The bartender merely raises his eyebrow and looks questioningly to Pimakhova. Smiling softly, she nods slowly in return. Judging by the expression on his face, he reluctantly proceeds to produce the requested straight green apple tequila. "Mishtar Ted. Let us please not draw attention to ourselves. The patrons here are well incentivised to ignore us, yet no one can help feeling perturbed at cross-room shouting."
Taking a long smoke from her cigarette, she lent back and exhaled. "If such a budget is made available, then the cut is satisfactory Mishtar Rat. As long as the agreement is honoured, I shall be at your service."
"Yeah, that sounds alright" replied Jimmy as he picked up his glass and gave it another swirl "And call me Jimmy. No sense with formalities now we're partners."
"All we need is name, somethin' the mooks of the sector will recognise."
Ted snorted into his now arrived drink, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket to mop up his face he than began to systematically fold it, while speaking to the group. "Well your handle is Jimmy the Rat right? Why not the Rat Pack? After all we seem to scurry about looking for contracts." throwing the now folded handkerchief at Jimmy "What say you, King of Rats?"
Jimmy admired the napkin-rat "Ain't you just full of surprises Ted, it looks just like a rat." He placed it on his palm and stared at it appreciatively. "Yeah we can call it the Rat Pack" he said tossing the napkin-rat to Pimakhova "just keep in mind that I earned my name by escaping through a frozen sewer pipe, capiche?"
Catching the rat in her hand, she looks at it with a raised eyebrow for a few moments."As long as either of you two do not make me crawl through a sewer, I am content with that name. The branding has a certain... appeal to the clientbase, would it not?" She takes another drag of her cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray.
Raising her Black Russian, she smiled softly."To the Rat-Pack, gentlemen." Taking a sip of the cocktail, she places it down and nods to the waiter. Moments later, food and a bottle of Gallic Prosecco is presented and laid out for them.
Several weeks later Jimmy finds himself at the doors to the Kvartet with a different but equally surly looking bouncing surveying his hangdog visage.
"Buddy it's been a long day, lets play nice yeah?" He said with all the charm he could muster. The bouncer gave one last appraisal and let him through, taking the credit chit Jimmy offered him as he passed.
The club was far more mellow than he remembered, the once lively jazz beat had been replaced with a soft tune that seem to waft around the tables, spreading it's calming influence among the patrons.
Taking his drink, Jimmy picked out a sidebooth to collapse into and prompty took up residence. The past week spent hauling alloy and ship panels took it's toll, now he was ready to get back to what he knew best, weapons. Katya had recently managed to get access to the Kemwer line, a much boasted series of arms developed by the Order and a resource he himself had attempted to gain with fairly disappointing results.
Muttering the words "Moral spine" he shook his head and began pouring over specs, market lists and profit margins.
Following the invitation extended by Jimmy at the completion of their cooperation on a rather seedy contract, Maren would find herself on the Temna Roza soon enough. There was something about such vessels that didn't sit right with her, putting her ill at ease, though she herself couldn't rightly place why that was. Someone with more introspection would've quickly deduced that this feeling stemmed from the fact that she made such luxurious places responsible for the rather mundane urges her fiance possessed, but such ability seemed to be elusive to her, either by choice, which would be denial, or by ignorance remained to be seen.
Giving the bouncer a nervous glance, he appraised her silently. She hadn't really known what to wear, and thus decided for a rather formal dress and her trusty handbag, hoping that it would be the way to go. In this moment, she would've given much to figure out what exactly was going on in the head of that guy as he signalled her with a motion to enter. Probably just that she'd be too much of a pansy to start trouble anyways, given her rather demure appearance. Another man would lead her through the Kvartet, and she really hoped that he'd bring her to Jimmy. She felt so deplaced here. Being brought to a man sitting in an alcove to the side, she gave an inward sigh of relief at seeing a familiar face. "Hey Jimmy," she began, lowering herself to a place close but not too close to him and crossed her legs. "Do excuse me, but I wouldn't call myself a person who frequents such places very often. Or at all for that matter." The pungent smell of tobacco was really irriating but at least the music wasn't obnoxious. "I hope you are well, and that these menial hauling-tasks haven't been too dull for you. Was the payment even adequate? I wouldn't really know, since I'm not too much into these sorts of things."