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[river_meimei]

Moon Base Station is, apart from certain restricted-access sectors, built for tourism. Some tourists, like Duo, are just killing time during a layover; others come here, to the cheap hotels or the expensive ones with a real-time video view of Earth, to spend their whole vacation within the base's walls.

There's a casino area somewhere not too far away, but River and Duo have opted for one of the more family-friendly bits instead. It's a shopping area, full of glittering storefronts and small food-court nooks, with an intricately tiled floor and fountains every few dozen meters. Tiny potted trees show off the station's opulence -- this is space, after all, where trees are hard to come by.

River's already found herself cotton candy somewhere.

Comments

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo would really like to throw his hands up in the air and swear a lot, but that would attract more attention than he wants.

"This plan is already not going smooth. We were just supposed to have a few hours of fun before I caught the red-eye back home!"

Insert more stifled gesticulating here.

"River, I know you're awesome. But this is my world! I brought you here, and I'm responsible for getting you back safe!"

[river_meimei]

"No," River says, gently. "I am."

Beat.

"You're my friend. It's in the reciprocities."

[maxwellsdemon02]

They do not have time to stand here and argue about this. She's not going to go of her own free will. And if he ditched her, she'd either get lost, or follow him without him knowing. Neither of those options appeal.

"All right. Fine. But if you stay, you do exactly like I tell you, okay? I have to play this by the book, as much as I can."

[river_meimei]

"Got paperwork."

River's still steadier and more serious than her usual wont. But this comment is, if anything, faintly sympathetic.

"Okay. He's on point and intel."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Good. Okay." Maybe something will go right tonight, then. "I need to get back to the counter I left my case at. Wait here, and if he leaves, don't follow. Wait until I get back and tell me which way he went. I'll be right back."

Duo starts off at a quick trot down the hall, looking purposeful but unconcerned. It's a good act.

He doesn't look behind him.

[river_meimei]

River watches him go for a moment, her face still and listening.

Then she turns back to the holographic wall, tracing a finger slowly along one light display. When the touch yields only wallpaper, she drifts across the hallway to the other wall, where a series of photos of the Earth from space is more traditionally framed.

River can occupy herself for quite a while, looking at things like this. (Looking at anything, really. But with some things, she can be pretty sure other people will find them plausibly distracting.)

[maxwellsdemon02]

It isn't very long after that Duo returns, up some weaponry, zip ties, and other such useful gear. Or at least, useful when you want to apprehend someone. The cut of his suit thankfully hides his shoulder holster, even though he is pretty skinny.

"He still there?"

As soon as he asks, Dario Nove steps out of the casino and heads down the hall. Duo slants River a dry look.

[river_meimei]

"Yes," says River peacefully, overlapping Nove's exit, and returns Duo's glance in kind. Delicately, she touches the frame of the picture she's looking at.

Are you going to share any of that gear when Nove's not looking, Duo, or does she get to stick to punching people out?

[maxwellsdemon02]

He might, when they are not standing in the hall. Tipping his head at River, he also offers her his arm again. A couple wandering down the hall is much less suspicious than two people following you.

"I want to see where he's going," Duo says, not quite whispering in her ear.

[river_meimei]

River cocks her head as if listening to the air around them (but then, there's discreet music piped into these hallways, after all), while she lets Duo steer them down the hall. Her hand rests comfortably and absentmindedly inside his elbow.

"Got an appointment," she says, just a little dreamy. Her eyes slide to Duo, though her head doesn't turn. "He's not fashed."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Interesting," Duo says, barely sparing a second to think that River is reading this guy's mind. He's really been at Milliways too long.

He passes River a small stun gun with his other hand, beneath their linked arms.

"Why don't we see just who he's meeting up with?"

[river_meimei]

The fact that River's fancy ballgown has pockets concealed among its ruffles might be a testimony to its designer's practicality. But it's probably a testimony to the fact that she lives with space pirates, instead.

Either way: the gun rapidly disappears.

"It's a party," she agrees, while Nove heads through a maintenance door.

He doesn't glance at them; he's doing a pretty good job of looking as if he belongs and knows exactly where he's going, and scanning hallways doesn't mix terribly well with that.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo raises one eyebrow. "Tsk, tsk. Someone's being naughty. That's a restricted area."

It's also apparently a locked area. Duo frowns. This door needs a key card to get through, and that means Nove isn't just having a clandestine meeting here; he's got someone on the inside that can get him access.

"Keep an eye on the hall," he says, and starts trying to pop the wall panel off to get at the inside of the lock.

[river_meimei]

"Two eyes."

This apparently is an affirmative.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Wise guy," Duo says, slurring a little around the screwdriver clenched in his teeth. Another few moments and his codepicker starts ticking away, cheerily searching for the correct signal to unlock the door.

[river_meimei]

River gives him a tolerant face. He's still looking at the codepicker, though, and she's making the face at the hallway anyway, so he'll have to guess at it.

[maxwellsdemon02]

He probably does.

A minute or two later, the light on the lock panel flicks to green, and Duo pushes the door open without a word.

[river_meimei]

The Preventer crosses the doorway, and the gunslinger follows.



Into, well, a maintenance hallway. It's unremarkable, grey-painted, and a good deal narrower than the hallwey they just left.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Cheery," Duo remarks in a quiet undertone. There's only one way to go, from here. Straight it is.

He pulls his gun from his holster, though. No telling where this leads.

[river_meimei]

River follows suit, holding the stun gun comfortably at her side, half-hidden among the purple ruffles.

Some distance along, there's another maintenance door, though the hallway continues beyond. River cocks a thoughtful look at it.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo glances at her, then at the door. Then he quashes a thought about how nice it would be to have River along on missions.

"This way?"

[river_meimei]

"It's a collection," River says to the door, still looking at it as if it might answer back.

That sounds like a yes.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo raises an eyebrow. A collection of what? Well, only one way to find out.

He squirts the hinges of the door with a little grease, just in case. No sense in announcing themselves before they want to be introduced.

He pushes the door open a crack, and slips through. He holds it for River, then lets it shut gently behind them.

[river_meimei]

River doesn't react to the idea of carrying around hinge oil on a routine layover. It's as if she hangs out with people of dubious legality, or something!

She just slips through the door, silent in her stompy boots -- they're better for that purpose than you'd think, when they're rubber-soled and well broken in -- and flicks a scanning glance across the room beyond.

And the room below. They're on a balcony.

[maxwellsdemon02]

The balcony goes all around the room below. Duo immediately crouches, motioning for River to do the same, if she hasn't already.

She wasn't kidding, either. It is a collection. Seems like Mr. Nove was on his way to a meeting. Duo counts at least five people on the Preventer wanted list. (If not 'Most Wanted' then 'Definitely Wanted'.)