Description: The results of the previous job are in, and Leilani recieves her next assignments.
Having cleared things away with Tran the previous evening, Elle's ready to finish up her rounds, and the next person on that list is Leilani. The newly hired teammate's reports came in favorable, both on paper and with Marise. It's good to see that her choice wasn't an unfortunate one, and having the Hawai'ian on the team had paid off immensely.
Already, Elle's shipped out some of the Glow, and the profits are starting to roll in. As the only real supplier past Rugal, Elle's bankroll has increased by a considerable margin in just a few months. It helps to have connections. This is why Leilani has been called into the office today. There are more things to settle, and more people to draw into Elle's massive web of contacts.
A polite message has been placed with Leilani's phone, and Elle awaits the dancer's arrival, clad today in a black tank top, combat fatigue pants, and army boots. It would appear that she's fresh off the streets today, hunting down more street information. She's unafraid to do a little dirty work on her own it seems, despite making her look out of plac ein her generally clean and spartan office in one of the many major buildings in the district.
Leilani's time in Metro had proven fruitful at least in two respects; she had been successful in her mission, and she'd been treated to a wonderful show at Duke's opera. Alas, Duke had never gotten back to her regarding dinner, and due to Marise's odd demeanor, she'd ended up dining alone for the first time in ages. It had been both lonely and fascinatingly pleasant, a sign to herself that she was becoming her own woman. Maybe she didn't need to be surrounded by admirers to be whole.
Still, fawning attention is always nice. It only lasts so long, after all.
Having returned to Southtown, the Hawai'ian has laid low, starting to settle her affairs here in Southtown. She needed to prepare for her eventual departure from the continent and back to the United States, where this casino of Blackjack's would be set up. She'd picked up information on housing in Metro while she was there, and studying that had been on her agenda after returning. The message left on her phone, however, pulled her from her planning.
Her dancing training has tought her to walk soundlessly, and it has become habit. The door to the office opens quietly as the Shark enters, the sound of the lock being the first report of her approach. Closing the door gently, Leilani smiles at Elle, waving softly. Walking further into the office and closer to the rocker, the Hawai'ian says, voice almost songlike, "You rang, cap'n?"
"Have a seat," Elle says, gesturing to the chair in front of her. As usual, her face seems more like an iron mask than anything made of warm flesh and blood, her brown eyes dull and lifeless. Leilani's quiet steps don't seem to bother her in the slightest. As attuned to sound as Elle is, she may have heard the islander. Maybe not. Elle doesn't discuss her skills and abilities much. "Good work on setting things up with Duke. I'll be making another appointment with him fairly soon, just to make sure everything's operating fine. I don't forsee any problems."
She slides over an envelope. "There's your pay. You'll find there's a percentage in there from the first Glow deal. It's only one percent, but you'll find out that it tends to add up once you realize that we've shipped out three fifty gallon drums of the stuff," she adds.
Now for the new business. Elle tosses more folders on the desk. "I've got more work for you, so I hope that your calendar is clear." She places a hand on the folders, and fans them out. "I need info on the Syndicate. Specifically boys like Geese, Big, and Billy. If you feel uncomfortable doing that, it's fine. But the job pays five grand just for coughin up some information."
"Secondly, I want you to find out what this guy is all about." Elle opens a folder, and shows her a picture of Oswald. "He's an indepednant operator, and I need to know more about him. He operates under radar and nobody knows who he is. He hangs out around here, Chinatown, and the docks. Since I got nothing on him, I'll give you fifteen kay for any in depth info you can grab."
"Finally, I might have to sit down with Haggar. I don't have all the details, but I'll need you to soften him up for me a little nefore the meeting. I'll give you more information on that when it comes a little closer. To recap: I need info on the Syndicate, this Oswald guy, and face time with Haggar."
Taking a seat, the islander does the 'shaka', a little hand gesture involving a closed hand with pinky and thumb extended, at the news of how the deal she set up is going. Settling in her seat, she smiles at the envelope as it's passed forward, reaching out to take the package before setting it in her lap. If she was a year or two younger, before she'd been taken under Mr. Big's wing and thus protected by the Syndicate, she'd have opened up the envelope and checked the contents. But she's changed since then, and Elle has been shown to deal straight with her. Whatever is inside the envelope will be adequate for the job, especially as she wasn't expecting to be taking a cut of the profits on the deal.
Ah, good. Time for new work. As much as she was enjoying condo shopping online, being actually busy with work will be nice. Pulling a pen from her pocket, she starts writing in a shorthand version of Hawai'ian that she's developed herself on the envelope. Not a lot, just a few notes. "Right," she says, looking up at Elle. "As far as the information on the big three, I'll see if Howard's sysadmins are quick on the uptake or not. If not, I'll get the info I can, including anything on this 'Oswald' if they have any. If so, it'll take a little more time as I piece it together off of what I personally know and what I can get ahold of." Clicking the pen closed, the Hawai'ian leans back in her chair again. "So, as far as Mr. Mayor is concerned, just let me know and I'll go butter him up a bit. I'll need some information on him, though, before I go in. Don't wanna make a bad first impression with a man I'm sure to be dealing with often, after all."
Elle looks at Leilani for a good ten seconds. It would seem that the girl is taking to this work like a fish to water; a decided contrast from Reed, which she finds utterly refreshing. Her pepetual dour expression neutralizes somewhat, one corner of her mouth quirking upward in a pale imitation of a smile. That's the best she can come up with nowadays.
"Looks like the old geezer is wrapped up pretty tight," she says tapping Oswald's picture. "He's silent running in a circle I can't even get into. I don't expect miracles... just a word in to see what he's all about and maybe another meeting. Treat the man like Duke. If he gets tetchy, leave. You won't have a partner on this one. I think you can get it done on your own, but be careful."
Shifted gears. She places a hand on the Metro City file. "We might have to make you up a little. Haggar's a red blooded, traditionalist American. Dress conservative, and put on your best innocent girl face and I think we'll be fine. He's got a daughter. You might want to study her a little bit before you meet with him. Don't make it too obvious. Just enough to make it look convincing."
"In this folder are the usual corporate documents and brochures that make us look good. I need to grease the wheels for a gaming license. I can toss cash at social projects like youth centers and whatnot if it means getting some face time with him. If he asks too many questions, just tell him that you're my rep and that all you know is that we're an investment banking firm located in Southtown."
Leilani has had experience in these arenas, which gives her an edge over novices in the field. She's been passed folders with information on targets to seduce or eliminate before, though only on rare occasions. Combat targets, however, are a different animal, and the Hawai'ian knows it. Any information she can get without having to confront the man will help her survivability chances immensely. Luckily, should things take a turn for the worse, she can at least handle herself for long enough to find a means for escape... or to take out the target completely.
Nodding thoughtfully, the Shark listens as Elle speaks. She figured that she'd deal with this 'Oswald' character with kid gloves anyway; the unknown can mean danger, after all, and if she can't get information on him from the Syndicate, dealing with him face to face might end up with her taking a trip to the hospital... or morgue. Neither are particularly palatable..
As a method for dealing with Haggar is mentioned, the islander reaches up and does two buttons up on her polo, hiding the exposed cleavage from view. Looking up at Elle, she smiles sweetly, eyes wide and innocent. Her shoulders shrug slightly as she clasps her hands in front of her chest. It is as close as she can get to innocence personified, but it works. It is, again, something she's used to... some johns liked the idea of taking something innocent and dirtying it up. Slipping out of this act with a laugh, she reaches forward to take the folder with the documentation she'll need. Snapping it open, she flips through the various papers contained within before closing it and tapping the spine of the folder twice on the desk to settle the papers before slipping it into her lap as well. "So, I'll business it up a bit, then, if I'm gonna play up the rep line," she says, face turning serious. "Suit, blouse, glasses. Easy peasy. I'll see what I can dredge up about his daughter... and I think I may need to create a persona in order to separate myself from my past. If he recognizes me as Big's girl, that'll make it difficult to work."
"Yeah. But my alternatives are a little worse. A death-obsessed vampire and a clinically insane witch would probably do a lot worse," Elle replies. Her reaction to Leilani's performance is an appreciative nod. She knows the girl is good at what she does. That's why she hired her, after all. "Those are your assignments. Dump me the info on the boys in the Syndicate as soon as you can, so I can get back to our client," Elle informs the island girl. "It's an easy job and I don't want to foul it up."
If Elle plays things right, her client, Lien, will be able to perform some jobs for Blackjack, keeping the elusive mercenary organization clean when people come sniffing around. Independant contractors can be risky, however.
"Let me know how your jobs turn out. If you think you need a hand, call someone up on the roster. I don't think you'll need anyone, though." The rocker leans back in her chair, and motions to Leilani. "Any further questions, comments, complaints, concerns? Get me while I'm not busy, because from here on out? It's all about the casino project."
With a shrug, Leilani stands, once again tapping the folder onto the desk. "Given those options, I certainly see your point," she says with a smirk. She understands why she's to become the face of Blackjack, given the crew. Compared to the rest, the islander is well-adjusted and normal.
Hell, compared to the rest, she's Rachael frickin' Ray.
"No other questions, Mo'i," she says, slipping around the chairs and heading towards the door. "If I need anything, I'll yell at someone for it. I'll get the Syndicate info to you ASAP, and I'll get on Oswald's case once I finish with that." Slipping the envelope into the deep front pocket of her jeans, she stuffs the folder with the public facade documentation under her arm as she reachs for the door. "Just call when you need me to head to Metro to talk with the Mayor. Until then, take care, Mo'i."
Opening the door, she slips out and heads towards her vehicle. More research to be done, but at least some of it might be face time. Also, there's some shopping to be done as well. A smile creeps on her face as she thinks of what she'll need to buy. Her hand pats the envelope in her pocket thoughtfully.
This was a good career change.
Log created on 17:06:45 07/15/2007 by Leilani, and last modified on 19:41:38 07/15/2007.