Shenanigans!

[phaselocknroll]

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[phaselocknroll]

[ she will never understand how he can go from talking about shoving her against a wall to falling into his rich boy act in the space of about a second, but he did once remarknon her ability to go from sweet to terrfying once. Maybe it's not so different.

She takes him by the arm again, doing her best to match his haughty tone. ]

If you're going to criticize the decor, can you at least do it from inside? I didn't come all this way to loiter at the door.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ That gets an encouraging smile from him. ] Absolutely, sweetheart.

[ As he leads them into the the ballroom (and earlier, when they had been poring over the mansion's blueprints, Peter had rolled his eyes at that -- who seriously needs a ballroom?), the party is already in full swing, it seems. Aliens of various types -- some looking entirely human, others looking as alien as a human might expect -- mill around and network. Peter could almost gag.

There's music playing softly from hidden speakers, though Peter can only hear snippets of it over the murmur of quiet conversation, and the center of the room holds what passes as the dance floor. Along the walls are tables with the victuals one might expect at a party, labeled appropriately as to avoid inadvertently poisoning certain species in attendance. The room itself is far from tastefully decorated. The floor is some sort of marble, deep blue, and the white walls are inlaid with swirling designs of some substance that looks silver and horribly expensive. Every gaudy ornament and piece of artwork screams wealth, and Peter can feel his fingers twitch at the opportunity to pilfer even one of those smaller statues.

He returns the nod of a man who passes by before he turns to Maya. ]

As I said. Awful.

[phaselocknroll]

[ The phrase no shit is on the tip of her tongue, but she bites it back. She thought she had seen indulgent- Opportunity, Handsome Jack's shining city and monument to himself, had been indulgent as fuck, but this outdid even that.

She would not even fault Peter for wanting to steal some this guy's stuff. He probably wouldn't even miss it. ]

I suppose you can't buy good taste. [ or subtlety ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ When he's sure no one's listening in--] Who needs taste when you can just have a shitton of stuff?

You're good, right? You remember our cover stories?

[phaselocknroll]

I should hope I do. I helped come up with them.

Why, do you need a refresher?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He just smiles at her at first -- god dammit, why do people keep passing by? -- and then gives her another playful nudge. ]

Indulge me, would you?

[phaselocknroll]

[ She gives a little roll of her eyes, and manages to sound like a child made to recite something for school when she says: ]

I'm Leia, and you are my associate, Han. [ Peter's idea (but at least now she gets the reference, and even kind of appreciates it a little) ] We're representatives of the Hyperion Corporation. [ Maya's idea, because once again, indulgent. That and after some checking, a lot of people knew the name Handsome Jack, but no one beyond the people of Pandora knew his ultimate fate. ] If anyone asks, we're here to do business, as multiple Vaults have been discovered outside of Pandora. Weapons, technology, whatever he needs in exchange for manpower. Those Vaults just don't uncover themselves.

Good?

[nostalgiabomb]

Excellent. [ A beat, then, ] Also, it is such a turn-on to see you role-playing.

[phaselocknroll]

[ She shoots him a brief Look, then turns up her nose and in her best spoiled Corporation girl voice goes, ] You, sir, are incorrigible.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He repeats insistently, ] Such a turn-on.

[phaselocknroll]

[ DON'T BE DISTRACTING PETER. ] We've got things to do here, remember? Or do I need to toss you in the fountain to cool you off?

[nostalgiabomb]

Sorry, sorry. Work mode now.

[ He glances around the room, and it's a little difficult to get a lay of the land from this vantage point. ]

Dance floor has the best view. [ It looks like the dance they're doing right now is a relatively simple one, and Peter thinks he could easily lead Maya through it. So he grins at her. ] Shall we?

[phaselocknroll]

I should have seen this coming. [ she says it under her breath- of course the fancy party was going to involve dancing.

But they do have a job to do, so she concedes, taking him by the arm again ] Lead the way.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Once they start heading out, he schools his eager grin into a more subdued smirk. When they reach the floor, he takes each of her hands, clasping their fingers together.

Before he starts leading her through the steps, he whispers,] It's easy, I promise. [ And they dance. ]

[phaselocknroll]

[ In that moment, she swears she falls a little more in love with him, and the brief smile she flashes him is genuine.

But this isn't the time or the place, so she schools her expression and concentrates on not stepping on his feet.

After a moment, she asks, ] How are we looking?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ True to his word, the dance is relatively simple, not unlike a basic box step with quarter turns thrown in here and there, and Peter is careful when he takes her through the more complicated moves. ]

Four other hallways aside from the one we came through, each manned with guards. [ He steps to forward to and her side, so that they briefly walk in a tight circle; he ignores the temptation to press his hip against hers, and feels he deserves some sort of award -- time and a place, Peter. ]

Pretty sure I can see guards disguised as guests down here, too. They're the ones who look like they have sticks up their asses. I think the northwest hall is the one we want. We'll need to get security distracted. [ He spins her, so that her back is pressed against his front, and they walk backward a few paces ]

Also, I really want to boost that little figure over there. [ And he nods to a display case filled with figurines made of crystal and precious gems. ] The little red one that looks like a lion. It'd look good on the dashboard.

[phaselocknroll]

[ this isn't too bad. After going through the routine once and not horribly fucking it up, she feels confident enough to stop concentrating on the dance and really contemplate what he's saying ] What kind of distraction are you thinking?

... and if we have the time, I say go for it.

[nostalgiabomb]

Honestly, I really just want to start a riot by announcing that everyone's credits are worthless now, but that's not the best idea.

[phaselocknroll]

[ inwardlyy she rolls her eyes, but her gaze is on a chandalier hanging over some of the food tables and a particularly gaudy ice sculpture ]

I could probably take out the supports on that chandalier. That would cause some chaos.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He follows her gaze and his smile slowly widens. ]

Yeah, that'll definitely work.

tablet tags mean typos sob

[phaselocknroll]

Give me a second.

[ she has to wait until the dance brings them around to an angle that won't make what she's doing obvious. Once it's in her line of sight, she gives a brief wave of her hand somewhere down by Peter's waist. The chain holding the chandalier goes white-hot and melts instantly, sending it crashing down. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Naturally, that side of the room devolves into a slight panic, and Peter pulls them back off the dance floor and toward the northwest hallway, just as the guards move toward the fallen chandelier.

Peter only just bites back a laugh as he listens to the outraged spluttering of the other party-goers nearby, before he has the good sense to look concerned and join in. ]

Good grief, what shoddy craftsmanship. To put his guests in danger like this--

[ He's scanning the room, making sure their exit would go unnoticed, then nods his head in the direction of the hallway. ] We're good. Let's go.

[phaselocknroll]

[ Maya is only doing a slightly better job at hiding her amusement, and that's only because keeping her hand in front of her mouth to stifle a laugh makes it look like she's gasping in horror.

At Peter's prompting, she nods, and gives the room one last look to make sure everyone is thoroughly distracted before turning to slip down the hallway. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He takes her hand -- just because, honestly, he likes the feel of it and not because he thinks she needs any leading -- and they hurry out of sight. Lucky for them, the hallway is dimly lit, but the decorating is still an assault on one's sensibilities, just as the ballroom had been.

More hallways shoot off from this one, and Peter tries to remember the mansion's plans off the top of his head. He pauses at an alcove. ]

... I don't remember this being on the blueprints. Do you?

[phaselocknroll]

I thought it was jut a straight shot, but... do we know how old those blueprints even were? I get the feeling this guy remodels more often than most people change their underwear.