PRIVATE Sound of the underground

[Luna Rothschild]

First night out in the city​

Wearing this

Location: Back of a Rothschild Limo
Objective: Attend concert
Tags: @Dave Crippler

The young woman sat half sat on her feet that stuck out to her side with her knees in front of her on the wide white rearmost seat of the midnight blue limousine as neon lights flashed passed the windows outside. She played with her foot having popped her high heels off. The motor whirred quietly so Luna could hear a few of the sounds from outside even if they were mostly drowned out by the bullet proof glass. This was her birthday present, to get to actually attend this concert properly, instead of being flown in via the roof and being stuck in a small private box with noone to dance with.

Of course it was still not the exact same experience as everyone else, she would be on the executive balcony rather than the lower floor where everyone could really let loose. But it was better than a box so it was a compromise that both she and her mom could accept. Then there was her date for the evening, her adult babysitter. She looked across at the man with a visor where he eyes once were. He was her dad's age and she doubted that this music was his scene at all. She smirked to herself when she thought the fun she might have in store for him if she went along with her potential plan to escape down to the pit below to really dance. Neon Dreamers were her favourite band and their lead singer was fantastic.

"You looking forward to this? I hear they are really good live." She said in a friendly manner while still looking out the window at the beautiful lights that adorned the building nearby. She didn't need a baby sitter, not in her own mind, but she was not going to be an asshole to a guy whose only crime was to fulfill the contract her dad had hired him for. She had also learned several years ago that treating the staff nicer than her dad did could sometimes sway them to her side and grant her little a little more breathing room from her near constant surveillance.

 

[Dave Crippler]

Sound of the Underground​

Location: Rotschild Limo
Objective: Protect Miss Rotschild
Tag: @Luna Rothschild

First, Dave was impressed as to why he, of all people, was chosen to safeguard one of the most important children in Night City. Hell, she was so important she wasn't even from this planet, and Moore had no bold implants, nothing more than small stuff and his own experience. And then, of course, it hit him: the CEO of Tsubaki didn't choose him because he was the best at his job. Other mercenaries filled with implants would certainly pick that place, but Dave was a good professional himself while wearing almost no cyberwares. The Rothschilds didn't want her to be recognised to begin with, and hired someone that could fit as an uncle, father or something like that. Fuck me, he thought, his blending in the enviroment would even make pinocchio right there feel herself like as a real, beathing, living, common girl.


The Limo was a blast to drive. Dave didn't drive such an expensive car for ages, and felt as if the comfortable chair was sucking him into it, as if it was ever possible. The Bodyguard chose his best clothes for the job and, even then, he felt like a peasant riding an arabic horse for a petit princess. He tried to do all the tricks of defensive driving he had been taught when he was a cop. Not the bullshit taught to civilians and labelled as defensive driving. The real thing, that enables you to quickly position for shooting if something happens. ​

"You looking forward to this? I hear they are really good live."

Damn. What was the band's name, again? Dave had looked into them, even heard some of their songs to see if he liked them -which of course he didn't. "The Neon Dreamers... Don't think they're for me, Miss. But hey, free ticket, am I right?" , and a lot of money for an easy job, he may have added. It was the first time Moore looked directly at the girl. He wasn't able to say he saw much people born in the Lunar colony, but that kid did look exactly like someone from the moon, if he ever cared to describe them. His voice was a little bit husky, trying to at least be humorous, but a bit distracted. "Listen, Miss. When we're in the concert, we don't want you to be recognised as Mr. Rothschild's... child. That means I can't call you Luna or Miss Rothschild. Wanna have a brand new name just for tonight?" , the former cop asked, trying all he could to at least deliver the question with a fun tone. He didn't feel it landed the way he expected -it was still a distracted voice. They were almost at the concert. In fact, they would already be there if not for the wild traffic in the way. Some people really liked that band, for sure, but in 5 minutes he would be escorting the Moongirl to the building's balcony.

Moore didn't know how to explain it, but he felt exactly at this moment that the night wasn't going to move as swiftly as he expected when he accepted the job.

 

[Luna Rothschild]

Sound of the Underground​

Wearing this

Location: Back of a Rothschild Limo
Objective: Attend concert
Tags: @Dave Crippler

Luna laughed, "That's the spirit, we will make a convert of you before midnight I bet." She flipped a couple of switches and a song from the band's set filled the car, not too loudly though. Her head bobbed along with it as she mouthed the words while listening to the instructions from her bodyguard, whatever she thought about the need to have one, she would listen still.

Her ears pricked up and she turned away from the window to face him, crossing the limo to kneel on the seat that faced backwards behind the driver position. "Oooh... that sounds fun. I'll be Ava tonight. There was a girl at school called Ava, I always thought it was such a pretty name." She might not mention the unfortunate fate of the other girl while they were in traffic but that wouldn't make any difference.

She looked into the mirror thoughtfully at the large man as he drove, periodically glancing back at her, she assumed anyway, but the visor made it hard to tell."You can be my uncle, you're an exec in some sporting goods company, but you wanted to take your favourite niece to her first concert so you took the time off your busy schedule to fit me in." She smiled at him and leaned back and little bit. The car was pulling into the parking lot so she needed to grab her purse and her shoes from the floor behind her. She hopped back to the other seat and slipped them on before checking that everything she wanted to take into the venue was in order and also using a drop-down mirror to check her long blonde hair. As she looked in the mirror she cocked her eyes back towards the driver, trying to make eye contact in the mirror. "You know what else might be fun? If we tell everyone that Ava is twenty-one?" She smirked, she knew she was definitely pushing her luck with the ex-cop now, and she didn't honestly expect him to agree to allow her a drink, but it didn't hurt to try.

 

[Dave Crippler]

Sound of the Underground​

Location: Rotschild Limo
Objective: Protect Miss Rotschild
Tag: @Luna Rothschild

"Good to meet you, Ava. I'm Dave.". The man was intrigued as to why she would choose the name of a colleague, rather than create her own. The need to be another person, of course, to live another life. Not the broad concept, though: quite literally, another life: Ava's. His distracted tone seemed to be a constant, amplified by the fact he didn't smile until now. The reality is that the detective was too much concentrated in the movement around, the path he was driving. This job was very important. It didn't only mean he could live almost comfortably for another week -or hell, another month from the payment of this one job-, but that Mr. Rothschild would hire him again if he was satisfactory. Maybe even recommend his services to another rich corpo with a similar kid, trying their best to be normal without the knowledge to. If it went right, maybe good old Detective Moore would retire from the life of detective and be a full-time rich kid babysitter. The Bodyguard smiled, the first one this night: if only he could stop being the Crippler, and only be David Moore for once.​

"You can be my uncle, you're an exec in some sporting goods company, but you wanted to take your favourite niece to her first concert so you took the time off your busy schedule to fit me in."

"Oh, yeah. Uncle Dave hasn't been the same after aunt Lydia died. He's gotta listen to a Goth band with a bunch of teenagers to heal his soul or some middle-aged crisis bullshit" , this is the kind of stuff that sounded funny to him. Well, at least Mr. Rothschild didn't hire him for his questionable humour or bad jokes. The Limo finally entered the Concert building's garage.

"You know what else might be fun? If we tell everyone that Ava is twenty-one?"

"I'm sure her ID will say the same thing." Dave scanned the place with his visor for a minute, driving destineless in the garage, until finally parking the nearest he could from the giant part the concert was to take place, certain that there was no harm in the garage. The Bodyguard suddenly turned to look Luna directly into her eyes. "Listen, kid. I'm gonna be frank with you. I need the money. Bad. Let's make a deal: I'll let you drink, as long as you don't f- don't make it hard for me, ok? That means staying in the balcony and not being dead-drunk. Hell, if you do this, I'll even take you to eat at some KFC, Burger King, not McDonalds, but you get it. Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. And if you do your part just right, I'll come back to bodyguard you some more.", Dave raised his left hand, waiting for a handshake. God knows female pinochio just wants to be a normal girl, with a normal life and no old asshole driving her or following her over.

Independent of the result, the Detective will get out ot the vehicle after scanning some more of the outside, and will open the car's door for Luna. "Common, Ava. Aunt'll be very happy we're in this together." , the Crippler was somewhat happy he got to turn off the music, only if for some time. He doesn't know how people like this corporativised, passionless kind of band. The system hadn't consumed him that much, at least not for now. He felt very worried when he realised he'd have to keep listening to this for one or two hours at least. This is what you get, Detective Moore. This is what you get for having fine taste in music.

 

[Luna Rothschild]

Sound of the Underground​

Wearing this

Location: Back of a Rothschild Limo
Objective: Attend concert
Tags: @Dave Crippler

The guy had a sense of humour, it made her feel comfortable, some of the men that Daddy hired were very much your classic corporate automaton which made it hard to have any sort of friendship with them, considering the level of trust required between a bodyguard and guardee was disappointing.

He turned to her and offered her a very honest and simple deal. She might have to modify her plans for jumping off the balcony into the pit but otherwise, she was generally a good kid and didn't want to get herself into a mess tonight, and she wouldn't be trying smash again, not after spending most of the next day in bed sobbing her eyes out. She reached out and placed her small hand into his to shake it. "You've got yourself a deal sir." She smiled and turned around to get herself out of the car as he also left. The door of the limousine slid sideways open and she stepped out onto the concrete floor of the parking lot taking his hand to help her stand to full height. She could hear them warm up music from inside already as she walked along. "Thanks Dave! This is going to be amazing!" There was a small queue from this entrance, with mostly people much closer to Luna's age than the Crippler's all dressed up for the party for the evening.

Luna leaned in closer to her bodyguard "You see that girl there at the front with the vine tattoo on her thigh? She's had more guys up that beanstalk than Jack's giant. Including my ex...." she laughed "So if she tries to talk to me, throw her off the balcony or something." She gave a little shrug, then stuck her tongue out at her behind her back. She was only messing around, she had no intention of having her evening spoiled by a fallout with some dumb girl from school.

It was them next and Luna held out her wrist to be scanned for her ticket and ID. The device flashed green and the doorman clipped a plastic ringlet around her arm with the band logo on it and a little 21+ on it. She glanced at her bodyguard seeing if he would respond to the fact she was already carrying a fake biometric, courtesy of her friend Ruth. The doorman would do the same to Dave, he would hesitate a little but still try to place the band around his wrist. He was torn between needing to follow his job to the letter and the fact that this guy was clearly in his forties and just out with his daughter or something. Luna was already inside a few feet away waiting for him awkwardly greeting the girl she had pointed out who air kissed both of her pale cheeks.