RaiderMan had a seat, now that the Navis were in agreement about not going anywhere. "...Aye. Keep me posted!" ...That was about it. There wasn't really much to do in the locker room at this point...
=================
"...Certain families? Ah, I see. Tonight the swim team practices, and as memory serves, at least one of the Weatherby octuplets is on it. Maybe two." The NormalNavi slowly nodded. "However, I will note that, if you know that, you might possibly be the one responsible for this, and not the salvador." Fortunately, CourseMan was able to bring up the proper freeze frame, complete with RaiderMan destroying the data. "...If this picture is unedited, I suppose that answers that. And I'm not so paranoid that I think this has been altered. Muy bien. Now, let me see..."
The Navi actually got up and wandered around the desk, to take a better look at the shadowy figure. "...Sí. I definitely recognize that Navi. ...But don't get too emocionado, because I don't actually know his name. I do, however, remember the circumstances of our meeting now. He was simply walking around, challenging everyone he saw to a fight. If they accepted, he beat them into next week. If they declined, he still beat them into next week. I challenged him, and I managed to defeat him after una lucha difícil. But...hmm. If I had direct access to that image, I could probably color it in a bit, and give you a better idea of what he looks like. That's...the cyber locker room, correct? Give me a minuto or two, and I'll head there. Worry not, I'll be as discreet as possible." The Navi started walking over to the door. If CourseMan wanted to stop him for whatever reason, he'd probably have just enough time to do so.
=================
Without a word, May turned to watch the feed in its sped up entirety. As it stopped, she closed her eyes, thinking...then she looked at her PET again. "CourtMan? Small change of plans. When you get to the locker room entrance, stay there and guard it. Don't let anyone in or out without checking with me first!"
She let out a massive sigh, and hung her head for a moment, before standing up and offering Jenny a hand in doing so herself. "Um...don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone. Why? Because...it wouldn't do any good. If that perv Navi has anything, my parents'll hear soon enough. And if he doesn't, Mom and Dad might make us change schools anyway if they found out...and I really like this one. I don't want to transfer anywhere else. And I'm sure my sisters would all agree with me. Even Phoebe."
She took a good look at the shot the other girl had come up with, even though it wasn't exactly a perfect picture of the shady Navi. "...I've never seen a Navi like that, no. But, I can say one thing for sure. He isn't connected to this school in any way. I know that because by doing this, he's basically killing any involvement my parents have in this school. Apparently, it had fallen on some hard times until they poured who knows how much zenny into it, so we could go to a local public school that met their standards. There's no way anyone that goes here would want to jeopardize that."
Alvis Wiseman Memorial High School Cyberworld
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Courser dropped down to take a seat nearby as well, closing his eyes as he focused on matters not centred in the locker room. Once all the discussion had been conducted however, he looked up again, a dissatisfied twist on his features.
"Well, that becalms the whole matter. I was hoping for more than that." He shook his head and looked across to RaiderMan. "Both my sources are confirming that the navi we saw hasn't been sighted in the school before, and definitely doesn't belong to anyone affiliated with them. It's a good thing to confirm, but it means we aren't likely to mark his flag any clearer that the signature you've already got." He stood again and paced for a few moments.
"My first mate'll be back here in a moment, with his source. He can give us some better visual data on the navi, but I'll need to update the footage directly with whatever he's got to offer. Don't worry, He's bringing him here directly so no-one notices anything amiss." He walked towards the doorway, then looked back.
"I'm going to step outside to meet him. Once I've got the information he has, I'll be able to give you the recording that we got of the navi, along with the profile data my contact has, to go with the signature you captured... but it looks like that's the best I'll be able to do. If you'd rather my contact not see you, then keep your canvas lashed here for just a little longer... Else we may as well both get out of this cave..." Honestly, it was no wonder no-one came here very often. When the place was closed up like this, the locker room was just plain uninviting and unpleasant a place to hang out in.
Whether the pirate navi decided to follow him or not, courser was probably going to need to wait for him to pop the locks on the door again anyway... unless it was one of those systems that let people out easily enough, just not in. Either way, he had done his best to arrange the timing so that he'd be stepping out of the locker room just as his clone and the professor arrived from the other direction. Both Courser and clone, however remained oblivious tot he fact that CourtMan had also been summoned to the same hall. It was becoming quite the gathering.
=================
Some navis might have been offended at the off-handed tarring of suspicion the professor gave CourseMan, but the navi himself, less so. His circumstances truly did look a bit suspicious, and he was a shadow navi to boot; he'd have to get used to folk not trusting him. As it was, he chose to take it simply as a sign that the normal navi was genuinely concerned for he student's well-being and integrity.
The description of how he had encountered their target in the past made Coursers eyebrows jump in surprise, however. If he had fought and defeated him, then it certainly sounded like there was more to this humble professor of language that one might suspect. Another lesson learned.
"Of course. Any profile data you can add would be helpful at this stage. I'll walk with you..." He followed the other navi out the door and continued the conversation as they made their way towards the locker room, though he kept his voice low and made sure to keep his word choice unspecific, just in case.
"If nothing else, knowing that he's not related to the school at all should help matters, I'd think. It may not be a solid name, but it's something, no?" He fell silent again, while his actual self relayed to RaiderMan. Holding two conversations simultaneously was tricky, and he should practice more.. but for now, he was getting tired holding a solid clone for this long and this far away from himself. He would, however, perk up and salute to... himself... once they came in sight of the locker-room door.
=================
May's comforts did at least a small something towards reassuring Jenny. She took the offered hand and pulled herself up as well, dusting her skirt as she stood and offering a weak grin to the other girl.
"I just hope I've not messed things up for everyone. I'm glad it's not anyone from the school, at least. That would be super creepy. I mean, if it's definite that the jerk has no links to the school at all, then, even if they did find out, surely your parents wouldn't hold the school accountable, would they?" She may have sounded more like she was trying to convince herself, than anything else, but she went on anyway. "And anyway, the problem looks like it got taken care of without anyone getting hurt, too, so, that's a plus, right?" Ok, that was definitely the voice of someone trying to convince herself that she hadn't messed up.
"Well, that becalms the whole matter. I was hoping for more than that." He shook his head and looked across to RaiderMan. "Both my sources are confirming that the navi we saw hasn't been sighted in the school before, and definitely doesn't belong to anyone affiliated with them. It's a good thing to confirm, but it means we aren't likely to mark his flag any clearer that the signature you've already got." He stood again and paced for a few moments.
"My first mate'll be back here in a moment, with his source. He can give us some better visual data on the navi, but I'll need to update the footage directly with whatever he's got to offer. Don't worry, He's bringing him here directly so no-one notices anything amiss." He walked towards the doorway, then looked back.
"I'm going to step outside to meet him. Once I've got the information he has, I'll be able to give you the recording that we got of the navi, along with the profile data my contact has, to go with the signature you captured... but it looks like that's the best I'll be able to do. If you'd rather my contact not see you, then keep your canvas lashed here for just a little longer... Else we may as well both get out of this cave..." Honestly, it was no wonder no-one came here very often. When the place was closed up like this, the locker room was just plain uninviting and unpleasant a place to hang out in.
Whether the pirate navi decided to follow him or not, courser was probably going to need to wait for him to pop the locks on the door again anyway... unless it was one of those systems that let people out easily enough, just not in. Either way, he had done his best to arrange the timing so that he'd be stepping out of the locker room just as his clone and the professor arrived from the other direction. Both Courser and clone, however remained oblivious tot he fact that CourtMan had also been summoned to the same hall. It was becoming quite the gathering.
=================
Some navis might have been offended at the off-handed tarring of suspicion the professor gave CourseMan, but the navi himself, less so. His circumstances truly did look a bit suspicious, and he was a shadow navi to boot; he'd have to get used to folk not trusting him. As it was, he chose to take it simply as a sign that the normal navi was genuinely concerned for he student's well-being and integrity.
The description of how he had encountered their target in the past made Coursers eyebrows jump in surprise, however. If he had fought and defeated him, then it certainly sounded like there was more to this humble professor of language that one might suspect. Another lesson learned.
"Of course. Any profile data you can add would be helpful at this stage. I'll walk with you..." He followed the other navi out the door and continued the conversation as they made their way towards the locker room, though he kept his voice low and made sure to keep his word choice unspecific, just in case.
"If nothing else, knowing that he's not related to the school at all should help matters, I'd think. It may not be a solid name, but it's something, no?" He fell silent again, while his actual self relayed to RaiderMan. Holding two conversations simultaneously was tricky, and he should practice more.. but for now, he was getting tired holding a solid clone for this long and this far away from himself. He would, however, perk up and salute to... himself... once they came in sight of the locker-room door.
=================
May's comforts did at least a small something towards reassuring Jenny. She took the offered hand and pulled herself up as well, dusting her skirt as she stood and offering a weak grin to the other girl.
"I just hope I've not messed things up for everyone. I'm glad it's not anyone from the school, at least. That would be super creepy. I mean, if it's definite that the jerk has no links to the school at all, then, even if they did find out, surely your parents wouldn't hold the school accountable, would they?" She may have sounded more like she was trying to convince herself, than anything else, but she went on anyway. "And anyway, the problem looks like it got taken care of without anyone getting hurt, too, so, that's a plus, right?" Ok, that was definitely the voice of someone trying to convince herself that she hadn't messed up.
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"...Both?" RaiderMan gave his hired hand an irritated, but mostly troubled, look. "I didn't tell ye to tell the whole school! Tell anyone else, and ye'll swing at an armyard, ye will!" He didn't move at the invitation to go outside, so he was probably wasn't about to raise anchor. Which was probably a good thing, though no one knew it right that moment.
---------------------
"As you wish." And thus did the pair walk over to the locker room. The NormalNavi teacher kept quiet, at least until CourseMan's clone spoke. "Sí, sí. I'm actually quite relieved that it's an outsider. If it wasn't, the future of esta escuela would be a lot murkier..."
The two arrived at the door, which was now guarded by a certain judge Navi both of them knew. "Hello there! Getting the guided tour of the school, RiptideMan?"
"Step aside, CourtMan. We have business in that locker room."
"Erm, what business would anyone have in there? No one uses it, after all!"
"Oh, por el amor de...if you're not allowing us in, you must know something about the incident tonight. Am I wrong?"
"Incident? All I know is that May told me to not allow anyone to enter or exit the locker room..."
"...All right, maybe you don't know, but your operator does. Fortunately, May has a good head on her shoulders, so she probably isn't freaking out like some of her sisters would. Nonetheless-"
A screen popped up next to CourtMan, bearing an image of his operator. "Hey, CourtMan! How are things over there?"
"Confusing. The Whazzapian teacher's Navi is here, along with the Navi I helped earlier. They wish to enter the locker room, but-"
"It's okay. Make an exception for them. ...Actually, you might see that same Navi walk out the door. Let him by, okay?"
"Same Navi?" He turned around, to see the true CourseMan step outside. "Erm...make that extremely confusing..."
"I'll explain everything I know later...just don't think too hard on it for now."
"If you say so..." CourtMan took a 'step' back, though he was starting to look a bit dazed. "You...may proceed."
"Gracias, CourtMan." The NormalNavi walked past, over to the true water Navi. "So, we finally meet face to face...well, let's not waste time. Let's bring up that image..." So it was done. "Let me think...he had a beige Navi suit, with what looked like red underwear, and large red boxing gloves for hands." As he spoke, he colored in the areas with his finger, to provide a physical picture instead of just a mental one. "It's hard to tell from this image, but as I recall, he didn't have a regular helmet. More like a boxer's headgear. I want to say it was red like his gloves. Let me draw it on here...there." Unfortunately, if he was indeed correct about the headwear, it did quite a good job of obscuring his face. "His emblem was on his chest, but I don't recall what it was...something involving boxing gloves, perhaps? But I can't say for sure."
He took a step back, and looked over his work. "...Yes, that looks about right. Does that help any?"
---------------------
"You never know...my parents are weird. Though, I think if we all put the pressure on them, they'd give it up. I mean, who wants to go to some stuck up private school? Not me, that's for sure." May sounded like she was going to continue, but the arrival of the Navis to outside the locker room drew her attention for a moment, and she gave him orders to let them by. "At any rate, I don't think they'll get too drastic. So don't worry about it, okay?"
---------------------
"As you wish." And thus did the pair walk over to the locker room. The NormalNavi teacher kept quiet, at least until CourseMan's clone spoke. "Sí, sí. I'm actually quite relieved that it's an outsider. If it wasn't, the future of esta escuela would be a lot murkier..."
The two arrived at the door, which was now guarded by a certain judge Navi both of them knew. "Hello there! Getting the guided tour of the school, RiptideMan?"
"Step aside, CourtMan. We have business in that locker room."
"Erm, what business would anyone have in there? No one uses it, after all!"
"Oh, por el amor de...if you're not allowing us in, you must know something about the incident tonight. Am I wrong?"
"Incident? All I know is that May told me to not allow anyone to enter or exit the locker room..."
"...All right, maybe you don't know, but your operator does. Fortunately, May has a good head on her shoulders, so she probably isn't freaking out like some of her sisters would. Nonetheless-"
A screen popped up next to CourtMan, bearing an image of his operator. "Hey, CourtMan! How are things over there?"
"Confusing. The Whazzapian teacher's Navi is here, along with the Navi I helped earlier. They wish to enter the locker room, but-"
"It's okay. Make an exception for them. ...Actually, you might see that same Navi walk out the door. Let him by, okay?"
"Same Navi?" He turned around, to see the true CourseMan step outside. "Erm...make that extremely confusing..."
"I'll explain everything I know later...just don't think too hard on it for now."
"If you say so..." CourtMan took a 'step' back, though he was starting to look a bit dazed. "You...may proceed."
"Gracias, CourtMan." The NormalNavi walked past, over to the true water Navi. "So, we finally meet face to face...well, let's not waste time. Let's bring up that image..." So it was done. "Let me think...he had a beige Navi suit, with what looked like red underwear, and large red boxing gloves for hands." As he spoke, he colored in the areas with his finger, to provide a physical picture instead of just a mental one. "It's hard to tell from this image, but as I recall, he didn't have a regular helmet. More like a boxer's headgear. I want to say it was red like his gloves. Let me draw it on here...there." Unfortunately, if he was indeed correct about the headwear, it did quite a good job of obscuring his face. "His emblem was on his chest, but I don't recall what it was...something involving boxing gloves, perhaps? But I can't say for sure."
He took a step back, and looked over his work. "...Yes, that looks about right. Does that help any?"
---------------------
"You never know...my parents are weird. Though, I think if we all put the pressure on them, they'd give it up. I mean, who wants to go to some stuck up private school? Not me, that's for sure." May sounded like she was going to continue, but the arrival of the Navis to outside the locker room drew her attention for a moment, and she gave him orders to let them by. "At any rate, I don't think they'll get too drastic. So don't worry about it, okay?"
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CourseMan had been ready for his employers disapproval of contacts; it was a fair enough criticism for someone trying to be careful. He inclined his head in polite acquiescence to the demand.
"I do understand the need for quiet, RaiderMan." He let the upbeat swagger drop from his voice this time, pausing by the door to answer before heading out. Instead, he used the pirate navi's name, rather than an affectation, and spoke softly. "You dislike my appearance, and perhaps you also dislike me, but please believe that you can trust me. Sometimes you have to give a little to get more back, but I promise that nothing I do will compromise in any way. I'll be back in a few moments, and we can wrap this up." When he finished, he stepped through without giving the other navi any chance to answer back. Maybe giving him a minute or two to think over some more seriously sincere words might help.
--------------------
As he passed outside, he managed to hide his surprise at finding CourtMan waiting for him on the other side. This was at least partly helped out by seeing the judicial navi from the perspective of his clone as they approached, a few seconds before making his entrance. In close proximity, handling one clone or even two was much easier for him, and it settled into a much more convincing and lifelike behaviour.
As the other navis and clone greeted each other, Courser himself returned an equal salute back at his clone, then winked at CourtMan as he turned about, grinning again.
"In a manner of speaking, friend. Something a bit more serious came up, I'm afraid." He shrugged in a vaguely helpless gesture, then his copy continued, talking on the Judge's other side.
"But I will say, I'm pretty much sold on getting my girl to pick up a course or two here!"
As the language professor, and then May herself offered some vastly more helpful words to CourtMan, CourseMan began to put the pieces together. Jenny had made a friend, and had been watching the mission. This was a navi belonging to one of the Weatherby children, whose family were the very patrons they were tyring to protect... and here he was instructed to stand guard.
He had an idea that might help alleviate the increasingly confused navi's state of mind. While CourseMan himself walked over to show the professor the original image, and get the profile updates, his decoy came the other way, strolling across to CourtMan instead.
"All a bit confusing, I know. Listen, I want to level with you, because I can tell you're an upstanding navi, and you're committed to proper action, justice, and fairness, am I right?" He paused, scratching at the back of his neck as though pondering what to say. As he did, Courser's temporary third decoy slipped out of the wall nearby, making the action as though cuffing the first clone on the back of the head gently.
"Don't stew on it man, just spit it out!"
"Alright, alright..." The two decoys exchanged looks for a moment, before the newest one shrugged and wandered over to see what Courser and the Professor were doing instead. The one talking to CourtMan continued.
"So, look, much as I did come to scout for my girl, I had another reason. Turns out, your May is actually one of the ones I'm here to protect. Reason I'm telling you now, though, is because I can see the whole situation causing a problem for anyone with a strong dedication to duty, and following all the rules, an' I don't want to put you in a hard spot."
As he spoke, the other decoy was standing on the other side of the Professor, watching with interest as he filled in the colour details that he could recall for the real courser.
"Huh, fancy lookin' little mite, isn't he? That does look about right, yeah. Wish I'd been able to get a better look at him myself." Courser glanced up at his double and smirked. "What're you saying, Capt'n? You weren't even there! It was just me an my wingman!" He gestured back over his shoulder at the clone talking to CourtMan, and the decoy had the grace to look a bit sheepish.
"You know what I mean, boss."
"Aye, but mind your tongue. Now... you were saying, professor?" The suitably chastised clone returned to harass the first decoy while Courser looked over the updated information.
"Well, it's not a name, or an operator ID, but it's a lot more than we had before. I wager if he's on any records or databases anywhere, that should be enough to pull a file on him, now. I think it's the best we'll manage, certainly. You've been a big help." He nodded and extended a hand to shake his thanks to the professor.
Over the other side, the first decoy was still trying to explain things carefully to CourtMan. The return of his buddy may or may not have been helping.
"I think this might explain a few things, first off... you've got May on open channel there? May I?" He made an open-handed gesture before speaking more towards where May's communication window had opened.
"Miss May? Is a girl called Jenny there with you, by any chance? It's the only thing I can think of to explain a few things." Provided the communication hadn't been shut down yet, Jenny's voice would be the next to answer.
"How'd you know that, Courser? Hey, wait... but you're... Oh nevermind. What's up?"
"Just making sure of something.... Now... CourtMan?" He turned his eyes back.
"There was a potential incident, that, if we had not nipped it in the bud firmly now, as we have, may have become an issue for May's family. It has been taken care of, and with the professor's help, we can make sure due justice is delivered to the one responsible, but, even though the issue was prevented, if the other girls, or especially May's parents found out, there might be unfair repercussions for the school." Courser paused as he gathered the right words to use. He was a smooth talker most of the time, sure, but excessive eloquence was not his strong point. How to clinch it? He took a breath.
"So, what I need to ask you is to consider May's actions today. She has helped us contain the issue; chooses, in fact, to help us keep it quiet and hidden from the others. Though I know I cannot speak for her, keeping this secret appears to be her choice for what is the right thing to do, just as I feel it is. I would ask your promise, if you'll give it, that you not break this confidence, not even to her parents, or for her own good, unless May herself chooses to do so. Can I ask that of you, CourtMan?"
His seriousness was interrupted by the other decoy leaning on his shoulder with a much more amused grin.
"Hurry it up, mate. The other one's almost at the hand-shaking bit!" He was clearly talking to the decoy, and not CourtMan, and true enough, it was about now that the CourseMan on the other side was extending his hand to the professor. Even so, the confusion of the decoys all playing with one another, and each pretending to be the real CourseMan, variously, had to be a little bit eye-crossing for anyone not playing very close attention.
--------------------
Back in the real world, Jenny was feeling a bit more comfortable, sitting beside her new friend now and glancing back and forth between her own PET, and May's.
"Thanks so much for helping out, May. I'm sorry I ended up dragging you into this, but I'm really just glad they managed to take care of everything without anyone getting hurt. It's a pity no-one could get a name, though." Now that the worst of her earlier fretting had subsided, she had settled back into a more comfortable tone of voice.
"It looks like they're almost done now, I guess. I think that means the job's just about done." surprisingly, she sighed. "Guess I'll be heading home again soon." A few seconds later she brightened up. "Hey... I'm sure you've got a lot of friends already, but, I'm going to really think about picking something up here... maybe we could stay in touch? You're really nice, and I think it'd be neat to hang out some time, you know, when I'm not trying to do sneaky things." She took a moment to look up and across to May, with a hopeful, though still slightly uncertain grin.
"I do understand the need for quiet, RaiderMan." He let the upbeat swagger drop from his voice this time, pausing by the door to answer before heading out. Instead, he used the pirate navi's name, rather than an affectation, and spoke softly. "You dislike my appearance, and perhaps you also dislike me, but please believe that you can trust me. Sometimes you have to give a little to get more back, but I promise that nothing I do will compromise in any way. I'll be back in a few moments, and we can wrap this up." When he finished, he stepped through without giving the other navi any chance to answer back. Maybe giving him a minute or two to think over some more seriously sincere words might help.
--------------------
As he passed outside, he managed to hide his surprise at finding CourtMan waiting for him on the other side. This was at least partly helped out by seeing the judicial navi from the perspective of his clone as they approached, a few seconds before making his entrance. In close proximity, handling one clone or even two was much easier for him, and it settled into a much more convincing and lifelike behaviour.
As the other navis and clone greeted each other, Courser himself returned an equal salute back at his clone, then winked at CourtMan as he turned about, grinning again.
"In a manner of speaking, friend. Something a bit more serious came up, I'm afraid." He shrugged in a vaguely helpless gesture, then his copy continued, talking on the Judge's other side.
"But I will say, I'm pretty much sold on getting my girl to pick up a course or two here!"
As the language professor, and then May herself offered some vastly more helpful words to CourtMan, CourseMan began to put the pieces together. Jenny had made a friend, and had been watching the mission. This was a navi belonging to one of the Weatherby children, whose family were the very patrons they were tyring to protect... and here he was instructed to stand guard.
He had an idea that might help alleviate the increasingly confused navi's state of mind. While CourseMan himself walked over to show the professor the original image, and get the profile updates, his decoy came the other way, strolling across to CourtMan instead.
"All a bit confusing, I know. Listen, I want to level with you, because I can tell you're an upstanding navi, and you're committed to proper action, justice, and fairness, am I right?" He paused, scratching at the back of his neck as though pondering what to say. As he did, Courser's temporary third decoy slipped out of the wall nearby, making the action as though cuffing the first clone on the back of the head gently.
"Don't stew on it man, just spit it out!"
"Alright, alright..." The two decoys exchanged looks for a moment, before the newest one shrugged and wandered over to see what Courser and the Professor were doing instead. The one talking to CourtMan continued.
"So, look, much as I did come to scout for my girl, I had another reason. Turns out, your May is actually one of the ones I'm here to protect. Reason I'm telling you now, though, is because I can see the whole situation causing a problem for anyone with a strong dedication to duty, and following all the rules, an' I don't want to put you in a hard spot."
As he spoke, the other decoy was standing on the other side of the Professor, watching with interest as he filled in the colour details that he could recall for the real courser.
"Huh, fancy lookin' little mite, isn't he? That does look about right, yeah. Wish I'd been able to get a better look at him myself." Courser glanced up at his double and smirked. "What're you saying, Capt'n? You weren't even there! It was just me an my wingman!" He gestured back over his shoulder at the clone talking to CourtMan, and the decoy had the grace to look a bit sheepish.
"You know what I mean, boss."
"Aye, but mind your tongue. Now... you were saying, professor?" The suitably chastised clone returned to harass the first decoy while Courser looked over the updated information.
"Well, it's not a name, or an operator ID, but it's a lot more than we had before. I wager if he's on any records or databases anywhere, that should be enough to pull a file on him, now. I think it's the best we'll manage, certainly. You've been a big help." He nodded and extended a hand to shake his thanks to the professor.
Over the other side, the first decoy was still trying to explain things carefully to CourtMan. The return of his buddy may or may not have been helping.
"I think this might explain a few things, first off... you've got May on open channel there? May I?" He made an open-handed gesture before speaking more towards where May's communication window had opened.
"Miss May? Is a girl called Jenny there with you, by any chance? It's the only thing I can think of to explain a few things." Provided the communication hadn't been shut down yet, Jenny's voice would be the next to answer.
"How'd you know that, Courser? Hey, wait... but you're... Oh nevermind. What's up?"
"Just making sure of something.... Now... CourtMan?" He turned his eyes back.
"There was a potential incident, that, if we had not nipped it in the bud firmly now, as we have, may have become an issue for May's family. It has been taken care of, and with the professor's help, we can make sure due justice is delivered to the one responsible, but, even though the issue was prevented, if the other girls, or especially May's parents found out, there might be unfair repercussions for the school." Courser paused as he gathered the right words to use. He was a smooth talker most of the time, sure, but excessive eloquence was not his strong point. How to clinch it? He took a breath.
"So, what I need to ask you is to consider May's actions today. She has helped us contain the issue; chooses, in fact, to help us keep it quiet and hidden from the others. Though I know I cannot speak for her, keeping this secret appears to be her choice for what is the right thing to do, just as I feel it is. I would ask your promise, if you'll give it, that you not break this confidence, not even to her parents, or for her own good, unless May herself chooses to do so. Can I ask that of you, CourtMan?"
His seriousness was interrupted by the other decoy leaning on his shoulder with a much more amused grin.
"Hurry it up, mate. The other one's almost at the hand-shaking bit!" He was clearly talking to the decoy, and not CourtMan, and true enough, it was about now that the CourseMan on the other side was extending his hand to the professor. Even so, the confusion of the decoys all playing with one another, and each pretending to be the real CourseMan, variously, had to be a little bit eye-crossing for anyone not playing very close attention.
--------------------
Back in the real world, Jenny was feeling a bit more comfortable, sitting beside her new friend now and glancing back and forth between her own PET, and May's.
"Thanks so much for helping out, May. I'm sorry I ended up dragging you into this, but I'm really just glad they managed to take care of everything without anyone getting hurt. It's a pity no-one could get a name, though." Now that the worst of her earlier fretting had subsided, she had settled back into a more comfortable tone of voice.
"It looks like they're almost done now, I guess. I think that means the job's just about done." surprisingly, she sighed. "Guess I'll be heading home again soon." A few seconds later she brightened up. "Hey... I'm sure you've got a lot of friends already, but, I'm going to really think about picking something up here... maybe we could stay in touch? You're really nice, and I think it'd be neat to hang out some time, you know, when I'm not trying to do sneaky things." She took a moment to look up and across to May, with a hopeful, though still slightly uncertain grin.
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RaiderMan looked like he was about to burst, but thankfully, CourseMan left before he could actually start said bursting.
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CourtMan listened to the explanation, though deep down, he couldn't say everything was completely cleared up to him. "It...makes more sense now. This isn't the first time someone's tried something to get a piece of the Weatherby fortune by shady methods. But to go so far as to ruin the integrity of some of the girls...that I shall not forgive easily!"
"Well, neither am I! But as much as I hate to say it, sometimes the truth hurts worse than a lie. And if Mom and Dad found this out, it'd ruin everything...I think we can sweep this whole mess under the rug, just this once. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I...very well. I suppose there really is little choice. But mark my words, should I ever come across the culprit...he will feel the wrath of justice through my Judgement Gavel!" He looked over at his large hammer hand, which was obviously twitching. If it wasn't for everyone else around him, he most certainly would've given it an angry swing.
Meanwhile, the teacher Navi accepted the handshake, and gave a nod. "Glad I could be of assistance. Though...may I give you un consejo? You may want to cut back on your body doubles a bit...you've shown me your sincerity through your actions, but some people would be all too eager to take it the wrong way."
"Not to mention it's quite confusing..." The judge Navi looked around, possibly still unsure which one was the real CourseMan, and which were clones...
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"Oh, no need to thank me. If anything, I oughta be the one thanking you for helping make sure I didn't get transferred! And don't worry about that Navi...if nothing else, he won't be showing up here again." Still, she didn't look too happy as she looked through the locked door one more time. "Too bad I never got to talk to Marcia before practice ended, though...oh well. Her loss."
"And, my gain!" She perked up at the idea of trading e-mail addresses. "You can't have too many friends! That's what I think, anyway. My e-mail address is...FutureOfJustice@NetMail.net! I know...certain people...think it's corny, but it's to the point, and I like it! Now, gimme yours, so I can register it!"
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CourtMan listened to the explanation, though deep down, he couldn't say everything was completely cleared up to him. "It...makes more sense now. This isn't the first time someone's tried something to get a piece of the Weatherby fortune by shady methods. But to go so far as to ruin the integrity of some of the girls...that I shall not forgive easily!"
"Well, neither am I! But as much as I hate to say it, sometimes the truth hurts worse than a lie. And if Mom and Dad found this out, it'd ruin everything...I think we can sweep this whole mess under the rug, just this once. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I...very well. I suppose there really is little choice. But mark my words, should I ever come across the culprit...he will feel the wrath of justice through my Judgement Gavel!" He looked over at his large hammer hand, which was obviously twitching. If it wasn't for everyone else around him, he most certainly would've given it an angry swing.
Meanwhile, the teacher Navi accepted the handshake, and gave a nod. "Glad I could be of assistance. Though...may I give you un consejo? You may want to cut back on your body doubles a bit...you've shown me your sincerity through your actions, but some people would be all too eager to take it the wrong way."
"Not to mention it's quite confusing..." The judge Navi looked around, possibly still unsure which one was the real CourseMan, and which were clones...
----------------------
"Oh, no need to thank me. If anything, I oughta be the one thanking you for helping make sure I didn't get transferred! And don't worry about that Navi...if nothing else, he won't be showing up here again." Still, she didn't look too happy as she looked through the locked door one more time. "Too bad I never got to talk to Marcia before practice ended, though...oh well. Her loss."
"And, my gain!" She perked up at the idea of trading e-mail addresses. "You can't have too many friends! That's what I think, anyway. My e-mail address is...FutureOfJustice@NetMail.net! I know...certain people...think it's corny, but it's to the point, and I like it! Now, gimme yours, so I can register it!"
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It was with a certain amount of relief that Courser nodded in turn to everyone present, as a group agreeing to keep the people who must not know, from ever knowing. In particular he was glad that CourtMan had acquiesced, though having his own operator on their side certainly helped. The clone nearest CourtMan grinned at him once the matter was clear.
"And you're welcome to do it, too, for a low-life like that... But, ah, if you do come across the blighter... do it quietly." He winked, still grinning, just as the professor offered his constructive advice about Courser's amusing antics. As he did, the two clones fell in on either side of the real CourseMan, leaning on his shoulders like causal friends.
"It's fair enough, you know, boss. I'd say we fair spin a few heads sometimes." The left one was glancing at his original with a small, well-meaning shrug. The other looked to the professor instead.
"He won't admit it, but you've got a point. Don't worry about the boss, though. 'sgot issues, he has. I tell you, if I was in control we'd run a much tighter ship."
"That's quite enough from both of you." CourseMan himself remained good-humoured, despite chastising his own clones. It could be seen as completely normal, in away, but only so long as one didn't realise, or elected to forget, that Courser himself was actively controlling and speaking for both of them, and the decoys actually had no life or personality of their own at all. He turned his focus to the professor as both clones quieted and simply watched him.
"Thankyou again. I think we're about wrapped up here now, with all of your help. Please don't allow me to keep either of you from your marking, or assisting your operator any longer. I'll be heading away too shortly, I suspect, since my work here is done." He glanced to either side, looking at his decoys, and snapped the fingers on one hand. The two shrugged and stepped away, slipping in unison into shadows on the walls to either side, and fading from sight. Well, the wall on one side, the locker-room door, by chance, in the case of the one on the other side. Either way, both clones were gone a moment later, leaving just Courser and the other two actual navis in the hall.
"Good evening to you both." He looked to each of them and bowed politely, making a small sweep of his coat as he did, then turned and began walking at a casual pace back towards the foyer that he'd arrived in.
====================
He did, however have one more small trick up his sleeve, at least. Rather than dispersing, the decoy that had shadow-faded into the door actually continued right on through, and turned to raise one finger to his lips very firmly to RaiderMan. As he did, the pirate navi received a text-only message from Courser, re-routed through the clone in the same manner as its speech would normally have been.
"The matter is resolved. As much information as can be, has been gathered, and those who have assisted have willingly bound themselves to ensuring that those who must know nothing of any of this, never do. They remain outside the locker-room, for now, however, and if you wish to remain covert yourself, I would advise remaining silent and not alerting them to your presence until they've gone. To avoid suspicion, I have departed the area in person, and will meet you in the foyer where we first met as soon as is convenient for you, so that I can hand over the rest of the information I have acquired to you."
Apparently CourseMan was much blunter and less flowery in his formalities when he wasn't speaking aloud. The decoy continued to hold the Pirate's eye for a moment longer, still maintaining the 'shh' gesture, before finally dissolving into shadows properly.
====================
Jenny, meanwhile, was pleased that the other girl seemed willing to keep in touch, and quickly noted down her address. She hesitated for a moment, though, after that was done, and began to blush softly.
"My address? Oh, it's um..." she mumbled something, her head dropping with embarrassment to the point that it was impossible to make out what she said. She seemed to realise this wouldn't cut it and tried again, but failed utterly to speak any more clearly, growing more and more crimson by the moment. At last she reached a hand out, offering to input it for May, and save herself the problem of saying it aloud. The address that May finally managed to get registered turned out to be "SexyJennyDreamGirl@DCLMail.net" Still blushing she managed to mumble again, clear enough to hear at least this time.
"I should really change it..."
As though to distract herself from the mortifying moment, Jenny stood and looked about, straightening her clothes again unconsciously.
"I should think about heading home... this was my first ever mission, you know, but I think making friends with you is a better reward than anything I might actually get out of it. I'll be sure to let you know if my parents like the idea of me picking up some extras here!" She thought for a moment about pulling Courser out, but he hadn't asked her to yet, so he might still be busy. Instead, she waved to May, apparently uncertain as to what level of goodbye was appropriate for a new friend who nevertheless seemed so nice... hand shaking was too formal, and a quick hug was too much, probably... Yeah, she settled on a small wave and a grin, then looked about, to begin heading back the way she came.
"And you're welcome to do it, too, for a low-life like that... But, ah, if you do come across the blighter... do it quietly." He winked, still grinning, just as the professor offered his constructive advice about Courser's amusing antics. As he did, the two clones fell in on either side of the real CourseMan, leaning on his shoulders like causal friends.
"It's fair enough, you know, boss. I'd say we fair spin a few heads sometimes." The left one was glancing at his original with a small, well-meaning shrug. The other looked to the professor instead.
"He won't admit it, but you've got a point. Don't worry about the boss, though. 'sgot issues, he has. I tell you, if I was in control we'd run a much tighter ship."
"That's quite enough from both of you." CourseMan himself remained good-humoured, despite chastising his own clones. It could be seen as completely normal, in away, but only so long as one didn't realise, or elected to forget, that Courser himself was actively controlling and speaking for both of them, and the decoys actually had no life or personality of their own at all. He turned his focus to the professor as both clones quieted and simply watched him.
"Thankyou again. I think we're about wrapped up here now, with all of your help. Please don't allow me to keep either of you from your marking, or assisting your operator any longer. I'll be heading away too shortly, I suspect, since my work here is done." He glanced to either side, looking at his decoys, and snapped the fingers on one hand. The two shrugged and stepped away, slipping in unison into shadows on the walls to either side, and fading from sight. Well, the wall on one side, the locker-room door, by chance, in the case of the one on the other side. Either way, both clones were gone a moment later, leaving just Courser and the other two actual navis in the hall.
"Good evening to you both." He looked to each of them and bowed politely, making a small sweep of his coat as he did, then turned and began walking at a casual pace back towards the foyer that he'd arrived in.
====================
He did, however have one more small trick up his sleeve, at least. Rather than dispersing, the decoy that had shadow-faded into the door actually continued right on through, and turned to raise one finger to his lips very firmly to RaiderMan. As he did, the pirate navi received a text-only message from Courser, re-routed through the clone in the same manner as its speech would normally have been.
"The matter is resolved. As much information as can be, has been gathered, and those who have assisted have willingly bound themselves to ensuring that those who must know nothing of any of this, never do. They remain outside the locker-room, for now, however, and if you wish to remain covert yourself, I would advise remaining silent and not alerting them to your presence until they've gone. To avoid suspicion, I have departed the area in person, and will meet you in the foyer where we first met as soon as is convenient for you, so that I can hand over the rest of the information I have acquired to you."
Apparently CourseMan was much blunter and less flowery in his formalities when he wasn't speaking aloud. The decoy continued to hold the Pirate's eye for a moment longer, still maintaining the 'shh' gesture, before finally dissolving into shadows properly.
====================
Jenny, meanwhile, was pleased that the other girl seemed willing to keep in touch, and quickly noted down her address. She hesitated for a moment, though, after that was done, and began to blush softly.
"My address? Oh, it's um..." she mumbled something, her head dropping with embarrassment to the point that it was impossible to make out what she said. She seemed to realise this wouldn't cut it and tried again, but failed utterly to speak any more clearly, growing more and more crimson by the moment. At last she reached a hand out, offering to input it for May, and save herself the problem of saying it aloud. The address that May finally managed to get registered turned out to be "SexyJennyDreamGirl@DCLMail.net" Still blushing she managed to mumble again, clear enough to hear at least this time.
"I should really change it..."
As though to distract herself from the mortifying moment, Jenny stood and looked about, straightening her clothes again unconsciously.
"I should think about heading home... this was my first ever mission, you know, but I think making friends with you is a better reward than anything I might actually get out of it. I'll be sure to let you know if my parents like the idea of me picking up some extras here!" She thought for a moment about pulling Courser out, but he hadn't asked her to yet, so he might still be busy. Instead, she waved to May, apparently uncertain as to what level of goodbye was appropriate for a new friend who nevertheless seemed so nice... hand shaking was too formal, and a quick hug was too much, probably... Yeah, she settled on a small wave and a grin, then looked about, to begin heading back the way she came.
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Both CourtMan and the NormalNavi looked at CourseMan blankly, then at themselves. They both probably realized the oddities of talking to yourself via clones. "...Well then. If this is all resolved, I'll head back to my room. Adiós, CourtMan. And it was un placer to meet you...er...sorry, I'm not great with names. But with any luck, we'll meet again soon enough, anyway." And so, the green Navi left.
"Well, if everyone else is happy with this resolution, I'll be on my way, as well! ...Is that all right, May?"
"Yeah, everything seems good. But really, you might as well jack out. Marcia'll be out here any minute, anyway."
"My apologies...so much happened tonight."
"What? It's not your fault. Now, come back here, okay?"
"As you wish!" The judge Navi turned back to CourseMan. His gaze was much sharper and less dazed now that he didn't have any fakes to deal with. "You take care!" And in a beam of white light, he was gone. For the first time the entire mission, the aquatic Navi was by himself.
====================
RaiderMan wasted no time in snatching up the message and reading it. If CourseMan was paying attention to him through the clone, he wasn't going to get much, as the pirate Navi gave off no expressions whatsoever. Once the clone was gone, he dissipated the message, and...jacked out? That was one way to leave without being noticed...
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May quickly raised a hand, to stop Jenny from speaking for a moment. "Wait just a sec." Her Navi returned to her PET...but he wasn't going to get any rest for the slightly weary. "CourtMan, bring up my contact list, will you? I'm gonna add Jenny!"
"As you wish!...It's up!"
"Thanks! All right Jenny, go ahead!" What she heard...wasn't much. Just some mumbling. "Uh, come again? I didn't catch any of that..." The second time proved to be no better. "Are you all right? You turned red all of a sudden...you're not sick, are you?" The other girl's motioning didn't fall on deaf eyes, at least, and she handed over her PET for input. "So, what's so bad that you can't say it?...Eh, I've seen worse. My best friend? Hers is just her name. She always said 'yeah, that's just what her dad gave her', but she never changes it...at least yours is interesting!"
"Well, if you gotta go...I guess Marcia'll be out soon anyway." For whatever reason, intentional or no, May elected to ignore the part about making a new friend. "Take care, and I hope you'll come back sometime! As a student, that is, and not...well, you know..."
====================
Meanwhile, once CourseMan reached the foyer, he'd find RaiderMan waiting for him. Most likely, he jacked out, then immediately back in to the school's entrance.
"Well, if everyone else is happy with this resolution, I'll be on my way, as well! ...Is that all right, May?"
"Yeah, everything seems good. But really, you might as well jack out. Marcia'll be out here any minute, anyway."
"My apologies...so much happened tonight."
"What? It's not your fault. Now, come back here, okay?"
"As you wish!" The judge Navi turned back to CourseMan. His gaze was much sharper and less dazed now that he didn't have any fakes to deal with. "You take care!" And in a beam of white light, he was gone. For the first time the entire mission, the aquatic Navi was by himself.
====================
RaiderMan wasted no time in snatching up the message and reading it. If CourseMan was paying attention to him through the clone, he wasn't going to get much, as the pirate Navi gave off no expressions whatsoever. Once the clone was gone, he dissipated the message, and...jacked out? That was one way to leave without being noticed...
====================
May quickly raised a hand, to stop Jenny from speaking for a moment. "Wait just a sec." Her Navi returned to her PET...but he wasn't going to get any rest for the slightly weary. "CourtMan, bring up my contact list, will you? I'm gonna add Jenny!"
"As you wish!...It's up!"
"Thanks! All right Jenny, go ahead!" What she heard...wasn't much. Just some mumbling. "Uh, come again? I didn't catch any of that..." The second time proved to be no better. "Are you all right? You turned red all of a sudden...you're not sick, are you?" The other girl's motioning didn't fall on deaf eyes, at least, and she handed over her PET for input. "So, what's so bad that you can't say it?...Eh, I've seen worse. My best friend? Hers is just her name. She always said 'yeah, that's just what her dad gave her', but she never changes it...at least yours is interesting!"
"Well, if you gotta go...I guess Marcia'll be out soon anyway." For whatever reason, intentional or no, May elected to ignore the part about making a new friend. "Take care, and I hope you'll come back sometime! As a student, that is, and not...well, you know..."
====================
Meanwhile, once CourseMan reached the foyer, he'd find RaiderMan waiting for him. Most likely, he jacked out, then immediately back in to the school's entrance.
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Finally with all his attention on a single place, the trip back to the entrance hall went quickly and without incident for CourseMan. RaiderMan was already waiting for him and he realised that the other navi must simply have taken the shorter, faster, safer and altogether smarter path of simply jacking out and then in again. He wondered briefly why it hadn't occurred to him to do so as well, but wrote it off as simply one of those tricks he'd need to get used to. He had, after all, only been around for a couple of weeks.
He approached the pirate quickly, offering him a casual half salute, but rather than make any sort of apology or explanation, jumped straight to the business end of matters. Given how little the other navi seemed to care for his presence, it really seemed like the smartest move at this point.
"Right. Everyone's dealt with, and none the wiser for it. Far as anything official goes, neither of us were ever here. Here's what I've got for you." He held out one hand to his employer for the night, holding a small data crystal that was clear and reflective, looking something like a small diamond.
"It's cache footage of the navi we met, including him owning to his own plans. Given the box got destroyed, something like that ought to be useful once the authorities can lay hands on him. Lights no good in the footage, so all it gets is about what you and I saw of him, but one of the others I spoke to had met the navi before, and was able to fill in some more of his profile data for us. It's attached to the recording as a still-frame with extra data layers. That's all I could get, aside confirming that the navi, at least, has no contact or affiliation with the school itself." He hadn't quite meant for his tone to come out as gruff as it did, but he realised that he was actually growing rather weary of the angry pirate's constant dissatisfaction with his every move. He complained too much and showed appreciation too little, stress or not.
"Now. Is there anything else you'd like to ask of me tonight?"
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Interesting wasn't quite the word Jenny would have used to describe her embarrassingly pre-teen email address, and she reminded herself again that she really needed to get a more formal, mature one, for proving that she was a mature young woman now. At any rate, the moment had passed, and the two girls each had the other's contact details safely recorded and mercifully out of sight again, in Jenny's case.
In the end she managed to promise to write soon and offered another wave and grin as she headed for the front doors again. By the time she stepped through the doors and back out into the exceptionally brisk night air, she was checking her PET to see if her own navi was ready to pull out and head home yet.
He approached the pirate quickly, offering him a casual half salute, but rather than make any sort of apology or explanation, jumped straight to the business end of matters. Given how little the other navi seemed to care for his presence, it really seemed like the smartest move at this point.
"Right. Everyone's dealt with, and none the wiser for it. Far as anything official goes, neither of us were ever here. Here's what I've got for you." He held out one hand to his employer for the night, holding a small data crystal that was clear and reflective, looking something like a small diamond.
"It's cache footage of the navi we met, including him owning to his own plans. Given the box got destroyed, something like that ought to be useful once the authorities can lay hands on him. Lights no good in the footage, so all it gets is about what you and I saw of him, but one of the others I spoke to had met the navi before, and was able to fill in some more of his profile data for us. It's attached to the recording as a still-frame with extra data layers. That's all I could get, aside confirming that the navi, at least, has no contact or affiliation with the school itself." He hadn't quite meant for his tone to come out as gruff as it did, but he realised that he was actually growing rather weary of the angry pirate's constant dissatisfaction with his every move. He complained too much and showed appreciation too little, stress or not.
"Now. Is there anything else you'd like to ask of me tonight?"
===========
Interesting wasn't quite the word Jenny would have used to describe her embarrassingly pre-teen email address, and she reminded herself again that she really needed to get a more formal, mature one, for proving that she was a mature young woman now. At any rate, the moment had passed, and the two girls each had the other's contact details safely recorded and mercifully out of sight again, in Jenny's case.
In the end she managed to promise to write soon and offered another wave and grin as she headed for the front doors again. By the time she stepped through the doors and back out into the exceptionally brisk night air, she was checking her PET to see if her own navi was ready to pull out and head home yet.
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The pirate Navi snatched the data crystal, then got an unnaturally glazed look in his eyes. He was probably checking it out for himself. Once he was finished, his gaze returned to usual...though CourseMan probably would've been fine if it hadn't, based on history. He didn't make any movement for a moment, until he finally spoke. "Not bad, not bad. Perhaps yer not as bad a first mate as I first thought! Aside from the whole telling other Navis about the mission, anyway. But this should be plenty good enough. I'll deliver this, and yer now off duty, far as I'm concerned. I'll have yer treasure sent over to the GNA by the time ye ask fer it!" And without even a goodbye, RaiderMan jacked out. Friendly to the end.
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All things considered, that was probably about as much as he could have expected from the pirate navi. Maybe the requirement to be surly and offensive was integral to his code in some way? No matter. They were done here, and that was what counted. With a last glance around, Courser nodded to himself, then opened his channel to Jenny.
"Jenny? Ready to come out now. We're finished, it seems." the voice that greeted him was accompanied by no small amount of mic interference from wind sheer.
"Great, it's gotten even colder out her and I can't wait to get home now. Out you come then!" Shadows began to pool about Courser's feet and he stepped back towards the nearest wall, the darkness rising to envelope his form as the PET reclaimed him.
==========
As they made their way home again, Jenny spent some time reviewing everything that had happened. If nothing else, it was a distraction from how self-conscious she was beginning to feel, dressed as she was, on public transport, late on a Friday night, alone. She frowned briefly, glancing down at the screen again.
"So, if that was the mission... what happens now?"
"How are you meaning, Jen? Go home, nice cup of tea?" From inside the PET, courser was practising splitting his shadows, again and again, and maintaining as many separate copies of himself as he could, and his voice sounded distinctly distracted. His operator bit her lip.
"I mean, we did the work, but the employer didn't actually pay you, or anything."
"Hm? Oh, oh, right. Sometimes the employer will, yeah, but most of the time, since the mission was handled through the GNA, they also deal with delivery of payment. I'll shoot them a message once we get back, if you like. Once RaiderMan, or his operator, have confirmed that we did as needed, they should dispense the payment to us." There was the sound of Couser letting out a firm breath, all his clones collapsing back into one again. "Whew. Now, if I could teach them each to play an instrument, I could start my own band." There was a brief moment of dry laughter. "I'll sort it out once we get in, Jen, you just worry about getting warmed up again and comfortable, alright?"
"Are you teasing me again?" She grinned at the screen and was rewarded with a slightly confused look from her navi. He was very pretty when he was befuddled.
"What? ... What?" Jenny only giggled in response.
((CourseMan Jacked out, and returning to -> A Suburban Two-Story))
"Jenny? Ready to come out now. We're finished, it seems." the voice that greeted him was accompanied by no small amount of mic interference from wind sheer.
"Great, it's gotten even colder out her and I can't wait to get home now. Out you come then!" Shadows began to pool about Courser's feet and he stepped back towards the nearest wall, the darkness rising to envelope his form as the PET reclaimed him.
==========
As they made their way home again, Jenny spent some time reviewing everything that had happened. If nothing else, it was a distraction from how self-conscious she was beginning to feel, dressed as she was, on public transport, late on a Friday night, alone. She frowned briefly, glancing down at the screen again.
"So, if that was the mission... what happens now?"
"How are you meaning, Jen? Go home, nice cup of tea?" From inside the PET, courser was practising splitting his shadows, again and again, and maintaining as many separate copies of himself as he could, and his voice sounded distinctly distracted. His operator bit her lip.
"I mean, we did the work, but the employer didn't actually pay you, or anything."
"Hm? Oh, oh, right. Sometimes the employer will, yeah, but most of the time, since the mission was handled through the GNA, they also deal with delivery of payment. I'll shoot them a message once we get back, if you like. Once RaiderMan, or his operator, have confirmed that we did as needed, they should dispense the payment to us." There was the sound of Couser letting out a firm breath, all his clones collapsing back into one again. "Whew. Now, if I could teach them each to play an instrument, I could start my own band." There was a brief moment of dry laughter. "I'll sort it out once we get in, Jen, you just worry about getting warmed up again and comfortable, alright?"
"Are you teasing me again?" She grinned at the screen and was rewarded with a slightly confused look from her navi. He was very pretty when he was befuddled.
"What? ... What?" Jenny only giggled in response.
((CourseMan Jacked out, and returning to -> A Suburban Two-Story))