A Dark Justicar and a Canned Copper [Thread II]

[Tokoz]

 When Simon offered to pay, Lassa shook her head. "I already got the cash out, and I invited you. Besides, you haven't started your new job yet." All entirely valid reasons, which disguised the fact that she just felt like treating him. That and perhaps a bit of guilt over the wrench still. The waitress came back with the drinks, and Lassa slid one of the mugs over. The San Faldo Dry was a crisp pear-based cider, and Lassa took a long drink before shrugging. 

"You can get it next time, seem fair?" In a slightly mean trick, she used this moment to hand over the stack of Beri to the waitress and settle the issue one way or another. Still, she didn't think he'd be that offended by the outcome. 

Once the waitress had headed off to get their food ready, she stretched and looked around. "I like places like this. Been to some high-class restaurants once or twice, and they always feel so... cold. Like they're carved from marble. Everyone showing off and eating food that's not really that filling, just to prove they can afford the exorbitant price tag at the end." There had been that place in Bravo Bravissimo, for example. 

That had been a bit of a mess, but it worked out in the end. Taking another sip of her cider, Lassa mulled over it for a moment. "What about you? Where would you eat, if you didn't have to worry about money. Would you go somewhere fancy, go traveling, or would you just stick to home here in Water 7?" Lassa had been raised in the orphanage, but for as long as she could remember, she had wanted to go somewhere else. Everywhere else.

Seeing the thousand and one tiny worlds scattered across the Grand Line and Blues, facing ever greater challenges. Reaching the heights held by previous Agents, and surpassing them. There were monsters in this world, and one day, she wanted to know that they might die by her hand. 

[Bobbie]

With a smile, Simon nodded and accepted her offer, though the reasons given were not ones that were really of concern to him. Not wishing to argue in from of the waitress, however, he agreed, “Yeah, next time... I’m going to hold you to that, Lassa.” he warned her, enforcing the importance that this was a promise that must be kept, that next time it would be his treat, and, most importantly, that there will be a next time.

Taking his mug, he stared into its contents for a moment, in reality having no idea what he even ordered, so he gave it a taste. “Hmm.” he hummed and swished it around in his mouth for a moment, taken by surprise, “Pear? It's nice.” chuckling as he revealed his clueless nature and took another sip while he listened to her.

“Yeah, it’s good to appreciate the humbler options sometimes.” he agreed, before her question prompted him for more information that that. “I’m... pretty open to different places, but I don’t think I’d fit in very well with the fancy sort of people, so I do avoid those for reasons other than money.” A grin slowly grew on his face as he remembered a funny incident where he was kicked out because of his clumsiness, and for a moment, he looked like he was going to share it, but then moved on to the next question. “I’m not against traveling, I have just always had what I wanted here.” averting his gaze, he shrugged, “Not so much anymore, I suppose. Now, I guess I’ll just go wherever I need to go. I’ve not yet had enough motivation to travel for leisure.” smiling again, he picked up the mug, having been fidgeting with its handle as he spoke.

“What about you? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? I mean hobbies, interests... partner?” he sipped his drink.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

 "Well, traveling for leisure and traveling because you have a job that takes you to interesting places is pretty different." Lassa quipped. She certainly didn't have much free time when on a mission. 

When Simon asked about her, she thought for a moment. "Hobbies? Well, I enjoy peoplewatching. I like watching plays. I've always enjoyed games like chess or cards." Something portable you could bring with you and play anywhere, and provided a good reason to sit in one place for ages. Peoplewatching gave good infiltration ideas, and plays... well, plays were just useful and interesting all in one.

"As for interests... medical stuff and martial arts, but I'm also quite curious about Cloth and clothmaking for... recently found reasons." She chuckled at the inside joke, and resolved to find some books on the topic when she got a chance. Knowing different types of cloth and different ways to use it would greatly increase her capabilities. It was the final one that was a bit tricky. Obviously she couldn't be specific, that would be breaking confidentiality. Still, Simon had some idea what she did. 

Maybe just giving something that approximated the truth but wasn't specific or named names. Yeah, that would work. 

"As for partner? Well, yes. I tend to have a lot of partners." All true so far. "I've had partners in a lot of places, sometimes for a while and sometimes just as a one-time thing. Depends on the person and what we both need." After all, sometimes they had to stay undercover, and sometimes you just didn't work well together. "One isn't always enough. I think the most partners I had at one time was... 6? Yeah, there was a time where there was 6 others at once, although that was pretty casual." A training trip counted as casual, by her terms.

"Technically I don't have a partner right now, though. Why do you ask?" She turned away as she said this, as the Waitress had arrived with their stew, and then she considered what she had just said in the context of other uses of the term. 

She decided to help the Waitress with the plates and bowls to give a moment to deal with the intense desire for the island to sink into the sea and take her with it that resulted from this internal review of her own words. 

[Bobbie]

Simon enjoyed listening to everything Lassa said about her hobbies and interests, putting the mug down to focus on her. She certainly was an interesting person, having very intellectual hobbies, which he tried to take mental note of just in case the opportunity ever arose to enjoy a game or two with her. He wasn’t too bad at chess himself, though he hadn’t played it in ages... when it came to card games, he was usually quite bad simply because he could not bluff his way through a simple game of Cheat even if his life depended on it. He was a horrible liar and he couldn’t deny it.

When she began to list her interests, he silently ran them through his check list of which ones he could guess - medical stuff, check, that’s been established on the rooftop. Martial arts, also check, and also on the roof top if not back when we first met. Cloth and clothmaking, maybe I could have guessed that, seeing the excitement of producing socks from nothing. He smiled when she chuckled and then picked up his mug, as the tougher question was coming up.

Bracing himself, he raised his drink to his lips, planning on hiding behind the mug if necessary as he expected bad news. So she’s had a lot of partners in the past, not a big deal... he nodded. Some lasted longer than others and for different reasons, fair enough, who am I to judge? He nodded again and began to take a sip of his cider. And one isn’t always- taking a sharp breath, Simon accidentally inhaled a mouthful of his drink, causing him to choke and sputter. SIX!? He tried to swallow his drink as he was people were starting to stare, but he soon gave up on that and leaned forward to spit it back out into the mug, still coughing. “Oh!” he replied once he got some oxygen in his lungs, as if to seem that it really didn't matter to him and he wasn't judging. “Six others?” yet his voice going a pitch higher suggested otherwise.

She has to mean... work partners... right?

Dumbfounded, he stared at Lassa as she assisted the waitress, hoping that he was indeed correct to say that she misunderstood his question - perhaps he should have been clearer. “I’m sorry,” he turned to the waitress, holding his mug out to her, “Can I please get another drink? This one’s... I need another one, please.”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

 Lassa, still looking the other way, had to heavily, heavily suppress a wince. That was not the voice of a man who had interpreted what she said as 'Work Partners'. That was the voice of a man whose internal monologue was currently having the same absolute lack of calm hers was. Okay, okay, this was fine. She could fix this. 

It was fine, really. "Yeah, myself and the others in training at the time. I've worked with two partners before, but usually it's a solo job or with one other in my experience." She almost, ALMOST said 'I haven't had many partners like you' or 'you were my most recent.' or something along those lines, but a flying slide-tackle from her common sense prevented that. 

"What about you? You were working solo when we met, right?" She said, looking back as she began to eat her stew. "Get any jobs done with anyone else? Aside from Annika." ... Was she a bit jealous?

Nope. Not considering that. That was not going to help. So what if Simon had investigated with someone else. He could investigate all he wanted, it didn't matter to her. And this now sounded weird, again, so time to derail.

"Actually, followup. What about your hobbies and interests? I've mostly been talking about myself." Which was... okay that was true, but it was somewhat carefully edited. She did like those things, but when undercover, she made sure that not too many traits shone through. She also had a small array of 'side hobbies' that she knew enough about to appear a qualified amateur, in case a new persona was required. 

People didn't believe a flat character. Quirks, interests, and an unexpected twist or two, and they were more convinced they had the measure of someone. Be gruff and stern, but stop to pet a cat. Be happy and cheery, but occasionally look at a locket and tear up. It made things feel so much deeper. Look into Lassa's eye, and her inner self would often be hiding behind a lamppost while another, carefully crafted inner self stood in the light and caught your attention. 

[Bobbie]

Sighing, Simon nodded, “Right, right, of course...” he replied, easing up a bit, but what did it say about him that he initially thought that she wasn’t talking about work partners? “But I meant...” he slowed down after the first couple of words, just enough for her question to cut him off.

“Me? Uh, yeah, I was. Technically I was partnered with Miguel, but he was more of a supervisor than a partner, and that was my first day, if you remember, so... yeah, it was a bit of a mess.” he laughed, dying to know the answer to his more important question more than he was to share his boring career history. “Hmm, other than Miguel and Annika? Yeah, I - oh. Okay, never mind, Hobbies it is!” He laughed, but a slight frown fell upon his face as the conversation was getting a little bit odd. Lassa seemed to be jumping from one thing to another and Simon didn’t know if he should answer the first question or just move on to the next one.

“I enjoy going for walks and cooking, actually. Believe it or not, I am less of a hazard in the kitchen than I look!" he chuckled, giving a playful wink. "I also don’t mind a good detective read every now and then, but it's pretty hard to find a good one... Oh, I used to play chess, coincidentally, since you mentioned it earlier. There was a tournament that I had signed up for one time in my teenage years. I lost, but I still got a medal for participating - and second place!” he smiled, “My interests are... well, currently being explored, let’s say... I gave my work a lot of importance in the past, maybe too much.”

He started to eat his stew, falling silent for a few seconds, until he couldn’t take it anymore and had to repeat his question, “Okay, so, backtrack a little bit...” he blurted out, but hadn’t really thought this through. How would he ask it?

“When I asked about partners... I meant... not business-related... so...” he started, but he soon sighed and shook his head, “You know what? Forget it, it’s fine. How’s the food?” Simon resigned to the fact that this conversation seemed to be doomed to fail one way or another. For a moment, he stared at his plate of food, thinking about how Lassa had behaved oddly on the roof too, even though it was just for that one moment.

"Are you...?" he glanced at her, attempting one last time.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

 No real partners other than Annika. Made sense, Simon hadn't really spent a very long time in his new position before things went wrong. Miguel certainly did not count, even if Simon would disagree. 

Lassa was aware that Simon was trying to ask something else, but she wasn't exactly sure how to answer it without acknowledging the larger question on the table. "You used to place chess, huh? Interesting. Second place is pretty good. I'm certainly not the best player, there's a lot of people who are just... scary good at it." She shivered for a second, remembering a particularly humiliating string of defeats. 

Best not to think about him right now though. That was the business of the dark and gloomy, and this place was warm and cozy. Although the clear and extremely unsubtle method in which Simon was trying to work up the courage to ask more directly about her current romantic state was making that difficult. 

Putting some stew in her mouth, she watched as the chef removed part of the roast pig from the fire and began cutting it on a low table, passing out plates to the various waitstaff as they moved them over to customer's tables. Two were slid their way, along with fresh drinks. Emptying her old glass, Lassa winced. 

"I... yeah, I know what you meant. Or I figured it out after a minute, anyway. It's..." There was another reason she was loathe to bring this up. "It's kind of embarrassing that I've gone my entire life without seeing someone like that, but... I've been busy. I was doing things, including getting my medical degree, for most of the past decade, and..."

She sighed, taking a mouthful of roast pork and washing it down with a swig of San Faldo Dry. "It's hard. Making something like that work is hard, when I'm gone a lot. Either they travel too, which makes them a target if people realize they're with me, or it's someone I only get to see between jobs, and that's tough." Shrugging slightly, she looked over at Simon.

"You said you have family in the Marines, right? I imagine they don't get back here very often, and that has to be tough to feel like you're not part of their lives most of the time. It's a hard proposition to do that to someone, friend, lover, or family member." It wasn't an outright confirmation of anything, but hopefully the subtler message came across. 

[Bobbie]

“It was an amateur competition.” he quickly threw in, having been fortunate enough to dodge all the professionals who were capable of the scary play she mentioned and not afraid to flaunt it. As his drink was refilled, he politely thanked the waitress and took a sip, sitting back to stay out of the way as the two plates were slid onto their table.

Simon continued to eat his stew, listening intently while he finished it. He didn’t agree that it was something to be embarrassed about as Lassa implied, though he understood that it seemed to be the general idea that people simply had to gain a certain amount of experience by a certain age. In Simon’s mind, that was simply untrue, and people did things at their own pace. There were many reasons first relationships often didn’t last, and this preconceived idea, he believed, was one of them. He himself was not very popular in his younger years, certainly not the type to attract many people nor have much interest in doing so back then either.

Then Lassa gave her proper response - at least, what Simon could consider to be a proper response. Her message seemed quite clear to him, that as long as there was work to do, there would be no room for any kind of romantic engagements, not of the serious kind anyway. Nodding, he put a forkful of roast pork in his mouth, distracting himself with the smoky taste of its exterior and the more tender, juicy, meat within. There will always be work to do for a person like Lassa.

It wasn’t as devastating for him to hear as he thought it would be, perhaps he suspected it was coming... but at least it was some form of an answer. Sighing softly, he nodded again once she seemed to have said all that she needed to say - but what could he say? That he was disappointed? That wouldn’t do any good, and would most likely have one of two effects, if not both: he’d either come across as stupidly desperate, an idiot to be chasing after someone as clearly unavailable as Lassa, whom, in reality, he didn’t really know for very long; or it would somehow instill some guilt in his companion, or any other negative feelings, a result that would most likely end up in him feeling even worse for it too. Yet, somehow, he felt like he did know Lassa... and any parts that were left to discover, for he was sure there were many, he wanted to explore and get to know more of.

“Yeah...” the example she gave of his family being in the marines was quite a concrete one, though it didn’t affect him all that much, personally. Having branched off from his family quite a while ago, he didn’t have very much in common with them, and, somewhere down the line, his relationship with most of his family members dwindled.

“Yeah, you’re right, that can be pretty tough with work driving such a wedge between people. It happens all the time.” Hiding behind a smile and a chuckle, he shrugged, “Honestly, I envy people who make things like that work - I don’t know how they have the energy to juggle everything. Imagine having to deal with studying for your medical degree, congratulations on that by the way, also a part time job, and on top of that keeping track of somebody else in your life, planning around all the work commitments of both parties, studies, everything... it’s superhuman.” he joked, “And that’s not even taking into account the added risk of what you do.”

Whether this could go anywhere or not, Simon was grateful that he got to spend an evening with Lassa... and that simply had to be enough.

It was enough to bring a more genuine smile to his face, at least, as he watched her across the table for a moment with curious eyes. He then glanced down at her plate and back up at her, seeing that the time would inevitably come and gauging how much longer it will be until then. “Okay, next question. What kind of dessert person are you?” 

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

For a moment, she regretted being quite so final. She could probably make a relationship work, even if it wasn't a daily thing. But... 

Her mind flashed back to That Day, where she looked upon the face of gods. Even from a distance, it had been a stark illustration of how high the pillars of the world stood. 

She remembered seeing the transmission on the Visual Den Den Mushi. The shape of the dying Emperor, Whitebeard. The last words he spoke, and the chaos that ensued. His head thrown back... and those words. The last words of one of the great powers, and the reaction of the Fleet Admiral that had all but confirmed their veracity.

"That treasure will turn this whole world upside down.... that day will come soon enough... and I'm sure that someone will find it."

"THE ONE PIECE.... THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!" 

"YOU BASTARD!"

Some had been inspired. Some had been shocked. Lassa?

She had been afraid.

The world was chaotic enough. Now, the world had been launched into a new era of Piracy. Whitebeard's dying words had driven countless souls to join both the Marines and the ranks of those under the Black Flag. It was like the world was waiting... waiting for something to drop the match on the powder kegs that just kept piling up. 

For now, though, there was no point in worrying about that. Gears were churning inexorably forwards, and if she wanted to change any of that, to affect the tides of history, she had to get stronger. 

She smiled, and nodded. "It's a risky job, but somebody's got to do it." Taking a sip, she mumbled. "Somebody has to...." Her eyes gained a far away look for a moment. 

"... Brownies. I don't know why, but I've always loved brownies. Cookies are good, sure. Cake is always pretty nice. I do love a nice pie, usually with cinnamon. Something like Apple or Pecan, although I've heard nice things about chocolate." Shrugging, she picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth of for a moment. 

"Brownies though, first choice. Could not tell you why." She glanced around. "I don't... thiiink this place seems like they'd have brownies ready and waiting, but I might ask actually. You've given me a craving." 

[Bobbie]

“Somebody has to...” Simon repeated with a gentle smile, that phrase now holding more meaning to him than ever before, but his smile soon turned into a subtle frown as her mind seemed to drift elsewhere. “Are you okay?” he asked, before carrying on with his food, though his eyes were fixed on her.

“Brownies?” he laughed with closed lips, food tucked into his cheek until he swallowed it and his lips parted into a brilliant smile. “That is an excellent choice," he nodded, thoughtfully. He thought it was odd that she couldn’t actually tell him why, as most people usually had a reason for their favourite dessert or favourite anything really, whether it was the flavour or the texture, or even nutritional values or the effect it had on their bodies. With a little hum, he turned to look around for any evidence that brownies were on the table, then turned back to his plate and finished off his food.

“We’ll ask.” he said, once he finished his food and wiped his mouth. There was something oddly satisfying in knowing that something he said stuck with her enough to trigger a craving. Looking at her again, he smiled, “Hey, if they don’t serve brownies, then we know what we’re hunting down next time, right? Unless...” he paused as he considered another alternative. He could easily bake some for her, though he wasn't sure if it was best to cram that into tonight as well, as it was getting quite late.

“Let’s ask. If not, have you got any plans tomorrow morning to be up early for?” He decided to leave it up to her to decide... it might even be a nice way to conclude their little get-together and have her take a batch with her until the next time they'd meet.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

 "Up early for? Not particularly. I do have to head out tomorrow evening for a few days, got a check-in for something, but then I'm swinging back past on my way out again." There was a new mission for her, supposedly, but she hadn't gotten the specifics yet. The Director was still testing her to some degree, it seemed like. She should probably expect some sort of ambush or test on the way in. 

It was why she had arrived a couple days early, and was intending to sneak out on a late Sea Train in order to sidestep any observers at the docks. 

She had learned half of the techniques to full mastery, with Geppo, Kami-e, and Rankyaku still to go. Whether or not she'd be given the position of one of the Black Suits... well, that was yet to be seen. 

"Why, do you have a secret brownie source somewhere?" She asked, taking another sip of her drink as she finished the last of the stew and pork. It wasn't unthinkable, but an all-night bakery seemed... sort of cosmopolitan for the fairly rough and tumble workers town of Water 7. Aside from ship-building, ports and bars, there wasn't a lot of higher-class or luxury businesses. 

"Wait. You're not about to take me to your new employer or something, right?" She said, raising an eyebrow. Not only was she just done eating and drinking, but if Simon was seriously about to try and introduce her to this probably-criminal-heiress in search of brownies, she was actually going to dopeslap him upside the head. 

It was a decent idea for getting the two together over a shared form of bonding, but not at 11 at night. Not even for brownies. A woman had to have some standards after all. 

That or he was trying to seduce her but c'mon. It was Simon. 

[Bobbie]

“Alright, sounds like I got to enjoy your company just in time then.” Simon smiled, quite pleased with the reply - it should at least remove one possible obstacle, as most people would usually shut in early for the night if they had an early morning ahead of them... but it seemed Lassa did not.

Laughing, he gave a bit of a nod that was also a bit of a headshake, “Sort of? I mean it’s technically a brownie source, I’m not quite sure it’s a secret one, but... I have yet to find anybody really make use of it other than myself.” he shrugged as he watched Lassa grow so interested as he had finally discovered the grand secret to her heart - brownies.

As this turned into a minor guessing game, Simon gazed on, raising his eyebrows as she asked if he were going to introduce her to his new employee. That would be Oleg Stratonovski, unless Folonzo would be filling in some role for him, being their head of security, if he remembered correctly. “You know, I think you’d like him. He’s got a pretty friendly air about him until he shakes your hand and nearly crushes it in his grip. Sweet man though, he seems to be a very caring father.” he stopped there for the time being, to take a sip as well as to leave her question unanswered and see her response to it.

As he lowered his mug, now empty, he decided he waited enough. “No, I was not going to suggest you meet my new employer - although, if you’re that worried about me, it’s not the worst idea. The place I was going to suggest we go is my apartment. I mentioned I enjoy cooking, brownies are pretty easy and straightforward.” he shrugged, “You could even take a batch with you when you leave tomorrow evening for that check-in, keep your energy levels up.” Watching her, he raised both hands in a reassuring manner and smiled, "Just for brownies, I'm not trying to suggest... you know." he didn't want it to be weird, just brownies was enough. Once she was there, however, they may as well occupy themselves with something while they baked.

There was only one question to ask here... how badly does she want brownies?

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

 His new employer was 'sweet', huh? Interesting. Although she would actually love to see him try to crush her hand. Tekkai was a hell of a defense against such power moves. 

Wiping her mouth, she listened as he suggested coming back to his place. Did he hear how that sounded, or was this about to be a case of turnaround in regards to her earlier response regarding Partners. Humming noncommittally, she listened to his pitch. She had to raise an eyebrow partway through.

Inviting her back to his apartment? Did he know how this sounded? Was he about to devolve into a stammering mess? But to her surprise, the offer was completed with little more than a reassuring grin that he didn't mean anything untoward by it. She didn't say anything for a moment, then laughed. 

"I can genuinely say, your boldness has surprised me. I guess this Annika has done you some good after all. You nearly melted internally when you touched my chest before." Granted, it had been over a shirt, but still. Still chuckling lightly, she stood and then pushed in her chair. Picking up her bag, she stretched and looked around. 

Food paid for, drinks finished, meal eaten. "Well then, lead the way. I don't actually know where your apartment is, after all." Walking with a slight skip in her step, the smiling woman headed for the door, waiting for Simon by the exit as a few bar patrons who had heard looked their way. One of them was even rapidly scribbling down a note in a day planner. From Lassa's height, she could see it was saying 'learn to make brownies'.

The lights of the city were dimming, but the street lights were still on. A cool evening breeze ruffled her hair as she stood outside. Was this probably risking getting too attached? Maybe. But she had to admit, this was a side of Simon she hadn't seen before. 

[Bobbie]

All it took was one reminder as an image from that day flashed in his mind, enough for his heart to skip a beat - but he couldn’t just go back to being a stuttering mess after she just noticed that he had the potential to be otherwise! “A pleasant surprise, I hope.” he laughed as he stood up after her.

Is she...? is this...? Is she actually going to come home with me and let me-

His thoughts didn’t need to go on as she prompted him to lead the way. Taking a deep breath, he watched her walk ahead of him nonetheless, noticing that little spring in her step as he exhaled nervously.

Don’t lose your cool now, Simon... don’t you dare mess this up! It's just brownies anyway... it's just brownies...

"It's just brownies..." he whispered to himself, before he cleared his throat, pushed his chair in and walked after her to meet her at the exit. He noticed that they were being watched by a few people, but didn’t pay much attention to the other people at the bar, his eyes quite clearly set on one person, and one person only. So much so that he was also paying little attention to his footing, as he accidentally kicked the leg of a chair and stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face. Precisely one stagger later, he was at the exit with Lassa - and that marked Simon’s standard procedure of making an exit wherever he goes.

“Someone left their chair out...” he mumbled with a nervous chuckle, before frowning and starting to lead the way through the dimly lit streets. The breeze that hit his cheeks provided some nice cool comfort as he walked beside Lassa, again trying to walk a little bit faster than usual so as not to hold her back. He would occasionally glance at Lassa's arm as they were so close. Should he take it in his? No, that would be weird. Definitely weird.

“Okay, so...” he finally broke the silence as they walked, “Important questions: first of all, any allergies that I should know about? Secondly, what exactly are you looking for, general chocolate, extra fudge, double chocolate, or double chocolate extra fudge? Any toppings?” he laughed with a wide grin, this being one of the few areas he felt he could really shine. “I’ve got a wide array in my arsenal, tell me whatever it is you want and I can guarantee you the most amazing taste in your mouth that you will never forget.”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

There was probably some internal chaos ongoing there, but Simon managed to keep his cool remarkably well. Standing up, he followed after her... and caught his foot on a chair. Trying not to laugh, she shrugged. "Well, I'll take it as flattering that your attention was otherwise occupied, hmm?~" Shooting a quick glare over his head at the drunkard who had stumbled off and left his chair in an odd place, and then commenced walking with Simon. 

"Hmm. Honestly, I'm not picky. Extra fudge is nice, but there's something appealing about the warm, slightly fluffy of basic or double chocolate. After a point it's more like cheesecake, and you can only eat a few before they start to feel like your stomach has rocks in them." She had an above-average appetite, although not as insane as some of the people she had seen. 

"So... I would say Surprise me. Leaning towards simpler, although if you somehow have caramel I retract all previous statements regarding composition." As they walked down the street, she glanced around as per usual. Down a long street, her eye caught a black suit and a head of white hair just above a glint of glasses. The clink of a coin, buoyed by memory, filled her ears. 

What in the hell- The Director was here? Why was he in Water 7? For a moment, she considered simply vanishing and heading in his direction. She reached out, and took Simon's arm somewhat protectively, a split-second decision that she did not retract. But... no.

The crowd parted again, and she saw the man's face more clearly in the next instant. Softer features, a monocle not glasses, and he was following behind some noble who was probably here to buy a ship. Very different at second blush, but her mind had been on her boss. 

"Sorry, just felt a sudden chill. Guess this new sweater isn't as well made as I'd like. Not enough practice." She laughed, dispelling the sudden twist of fear in her gut. Was him seeing Simon a problem? 

No. The Director was a reasonable man, and cultivating a backstory of sorts was not a bad thing. As long as nothing about the job itself got out. Thankfully, there was a number of very competent Cipher Pol operatives around in One through Eight nowadays. 

When they arrived at the apartment, Lassa waited for Simon to unlock the door and then entered, shivering slightly in the chill ocean air. Taking her coat off once inside, she tossed it into the air and let it vanish before thickening her sweater a bit and then clapping her hands. "So! What do you need from me? Any way I can help? Mixing or similar?"