[Tayseri]First day at Leaving The Ducts

Michelle arrived in the Leaving The Duct offices at 8h30am. It was the first official day that the charity was opened. She took the moment in, started the tea pot, getting some mugs ready, answering the still almost non existent mail. Gestures that she hoped would become a comforting habit in time.
She did some more paperwork before Snow arrived, normally at 9am.
She thought about him some more. His arrival may be a good thing, or a catastrophe. She had reported to Bintar the night before, and he had commanded her on the way she had treated the situation, and assured her that he had nothing to do with it. Not that she really thought Slaves4Us had pull in the Alliance.
It was just a crazy bureaucracy occurrence, the kind that happened after an apocalyptic war. And she'd make the most of it.
She went on the CDN board and her mood darkened when she learned of the murder the night before, in the same ward she was in. Organized crime moving in, dismembering people. Another reason Snow would be a valuable addition.

But she would need someone else, and that person would arrive at 9h30 hopefully.

She sipped her Salarian tea while working on the paperwork some more.

8:31, just another day on Tayseri as Snow finished doing a walkaround the apartment complex, the red coat darting through the refugees as he made sure not to get too close. There were at least two ducts leading to the street, and one that opened to the rooftops adjacent to the complex. "Too many", Snow thought, seeing a route leading to the top of the building where Leaving the Ducts was located, from there, a dead arm hang & drop to the window where Mrs. Rondor was situated.

"Time to earn my pay", Snow muttered as he broke into a slow jog, building momentum as he found the running line to the roof, nimbly sidestepping pedestrians as he reached the first foothold, reaching the ladder after hopscotching his way across the cargo containers and makeshift shelters, across the gap was Leaving the Ducts. It had taken Snow a mere two minutes to navigate the course. 8:33, time for the tough part", musing to himself as he leapt the gap, hurdling the pipes and debris as he reached the edge, sliding into a dead arm hang position, Snow's newly repaired shoulder protesting slightly as he measured the distance before dropping ten feet down, facing the window in front of Mrs. Rondor. Pulling his hood on he knocked on the'glass',

"Can I come in?"

"What the..."

Michelle, still tense after the news of the murder not so far from the office, heard some noise coming from outside. When she approached her window, a man suddenly appeared in front of her! Michelle let out a panicked scream and pulled out of her pocket the deterant spray she had bought at Jaquento's store and pulverized in front of her.

Fortunately for Snow the window was indeed closed, the spray just bounced back on her. Her big glasses prevented a lot of it from getting in her yes, but the little that did burned so very much.

"NOOO! SON OF A BITCH! AAARGH!"

She dropped the canister and managed through her tears-filled eyes to press the button to open the window, as much to let Snow in than to get some fresh air.

"Oh for fuck sake", Snow grumbled as his fluffy employer tried to spray him, but only got herself for the trouble. Despite her ridiculous glasses taking the brunt, the substance was nasty, her eyes already watering as the door slid open, the lanky runner walking in slowly, checking the immediate area before turning to Mrs Rondor,

"By the way, this location has at least three blind spots", Snow replied with a trace of dry sarcasm, giving Mrs Rondor a damp cloth, "I managed to use one to get topside."


Julian Snow stepped back after giving 'Miss Whiskers' the rag, her panic surprising, she handled him yesterday effortlessly, apparently 'Lady' getting blown away had her on edge. But he'd ask her about it after she composed herself. Either way Mrs. Rondor was full of surprises, one moment an canny employer, the next a spastic capable of macing herself .

Michelle was pouring water on her eyes and using the rag Snow provided her, streaming a long list of French profanities, some of them not even recognized by Snow's translator.

After a while she had stopped crying and composed herself, but her eye liner was a mess. Makeup was completely waterproof, but apparently not capable of resisting whatever product she dosed herself with, and she had the equivalent of big Salarian eyes now.

"Mister Snow, what the hell? It's nice that you recognize security flaws and all, but could you please use the door to expose them to me??"

"Kind of defeats the purpose Miss, a demonstration was in order", his tone was matter of fact as he got a glass of water. Leaning on yhe counter as he watched Mrs Rondor wash the chemical off, the acrid smell filling the room. He was glad that Leaving the Ducts hadn't begun work proper, a real assailant would have torn right through the place. At least they had small window to lock things down, wouldn't be airtight, but in the slums, real security came from information and connections.

"So, what's with the spray, afraid that the crew that did the 'Lady' will go after you next?"

Looking over at Mrs Rondor, he knew one thing that could cause such panic, thinking that the Tayseri hit was a random act. What little Snow heard from the shithole hostel he was residing, was that 'Lady' was old news, only no one had told the former Tayseri drug queen.

"Demonstration? You know you can just tell me this stuff and I'll believe you. And I got this when I first arrived on the Citadel actually, even before that lady's murder Tayseri was potentially dangerous. I just need to become less jumpy to use it properly..."

Most of the make up was off now, but she was still red as an tomato. She looked at herself in her omni-tool's mirror function and was not enchanted by what she saw.

"Damn it, I look like I'm a teenager freshly dumped by crush, and we have someone to see today... A volunteer...
Ho well, it'll have to do. Would you like to draw some security solutions before he gets here?"

"I'd be disappointed if you just took my word Miss", Snow retorted cooly, taking a small gulp from his glass. His grey eyes showing no emotion as he looked at Mrs. Rondor. As for preliminary security, well..."A pressure sensor on the roof, vid on the alleys and duct entrances, for starters." The 'security' man paused for a moment, waiting for his fluffy boss to recover.

"But we'll need to get out on the streets, see which factions will be, let just say tolerant about your plans Miss, finishing the water, he checked his omnitool, finding the complex's layout, bringing up the lower levels.

I'm heading to the basement, see if anything needs attention." Turning to head downstairs, the smell of tea was enticing but there was work to do.

"Mr Snow I'm know pretty much nothing from those concerns after "lock your door" and "don't use self defense weapons on yourself". Actually scratch that last one, I need more work on it.

If I ask your expertise on something, which will probably happen a lot, I'll expect a report, not demonstrations, unless something bugs me in said report. You're allowed to be disappointed, as long as it doesn't get in the way of work.

About the pressure plate and the vids, we can submit a proposition to the building overseer and other owners. In light of recent event they may agree to fund some extra security."

Snow was already going to the basement.

"Wait go to the streets? Hu makes sense. I guess. Ok, please don't take too long, I'd like you around for the interview scheduled not too long from now."

"Understood", keying up the comm function on the piece of shit omnitool Snow found in a dumpster by the upper ward level. A quick fix to the interface and it was...functional. He left the channel open for Mrs Rondor to keep in contact as he began his sweep of the eastern wing in the basement. The darkness comforting Snow as he slowly navigated the clutter, pipes and garbage from the war. After ten minutes of searching he found a duct on the SE side of the basement, and it wasn't on the floor plans.

"Fuck", Snow uttering aloud in the darkness as he marked the location down, continuing his sweep, finding a vent on the celing, this one was on the map, "thank god for that." He wrapped a cloth around his face, trying to filter the dust and musty stench as he retraced his step, turning on the comm,

"Just finished up here Miss, sending you the revised map. I'm on my way back."

"Excellent work Mr Snow, please come back up."

Michelle was pretty impressed with Snow's professionalism. When he came back she offered him a fresh cup of excellent tea (pretty much putting it in his hand).

"Alright, so this afternoon we'll go on the streets. You wanted to feel the temperature there, and I would like us to go see the shelter, maybe identify some kids willing to start a schooling program with us, help us set up a system of schooling. It must be very flexible, we want to help those kids figure out what they REALLY want to do, not just a quick and dirty plumbing training and pushing them through the door.
If a duct rat wants to be an architect, he'll be an architect. Agreed?"

"Thank you MissW-",

Snow muttered, accepting the tea, removing the makeshift scarf from his face as he sat down across from his fluffy benefactor, a troubled expression appearing on his face. During the basement sweep he recieved two unexpected messages from the self-righteous prick Vohkadin Knox, telling him to report. Yet another thing to add to Leaving the Ducts social calendar.

"Sounds good, Mrs. Rondor. I do have to tell you something, my former captor has been messaging me. Apparently he wishes to speak to you, my guess it's about me, my background and capture. Um, shit, what I'm trying to say, is that if you have any questions, ask 'em now."

Michelle of course saw that Snow was about to say something else. She looked at him intently, building some tension, and then just asked
"What can you tell me about this guy?"

"He claims to run a charity himself, the Templar group. But he made a hash of it on Thessia, getting himself kneecapped by a raider. Other than that Miss, nothing much, aside from the fact he's a condescending asshole, pardon my french", the last eliciting a knowing smile on Snow's face, figuring Mrs Rondor was from the EU or Quebec in the UNAS, a real contrasting accent compared to his. Sipping his tea, Snow paused for a moment before bringing up a holo of the apartment complex's floor plan,

"Here, I marked all of the ducts in red for your convenience MissW-". Snow paused, a bit embarrassed by what he almost said.

"Aucun problème", said Michelle after tweaking her translator to convey what she was about to say as proper noun, in order to have it in the original French.

"What's that person's name and why is he in charge of your sentence if he's from a non governmental organization? Thank you, we'll get back on the security issues a bit later."

Michelle had a smirk, Snow had almost messed up again, whatever he was about to say, she would let him fret some more.

Groaning inwardly as Mrs Rondor smirked, Snow downed the rest of the tea, just to gather his thoughts. She fucking well knew he almost called her Miss Whiskers, but Mrs Rondor was just going to let Snow stew for a moment, clever.

"Well, his name is Vohkadin Knox. Fucked if I know where he's from, they kept me in solitary until reaching Tayseri."

Breathing easier Snow brought up an outlay of the street, overlapping it with the apartment complex layout, showing the motherly woman how he managed to reach the roof without a ladder. The route he highlighted in green, along with a timer, demonstrating the speed it had been achieved, not speaking, preferring to let the holo show Mrs Rondor how he achieved total surprise.

"Hey I know this guy!"

Michelle pulled her omnitool out.

"That's him right? He's from the Cerberus board too, and his wife was a journalist I think, a pretty big deal a few years ago...
He seemed to me like a good guy... So, is there anything you think I should know before talking to him?"

Michelle noticed that Snow was trying super hard to divert the subject, but she wouldn't have any of it.

"The exact circumstances of how I got here????? Where do I start", Snow thought as he slowly looked up at Mrs Rondor. For a moment he considered telling her everything, his war, the months of therapy and abuse on Benning, not to mention how he joined the Alliance. The ex-salvager thought for a moment, deciding to tell her about Elgin's 'audition' and the events leading to his capture on Thessia.

"Okay, here goes. Right after the war I was working as a trashman, cleaning up refuse from the fighting, during that time I was trying to buy passage off Benning. Four months in I managed to secure a berth on a freighter, but not as a passenger. The captain needed another body for his crew, not mention credits for repairs. After I paid him I was told to meet up at a dive near the Outer Joughin Spaceport. When I got there, the captain had arranged an 'audition' of sorts, me against four Alliance Marines. The rules were simple, if I won, I would be a probationary member of his crew. It didn't hurt that the jarheads were drunk and spoiling for a fight. Long story short, I won."

Taking a moment to gather himself, Snow looked down at the table, seeing the fight in his mind, the blood and broken bones, the screams and curses filling his mind, and just as quickly leaving. He reasserted control of his breathing,

"After that little tryout, the next few months were quiet, selling grey market salvage directly to colonials, bypassing Alliance when we could, cutting them in on the action when Alliance interference was inevitable. It went pretty smooth until the relays re-opened and we got a tip about salvage to be had on Thessia. Once we got there the captain had me scout the area for potential wrecks and dangers. Part of my job on the crew, first entry and recon. That's when I came across the eezo smugglers, the Templars, not to mention the inhospitable nature of Southern Thessia. After trying to leave the site, I ended up left behind by my crewmates and captured by Knox's team. That's pretty much it Miss Whiskers...."

"Fuck", cursing inwardly, Snow let himself get so absorbed by his account he let the nickname for Mrs Rondor slip out.

Wow, Michelle didn't ask that much from Snow. Bintar told her among many advises that the best way to get information from people was to let them talk at their leisure. As far as she knew the Batarian was a sick, sick man, but his advises held true. As she had hoped nothing terrible came out from Snow's account. He was leaving plenty out of course, but for now it was more than enough.
When he started to use her nickname she started to smile, she'd get to hear it at last...
And then her smile died.

"Mrs Whiskers? That's what you call me in your head? Whiskers? Like mustache? Why would you... Ho god no!"

Suddenly a bit panicked she activated her omnitool mirror, looking frantically looking for a (non existent) mustache over her lips.

"Fuckin' hell", Snow groaning as he watched Mrs Rondor look up 'Miss Whiskers'. In the ex-salvager's mind, his boss reminded him of a chubby angora/tabby cat that hung out at the DSC safe house. Sighing in resignation, Snow squared up and gave the fluffy do-gooder the reason behind the nick,

"No Mrs Rondor, you just remind me of a cat from my younger days."