Director's note
young blonde woman
Three nights later, Match’s apartment serves as a temporary refuge. Corporate channels still churn with the exposed purge, but no immediate threat presses against the rain-muted windows.
A young blonde woman waits beyond the door, slim and neatly dressed in a slate service jacket over dark trousers. A sealed priority chip rests between two gloved fingers.
Quinn
Match? Quinn. I’m Rocket’s valet. I need to speak with you privately.
She raises the chip but does not offer it through the door. Its black casing carries no logo, only a narrow red priority line that pulses once beneath the apartment light.
Quinn
Rocket sent this directly. He said not to discuss the contents in a hallway, and not to route it through any network.
The corridor remains empty behind her. Quinn’s posture is composed, her narrow freckled face marked by a small scar through one eyebrow, but her grip tightens slightly around the sealed chip as she waits for permission to enter.
Quinn
May I come in, Match? This favor is important, but it does not need to become a scene.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what Rocket’s favor demands
“"Hello, Quinn, please come in. Make yourself at home."”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +4)
Match
Hello, Quinn. Please come in. Make yourself at home.
Quinn steps inside, and Match closes the door behind her. The guarded set of her shoulders eases as she takes in the quiet apartment and its ordinary signs of shelter.
Quinn
Thank you. Rocket said you might offer a room before you offered a bargain. I can work with that.
She removes her gloves and settles into a chair without touching the sealed priority chip. Instead of guarding it, she places it openly on the table between them.
Quinn
For what it is worth, this is the first door I have entered tonight without checking the exits first. Rocket will hear that you made the handoff feel safe.
The chip’s red priority line goes dark. Quinn has disabled its proximity ping, giving Match a quiet window to decide what happens next without alerting Rocket’s network.
“"Tell me this, how did a pretty young thing like you end up working for someone as...savory as Rocket?"”
SUCCESS (Good Flirting, rolled +0)
Match
Tell me this, how did a pretty young thing like you end up working for someone as savory as Rocket?
Quinn’s mouth tightens at pretty, but she does not leave. She turns the priority chip once beneath her palm, weighing the question and the room together.
Quinn
Because Rocket found me in a municipal contract office, quietly falsifying transfer records for people who could not afford to disappear. He offered better pay, real protection, and work where my skills mattered.
She taps the chip against the table. The disabled priority line flashes red once, then sends a brief confirmation pulse through the apartment’s local mesh.
Quinn
The cost was simple. I stopped pretending the people I served were clean. Rocket is not savory, Match. He is honest about the dirt, and that makes him easier to survive.
Quinn
And for the record, calling me pretty made this conversation less private than you intended. The chip just reported that I am comfortable enough to continue.
The chip’s red line stays dark, but the apartment mesh now carries a silent acknowledgment outward. Quinn leaves it on the table, her answer given and Rocket quietly informed that the handoff has begun.
“"I'm simply being a good host; they still exist in this city, you know. Will the chip mind if I offer you a drink?"”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +0)
Match
I’m simply being a good host. They still exist in this city, you know. Will the chip mind if I offer you a drink?
Quinn studies Match for a measured second, then glances at the dark chip. Her guarded posture loosens, though the apartment mesh records the offer as part of the handoff.
Quinn
The chip will not mind. Rocket might, if the drink becomes an excuse to delay his business.
She accepts the hospitality with a small nod and names a plain whiskey, neat. The request is harmless, but the local acknowledgment now marks Quinn as comfortable enough to linger.
Quinn
Still, I will take one. You have earned that much. Just understand that Rocket will hear I accepted your drink, and he may count it as trust.
Quinn leaves the chip untouched while Match prepares the drink. The gesture settles the room, but it also gives Rocket a small piece of leverage: Quinn’s willingness to stay is now on his record.
“"For what it's worth, I don't have anything against Rocket. He pays on time and his jobs are usually straightforward. Sending an attractive blonde to my door certainly makes things interesting."”
SUCCESS (Good Flirting, rolled +0)
Match
I don't have anything against Rocket. He pays on time, his jobs are usually straightforward, and sending an attractive blonde to my door certainly makes things interesting.
Quinn's expression warms despite herself. The dark priority chip catches the apartment light, recording the exchange through the local mesh before its status line fades again.
Quinn
That is a remarkably polished way to say you approve of Rocket's work and noticed me. I will allow both compliments, provisionally.
She leans back, one ankle crossing over the other, but her fingers tighten around the whiskey glass. The chip logs her relaxed posture as confirmation of personal rapport.
Quinn
The cost is that Rocket now knows charm is part of your negotiation style. He may adjust his offer accordingly, and he will definitely enjoy hearing about this.
Quinn raises her glass toward him, amused but watchful. The flirtation has bought genuine ease in the room, while Rocket has gained a small, useful read on Match.
Quinn
Now that we understand each other, I can tell you what Rocket is actually offering. It is better than a routine job, and considerably less straightforward.
“"Yes, I suppose eventually we have to stop flirting and discuss business. I'll keep my eyes on your lips, you have my undivided attention."”
SUCCESS (Good Flirting, rolled +2)
Match
Yes, eventually we have to stop flirting and discuss business. I’ll keep my eyes on your lips. You have my undivided attention.
Match holds Quinn’s gaze as promised, letting the room’s easy warmth settle into focused attention. Quinn notices, and the corner of her mouth lifts before she sets down her glass.
Quinn
Then listen carefully. Rocket wants you on a retrieval job involving a private data cache, a missing courier, and a client who cannot involve official channels.
Quinn draws the priority chip closer but leaves its casing sealed. Her voice loses its teasing edge, replaced by the precise cadence of someone presenting terms already tested for weaknesses.
Quinn
The cache belongs to a subcontractor who vanished before delivery. Rocket believes a corporate recovery team will reach it first, and he wants you there ahead of them.
Quinn
Payment is substantial, the route is clean, and the client’s identity stays compartmentalized. You get the location after accepting the job, not before.
She meets Match’s eyes again, composed and faintly amused, while the chip waits between them. The business is finally on the table, stripped of flirtation but not its leverage.
Retrieve Rocket’s private data cache
Quest Complete
Learn what Rocket’s favor demands
Skill Upgrade: Flirting Great→Superb