<Jin Li>
::he noticed that he had scored a bit on Rio, though he was neither amused by this scoring nor felt even a twinge of regret for saying it. He just, very briefly, hoped it hadn't scored deeply, though he was glad she seemed to recover from the comment fairly swiftly.::

::when she pinned him with her look, he met her eyes easily and did not try to turn away from it or shift his own gaze slightly to the side. as he listened to her words, he started to smile lopsidedly - a wry acknowledgment of her joke about 'scruffy'. But as she continued, his expression slipped into something carefully neutral, so as not to antagonize her as thoughts and reactions rolled through him.::

::when she was finished making her point to him, Jin didn't react obviously for several seconds, as he mulled over exactly how he would react to her. and then he raised his eyebrows to suggest, "Don't you think that was a touch too far...?"::

::but then he bowed, slightly. an acknowledgment of respect:: Rio, ::he addressed her as such out of respect as well. that was what she'd asked him to call her, so even if he knew her true last name (his mun forgets, sorry. >_>) he wouldn't have addressed her as such anyway. she had, after all, made a point about her position in the NSK, which further called for her to be addressed as "Rio":: If you believe you will slip into the role, then I will of course not ask you to show me your capability. ::he was very formal in tone, especially for Jin Li. but no negative emotions colored his voice.::

::he paused and looked her in the eye, directly. his expression wasn't remotely challenging. he was, in fact, trying to silently reassure her of his lack of interest in taking control of the mission.::

::he did not answer, "That is fine with me." or any variant. answering her in that way would have felt like too weak of a response. And while he did not want to challenge her, he also did not want her to regard him as weak.::

<Rio>
::She knew it was a little too much, but for some reason she said it anyway. For some reason, Rio was fine without serving everything in the right amounts, or with being "too much" in front of Jin. She might have had a little feeling one gets that automatically decides to what extent you act around a person, that permitted her less monitored behavior. Who knows. But whatever it was, it meant she was comfortable around Jin, during a mission working with Jin, and not nervous and giggly like other girls may have been.::

::So what I mean to say is, Rio didn't care. At least to enough of an extent that allowed her not to exactly worry about what Jin thought of her. She took care of her own way of handling things, and that was all she needed, was it not? ((I'm not asking that as a real question to ponder, take it as characteristic in-character musing. XD))::

Isn't that just like you actors, ::she remarked anyway, though it wasn't a scathing comment, if anything it was "sweet and sour" of a sort.:: You really find it difficult to be convinced of anyone's capabilities other than your own.

::She had moved to crouch down and position herself properly behind the gun, peering through the scope and adjusting the magnification and various other fine tuning mechanisms. It was all done with some degree of casual efficiency when coupled with the way she spoke, affectionate, off-handed and without remorse. XD::

<Jin Li>
::though 'nervous and giggly' from someone holding a gun like that would have been interesting, it was more probable that Jin Li would have been quite frightened of the potential proceedings and would have demanded the mission be called off. XD Bwhaha::

::But her sense of ease in his presence did speak to him on a subconscious level and he relaxed slightly in response to it::

::in reaction to Rio's comment, he smiled slowly:: Isn't it just like you action-hero types, ::he asked cheerfully, taking a seat on the opposite bed so he could watch her a few moments without having to be across the room:: Always worried that if you don't throw back your shoulders, suck in your stomach, and keep a stiff upper lip, you'll lose face. ::he said this half-laughing. at himself, even. as he considered himself at least loosely within that same area he was mocking.::

::he paused a moment, then added:: Are you related to Duchess, by any chance? Because you both are very good at being very scary. ::brightly. he means this, but not in a way that indicates he is actually terrorized. more like, "I am awed and afraid of what power I see." at least, closer to that. XD::

<le Placeholder>

((OOC: leaving a message here, i dont think i'll be able to make a post tonight x______x i just finished up and i am going to die tomorrow cause i have to wake up at 6 and it's already almost 2am. x___x so, sorry i cant make a post tonight but i will as soon as I get a spare moment at work. XD; <333 ::goestobedx_x:: ))

(((OOC: No worries, dearling. <3 I ran out of time before work this morning to post anyway. XD;;;

We'll resume when you have some leisure time. XD Hopefully tonight. (Well, my-tonight!) <33)))

<Rio>
::Rio paused - or finished - in her adjusting, to drop one hand to the ground and turn to face Jin. As he had been speaking, a smile grew on her calm countenance in relation to the increasing, smug amusement she couldn't help but notice she was feeling with the more he said. Eventually, she had a chance to respond. She was still smiling, it showed up as a small curve at the corners of her mouth.::

Is that so? ::She replied, with innocence:: I've always wondered about those action-hero types myself. They sound a lot like you, don't they? I'll bet to say that it only applies because when you lose face - and I'm sure there are more occasions of those than you'll care to admit to ;3 - you'll be sulking for a week.

::It sounded harsh, but the way that Rio delivered her verbal abuse was still with some kind of vicious affection. I'm not sure how else to describe it XD.::

And just between you and me? ::She narrowed her eyes at Jin to make up for the fact that she couldn't lean in close to him at that moment, to complete the effect. She still uttered the second half of her line in the half-whisper it was intended.:: I'm not worried.

::At Jin's Duchess comment, she smirked again, saying jokingly::

Why, are you scared?

<Jin Li>
::watching Rio's increasing amusement only served to make Jin Li feel more comfortable with Rio. if she had no sense of humor, he wasn't sure he'd get along with her. She was too scary otherwise. XD Just as Duchess would be utterly terrifying without her dry, British sense of humor. Though the black humor she sometimes showed was also scary... and the reason Jin Li did not often stick around when talking to Duchess... Anyway.::

::despite it being harsh, it was delivered in a charming enough way - and dead-on in accuracy - to make Jin bow his head in acknowledgment with a wry smile and a glitter of humor in his eyes.:: More than a week, if it were very public. ::he agreed cheerfully::

::he didn't respond to Rio's "I'm not worried" comment. She was a naturally confident person, he hazarded. She would be confident leaping out of a building with no safety net or other means of support. Instead, Jin responded to her last bit.::

Frankly, my dear Scarlet, I'm terrified of you. ::he smiled easily. there was something in the way he looked at Rio - or maybe in the approving and even affectionate tone in his voice - that made it sound more like a compliment. Jin Li liked Rio. There was something about her that attracted him, even in spite of the odd personality clashes they had. He would quite like to become her friend. And he hoped they learned to work well enough with each other that they'd have the opportunity to do so.::

So, since I'm shaking in my boots, I might as well get up and get properly in my new uniform. ::he grinned and got to his feet, crossing the room to get his uniform. if she engaged him in further conversation, he'd stop and chat, of course. but if she said nothing, he proceeded to the bathroom to get changed.::

<Rio>
::She said nothing; there seemed to be nothing more to say. Rio simply smiled and turned back to the gun. The only thing she called to Jin, just as he was about to enter the bathroom, was::

Is there a time set to this mission?

::meaning, of course, "how much do I have"::

<Jin Li>
::he paused on his way into the bathroom, his uniform slung over his arm. he smiled with something of a sly, "look who asked the right question" sort of approval::

We've reservations for 700 and 604 the rest of today, all of tomorrow and into Saturday morning with the check-out. ::meaning today is Thursday - I think we said it was early afternoon?:: We can extend if you want. Duchess doesn't expect you to make the leap until you feel ready. ::slight pause:: But I have to admit that doing it before the two days are up would be recommended.

::he waited for her answer. he wasn't going to bother changing if she wanted to wait until the next day::

<Rio>
::she paused for a second, glancing at her watch briefly. Forty-five minutes past four in the afternoon.::

Well. That was more than I thought. ::she laughed, a little, being a living example of that thought - having changed into her disguise straight away.:: I expected you to say something like "You have exactly 10 minutes from now."

::But she cooled her expression to a smile that showed no sign of lazy relaxation. Jin might have gone into the bathroom at this point, because it seemed like a light end to the conversation. If he didn't, he would have seen a small glint in her eye and a twitch at that corner of her mouth that was, as it was, unpredictable. It spoke of a flash of an idea that both entertained Rio and was set to brew and transition from her mind to reality from her get-go. But Jin may or may not have caught this. XD::

::More would be revealed once he re-emerged from the bathroom in his costume.::

<Jin Li>
::he didn't know quite what to make of the expression that flickered across Rio's face. he paused, tilting his head slightly to the side out of curiosity. but as she did not explain and he was not courageous enough to provoke her by asking (particularly since they seemed to be getting along now XD), he didn't ask. Jin simply assumed that if she was altering her desire to have him in the uniform, she would have mentioned it at that point. and as she didn't, Jin proceeded into the bathroom to change.::

::Jin Li probably took longer than Rio did to change - even in spite of not having make-up to alter or as many clothes to remove. After he put on the second uniform, Jin took down his hair - which he'd pinned carefully to fit under his courier's cap - and brushed it out carefully. Jin was very, very pleased with his hair. one of his (many) little vanities. and it'd been twisted up under a cap all day and since it didn't take a lot for it to 'set' into a style, he didn't want it to develop an ugly 'curl' or bend from the position:: :' ::but once he had finished with seeing to his hair, he twisted it up into another style that seemed to give him a short ponytail when worn under the (different) cap of his second uniform.::

::once the hat was in place, Jin exited the bathroom, his first uniform over his arm. he put it into the clothing bag, zipped it up and flopped somewhat dramatically in his chair. if she looked over, he put on the most devastated-from-boredom expression he could. just for show. XD either way he asked::

Should I get us something to eat? Or will we not be here so long? XD

<Rio>
::When Jin emerged from the bathroom, he would have found Rio in crouching position behind the scope and trigger of the rifle, the barrel of which was pointed before an opened window.::

::She didn't turn around to see his - magnificent, I am sure - devastated-from-boredom expression; as she was gazing intently into the scope into that executive window of the PDL building.::

There you are, ::she said sweetly, almost as if it could have been directed to Jin (and he may well have thought it was for a second XD) but if he did, the thought would only last for a second, as he would have noticed Rio steady her grip on the gun... and pull the trigger.::

BANG!

HAHA! ::Rio shouted this in sudden elated triumph:: I got him in the butt-cheek. Filthy sniveling creep. :twisted:

::There might have been a moment for Jin to realise she was talking about the person she shot - but more specifically, the person she shot was someone she knew and was aiming for.::

::But at once, Rio jumped up, and swiftly began to disassemble the gun.::

On your feet, soldier! We have about a minute before the alarm sounds, if not less! ;3

::she said snappily, glancing over her shoulder at him, and from that he could see her eyes were sparkling with some level of heightened amusement mixed with anticipation of that adrenaline rush they were going to get when they embarked themselves upon stealthily and cleverly fleeing from the building -- Oh, she didn't also forget that he asked a question...::

...Then you can buy me dinner! ::XD this, Rio believed, by the way, was a comment that was highly, largely jovial. XD And delivered in an equally jovial, lively fashion.::

<Jin Li>
::Jin didn't think anything by the fact that she was crouched down, checking out the scope. He thought she was very sensibly gaging the distance and making fine-tuned adjustments or whatever it is people who liked guns did with them. he wasn't disappointed from her lack of looking over - though his expression was magnificent indeed, thank-you! - he even grinned.::

::and, as a matter of fact, Jin did, for a moment, wonder if she were speaking to him when she sweetly "located" whoever she were locating. his eyebrows just barely started to draw together with confusion that was turning towards some degree of 'suspicion' when she fired.::

::Jin Li flinched, his eyes flying wide and his hands coming up as if to say, "No, wait - what's the plan?" But it was, of course, entirely too late for that sort of discussion.::

D:

::he sort of stared at her with a mixture of complete and utter shock and a healthy respect. the way one might 'respect' a cobra. he didn't know what the person did to piss her off, but by all of his power, he would make certain he wasn't going to ever be in that person's position if he could help it.::

::when she disassembled the gun and then snapped her order to him, Jin didn't move for a moment. but he replied with a sort of automatic playfulness that sort of came off slightly strained with his own surprise - which hadn't worn off yet::

What color did you use? D: ::he asked, as if it mattered. but it was one of the things he thought would be the most interesting...::

::but then she looked at him and he jumped to his feet, belatedly. cobra.::

Wherever you like! ::he agreed readily. not out of fear of her (not exactly, anyway), but out of the desire to get moving in the proper direction before they were trapped in the hotel. WHY did his mission partners so delight in keeping him out of the loop? Why couldn't they sit down and have a nice cup of tea while they discussed plans A, B, C, and D for "dumbass you did it wrong"? Why must it always be, "Sink or swim"?::

::NSKers were crazy. that's all there was to it::

::and that's why he had no fear of using Duchess's credit card for anything even remotely business related.::

<Rio>
::Only when she had fully packed away the gun - down to its very last component, did she turn crouching (having crouched put everything away in the case that was opened on the floor) to face Jin. One of her gloved hands rested over the rim of the open lid.::

Your clothes. ::Rio held out her other hand and waited for as long as it took for Jin to process what she meant. (Which was, of course, the clothes he'd changed out of that were now inside the clothing bag, but she didn't say "The bag" like she probably should have to be clearer... XD anyway.)::

::When she received what she was asking for, she threw it into the case along with her original clothes in their own bag, and brought the lid down. Then the audible clicks of the locks around it being shut by Rio's swift hands ended with the clear statement that the case was sealed and fastened, and they were ready to go.::

::She got to her feet, and held the case in front of her. The smile on the edge of her lips hinted at only one thing::

::"Catch?":: :3

::She tossed the heavy case across to him anyway, and grabbed her own cap off the bed that she had placed it on, and with only what grace was necessary, hastily jammed it upon her head.::

::Rio shut the window and curtains (not neglecting to remember that minor detail would be smart, wouldn't it >_>) and with one last glance at Jin (to make sure he was handling the luggage okay XD), headed for the door::

<Jin Li>
::he didn't do but blink once before he tossed her his previous set of clothing. though still more than a little rattled, he was gaining his mission poise swiftly, falling into a sort of calm alertness that kept him from being shot, captured, or left behind on previous missions. (and more often than not resulted in him being both physically and mentally swift enough to do more than merely that.)::

::So he was prepared when she tossed the heavy case to him (though he did stagger slightly from the weight - it was not light and with the combination of extra weight added and the force of her throw, it was enough to knock him off balance) and slung it from its strap over his back like previously::

Lead on, Scruffy. ::he drawled in a new, slightly rougher, voice. but there was a bit of humor in it still and the sense of his own rising adrenaline. his eyes snapped from it and the side of his mouth twitched upward in a sort of cocky smirk::

<Public Announcement System of the Mandrakes Grande Hotel>
::almost like clockwork, a public announcement was made, voiced over the entire hotel building by the emptily calm, pleasant, and well-trained voice of one of the receptionists at the front desk. The lockdown was already in motion.::

{{bing bing bing...}} Would all hotel personnel please report to their stations, security to the main exits.

::The announcement was so politely and borderline cheerfully said that it was hard for the normal civilian to even suspect that there was something wrong. 8D::

<Rio>
::Already while Jin was delivering his prompt, and with hardly a second-glance back at it, Rio had crossed swiftly, precisely towards the door, and reached to grasp upon its handle. Her stride, her carriage, and the look in her eyes were all still very much Rio, sharp, phlegmatic, well-defined... almost as if she were consciously planning to break her word on what she'd reassured Jin she would be able to do.::

::She opened the door and stepped into the hallway. There was a quick-eyed dart up and down the hall to make sure the coast was clear, then she whipped her head back to see where her mission partner was. Ah-! She spotted him behind her, and ::

Come on you lazy rotten sod! I have a dead goldfish can move faster than that!! And if I had all night and day I wouldn't be spending it waiting around for weak-ass pissant co-workers to finally learn the way to the dumpsters of this stupid hotel. 9_9

::The change was almost instantaneous, her words were also delivered in a harsh, lilting voice, that sounded almost husky had it not been for the fact that she still kept it in a relatively high, yet fluctuating pitch. (Just for fun,) Rio gave Jin the stinkeye. Even her stance and carriage had shifted to something more tomboyish, and unpolished. It involved standing with feet slightly apart, and hunching a little when wanting to emphasize a point. Among other little details. ::

::Of course it was still Rio underneath that act, and that Rio grinned playfully, enjoying this game. That injected some returning sharpness to Scruffy Maintenance Chick's next command::

This way, ::she said, with a pretty good accompanying gesture of a flick of a curved hand and a tilt of the head.::

<Jin Li>
::he paused very briefly at the announcement, just to make certain he heard it properly. But he understood what it meant immediately.::

::he watched Rio move toward the door with a slight frown. He was unsure if she were testing him, forgetting, or simply mocking him. so he waited instead of saying something. he wasn't exactly irritated or completely doubtful, but he did narrow his eyes at her when she stepped out into the hall out of the scruffy character she was supposed to have.::

::So when she whirled around and addressed him in-character, his eyebrows flew up and his eyes widened very slightly at the transition. he straightened slightly and a look of respect mixed heavily with amusement flickered across his face before he scowled as "respectfully" as he could::

Yeah, yeah. I mean - yes ma'am. ::he slouched after her, glaring at her boots as she walked. he caught the expression of a curious hotel guest peeking out of their door at them and as he closed the door, he made sure to mutter, "Bitch." out of the corner of his mouth.::

<Rio>
::Yes the announcement meant a most clear confirmation that if they didn't get out in a very short amount of time, the mission will have failed. XD Rio understood this all-too delightfully clearly as well.::

::She pretended not to hear Jin, and marched around the corner towards the elevators, until they were out of sight of the curious civilian onlooker.::

But of course, we're not taking this elevator, ::she turned to tell Jin, smiling, and with such poison to her tone that it was almost dead certain that she meant by it something drastic like "because I am an evil witch and want you to suffer for it." Even though why she would choose to use such a tone didn't even quite make any sense. A third party would have definitely taken it as a part of some vindictive grudge, the history of which they had no clue about.::

::Anyway, Rio tried the door to the stairwell leading down to the next level, and unless something happened, they hurried down there and reached the right level in speedy time.::[/b]

<Jin Li>
::Jin was only slightly surprised when Rio decided they weren't taking that particular elevator, but knew Rio would have her reasons - security cameras, enclosed, easily controlled method of escape; etc. so he merely grunted in a surly, in-character reply and followed her through the hall, down the stairwell, and into the new hall::

You dropped this, earlier. ::he half-snarled as he offered her the key-card to 608. he didn't know they were going there, but he felt it quite likely seeing as they were on the correct floor. XD:: Don't know if you want it. :|

::his eyes flicked under the safety of the brim of his hat. he was highly alert. Particularly knowing that his movement was hindered by the weight on his back::