IC CONTACT | Mask or Menace

[animated]

"Hey, you've reached Charlie Maxwell. Leave me a message. Or just text me. I might get back to you faster that way."

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[animated]

[ He sets his cake in the fridge, maneuvering it somewhere behind Bull's gajillion beers where hopefully it will stay hidden so he can come back for it later. ]

This is the first time in a long time I've invited a girl into my room.

[ he says it with a small smile, guiding her back to where his bedroom is. The space is actually quite clean, save for a desk in one corner buried under papers that are covered in various notes and the runes of Charlie's magic.

Also books. There are books everywhere.

Once they're inside, he motions the door closed with a wave of his hand before he sits on the side of the bed. ]

Come sit with me.

[stealwithit]

I'm honored.

[ She follows him to his room slowly, and when she walks in, she can't help the little smile that forms on her face. If she ever had to imagine what Charlie's room would look like, this is basically it. Charlie, you nerd.

But that's okay, because Kasumi is one too, and she loves that he's one.

There's a moment of hesitation on her part, but she joins him and sits at the edge of the bed. ]

So...

[animated]

So, mysterious hooded lady, tell me what you've been up to. Then at least I can worry with some context.

[stealwithit]

Well... A lot, actually.

A couple of weeks ago, Jacob asked me to help him out on a little project he wanted to get started in Maurtia Falls. So, there's that, mostly. It's a lot of going back and forth and--working late, so.

[ It is not just a "little project," but okay, that's a start... ]

[animated]

Just what sort of "project" are we talking about? [ Maurtia Falls has a rep, after all ]

[stealwithit]

[ There she goes, fiddling with the edge of her hood again. ]

Meddling with organized crime and kicking the collective asses of drug lords and rich assholes?

[animated]

I knew I was onto something when I nicknamed you "Robin of the Hood".

[ He smiles at her ] And hey, guess what? My opinion hasn't changed.

[stealwithit]

[ A small smile in return. ] Yeah, you were spot on with your nickname without even realizing it.

.. Thanks, Charlie.

[animated]

I had my suspicions from the get-go. That outfit of yours isn't exactly subtle.

[stealwithit]

[ Wait, hold on. What? Whoa. Where did this disrespect come from?

She purses her lips. ]

Is too.

[ Oh, look, an easy way out of having to explain any more. ]

[animated]

Come on, Kasumi. With the black and the hood? It screams "space thief".

[stealwithit]

I'm pretty sure it screams "super attractive and mysterious rogue from the future," which could loosely be interpreted to "space thief," so okay. I'll give you that.

[animated]

Thank you.

And thank you, for finally telling me what you've been up to.

[stealwithit]

Of course.

[ A beat, during which she finds a particularly interesting empty spot on Charlie's floor to fix her gaze upon. It is such an interesting spot on the floor. ]

Shep got me thinking about making new memories, or something, so I guess this is part of that.

[animated]

Making new memories?

[stealwithit]

I know it sounds totally lame, but... It's complicated?

[animated]

Try me.

[stealwithit]

... It's... Not really a fun story, just so you know.

[animated]

I'm no stranger to depressing stories. I'm the guy who always brings up something sad when we're at parties, remember?

[stealwithit]

[ a corner of her lips turn up in a half-hearted attempt at a smile. ]

Right.

[ there's a little pause, then, as Kasumi rests her hands on her lap, and suddenly they must be very interesting as she keeps her gaze fixed down on them. She hasn't had to explain or tell this story to anyone outside of the Normandy Crew. ]

I have this... Thing, a neural implant, called a graybox. It stores things like memories, for the most part, but it can store other data, too, if you're good enough at that sort of thing. But it lets me access my memories like I'm living through it again.

I also have someone else's graybox. My old partner-in-crime, Keiji.

[animated]

[ he remembers the name, slurred out at Shepard's birthday party. It seemed like a heavy topic, and it certainly wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with Kasumi while she was drink, so he steered her away from it at the time ]

... He was more than your partner-in-crime, wasn't he?

[stealwithit]

[ Her hands ball into fists on her lap. ]

Yeah, he was.

Was I being that obvious?

[ And that's her attempt at keeping things light. ]

[animated]

Just a bit.

... What happened to him?

[stealwithit]

He got into some intel that he should have just stayed away from, and he was killed for it.

It's all in his graybox. The man who killed him took it from Keiji by force.

[ She hopes that's enough to say his head was carved open. ]

[animated]

[ It's easy enough to figure out what it takes to remove a neural implant by force ]

Jesus. I'm so sorry.

I-- but you have his graybox now, right?