Topsy Turvy (open)

[Nightlocke]

Walking into Coney Island late morning on Saturday, Charlotte felt she would be in danger. IT seemed that her judgment was a little clouded as soon as she saw that nobody took any real notice of her. Then again, she was wearing a long haired pink wig with straight bangs that swept the large heart shaped sunglasses she wore. She was also wearing a short white floral and lace summer dress. On her feet were a pair of cute gladiator sandals. A circular blue purse with a pink star was strapped across her body and was to her side comfortably. Melissa said it was like a girl named Ramona Flowers from some comic books she read. Charlotte didn't really understand, but she pretended to for Melissa's sake. At first she had ducked behind one of the game tables as her heart swelled and accelerated to an outrageous tempo and hyperventilated from the nerve of being out and about. But she took deep breaths to calm herself as she placed a gentle hand over her chest and sighed closing her eyes as she did so. This was all just one big explosion of paranoia on her part. Just because she hadn't had good experiences in public before didn't mean that bad things would keep happening. She eased herself out of the booth as she caught a man looking at her weird, as if she clearly didn't belong under that booth. As Charlotte looked around her, she grew more and more curious about all of the games and rides. Everyone looked so happy with their friends and families. For a moment this thrill that overcame her had pushed away all doubt.

“Stupéfier....!"


There was no way a place like this in the world could exist. It all seemed so magical.. Melissa was right about this place. Charlotte would have fun in the disguise Melissa had created for her. She was grateful for her squirrel friend, more than grateful, she was indebted to her for her generosity and kindness. As a fugitive, she couldn't just run around with her appearance known to the world.

There was a buzz in the air and plenty of people. Looking away down the path, Charlotte could see carts rolling about with curious balls which were filled with air and floated in the sky and strange fluffy candy called "cotton candy". All kinds of entertainment was set up among the food stalls, which Charlotte payed almost too much attention to. There was such a large variety of food, more than she had seen in her lifetime. And yet Charlotte felt a sense of freedom despite the prison of herself she always felt, walking around early buyers.


“Find the ball, ladies and gentlemen, find the ball! You, sir, care to try your luck? A medium sized dog you'll have if you can uncover it.”


A ringing cry made Charlotte stop by a booth draped in fabric the color of ox blood. A small crowd had gathered around the table where a burly man brandished three cups, tossing them in the air one at a time before upending each on a board. Then he held up a painted wooden ball and placed it under the middle cup with a flourish.


“What game is this? Or is it a trick?” Charlotte whispered to herself as the man began to move the cups rapidly over the board. His hands were huge, almost hiding the cups as they moved with dizzying speed, flicking the cups in complicated patterns without even lifting one from the table. Charlotte watched very carefully. “It looks easy enough.”


First one and then another and another costumer paid his money and made his guess but it seemed that the stall owner could not be beaten. The latest customer pointed to the cup on the left.


“It’s not there,” murmured Charlotte, shaking her head. “He’s moved it back to the right again.”


The man raised the left-hand cup to show that it was empty. “And here it is!” he boomed, the yellow-painted ball reappearing in the right hand cup as the customer marched off in frustration. The man was so contemptuous, seeing them all as fools to be played with and duped.


A man turned to Charlotte and pointed a finger at her. He must have been listening to her. “You saw him switch it!” He seemed utterly joyful and surprised. It was a bit startling.


“Umm… well, I-“ Charlotte blushed.


“You should play him yourself! And catch him in the act. We've been trying to catch this guy for a few hours now,” he whispered. There was a strange twinkle in his eye as he urged her. “I'll pay for you if you do.” He held up some money. She wondered about this man for a moment but then thought about the game. The man deserved to be shown he was not dealing with fools after all. Charlotte nodded, taking the coin and stepped forward to lay it on the table. She kept her head low, still keeping her mind on hiding who she was.


“Trying your luck, young lady?” asked the stall owner already moving the cups. Charlotte concentrated carefully on the movements.


“The cup on the left,” She said when his hands stopped moving.


His face stiffened. “Are you sure now?” Although his voice was cheerful, his eyes narrowed. Charlotte nodded and he lifted the cup, and sure enough, there it was, the ball rolling right on out. Charlotte held out her hand stiffly for the prize but the stall owner beamed as he got an idea. He raised his hand for silence as the crowd had stirred.


“You’ve a keen eye, I see.” He said. “And you’re a game for wager I’ll be bound. The largest Panda we have if you can find the ball once again. What do you say?”


Don’t draw attention to yourself, Charlotte.


“Go on, girl!” Urged the stranger who had given her the money.


Take your money, Charlotte, do not be a fool.


"Oh, come on, she's just a kid, quit fussing at her," said a woman.


“Hey, lady, can’t you see the luck is with her? Go for the big prize, girly!”


Charlotte hardly heard any of them. She was thinking too hard about it. She really did like the look of that Panda and she had never owned a toy in her life. Nothing but weapons.


“I will go again.” She said, softly, but the crowd roared in excitement.


“Another dollar then if you please?” The man held out his hand.


Charlotte faltered. “But I don’t have….” She begun. The people nearest to her heard and began to hoot their disappointment. She felt her face heating but there was nothing she could say or do. Burning with the strange sense of embarrassment, although her face was very plain, she began to turn away.


But the man from before would not have a young girl humiliate herself. “Come on,” he cut in. “cut the kid some slack, man. She already paid you and she won, too, so you either give her the dog, let her play again like you wanted, or we'll see you to your manager."

"Fine," The gruff man scoffed, finally giving in.

Did she look as bad as she felt? Probably. But she was mostly hidden under the heart shaped sunglasses. Nothing but the face of a child could have been seen, her weary blue eyes very watchful. A cold determination, hard as stone, seized the girl. She took a confident step towards the booth.

Charlotte couldn’t explain the feeling. All her focus was on the showman. His huge hands made the cups dance again. She focused so hard on the wooden ball, a headache throbbed behind her forehead but she ignored it. She knew where it was.


“The middle one.” She hardly looked at them. And she was correct. The crowd roared. But then fell silent again. Charlotte followed him again. But then the ball was gone. Where did it go? There! She saw it, the hole that was so carefully hidden. She waited until his hands stopped moving. The man opened his arms in a wide gesture.


“Take your time!” his voice was pleasant but she heard the malice.


“The ball is not there, sir.”

The two had a very brief staring contest and it was eerily quiet, and Charlotte looked away with a nervous expression. Then he broke out into a laugh.


“How can that be? As the people can see, I didn’t raise a single cup! I’ve played fairly!” His gaze became stony. “Choose.”


“Look under the cups then….” She said, not at the man but to the people, carefully. She did not like injustice, unfairness. “There’s a hole in the table….”


A woman, a previous customer, pushed her way through. “Let me see!” Before the showman could stop her, she knocked over the cups. “All empty…!” the crowd gasped. “I’ll have my money back thanks!” They began to argue and another man came forward grabbing the cloth of the table and ripping it away, revealing a hole in the table. People surged forward, yelling, the showman took to his heels. And so did Charlotte with the Panda in hand.

[Hei]

Standing with his back to the rear wall of one of the many stands and dressed in his usual civilian clothing which could've been both business and casual at the same time with his hands in his pockets, Hei waited in the booth's shadow, staying out of the afternoon sun. It wasn't that he disliked the brightness - it was just too hot, and he'd been standing there for almost fifteen minutes already, and by staying in the shade he at least was able to enjoy the salty breeze, regardless of how polluted it was. He couldn't stay there much longer, though - he was already beginning to draw some sideways glances despite the amiable, slightly lost look he put up as part of the front he showed in public, and if his prospective employer was this unprofessional it didn't bode well for any job he might end up taking from them anyways. Not that he had any idea of what it could have been -in the relatively brief time he'd been part of the world Hei had performed assassinations, item retrieval, personell retrieval, sabotage and even outright warfare of a kind, and his jobs had become even more varied since leaving the Agency, if that was even possible. At the very least he was able to safely reason that it wasn't a trap since the meeting spot was a very public location, a suggestion that the possible employer had readily agreed to, and the relatively few people who knew his name were also very familiar with the Reaper's reputation - they also knew that any attempt to kill or capture him would fail short of a small, coordinated army in a location of their choosing. For the moment Hei was safe, although that might not last long if the man he was supposed to meet delated much longer. Hei's line of thought was interrupted by a sudden commotion near a stand several booths down the line, and while his first inclination was to move away from the influx of securiy guards he immediately dismissed the thought, reasoning that if they knew who and where he was they'd be calling the police rather than dealing with him themselves, a thought further enforced by the fact they were passing him completely to get to the other booth. Maintaining his calm stance and curious but lost look, Hei continued to wait, making the decision that he'd leave in another five minutes if his contact still failed to show.

[Nightlocke]

She was finally clear of the crowd and she couldn't keep the smile from her face. That was so exciting, it was insane! Yet she still felt proud of herself for having stood up for herself that way. And all those people who were cheated from got their money back. At least that's what she figured. She couldn't really tell from the chaos that had broken out around that small booth. The security guards would have a lot on their hands. Thinking about that, she managed to feel a little guilt, but she giggled at it, too. Charlotte hugged her large Panda tightly. It was so soft and fluffy, her face flushed from the utter happiness that consumed her. When was the last time she had felt such joy?

Charlotte then started feeling a bit hot. A droplet of sweat streamed down her face. She looked up at the sun, obscured by her sunglasses. It was usually the hottest right at noon, and it was just about that time. Also, it was summer time. Charlotte hadn't really been exposed to the heat too much in her life, though it's not as if she actually remembered that fact. Looking around for a shady spot, she finally saw a good one at the end of the row of game booths. Charlotte jogged over towards it, hugging the large panda in her arms.

She rounded the corner, and unexpectedly bumped into someone, which caused her to lose her balance and fall on the ground. Charlotte flinched as her butt hit the ground. Her wig spun out of its center and fell from her head. Her glasses became crooked on her face. The Panda lay on the dirty ground next to her. Charlotte opened her eyes and gasped, realizing that her disguise was ruined and it was because of her own carelessness. Her face flushed into a cherry red color. As quickly as she could, she reached for her wig and placed it on her head... backwards. She worked at it for a few seconds getting it back to its original position. Then she smoothed out the mess that it had become. Melissa had told her that wigs did become easily tangled. It was because it was fiber hair and not actual human hair that this particular pink wig was made out of. Melissa couldn't afford something as nice as a real wig with real human hair. Charlotte could cope with that. It's not like it mattered to her one way or the other.

Once she had done that she realized that she still looked quite silly sitting on the floor with her legs to each side of her the way she was. She meekly looked up to the stranger she had bumped into. He couldn't possibly know who she was, right? Her heart pounded hard in her chest as the paranoia came back into her head. Charlotte scrambled for the Panda and finally fixed her sunglasses on her face. She must have looked very silly with them crooked the whole time. Finally, she stood up and leaned her back against the wall of the stand, right next to the gentleman who she had bumped into.

"I'm sorry, sir," she finally managed to choke out while maintaining a shy gaze away from him and towards a clown handing a balloon to a small child who's hand was held by what could only have been his mother,"I didn't see you there..."

[Hei]

Raising his left arm to chest level and turning his wrist upward to look at the watch attached to it, Hei had trouble containing his irritation but managed to keep it entirely from his appearance as he casually pushed off of the wall with his back, flexing his shoulders to stretch as he did so. It was probably for the best - if the people he got the job from were this late for a simple meeting, it likely wouldn't matter how much money they had. Chances were that even if they were able to follow through with the payment any information they had concerning the job would likely be flawed or just plain incorrect, assuming it didn't come to the via a secondhand source such as other mercenaries or investigative agencies. Either way, though, it meant he'd just wasted the last twenty minutes waiting out in a very uncomfortable public place, and he wasn't at all pleased by that. Putting his hand back into his pocket, Hei turned to leave only to collide with a girl who turned the corner just as he approached it, knocking her down and deliberately falling back himself in the process, breaking his fall by subtly bending forward to transfer some of the momentum into a safer direction. Arms spread slightly to make the fall look accidental and a slightly surprised look now on his face, Hei began sitting up only to freeze in genuine surprise, eyes involuntarily widening for several short moments as he saw the girl's wig and glasses fall before he regained control of his body and forced them back to what they had been a moment ago. It wasn't possible - it had to be a fluke or a mere lookalike. Stranger things had happened in his life, and the person sitting on the ground in front of him could not possibly be the person he'd initially thought she was. Then again, it was entirely possible that it wasn't a coincidence, but that was a dangerous line of thought - if true, it had meant that the Agency had found him, and while it would've been incredibly stupid for them to try and use her appearance to lure him away from the crowd, it was in a way a rational act that would've merited some consideration. It was enough of a possibility that Hei ammended his plans to leave at that moment, anyways. If they had found him and were there waiting for him to be alone, staying exactly where he was likely was the only thing keeping him safe, especially if the whole meeting had been a trap - again, unlikely, but enough of a possibility to keep it in mind. Picking himself up off of the ground, Hei gave a weak smile and a small nod at her apology - damn it, she even sounded like Pai.

"It's alright, no one was hurt." Hei said, brushing himself off and glancing at her with a worried expression. "You are okay, right?" He added, leaning against the wall again himself with the same weak smile from before.

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte smiled shyly up at the stranger. He seemed like a really nice guy. He appeared to be about ten years older than herself, or somewhere along that range, and he was truly a handsome man. She liked his smile. For some odd reason, it made her feel safe, as strange as that might be. Yet deep in the pits of subconsciousness, she couldn't shake the sense of warning going off like a red alert. He had a sense of urgency about him, or was it surprise? Either way, he felt equally cautious as she was. Or perhaps that was the paranoia telling her that(?). She certainly didn't know the man and had no idea where he was from. It was safe to be careful, but it wouldn't hurt to be a little friendly. He would be the first man she would speak to since leaving Division.

She noted his clothing. He wore a casual professional outfit. She wondered who would wear something like that to a carnival. It was definitely very hot, for summer was just beginning. Maybe he had come here on business? Or maybe he wasn't used to carnivals, just like Charlotte. He looked more out of place than Charlotte did in that strange pink wig and heart shaped sunglasses.

"Yes," she said as she nodded once, "I'm okay. Thanks for asking. Are you okay...?"

Charlotte felt stupid for asking that question. He was clearly just fine. All he did was brush himself off a little. He didn't even fall, like she had. Which that brought her mind back to her dress. Charlotte turned from the wall and looked back and down to the back of her dress. She saw the dirt and dusted it off with the hand she wasn't holding the large Panda with. Charlotte looked up at the man from the corner of her eye and blushed. She felt slightly embarrassed.

"Just a little dirty...."

[Hei]

As the girl gave him a similar smile in return Hei leaned back against the wall, head making contact as he seemed to stare aimlessly ahead with the same slightly lost look as before, most of the apparent worry now gone. It was times like this that his knack for subtlety served him well, his seemingly blank stare carefully watching the crowd for any signs that someone was watching him, mildly irritated but at the same time relieved as he failed to pick out anyone who might have been watching - while the Agency's people were good, he had the exact same training and knew what to look for. There were no people loitering around by the food stands, no one reading anything that would require them to sit or stand still, and no one simply standing around like he had been. They could have been watching from the roofs of the nearby city from a distance he couldn't pick them out from, but that would have been sloppy and risky without on site surveillance - it was too easy to lose someone in a crowd that way, and without anyone else on site you were powerless to track the target if they went into a building or behind cover. Just because he didn't see them didn't mean they couldn't see him, but Hei was able to force whatever unease he'd kept hidden down for the most part. The Agency likely wasn't here and didn't know where he was, but that still left the remarkably accurate resemblence that this girl had to his dead sister, something that he simply couldn't trust without a reasonable explanation and likely wouldn't be able to let go of - yet at the same time it wasn't a topic one could simply broach. He didn't know anything about her, and it would've been far too dangerous to simply explain the situation - he never would have lived as long as he had if he'd shared information that freely, and on top of that she'd likely never even believe him, go straight to the police or he'd be forced to kill her, a habit he was beginning to grow tired of. On top of that it was quite possible that she didn't even know what connection she had to Pai even if there was one. As much as it frustrated him, Hei kept his emotions in check and bit his tongue.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Hei said, still looking ahead and maintaining his smile with natural ease. "And don't worry about the dress, part of what makes places like this fun is that you don't need to worry about appearances." In all truth Hei had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but he wasn't quite sure of what else to do. Moving would attract attention from anyone who was possibly watching, but staying was an equally bad decision, especially if the contact he was supposed to meet who was over twenty minutes late now showed up. Hei no longer harbored any desire to work for them and could just as easily get a job elsewhere, but he'd be obligated to accept the work if his contact did show up.

[Nightlocke]

Just as he said that, Charlotte saw a great big fat man walking by. His shirt was clearly to small for him as his belly protruded from it, and he was covered in sweat from head to toe. Not only that, he was shoving an ice cream cone into his mouth, probably hoping it would help him from the heat. Charlotte stared with wide open eyes with a surprised expression. She certainly wasn't expecting that. Then her face broke into a smile and suddenly, she burst into uncontrollable giggling and snorting. She covered her mouth and nose with her free hand and tried to control herself. That was absolutely random, she had never laughed at anything like that in her life.

"Haha, yeah," she said, "you definitely don't have to worry about appearances here."

It was strange how she was speaking to a stranger so freely. The thing about it was, he felt so connected to him, like she could tell him anything, and it would be okay. Yet there was still that feeling that he had his guard up. He seemed watchful and vigilant for something. But he did a pretty good job at hiding it. Charlotte wasn't sure about how she knew this. She just observed and understood things. Maybe it had to do with the life she had completely forgotten about. She looked up at the kind stranger and smiled kindly.

"My name is Charlotte. What's yours?"

[Hei]

A look of slight surprise on his face again, Hei glanced over at the girl as she suddenly burst out laughing before following her gaze to see the target of her amusement, weak smile again returning to his face once he realized what she was laughing at. If it weren't for her appearance and the possibilities it might signify, Hei would almost have been able to relax. It was almost like the old days, before he and Pai had been taken by the Agency - while there had been no amusement parks where they'd grown up, he and his sister used to spend hours at a time simply talking when the chance presented itself every now and again. That was part of the problem, however - it felt too much like the old days, and the similarity made Hei uncomfortable. It was at that moment that Hei picked yet another familiar face from the crowd, but this time one he was not unhappy to see - a short, solidly build if slightly overweight man waiting on the other side of the crowd, having just entered the park himself, and his appearance did much to ease Hei's mind. He'd worked with the man a few times before on previous jobs after leaving China, and while he was a person Hei knew he could trust at his back on jobs the man also acted as a courier for assignments, the middle man between clients and people like Hei. If this man was supposed to be his contact then he had little to worry about - he was nothing if not professional, and if he was late to a meeting there was almost always a good reason for it. Meeting him with the girl at his side wasn't an option, though - he either needed to lose her or keep her too occupied to otherwise notice them meeting.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Li, Li Shengshun." Hei said, turning slightly to offer his right hand for a handshake as he introduced himself, the smile on his face a genuine one now that he was a bit more at ease, although it was unlikely she'd be able to tell.

[Nightlocke]

There was that look again. He was definitely waiting for someone. Or at least avoiding someone. Charlotte had been trained to think that way, although she didn't understand it because she couldn't remember anything. She knew how to pick up the subtle signs of expectancy, only because she could do it herself, too. Or at least, she thought she could do it herself. Why did she suddenly think that? Could she really make herself appear so casual while actually being on business? That certainly was a strange thought, especially since she had been wandering a park like the obvious tourist, or someone who was new to an amusement park.

"Li Shengshun," she repeated, emphasizing each syllable, to make sure she got it right. It was a foreign name after all, and she didn't want to appear silly by saying it wrong, "You're from China, huh(?). At least that's what your name sounds like."

That was also really weird. Charlotte had woken up one day with no memory, yet she could still depict all of these things, such as being able to tell that he was Chinese from his name, or even his features. Was that something anyone could do? It's not as if she knew. She wasn't just anyone. Then she remembered that she hadn't even given him a surname.

"Oh," she said with embarrassment, "where are my manners? Charlotte F-F..."

She hesitated for a split second, only because she wasn't sure if she should be giving out her name so readily to a complete stranger. She was a wanted fugitive, and her name would be widely known. She felt really stupid for having already told him her first name, but she could at least try to fake it.

"Fischer," she smiled warmly up at him, "Charlotte Fisher. Sorry... the heat must be getting to me."

She managed to fake him, but she wasn't so sure he would buy it. It was definitely hot, but they were in the shade. Then again, sometimes it got so hot that the shade didn't even matter. Maybe it was one of those days. Charlotte hugged the large panda plush doll into her arms tightly and buried half of her face in it, her eyes still visible, but hidden under the sunglasses.

[Hei]

"I was born there and grew up in the country, but I haven't lived there in a while." Hei said, lowering his hand and leaning back against the wall again. As he did so Hei noticed that his contact had finally picked him out from the crowd, and Hei made a subtle gesture with the same hand once it was on the side opposite her and out of sight, seemingly keeping his attention on Charlotte. Noticing the gesture, the contact stopped heading towards Hei and changed direction, easily blending with the crowd as he did so but still in a manner that would allow him to keep tabs on Hei. As Charlotte introduced herself again Hei immediately picked up on the fact that something about what she said was off, although even he likely wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been on guard from the start. The heat wasn't what had caused her to stutter - she had been perfectly coherant up to that point, if somewhat flustered. No, what it had been was a slip of the tongue, the kind made when you were about to say something that you suddenly realized was best kept secret. Hei didn't know exactly why she would hide her last name, but he was able to think of several possible reasons, some innocent and some not. As much as he would have liked to dig deeper, though, he had an appointment to keep. Pushing off from the wall, Hei subtly reinserted the free hand into his pocket.

"Sorry, but I kind of need to use he restroom. It was a pleasure meeting you though." Hei said, briefly turning to offer the same weak smile he'd maintained throughout most of the conversation. The man waiting for him, seeing the movement and noting the direction, moved to reach the area before Hei did, using the crowd as cover while Hei was holding Charlotte's attention.

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte looked up at her new friend Li with wide curious eyes, though they were hidden behind the sunglasses she wore. His smile was a bit weak, as if he really wasn't much of a smiling man, yet she could find kindness in his eyes, however indifferent that kindness may be. He seemed like a very pleasant man, but with many hidden secrets. She blushed when he said it was a pleasure to meet her. It was a nice compliment to say. Charlotte didn't want to keep him any longer, so she nodded to him in response. When he was gone, she placed her chin on the Panda's head and she spoke to herself.

"I'll just stay here for a little while longer...."

[Hei]

Hei waited for a moment for her to acknowledge him, only leaving when she nodded in response to fade into the crowd. It was only a few minutes later when he had finally made it to the restrooms that he finally began to move with apparent purpose, ignoring the out of order signs as he entered through the door, closing it behind him. Finally dropping the lost tourist act, an expression of stone cold apathy replaced the previous, more friendly expression he'd been wearing outside, and rounding the corner of the small hallway he saw that his contact was already there and waiting with several sinks running to disrupt any possible audio surveillance.

"Who was she? Finally deciding to play the game, or just part of your cover?" He said, his own hands in the pockets of his coat despite the heat.

"Neither, she just happened to bump into me and it might've attracted attention if I'd simply kept moving. I was getting ready to leave since there wasn't any sign of you. You have a job?" Hei said, leaning against the barrier between the door and the interior of the room - while there was more to it that what he said, he technically wasn't lying, something that the man was experienced enough to pick up on if he'd attempted it.

"Sorry about that. Some punk got caught trying to traffic stuff into the park with the intent to sell, and there's no way in hell I was going to get caught carrying this." The man said, pulling out a paper sized orange envelope from inside his coat and holding it out to Hei, not having any place to set it down without getting it wet. "To be completely honest I wasn't sure if it was really you or someone else using your name, so I came to see for myself. This isn't the kind of job you normally would take considering how well known the target is - if it got out that you were involved the Agency would have agents here before you knew it."

"Assassination? Who's the target?" Hei asked, leaning forward and reaching out to take hold of the envelope but not opening it there, preferring to wait until he was back in his apartment to do so. What the courier said wasn't at all comforting, but by accepting the envelope Hei had accepted the job, and backing out now would be met with consequences.

"Don't ask me, you know how it goes. We're not told any more than we need to know, and I prefer it that way, let people like you deal with the sticky issues. Generally speaking people who ask questions like that don't tend to retire. All I know is that you won't be alone on this one - they've supposedly got people near the target, just not close enough to do the job themselves. The details are all there, but if I stay too long someone will come looking for me." He said, shrugging in response before moving off of the wall and leaving the restroom, and it was true - asking questions about things you didn't need to know was a dangerous practice in this line of work. While Hei wasn't particularly pleased with the idea of relying on others to complete a job - he'd always worked best alone - it would make things easier if they did their jobs right. Waiting for several more minutes, Hei made sure there was a definate gap in time between when he moved and his contact's departure before leaving himself, heading back home to his apartment and the girl from earlier completely out of his mind as he focused on the task at hand.

[exit Hei, continued in All Work and No Play]