Ahjess' last comment. "Min's gonna need some serious credits in her account. What if these women decide to check her out? Finances are gonna be one of the first things they investigate, if they haven't already."
Ahjess shrugged again, "We'll just have to set it up. The boss is hardly in a position to say no right now."
Edward grunted a response. He stood from the chair and arched his back, stretching the stiffness out of it. "Sooo..." he started to say, and then let out a satisfied sigh after his lower vertebrae gave little popping noises. "My wife is gonna kill me when she finds out I went to see a madam."
::OFF::
Ahjess
Chief Croupier/Dabo Boy
The Box of Delights
&
Min Zhao
Waitress/Spy
The Box of Delights
&
Edward Stapleton
Dabo Boy (sigh...he's grannycandy)
The Box Of Delights
by Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & Citizen Min Zhao & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
| Title | No Joy | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin & Citizen Min Zhao & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton | |
| Posted | Thu Oct 27, 2011 @ 9:03am | |
| Location | The Box of Delights | |
| Timeline | SD 38 (0200) Back Post |
"Where is she?" Ahjess was pacing up and down the staff room, supposedly getting changed, but really just worrying and faffing and not really concentrating on anything. "Those old hags can't keep her up all night surely?"
Edward shrugged silently as he leaned against a mirrored vanity table. He was picking at a fingernail, the only external sign of worry. "Who knows," he finally said, trying to be casual for Ahjess' sake.
Min, back in her own skin, slipped into the bar through a back way so as not to attract attention. Quietly going to the staff room she'd hoped to have a few minutes to herself before she'd have to report her failure. Seeing Ahjess pacing, Min's mood slipped a notch. She slowly shook her head.
"No joy."
Ahjess stopped pacing, and looked at her. He breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned. "No Joy? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I failed. I wasn't able to infiltrate the group." Min went over to her locker and entered in her combs. "Apparently I don't have the balls to steal from a street vendor on the promenade." Min punched the locker and retried her code. This time it opened.
"Argh!" Ahjess bumped his head against the locker in slow motion. "You know, we could have paid her back when this was all over? Now those turkey-necked old trouts are going to get away scott-free!"
"No they won't," Edward said as he went closer and straddled a chair backwards. "We just need to come up with something more clever. Something they wouldn't expect in a million years."
Ahjess tapped his chin. This late in the evening, or early in the morning as it actually was, he was sprouting a noticeable amount of stubble. "Easy to say. Not easy to do. What are you thinking of, Rifling their panty drawers?"
"Leverage," he replied thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea, actually." He smiled and turned to the young woman. "Min, do you think you could get some dirt on these old gals - aside from the thefts here, I mean. Do you think they'd respond if you had something to hold over their heads?"
"All I know about these women is they enjoy what they do and really don't seem to care if they get caught. Getting caught is more of a lost hand in a card game then anything really serious," Min sighed. "I could try taking another shot at getting back in these girl's good graces and digging up dirt on them from inside. I'm not sure how good my cover still is though."
Ahjess shrugged. "Everyone has something they don't want to get out. And you don't get to their age without something they'd rather not talk about. One way or the other we have to get it."
She paused. "If you want me to go deep I'm going to need some further support then just my cover story and some makeup."
"Whatever you need, Yolanthe will cover it," Edward said, and then looked at Ahjess. "You know she would."
Min looked at Ahjess. "I've posed Leah as a successful business women, a scout for a regional entertainment agency. The backup story, in case they discover I'm actually undercover, is that I'm a private escort and Leah is my persona to avoid being noticed by Federation Security."
She paused. "To be convincing I'll need a place I can relax with the girls, hang out, and some form of expense account. You also need to know this isn't going to be a one or two day sting. We may be at this a while."
Edward nodded at Min thoughtfully, then looked at Ahjess with a raised eyebrow. "I think it's a good plan. What do you think? The only warning bell I have in the back of my mind is Trellis. If he got a whiff that one of the Box employees was a high-priced prostitute, he'd not listen to explanations. He'd lock up the Box tighter than an alligator's butt and throw away the key."
"Meh." Ahjess gave the slightest shrug. "You'd need an astrogation array to chart the size of the fuck i do not give about Trellis's sensitivities. If he gets his panties in a bunch I'll ask one of the revue girls to give him a lap dance. He should scuttle back to his hole long enough for us to get lawyer-ed up and present an explanation, if we even have to."
Edward suppressed a laugh, his lips twitching. Ahjess was a character, all right. And he really didn't like Trellis. "So," he turned to Min. "Whaddya need?"
"I'll need access to a relatively upscale apartment on the station so I can entertain the ladies. Something befitting a 'business woman' of my stature." Min smiled. "Something a relatively well off exotic dancer might acquire to privately entertain guests in."
"What about Yolanthe's place?" Edward looked to Ahjess.
"That dump? Have you ever been in there? You need a hazmat suit and possible a phaser," The trill scoffed "It won't swing. I think we might be best off renting a suite at one of the hotels."
Edward shrugged noncommittally; he'd never seen Yolanthe's quarters so he had just assumed it was as orderly as her office had been.
"I'll also need the clothes to match Leah's story and the cover-cover-story. Beyond that, we're just trying to build a house of cards so whatever you think she'd need."
"No problem." Ahjess said. "We can talk to Madam Miaow, get some of the outfits her dancers wear, she can probably help with everything else too."
"I'd prefer to avoid the hotels if possible. That would attract some notice I'd rather not have. Could we swing a short term lease on an apartment? Cheaper then a hotel if we're going to be at this for a while."
She glanced at Ahjess. "You think she could give me a few pointers on the trade? Help make my act more convincing." She shrugged her shoulders. "You never know, right?"
The trill tried, and failed, to hide a smug grin. "I'm sure she'll be more than glad." He looked over to Edward. "Anything else before I step into the lion's den and see if Madam will assist?"
"I was just thinking," he said, an amused twinkle in his eye at Ahjess' last comment. "Min's gonna need some serious credits in her account. What if these women decide to check her out? Finances are gonna be one of the first things they investigate, if they haven't already."
Ahjess shrugged again, "We'll just have to set it up. The boss is hardly in a position to say no right now."
Edward grunted a response. He stood from the chair and arched his back, stretching the stiffness out of it. "Sooo..." he started to say, and then let out a satisfied sigh after his lower vertebrae gave little popping noises. "My wife is gonna kill me when she finds out I went to see a madam."
::OFF::
Ahjess
Chief Croupier/Dabo Boy
The Box of Delights
&
Min Zhao
Waitress/Spy
The Box of Delights
&
Edward Stapleton
Dabo Boy (sigh...he's grannycandy)
The Box Of Delights