TRP: Finch, Goro, Jonn and Larkin (Allies)

Wolverogue:

[Setting: Day 192, Finch and Jonn's favourite bar in Skyport]

Larkin had thought three cigarettes would be enough to calm her nerves but after she flicked the butt of the last one into the street, her hands immediately moved to roll a fourth.

It was fine. They were on the same side, or at least not on opposing ones. She'd checked the building time and time again, no sight of any eyes on the roofs. No signs of a trap. Nothing suspicious in that last half hour. It was fine. And she had Goro with her. It was going to be fine.

Larkin made to light the cigarette on the butt of the old one, remembering too late she'd tossed it away. She cursed under her breath, looking around the alley floor for where it had gone.

Lina

God, this was fucking boring. "Lark," he said. She kept scouring the ground like a fucking White Sky addict. "Lark. Let's just go in. What's the worst that could happen? You think he's gonna fucking stab you?"

Jen:

Larkin snorted. "Maybe? I don't fucking know. I don't fucking like this, do you? I don't." She found the cigarette butt, thankfully still glimming, and blew on it until she could light the fresh cig. She took a deep drag, exhaled, then another one.  "No idea what's gonna happen," she said, eyes locked on the bar again.

Lina

"Alright, well. I told Joan and Mishka where we were going, so if we go missing, there's gonna be a trail." Goro snatched the cigarette from her and took a drag before handing it back. "Let's go. Get it over with. Come on. Show me ready-to-shoot-Hansel-in-the-fucking-throat Larkin, not this weenie Larkin."

Jen:

"I'm no weenie. You don't get it, it's not Hansel in there, it's-" she cut off, jerking a hand at the bulding as if that'd explain everything. "Fucking Finch," she muttered with another exhale of smoke, then louder said, "God dammit. Let's go."

Lina

Goro rolled his eyes when she wasn't looking. "So Finch is scarier than Hansel. Yeah, alright."

Jen:

Larkin didn't answer to that. She tossed the cigarette away and went for the door.

Inside, it was gloomy from the missing daylight and too few lit lamps. Through the thin crowd it wasn't hard to spot Jonn and Finch sitting inside a booth. She gave them a look long enough to let them know she'd seen, then hung back to let Goro approach first.

Lina

Pff, Larkin. He'd never really seen her get this worked up. That was fine, that's what he was there for. He strode over to the booth and slid in to sit on the free side--he'd take the spot closer to the wall, since Larkin would want the quick escape.

He jerked his chin at Jonn as a hello. "Hey, kid." Then he glanced at Finch, but didn't say anything.

Izzy:

Jonn raised a hand, grinning, and glanced over to Larkin, too. Finch scoffed through his teeth and kept his arms crossed, not looking up from a burnt spot on the table

Jen:

Larkin sat straight, both hands on the table, fingers of one tapping at it. Finch wasn't even looking at her. Motherfucker. She grit her teeth, harder than she was already, and turned to Jonn.

"So, you wanna change employers, yeah?" She said.

Izzy:

"Oh, nah," he said brightly. "I just wanna fuckin' kill Morgan Wyn."

Finch scoffed again and glanced at him.

Lina

Goro pressed his lips together and glanced at Larkin.

Jen:

She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth, then shook her head. "Yeah, that's what I meant. I was just being fucking descreet."

Izzy:

"Oh." Jonn look appropriately told off.

Finch rubbed at his face and made himself look at Larkin. "Yeah, no, look, I'm not working for the fuckin' Basha again, Lark. He's a means to a fucking end."

Jen:

It took Larkin some effort to not flinch at that. "Yeah," she said, a bit too softly. "No, I get that." She made herself look away, at the tap room, fingers drumming again. "Yeah, I figured that. You want Wyn dead, we want Wyn dead. Stands to reason we should work together."

Izzy:

Jonn nodded enthusiastically. Finch shrugged.

Lina

"Now, hang on a second," Goro said, and he gave Larkin a confused look. He turned to Finch and Jonn. "I only got the bare minimum, before. Lark said something to me about wanting to make some turncoats. You two are already against Wyn? Why?"

Izzy:

"'Cause fuck her," Jonn said flatly.

Finch opened his mouth, but then just sort of gestured at Jonn helplessly.

Lina

Goro's eyes widened and he made a silent ooh with his lips. "Tell me more."

Jen:

"Yeah, tell us more. Why d'you wanna off her? She's not paying you well enough?"

Izzy:

"No, she actually pays really well," Jonn admitted.

Finch shoved him. "Fuckin' -- stop talking, god. Look." He addressed Larkin rather than Goro. "I'm getting out of this shit, that's all I know. I tried with Helena fucking Baron, and then Wyn comes in and takes over and she's a lot fucking harder to get away from. So if I have to kill her to get out of Skyport, that's what I'm doing. Understand?"

Jen:

That... did sound legit. Sounded like Finch ten years ago when she first met him and he just wanted to get his broken bones mended, then fuck off. Larkin nodded. Then she tilted her head at Jonn. "And you? What's your reason?"

Izzy:

"'Cause --," he started, and Finch backhanded his shoulder, giving him a look. He closed his mouth and stared at the table for a second, then muttered, "'Cause I think she did something to Helena." He picked at the edge of the table. "And I get a bad fucking feeling every time I look at her. And I want Helena back."

Lina

Goro squinted, leaning forward a little. "You get a bad feeling," he repeated. That was kinda fucking rude, the way he said it. Eh, Jonn probably wouldn't care. "What do you mean by that?"

Jen:

"Hey," Larkin interrupted, leaning forward as well, folding her arms on the table. She fixed Jonn with a stare, then looked at Finch. "Let's get this clear from the beginning, alright? I'm here to talk cooperation but for that to happen, we gotta be dead honest with each other. You want help or no?"

Izzy:

Jonn wrapped his arms around his ribs and leaned back, looking down and not answering.

"We don't fucking need your help," Finch said bluntly. He stared Larkin down and jabbed a finger into the table, into the burnt spot where he'd accidentally zapped the table making the same gesture, once. "We're fucking partners in this. You don't tell us what to do, we don't tell you what to do. This is fucking need-to-know."

Jen:

"Oh, fucking agreed," Larkin said, returning the stare glaring. "You don't need any fucking help. You can do it alone. But maybe we can agree helping each other here would be some real fucking advantage. No?"

Lina

"Would you two shut the fuck up?" Goro said. "I didn't come here to listen to a spat between two exes. Quit the fucking posturing. What do you want, Finch? How can we help you?" He glanced at Jonn again, trying to catch his eye.

Izzy:

Finch hissed through his teeth, glaring at Goro, then caught the look he was giving Jonn and narrowed his eyes. "You fuckers came to us. What do you want?"

Jonn glanced up, meeting Goro's eyes, his expression flat.

Lina

"Me?" Goro put a hand to his chest, feigning a pout. "I'm an open fucking book. I already said what I wanted, in the form of a question. Information. I need details on Wyn."

Jen:

Larkin turned her glare at Goro into a grudging nod. "That."

Izzy:

"All right, what details?" Finch tapped his fingers on the table. "You want to fight her head on? She must have some fucking magic 'cause she moves around without a guard. Not even armed half the time. That or she's just real fuckin' arrogant. You could send one of your fuckin' Graverunners on a mission to try to shank her and see what happens."

"No," Jonn objected. "What if they get killed?"

Finch spread his hands in an oh well gesture.

Lina

"Tell me why she gives you a bad feeling," Goro said, nodding at Jonn.

Izzy:

He shrugged, looking down again. "Dunno."

Finch looked at him for a moment, then sighed, and looked at Larkin. In Infernal, he said to Larkin, "Hey. Little shit doesn't speak Infernal. Tell your partner that I think Wyn did something to Jonn and then had her fuckin' kobold fuck with his memory about it."

Jonn looked up, narrowing his eyes at them a bit.

Jen:

Larkin raised her eyebrows, turning to look at Goro.

Lina

"What'd he say?" Goro said in Common.

Jen:

She stared at him for a moment, hen dropped her hands under the table and finger-spelled Jonn fucked up memory. Maybe. Limited vocabulary but it would do.

To Finch she said, "Anyone else on board with you? What about that ass... Asya?"

Izzy:

He shook his head. "Man, I don't know what the fuck her deal is. She likes hanging out with Jonn and she'll do shit for him that Wyn didn't fuckin' sign off on, but I don't know that she'd actually go against Wyn."

"She's my friend," Jonn said quietly.

Lina

"Hmm," Goro said. Like that was real fucking interesting. He let his eyes wander. He looked at the wall and said, in Orcish, to no one in particular, "You got time later? I'm worried about your sister. I'd like you to meet me at the Sanctuary."

Izzy:

Jonn sat up straighter.

"Hey." Finch grabbed his arm. "What'd he say?"

"You talked to Larkin in Infernal in front of me." Jonn scowled and pulled his arm away. In Orcish, he said, "I have time. Is she okay?"

Finch grit his teeth and glanced at Larkin.

Jen:

She caught his glance and shrugged. "Hey, is this fucking relevant or what?"

Lina

"Someone's been talking to her. Asking about you. She's scared." Goro smiled at Finch and switched back to Common. "Don't mind me, just passing along a message from dear old Dad. Anyway, Miss Asya. Lovely lady. She one of Wyn's favorites?"

Izzy:

Jonn fidgeted, wrapping his arms around himself again, then raising one hand to chew on his thumbnail. Finch grabbed his hand to jerk it away from his mouth, holding it under the table, and Jonn scooted closer to him in the booth.

Finch scowled, but went along with it. "Eh. Asya gets free fuckin' reign to do whatever she wants, don't know if that makes her one of Wyn's favorites or not. Wyn just uses her for transportation."

"She's an assassin," Jonn said, still distracted, pressing himself against Finch's side. "Used to be, anyway. Wyn's not having her do that, though."

Jen:

Larkin watched Jonn huddle against Finch, frowning. She gave him a questioning look before remembering they weren't here for personal business.

"So, who's she? Really? Is she..." Larkin paused, considering if she wanted Jonn to know. "The one Renar broke?" She asked in Infernal.

Izzy:

He hesitated. Jonn looked between them and narrowed his eyes. "Hey. I heard the Basha's name in there. I'm not stupid."

Finch scoffed through his teeth again. "She just asked -- yeah, Lark. She's Sasha. Anastasia's her actual name. Jonn knows, it's fine."

Jen:

"Damn." Well, she'd suspected and here was the proof. "So how'd she do it? Make her walk again. Asya must be real damn grateful to Wyn. Or was that Helena?"(edited)

Izzy:

"Helena took care of Asya," Jonn said, frowning.

Finch looked uncomfortable. He waved Jonn off. "Asya doesn't fuckin' act grateful, but yeah, it was probably Wyn. Judging from when she showed up and all, when Baron disappeared off the fuckin' map."

Jonn pressed his face against Finch's arm and mumbled, "She didn't come back."

Lina

"And neither of you knows where she is?" Goro asked. "Haven't seen a body, or anything?"

Izzy:

Jonn went rigid and fixed Goro with a wide-eyed look. "She's not dead. She just went somewhere. She just hasn't come back."

"We should fuckin' go," Finch said abruptly, and started pushing Jonn out of the booth. Jonn went along with it, still holding onto him.

Jen:

"Hey, what the fuck?" Larkin shoved to her feet and out of the booth. "We're not done yet."

Lina

"Hey hey, wait, hang on," Goro said waving them back down. "Slow down, I didn't mean to upset him. Don't go yet. Jonn, I gotta tell you about your dad, and Roddy, and the goats. It's fucking hilarious. Siddown. Everybody."

Izzy:

Finch glared at Goro and kept trying to move Jonn, but he dug his heels in.

"What about Dad?"

"Jonn, he's fucking with you," Finch said impatiently.

"Okay, but." Jonn looked doubtful and didn't move, kept looking at Goro warily.

Jen:

"Hey, cut it out," Larkin said to Goro, "Don't do that." She moved over to where Jonn and Finch stood, hands raised. "No one said Helena's dead, alright? C'mon, we still gotta talk about how we're going to fuck Wyn up." She jerked her head at the booth, giving Finch a look. "Maybe we find a way to make her talk. She might know."

February 14, 2019

Izzy:

Finch hissed quietly through his teeth and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced down at Jonn, still wrapped around his arm but looking between Goro and Larkin with interest.

"Yeah, fine," he said after a moment. He tried to untangle his arm from Jonn. "Go fuckin' ... talk about your dad, or whatever." Jonn let go, a little reluctantly, and obediently trotted back to the booth to sit across from Goro.

"Lark," Finch said lowly in Infernal. "Don't fuckin' bring up Baron. Jonn gets all fuckin' weird, I'm getting him out of here before he slices the place up or something. He's fucking crazy. You get it?"(edited)

Jen:

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, looking after Jonn. Slices the place up? Well didn't that sound fucking endearing.  She rubbed at her face with one hand. "So you're his chaperone or what the fuck is going on?"

Izzy:

He scowled and looked away. "Ehhn. Fucking ... Baron partnered me up with him because he's her little -- vicious lapdog, or whatever, and she thought since I came from the Basha I might flip on her. He was supposed to shank me if it ever looked like I was going to." He snorted. "He doesn't fuckin' care about Wyn, though, so fuck it."

Jen:

Larkin shifted where she stood, not sure if she should go back to the table or let Goro lull Jonn in with stories a while longer. The alternative, though, was standing here and doing fucking smalltalk with fucking Finch.

She took a step back, arms crossed. "Gwydion said you had a plan."

Izzy:

"Yeah." He shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets. "Always fuckin' do."

Jen:

It took her a moment to answer to that but when she did, she had to fight down a smirk. "Any backups?"

She'd meant to asks what exactly those were but the line was out before she could think better of it. Well, fuck. Wasn't going to be sorry for that.

Izzy:

He narrowed his eyes. "Fuck you, Lark."

Jen:

"Well, fuck you too, Finch." She nodded, glancing aside. "But fair."

Izzy:

He hmphed and looked over to the table. "Whatever. Jonn looks calmed down. Just don't fuckin' bring up Baron. And some shit with Asya seems weird, I don't fuckin' know." He looked back to Larkin, frowning. "You know the whole thing with Sasha -- we never knew what Baron did with her? Just fucking ... kept her in a bed in her guildhouse this whole time, apparently, in some back room, kept her alive. Jonn used to help take care of her sometimes, I guess. But he doesn't know anything about how Wyn fixed her. I'm just fucking guessing that's what happened. Freaks Jonn out when I talk about it." He shrugged. "I'm guessing that's where his memory was fucked with. And look -- when he gets freaked out, ugh --."

He shifted. "I mean, he might get all fuckin' stabby but he'll probably just fuckin' ... cry, or something, get all hysterical. Won't be any fucking use to us. I'll signal you to stop if he starts that way again." He tapped his fingers against his thumb, making little arcs of electricity leap between them. "Right?"

Lina

"Hey, does it hurt when you do that?" Goro called over to Finch, tapping his fingers against his thumb.

Izzy:

"Eh?" Finch gave him a confused, annoyed look. "No. Be a shitty fuckin' spell if it did. What the fuck?"

Lina

Goro waved it off. "Just checking."

Jen:

Larkin grimaced at that story. God. If Asya sold Helena out, no wonder.

The electricity sparked between Finch's fingers, making the air smell sharp and metallic. Gave her a weird fucking feeling, talking to Finch like that, giving each other signals. Like they hadn't just spent over a year hating each other. Larkin bit the inside of her cheek.

Goro interrupted before it could get too awkward, Mask bless him. Larkin used the moment to slink back to the table and get settled in beside him.

Izzy:

Finch followed her lead, going back to the booth to sit down next to Jonn, who immediately sidled up close beside him again without looking.

Jen:

"Alright, let's get back to it," Larkin said, adressing no one in particular. "What are you guy's plans exactly? we got our own going but I wanna at least make sure we don't get in the way of each other."

February 15, 2019

Izzy:

"Sabotaging Wyn's ops," Finch said. He looked less uncomfortable than he had before, but tapped his fingers on the table. "Can't do too much, though, or she'll work out we're the common factors. She has me putting intel together, so I'm making it look like I'm just getting bad fuckin' intel from all over." He waved it off. "Only does so much though. She's fuckin' thorough. And if it's always my plans that get fed bad info, you know, just as fucking suspicious. Been sending Jonn out to steal shit she wants to steal before she can get to it, butcher hits so security just gets upped around the people she wants to kill."

Jonn jostled his arm. "What's that thing you tried to explain to me?"

"Right. It's fucking tricky, see, 'cause she keeps shit real compartmentalized." He kept tapping, frowning. "Anything I fuck up, she can trace it back to me, and I don't know what's going on in any other cells. Asya, though --." He jabbed the table, looking at Larkin. "She works transportation. She goes all over, moves between the cells. Guarantee she knows more shit. Just don't know what her fuckin' loyalties are."

Lina

Goro smiled like an idiot. Look at that Morgan Wyn, turning barrels all over the place. Of course she kept it air-tight. At least Finch was smart enough to recognize it before he made an ass of himself.

"How about you, you know anything about her loyalties?" Goro jerked his chin at Jonn. "Wyn said she, uh... I believe the phrase used was 'flipped like a pancake.' When Wyn offered to help her out."(edited)

Izzy:

Jonn shifted, looking uncomfortable. "That doesn't sound like Asya. Helena took care of her. They're friends."

Bluntly, in Infernal, Finch said, "Yeah, he thought the old boss was his friend too, even though she fuckin' hit him."

"Stop doing that." Jonn glared at him.

He shrugged.

Jen:

"You're not getting any sympathy for the little shit from me," Larkin returned in Infernal, eyes locked on the wall behind them. "He hurt my friend."

Izzy:

Finch scowled. "I'm not saying you should have any fuckin' sympathy," he said in Infernal, "I'm saying he doesn't knew what he's talking about when he says people are friends."

Jonn pulled away from Finch, crossing his arms and sulking, then glanced up at Goro and asked, in Orcish, "Hey. Hey, you know what they're saying or what?"

Lina

Goro smiled. "Sure do. But pretending not to suits me better. Don't rat me out, yeah?"

Jen:

Larkin shot Goro a glance. He had that smile that looked like he knew something no one else did and it amused him to no end. Probably dragging them.

"Yeah, fuckin' figured that already," Larkin said in Common. Wanted to add Wouldn't believe anything he say if you weren't here but didn't. She wasn't sure if that was really true- or justified.

Izzy:

Jonn grinned and pulled his knees up into the booth to hug them, and didn't say anything.

Finch shot him a look, then turned back to Larkin. "All right, what's your fuckin' big plan, then? So far seems to be hiding out in bumfuck nowhere and not doing shit." He waved a hand in annoyance.

Jen:

Larkin shrugged, leaning back in the booth. "Same as you so far. Sabotaging her. Problem is we're not close enough. We're looking for turncoats. People she fucked over, and who'd like to hand us a knife."

Lina

"Who's she closest to?" Goro asked. Then he switched to Orcish again. "Birdy Boy there says your old boss used to hit you. That true? Also I'm gonna say Hansel's name so they think I'm talking about your family."

Izzy:

Finch cast Jonn and Goro another look, scowling, but kept his attention largely on Larkin. He nodded. "I'm trying to find more, but she gets people fuckin' loyal to her. Offers them shit they want, promises to deliver." He gestured to Jonn. "We didn't get offered shit, just told she was the new boss. Might be able to turn some other Skyport Thieves." He tapped the table thoughtfully. "She's outfitting us better though, getting new gear, new lodgings, finally hitting back at the Basha ... People fuckin' like her, Lark. I don't know." He shook his head.

Jonn shrugged at Goro's question. "Yeah. Only when she had to."

Jen:

Larkin mulled this over for a moment, frowning at some old knife scars in the table. She began to shake her head, slowly. "There must be someone. No boss is that perfect. You can't give everyone what they want, someone's always on the losing end. Especially with a mob that big."(edited)

Izzy:

Finch kept tapping. "Yeah. Well. Think she mostly makes the losers disappear, soon as they realize they got the fuckin' short end and stop wanting to work for her."

Lina

Finch had fucking ignored his question, which--yeah, Goro was an asshole himself, he got it, but that was still damn useful information to be had. "Hey Larkin," he said in Common, "ask him if he knows who Wyn's closest to."

Jen:

Larkin tilted her head at Goro's question. She didn't say anything but turned to look at Finch, eyebrows raised.

Izzy:

He scoffed. "Oh, sorry, were you having this fuckin' conversation, too? Thought you were just having a nice chat about goats or some shit."

Jonn swatted his arm. "Be nice."

"Whatever." He waved it off. "I don't know who she's closest to. There was the little kobold shit, and there's this woman with white hair who's around sometimes, seems real fuckin' familiar with her, but I don't know who she is."

"She's really pretty," Jonn pitched in.

Finch sighed and closed his eyes but allowed the interruption. "Yeah. Long white hair, real fuckin' pale, wears black, kinda ... elegant, I guess? Looks high-class. I feel like you'll know her if you see her. Carries knives. Haven't caught her name."

"Oh, oh." Jonn batted at Finch's arm again, making him sigh again. "I saw her doing magic once. She can do the thing with the lights that you can do."

Finch frowned. "Dancing lights?" He thought for a second, then looked back to Larkin. "All right, then she's a sorcerer or a wizard or a bard, then."

Lina

Goro raised an eyebrow. "She takes orders from Wyn, or gives 'em?"

Izzy:

Finch shrugged and waved a hand back and forth noncommittally. "Seemed more like they're on the same level, maybe. Partners, or something," he muttered.

Jen:

"What about Amren? Her little kobold fuck. You know anything about him?"

Izzy:

He narrowed his eyes. "You got him. You tell me."

Jen:

Larkin was silent for a moment, glaring at Finch. "How do you know 'bout that?"

Izzy:

Jonn slowly raised his hand. "Uh. Roddy told me. I told Finch."

Lina

"Aw, who gives a fucking shit about Amren, anyway," Goro said. "Little shit's not long for this world. Let's get to the good stuff. You kids know anything about the Sanguine Queen?"

Izzy:

"The what now?" Finch make a face.

Jonn straightened up. "Hey, no. Roddy doesn't want Amren killed. What d'you mean he's not long for this world?"

Lina

"Oh, don't worry about it," Goro waved off Jonn. "Terminal illness." Called being a dick. "Anyway. Ah, I was just being coy. Sanguine Queen's what I call the boss lady. Morgan Wyn. You know anything about her personally? Where she's from and all that?"

Izzy:

Jonn frowned, but didn't address it.

Finch shrugged. "She doesn't have anything to do with us. Just fuckin' grunts, you know. She has me organizing shit, moving around people like Jonn, but I'm still a tiny fuckin' fish in the pond -- no reason to talk to her personally. We get orders. That's all."

Lina

"Huh." Goro scratched his chin. "Who's she take her orders from, I wonder?"

Izzy:

Finch looked at him for a second, tapping the table again. "You're full of shit," he said abruptly. "Who's the fucking Sanguine Queen? Is that Wyn's boss? What do you fucking know?"

Jen:

"We don't know," Larkin said. "Apparently she takes orders from someone. Amren spilled that." She leaned forward a bit, fingers interlacing on the tabletop. "You seen those dragons Wyn has? Their the Queen's we guess. She can... use them. To speak and watch."

Izzy:

"Huh." He thought for a moment. "Familiars? Hey --." He looked over to Jonn.

Jonn nodded. "Yeah, I'll remind you. Research."

Finch nodded back, then looked to Larkin. "I wasn't sure if they were just fuckin' pets, or something, 'cause it doesn't seem like she uses magic. So her boss -- this queen person's keeping a close eye on her? She's never fuckin' without those things."

Jen:

"Hey... is it always just the one? Do you know where the other one goes, or... do you know where Wyn lives?"

Izzy:

Finch snorted. "God fuckin' no. If we knew where she lived this one'd've stuck a knife in her in her sleep already." He jerked a thumb at Jonn, who nodded in immediate agreement. "Nah. Only even seen one at a time. A red one and a blue one."

Lina

"Have they ever hurt anyone, that you've seen?"

Izzy:

The two of them looked at each other, then both shook their heads.

"Like I said, though," Finch commented. "We don't see her much."

February 16, 2019

Jen:

Larkin rapidly tapped her fingers on the table, making a little rythm. She shifted around to sit at a better angle to Goro. "I really wanna know where they go. And if we can... take 'em out somehow. Maybe they're the reason Wyn doesn't use any fuckin' bodyguards."

Lina

Goro pretended to examine his nails.

Izzy:

Finch narrowed his eyes and looked between them. "Jonn could try to tail her."

Jonn made an unhappy sound, but didn't deny it.

Jen:

"Yeah, do that." Larkin nodded at Jonn.

Lina

"Or fuckin' don't. You think between her and those pseudodragons, she can't spot a tail? Don't even tell me how good Jonn is," he rushed to add, holding up a finger. "I know full fucking well what a sneaky little shit he is."

Izzy:

Jonn dropped his boots off the booth and slid close to Finch again, wrapping around his arm. "I mean, I can do it," he muttered, not looking at any of them.

Finch looked down at him, then glanced at Goro. "He'd be fine."

Jen:

"Yeah," Larkin said with a scowl. "If he wants to do it, let him. You're not his fucking dad. Jonn knows how to handle that kinda shit, right?" She looked to Jonn at that, half smiling.

Lina

"Hm, well, I'm not his fucking dad, but I am fff..." Goro grinned and bobbed his eyebrows at Larkin.

Jen:

Larkin kicked him under the table.

Izzy:

Jonn scowled at them. "Ugh."

Finch jostled him. "So?"

"I never said I wanted to do it," he said quietly. "But I will if you think it's a good idea."

"I mean, don't get fuckin' killed." Finch paused. "See if Asya'll help you. Get a better feel for what she's up for, too."

"'Kay."

Lina

"Why don't you want to?"

Izzy:

Jonn shrugged and didn't look up. "Told you. She freaks me out." He twisted closer to Finch's ear and lowly said, "What if she catches me?"

Finch matched his tone. "She won't catch you. You'll be fine."

Jen:

"Yeah. You're best for the job. We need a lead on Wyn."

Lina

Goro cleared his throat.

Izzy:

Jonn narrowed his eyes at Larkin. "Already said I'd do it. You don't have to talk shit about me being the best." He pressed half his face against Finch's arm and gave her a glower.

Jen:

She rolled her eyes but didn't comment. Turned to Finch again instead. "Hey, by the way. Now that we're... well, working together. Can you do me a favour and stop fucking killing Basha people?"(edited)

Izzy:

"No promises," Jonn muttered.

Finch scowled at him, and to Larkin, said, "Wyn's taking'em out, Lark. I can't cancel every hit under me or it's gonna be my fuckin' head next." He shrugged.

Jen:

"Ah. Yeah." Larkin nodded, scowling at the table again.

Izzy:

Finch looked down at the table, picking at the old scorch mark with his fingernails for a moment. Then he glanced around the bar. "We should get the fuck out of here. Not spend too much time together." He slid out of the booth, pulling Jonn along with him just by virtue of Jonn still clinging to him. "Listen, Lark, uh. You know how to get in touch, when we need to strategize again." He shrugged like he was trying to shake Jonn off, with no luck, and in Infernal, added, "It can just be us next time." He glanced at Goro. "Or whatever."

February 17, 2019

Jen:

"Uh-huh." Larkin muttered. Not quite agreement but also not blowing it off. This had gone differently than she'd expected. Much less resentful. Finch had been surprisingly collected, almost friendly. Really, not what she had expected. And he kept calling her by her nickname. Now that was... something. Larkin didn't know what to make of that.

"Hey, why do you still, " she began, in Infernal, but broke off. Shook her head. "Nevermind. Go do your thing." She waved to them, then turned to Goro.(edited)

Izzy:

Finch gave her a long look, like he might ask, but just grunted instead and turned away. Jonn waved to Goro and signed later briefly in thieves' cant before tagging along.

Jen:

Larkin waited until they were out the door before getting up to sit down opposite of Goro. She leaned in and spread her hands over the table. "Why're you being weird?"

Lina

Goro smiled innocently. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Jen:

She snorted. "Come on. Anytime you shut up like that something's up."

Lina

Goro bit his lip and tilted his head back and forth, pretending to think about it. Then he leaned in and whispered. "Alright so, you gotta fucking hear me out, alright? Don't freak out. I want to get Morgan Wyn on our side."

Jen:

"On our side? You realize there's just one other side and it's hers, right? What, you wanna turn her against herself?"

Lina

"In a manner of speaking. I wanna ally with her to take down the Sanguine Queen. You know, a couple nights before I left, I was talking with her, and the pseudodragon couldn't see us but it could hear us. So we were going back and forth in cant. I asked her if she needed help, and you know what she said?" He shook his head and signed too strong. "Now, I don't know about you, but that shit doesn't read to me as 'loyal employee.'"

Jen:

Larkin frowned through this explanation. If it could be called that anyway, with all these new questions it spawned. She gave a little shake of her head, as if to clear up the confusion. "Well, alright. So Wyn's not the biggest fish here but if we're already struggling to take her out, how are we gonna take on some mysterious overlord of hers?" She shook her head again, more determinately this time. "We still gotta take down Wyn. Kneecap the Queen, whoever she is, and remove the most immediate threat."

Lina

"No." Goro shook his head. "No. Come on. She'll be fucking invaluable to us if we can turn her. You know that shit she does, finding turncoats? That's exactly what we'll be doing. It's fucking tricky since she's being spied on all the time, but I got some ideas."

Jen:

"Uh-huh?" Larkin tapped the table with a finger, not looking very convinced. "You said you talked to her where the dragons couldn't see. How'd you do that?"

Lina

"Rented a room. The dragon stayed outside."

Jen:

"Huh? I don't fucking get it, man. You rented a room and the dragon just-" She snapped her fingers, "just stayed outside? Well, problem fucking solved, ain't it?" This didn't make any fucking sense. Goro was hiding details and Larkin had the very, very bad feeling he had good reason to.

Lina

Goro shrugged one shoulder. "Well, like I said, it was still listening in."

Jen:

Larkin squinted at him. "Goro. Pal. What aren't you fucking telling me?"

Lina

"Uh." He smiled a little. "Look, you got all the pertinent details, alright?"

Jen:

Larkin stared at him for a moment, then her eyes widened. She made to grab for his collar but he flinched back in time. She pointed a finger at him, mouth hanging open. "No. Don't you fucking tell me-"(edited)

Lina

He held his hands up. "'Kay. I won't."

Jen:

"No, no, no." She covered her face with her hands and let it sink onto the table top. "You wanna fucking die?"

Lina

"Not particularly, no. Shit's just starting to get good."

Jen:

Larkin lifted her head just enough to glower at him. "You gotta stop doing this shit. You know how easy it is to get killed while fucking? Hell, I've done it before. One of these days you're gonna end up in a puddle of your blood with your pants down to your ankles and no one will be there to help you."

Lina

Goro paled. "You've killed people while you were fucking them? The fuck, Larkin."

Jen:

"That's- not the fucking point, Goro."

Lina

"Yeah, I suppose the fucking point is my sex life is none of your damn business. I can fucking take care of myself, you know?"

Jen:

Larkin huffed. "I don't fucking care about your sex life. At least not-" She faltered, trying to provide the missing words waving a hand around. "I'm fucking worried for you is all. It's damn reckless."

Lina

"Well, don't be. God. I'm fucking sick of everyone acting like I'm some idiot who can't keep his head screwed on straight." He scowled at the table and moved to slide out of the booth.

Jen:

"Hey, I never said that." She also got up, moving after him. "Sit the fuck down, man! This is- it's just what friends do."

Lina

Goro sat, but kept scowling.

Jen:

Larkin sat down, rubbing at her face. "Look, I... I'm sorry, alright? I don't wanna tell you who you can fuck and I'm not saying you can't protect yourself. But shit happens, you know? No need to invite it."

Lina

"Alright, I'm gonna do you the favor of pretending the last thirty seconds didn't happen. Tell me what you fucking think of my actual plan. Of allying with her."

Jen:

"I don't know man. That's a lot of moving parts here. Like- how do you know she told the truth in the first place? Did she tell you that before or after you slept with her?" Larkin gave him a look but he just glared back, so she waved it off. "Point is, how d'you think this is gonna go? If there's a boss above her, Wyn's gotta pretend she's not going against them. So what's she going to do to help us? Nothing is what. She'll just keep doing her thing, except now we're not stopping her anymore because we believe she's on your side. Sound's like a fucking heavenly plan to me. If I were Wyn."

February 18, 2019

Lina

"I never said shit about not stopping her, did I? Thing is, though, I don't think we can fucking stop her anyway. We gotta go over her head, to the source. And if I can figure out a way to talk to her without her bosses watching--maybe she can tell me how."

Jen:

"Well, sounds to me you already found a way," Larkin said flatly. Thing was, she didn't believe for a second Wyn wouldn't just abuse their trust- but Larkin did believe Goro knew to read people. "Apparently her dragon stay outside while she does... personal business. So we could use that. Write shit down or talk to her in cant or the Nighthand. Or maybe... Is there a spell that mutes sound in a room?"

Lina

"The only way I know would mute us entirely, not just make it so no one can hear us. If there's a way to talk without being heard magically, I'm not strong enough to do it. Writing and cant, yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Or divination. You know, Sending and Dream and all that good shit. Hey, listen to me." Goro brushed the top of Larkin's hand briefly, just to make sure she was paying attention. "First sign of danger and I'm outta there, alright?"

Jen:

Larkin drew the hand away to scratch the back of her neck, sighing. "Yeah, alright. Uhm, look, sorry for calling you out for your stupid shit- wait no, that's not what I meant. Ah, fuck." She bit her tongue, throwing Goro a pleading look.

 "Listen. I don't think you can't watch out for yourself. I fucking know you can, alright? I just don't get... why. Why you do that, doing things that are obviously stu- I mean, dangerous. On purpose. Just worried it'll go wrong one day, is all. I'd fucking hate myself if you got killed and..." She looked down at the table, focusing on the burnt spot there. "and I didn't say anything. Even though I know that you know what you're getting into. Uhm, anyway." Larkin looked up from the burn mark and around the tap room, avoiding Goro's eyes. She was trying her damndest here but it was probably a jumbled pile of garbage. She snapped her fingers.

"You know, if I need help planning a thing, or backup, or check out a target, you're the first one I'd ask. Because I trust you. Now Wyn," Larkin continued without missing a beat. "Hey, she's alway reading these books, yeah? We could use those to communicate. Put a message in and let Roddy gift it to her."

Lina

Goro went from scowling over the stupid shit part, to frowning when Larkin got to I'd fucking hate myself if you got killed.

Goddamn. Shit had been so much easier when no one cared about him.

At the last part, he broke into a grin. "Damn. That's good. You're fucking smart." Then he looked off into a corner of the room, sighing and thinking. "Listen, I don't... I don't ever want you to think I'm just running off, doing dangerous shit by myself because I don't want your help, or don't trust you, or whatever the fuck. It's more that..." He winced. "I don't always think ahead. Like, yeah, plans are all well and good, sometimes I come up with good ones. But more often than not? Spur of the moment, I get an idea. And I decide to fucking try it out, right then and there."

He held his hand up so she'd let him finish. "Yeah yeah, I get it, not the safest way of going about things. But listen, sometimes I get some great fucking results." He dropped his hand and twiddled his thumbs, biting his tongue a moment. "Thanks for looking out for me."

Jen:

Larkin smiled and made the cant sign for gang. Maybe there way something to be said to this but whatever, it'd just ruin the moment.

"Hey, don't know about you but if we gonna keep discussing this, maybe we should find a better place. Less ears, you know."

Lina

"'Course." He slid out of the booth and gestured toward the door. "I bet you've got a place in mind already. Lead the way."

Lina

[end]

Title: Allies. Summary: Goro and Larkin go to meet with Finch and Jonn to discuss allying against Wyn. After Jonn and Finch leave, Goro tells Larkin about his plan to win Morgan Wyn over against the Sanguine Queen.