Another Day Older, Deeper in Debt [Rita/Lukas]

THE CITY OF LIGHT
The dreams were keeping him up at night, now.

They had started when he first started solitary, way-back-when. They were bad back then - he'd go days without sleeping, or however long it truly was. In a box with no light, it was hard to tell.

The dream was not pleasant.

Lukas was there, again. Ohio. A moon hanging low on a vibrant night sky, streetlights dim amidst narrow alleys. A quiet night, peaceful in its simplicity. A blinding glare of blue, and it was gone. He'd turn then, in this dream, and see his arm, a wretched glowing thing. The memory was sweet, the last lives he had taken. An addiction no easily curbed, the memories helped; but the dream did not.

The glowing, gnarled hand would do as it always did, rising up to clutch his neck, and squeeze. At first, he'd convince himself: "It's my arm, I can control it before it gets too bad." Then tighter. Ever tighter. Sometimes, it'd be merciful and he'd wake up in a cold sweat, arm aching from shoulder to finger. Other nights, he'd awake after some time, his own hand tight around the throat.

So sometimes it felt safer to not sleep.

The day following, somehow so much rougher than the night before. Someone he wanted to talk to, and little in the ways of finding them; the time was running out, as the sun began to set. Yet the city of lights remained bright as ever. Sleep deprived and irate, Lukas had been running himself ragged for the past several hours. One end of the city to the other, repeating ad nauseam. As a stroke of luck would have it, his search would be cut short as many do. Chance.

A step too fast around the corner, the clattering of miscellaneous materials. Silver strands a curtain swaying in uncertain winds as he'd find his bearings, pulling it back to reveal his face as he attempted to stand. "Sorry, I di-" barely made it out of his mouth, a hand instead reaching out to help the woman up. "Are you Gracen?"

The day was spent doing contracts and handling business. In the mind of Rita Grace, there was too much she had to handle at this point and she was honestly considering cutting down on outsourcing them to other people. Having to manage people, keep track of her land/real estate, maintain her social media presence and provide value in the world through the services her power/abilities allowed her was tiring shit. So, of course, she'd naturally be somewhat exhausted running through the day, and her venture into the City Of Lights was no different.

Most of the day had been spent training a Quincy who had deserved to improve their strength through her Asset Aura, and she had no issues venturing out to spend time with them, understand the depths of their character, desires, and plans to better weave together her powers to empower them at a cost. With proper clearance into the city, this woman nursed the male Quincy into a higher state of power after a fat stack of money was given, and she herself was exhausted from the ordeal.

So, she was maneuvering her way through the city, a bit exhausted from having to use a fair deal of her powers, and was about to find herself a cart of food before the full force of a grown adult slammed into her and knocked her on the ground. Not sensing much malice, her combat instinct didn't kick in, but she was quick to jump to her feet to asset the situation as the teal eyes of the Rita gazed at the steel stare of Lukas.

"Rita Grace? Yeah, that's me, who wants to know?"

With a smirk on her face, she dusted herself off and shook the man's hand.

"And I guess we both look exhausted to hell and back, eh?"

THE CITY OF LIGHT
"Yeah, that's- yeah, definitely." the man half muttered, tying back his hair. "I had heard you were in town, Frau Gracen. Spent some time looking for you." he'd nod forward, eyes motioning to the trailing sun.

"I won't waste your time," Lukas would cut to it, lifting his left to face the light. Twin quincy crosses slid with white, fashioned atop the sanrei binding. One larger, it bound to his shoulder, the other spanning his wrist. The motion of reishi around it was still, lifeless.

"You must've heard about what happened. Long story short, I responded, and the reishi I burned through fucked me up." Fingers would clasp open and closed, before tightening into a fist. The spurn of light sparked from the cross, puttering into a small edge pushing off the branches. For a second, he'd hold the energy, visible annoyance and stress as his jaw tightened.

"As you can see-" he continued, his hand relaxing as the energy dissipated, "I can't manifest my spirit weapon." Lukas' eyes locked with the woman's, the arm dropping quietly to his side.

"Think you could help?"

"Ah, well, at least you have balls steel. And it hurts to be brave. So that's why people like me are here to fix the aftermath of shit like this."

Gruff and rough as ever, Rita examined his hand that dropped to Lukas's side as she started to ponder how exactly, to begin with, the process of helping this male. The Quincy as a whole was a bit more complex for her to handle given the strict nature of their abilities, but they can be worked with. Regardless, he needed some reishi or energy to manifest his powers, which was straightforward enough. So, after rubbing her chin, Rita nodded her head and spoke again.

"There is no doubt in my mind I can help. You Quincy have complex bodies, but it's not beyond my power's reach. However, for my ability to work, I will first need your verbal consent. Otherwise, I have no power over you."

Chipper as can be, the woman seemed to be maneuvering in her pockets with a reassuring hum before pulling a metallic device. When out, the device projected an image of the human body and scanned the likes of Lukas as his current blood pressure, heart rate, reishi/reaitsu/energy, and all his other health statuses appeared on a silver holographic screen. So naturally, she needed to understand the make-up of his body and deal with such sensitive data; the woman was all about confidentiality.

"And don't worry, all this information will be erased from my device if you wish. Or, I can save the data if you need my services again in the future. But as we proceed forward, I will need you to do everything in your power to best describe your abilities, your body, and anything I should be aware of before my powers can begin to comprehend how even to help you. So, I'll need you to be clear about your goal."

Now with everything laid out on the table, the bill's price would need to be discussed. So, taking a moment to ponder, she carried forth:

"As for payment? You can, of course, give me money, but I can also use a helping hand. Not sure if you are still on parole, but I research my clients, and from the sounds of it, you could use someone to testify further for you, given your criminal past. Don't worry; I will not have you do anything illegal if you decide to take me up on your offer. I want to be as clear as possible before we have any professional relationship or otherwise."

THE CITY OF LIGHT
The woman was a verbal machine gun, a modern marvel. Lukas replied to her initially, "Yes. I consent." - caught in his own sleepless stupor as she continued. More information than he was ready to process at the moment, still somewhat dazed by the initial, nearly miraculous, encounter. He'd stand there, blinking in succession before shaking his head. A sputtering of half muttered nonsense later, and the man would speak, plainly as it was tired.

"Look, uh, maybe let's not-" Lukas gestured around them, to the very open and public street, "- do this in public? I know a place not far from here." A thumb pointed over his shoulder, gesturing with a nod. If she'd follow, he'd turn around, leading the way.

It was a small bar, a small tv hanging under dingy lights and stained seats. To the end, a pair of booths sat, but it was empty all except the barkeep. Lukas nodded as they'd enter, gesturing Rita forward as he went to the bar. An exchange later, and he'd approach the booth, placing a bottle on either side. A piss basic lager, nothing fancy.

"So, you're saying you'd do it for.... A favor?" The man sat down, the clink of the bottlecap underneath his grip, hissing carbonation. "I'm not the most liquid with assets, currently." Not the exact truth, as he took a swig from the bottle. Lukas did have money, a fairly wealthy inheritance, if it weren't for the legal paperwork and accusations of patricide that barred his entry. But that's not going to help me, is it?

"Let's talk about what that means, before we start." he'd lock eyes with Rita, leaning onto the table. "I'd appreciate if you could keep my past away from it."

"You are the client, tell me what to do, and I'll do it to the best of my ability."

Whatever her client wanted, they got. So, after making a motion with her hands to zip her mouth, Rita nodded her head and decided to follow Lukas to the bar nearby. If anything, it was a welcoming sight, and she'd pay for both of their meals as the woman had an appetite after running around conducting business all day.

"If you want, I can cover all the charges. My treat."

With a clap of her hands, she seemed chipper to have something delicious. So when the lager hit her hands, she wasted no time guzzling it down. Rita was a woman who had no issues doing drugs for fun, so the sensation of alcohol buzzing down her throat was welcomed. So, as she heard him speak about his liquid assets, the proposal she had in mind may be more affordable after all. Unfortunately, though, he seemed more serious regarding his past. When hearing that line, Rita's teal eyes looked back to her client, and she'd promptly respond.

"I'm an open book, so ask anything you want. If you want your past away from it, I can forget it ever occurred if you want. I'm not accustomed to screwing over the people who pay for my services or work for me. Never ends well for people."

After speaking, the woman chuckled and decided to wave down a server to cook herself up some chicken fingers, fries, and a thick serving of honey mustard to cleanse her tongue. Then, with a wink of her eyes, she'd carry forth:

"So we can talk about what it means, but let me know if you are hungry for something tasty while we discuss our arrangement."

THE CITY OF LIGHT
The man would do his best to hide his immediate frustration. Dancing around something never felt right - a distraction to the point. "What is it that you want from me in return?" he cut to the chase, eyes widening with the statement. He'd wave off any mention of food or extra drink, nursing the bottle throughout whatever conversation they'd make.

"We can go around in circles with 'whatever' you provide, but I need to know what it is you want. I'm not someone that enjoys debt, especially if it's...." Lukas' hand circled in the air as he seemed to search for the word, head tilting towards the table with closed eyes. "...nebulous, let's say." He'd look back up to the woman, jabbing an opposite thumb back to his left arm.

"Once that's settled, we'll go over this." He was aware enough of who the woman across from him was. Of what she could do. It didn't do well enough to assuage the paranoid delusions of a man consumed by insomnia, but it kept him pushing. Hopefully, he wouldn't fuck himself over.

After putting a few chicken tenders in her mouth, the woman let out a content sigh as she liked the meat's rich texture, the mustard's tangy taste, and the cool refreshment of the booze down her throat. It made the woman come to life as more energy flowed within her being, and a glow of teal light flowed across her body, cooling the area as her eyes locked back with Lukas.

"Perhaps you can be a temporary worker for me. If you want me to be clear, your work may last just a few months, and I'd also compensate you. I want to network with more people, ally myself with others, and have people I can lean on if I need safety, manpower, or a chance to refer my services to others you know."

Rita would then hand him a paper and pen. When she did that, her head would nod, and she spoke again.

"If you want things to be nebulous, I won't have you do anything that would put your life in danger. But, on the other hand, even if you are bodyguarding or doing muscle work, if you feel something can turn lethal, you are more than welcome to abandon your post. So you can write things you don't want to do with this contract if you are interested in following up with me."

Now leaning back in her chair, she'd ponder for a moment and then speak.

"I understand being nervous, uncertain, or not trusting of people in this world. And there is no assurance that I'm not some scam artist ready to stab you in the back, but I can say as someone who struggled so long alone in the slums of this planet that you will need someone. No one is an island, you seem to hurt, and I do like helping people as we humans and Quincy need to stick together personally."

THE CITY OF LIGHT
"Temporary worker." Lukas parroted, maintaining his stare. The connotation didn't feel pleasant on his tongue, strained. Odd jobs weren't new to him, in concept. You made do with what you had to on long stakeouts, blending in with whatever environment presented itself - but that felt more like a memory than reality.

The man's knuckles would rap against the table as his stare slipped off the woman, into the distance. Into nothing. Considering everything at his disposal, her conditions seemed well enough, for now. There had to be a catch, that Lukas was certain - but his paranoia would go unanswered. "Okay then."

He'd lean back, his left arm extending to shake. "I'll work for you, you help me get working." The opposite was scribbling away, having snatched at the pen without so much as a side-glance. Lukas didn't have many conditions for his employ, rather lacking of scrupulous moral values. Simply put:

'If I need to fight something, you let me go.'

Selfish as it were.

Well, there was a specific tone and vibe that Lukas was giving off. To her, while he had no idea what Rita was thinking, the male seemed more in deep thought to better understand what he was getting into. After taking a swig of her rum n' coke that was delivered to her table, the woman let the burning feeling of her drink hit her chest as she let him contemplate things. But, of course, she couldn't blame him as she'd do the same to ensure she wasn't getting fucked over. And while he couldn't read her mind, he was fortunate not to deal with someone looking to screw someone over.

After taking back the paper, Rita gave a nod of her head as she was okay with the arrangement so far.

"Sounds like we have a deal then."

Now clapping her hands together, a sense of excitement washed over the woman's face as this was the fun part. Well, maybe not so much for him. He'd have a lot of explaining to do. Nevertheless, an aura of ember blue energy flowed over the woman's hands as she wiggled each of her fingers like worms.

"You don't like to waste time, so I'll give you a choice: we can either get to the nitty gritty in this bar, or we can pack up the show and go somewhere more remote or to a place of your choosing. And I somehow doubt you'll want your entire business of how your body and powers work blurted out in a joint like this."