tampered | Log; Ongoing

Log; Ongoing

When; Evening, May 19th
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Kirk

conartistry
Summary; Kirk has dinner and drinks with Bela so she can teach him some negotiation skills
Log; Kirk was at Lux promptly at 7. Since joining Starfleet and getting his own ship he had become far more punctual than the troublemaker from Iowa ever was. That, and it was never a good idea to keep a beautiful woman waiting. It was their prerogative to keep you waiting.

Kirk was in civilian clothing right now, pants, t-shirt, and leather jacket. He didn't bother trying to dress up too much, that wasn't him and whenever he tried he looked and felt fake. Not that he minded, he did pretty well as he was. Confidence and being yourself could take you a long way.

Besides, there was always the chance that Bela would be able to give him some pointers on negotiations. If she didn't, then he would just have to suffice for spending the evening with a beautiful woman.

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Truthfully, the only reason Bela was here was so she could use James for his interests in negotiations. If he wished to make a deal with the Deities, she had every intention of finding out how it went. In her brief research into people's lives and network entries, she quickly learned about these Deities. She also learned about their deals.

Deals, of course, were things that Bela had a particular run of bad luck with.

So when it came to an attractive enough man saying he was curious about them, it made sense to pursue the interest. Her manipulative tendencies hadn't spread far enough for it to be an issue. Though she had seen him speaking to Dean the night before, it didn't seem like Dean had done what could potentially be damage control. And, in the end, James' deal could benefit himself while benefiting her. It wasn't like she was stealing anything from him. (Though it was possible he did have something valuable. Always willing to keep her eyes open, that Bela.)

Her clothing for the entire was simplistic, yet a sign that she wasn't expecting him to be dressed so poorly. At the sight of him (and she did keep him waiting for a good ten minutes, while she stood around the corner with a smirk on her lips), she wrinkled her nose, but quickly changed to a pleasant smile. "Good evening, James," she said, immediately reaching up a hand to press against his arm.

"Hello, Bela," he said, giving her a warm smile when he saw her. He looked her over and was pleased to find she looked even better in person than she did over the network, which was good. Sometimes a computer could soften out some rough edges.

"Thanks for meeting with me," he added, offering her his arm to take as he headed into the club. One of the benefits of working here was that you got right in and could get a good table. "So just how long have you been in the City?"

"I could hardly say no when it's a matter of interest of mine, correct? But you're welcome, all the same." A pause. "Nearly three days," she said as she took his arm. "As I said before, it's not been very long. But I've been settling in nicely. I'm used to moving around, so you could say the City is just the same." Small talk, letting on the appearance that she was actually willing to divulge personal information and share a regular and proper conversation.

Which, of course, she was. Bela was good at making it seem like she was just a regular, charming woman.

"Seeing if the deities are willing to negotiate terms to let us go home should be an interest to anyone here," he said with a nod. "But most people just seem to be content with saying 'if there was a way out they would have found it by now'."

That sort of thing bothered Kirk. He didn't believe in no win situations and he didn't believe in just sitting around, hoping that he randomly got sent home.

"So what sort of experience do you have in negotiations?" he asked as he steered them towards a table.

[ooc: So sorry, spilled water on my laptop, had to fix it.]

"You could say I worked with a specific clientèle back home. I acquired rare objects for buyers and sold them. It wasn't always the easiest, but I was quite good at it. Made a name for myself, you see." Bela wondered if he would jump to the assumption that it was thievery, but it wasn't all thieving. And the boys wouldn't be able to say that.

And it wasn't like she was taking anything from him, really. Just using him for now.

She looked straight ahead as they walked, fingers gripping his arm tighter until they reached the table. It was expected that he would be the gentleman and would pull out the chair. Haughty, to be sure, but Bela would play into this as best she could. "And you could say I've also dealt with people who think themselves high enough to be like Deities," she continued, flippantly, as if it was said without a care in the world. "They are the most frustrating to handle, you know. Hence my interest in your cause."

Kirk was the gentleman and pulled out the chair for her. It was very obvious that Bela was a bit classier woman than he was used to dealing with. And while it did sound like she had a lot of experience, he wasn't sure bargaining for goods was the same as lives, but with how it sounded like the deities thought of the people in the City, it might be more up her alley than his.

"Also, if I get tossed out on my ass or turned into a Tribble, then you lose nothing and gain something," Kirk said, grinning as he sat down opposite her. He wasn't completely stupid.

Classier in name and in money. She was raised with particular expectations, and when she killed her parents, she didn't part from them too much. The only reason why she kept apartments over houses was because she could break leases that much easier.

Sitting down, she didn't relax, didn't make it seem like she was anything but a good business woman. Though she did not directly state she dealt with "other worldly" creatures like the Deities, she was indicating enough. Her hands rested on her knees as she took in his words, offering him a sly smile. He picked up on that much—it was something she had to commend.

"Of course, but what would they gain out of taking your body and giving that in return? Amusement only goes so far, and at least these deal seem to be taken seriously." The ending part tacked on to get them a little on subject, but the beginning statement meant to be a snide jab at his masculinity and self-hood. She couldn't be expected to go without any fun here.

Kirk sat down and relaxed a bit in his chair, definitely not as stiff as Bela. It was obvious they were from two different worlds but Kirk knew a lot of times women like Bela liked guys who were a bit rough around the edges. And if this was just all business? Kirk could live with that.

"I don't know, maybe they need good genetic material," he replied, grinning slyly. "Or maybe something to teach us all a lesson to not do that sort of thing again."

Unfortunately, she was far too worldly to be interested in "rough around the edges." His definition made him seem a little like a boring boy next door compared to some she'd seen (two of which were living in the City), so her tastes were a little more specific—and a little more expensive. It didn't make her any less willing to play along, stiff and business like, she still made sure to hold his gaze and give him all her attention.

"That's assuming you're the first to make such an attempt, yeah? But if you're willing to give yourself so freely to them, it's unlikely that they'll be fond of the deal. Buyers like them want it to be worthwhile; difficult enough for you and hard enough for them to achieve. And your body would likely be rubbish to them, wouldn't it? They can play with you any other way." Her smile faded a little with her words. Her tone was straight-forward, but there was a second twitch of recognition at what she was saying.

This brand of paranoia did come from experience, but certainly not the type she was letting on.

When she was done speaking, Kirk leaned forward, his face completely serious and his eyes intense. Now he was Captain James T. Kirk and all business.

"These things have kidnapped thousands of people," he said, pressing a finger to the table, as if that would help him make his point. "They've taken me and other members of Starfleet, members of my crew, away from their friends, their families, their worlds and I will not stop until I've either convinced these deities to send us home for find a way to make them send us. If that comes with a high price but one I can pay, then so be it."

"But wouldn't it be a bit arrogant to believe that you alone have that price to free all of us?" Bela noticed the change in tone, and was pleased enough by it. His nobility, however, was not something she was impressed by. She leaned back a little, glancing away toward the other occupants in the club. Perhaps they would be impressed by his selflessness, but she couldn't bring it within herself. Of course, given his name and her very passing familiarity with it, she should have expected.

While still looking away, she added: "Perhaps if there were a group willing to live here in misery, without what they've given up, then these Deities would willingly bargain with you. They would need to be selfish enough, most unwilling to do anything possible like you are, James. I imagine you come at a dime a dozen. Decent people like yourself, at least. You realize the predicament, don't you? I hardly would say people like them are the same. You'll need to be twice as underhanded and far less noble. And as cute and quaint as the whole approach you have to the situation is, I'm afraid you won't be able to win over the right people with that." Then she glanced back and leaned forward, the unimpressed expression marring her features now. Her lips were slightly curved in what may be a smile for anyone else, but it was clear that Bela wasn't about to start laughing.

Edited 2009-05-22 06:43 (UTC)

Kirk couldn't help but give a mischievous grin at what she was saying. Far too many people mistook his noble attitude for a willingness to play by the rules. But Kirk didn't believe in no-win scenarios or even losing, and he was willing to cheat to get what you want.

"Or maybe I'm just the one guy that's willing and determined enough to do what's necessary," he said. "And I don't think you understand me as well as you think you do. If I have to lie, cheat, and steal to get people out of here to do it then I will. I'll attempt to be civil and work through diplomatic channels once, but if that doesn't work then I'll be as underhanded as necessary."

"But it's all the same, isn't it? You're still the noble soul, aiming to do what's necessary for others. You aren't putting yourself first. Quite the problem, as you've already set yourself up this way." Her words were pointed, and her finger tapped lightly against the table the separated them. "You'll need someone to be underhanded for you at this point, a good face and front for such things. I'd offer myself, but I'm afraid I'm not noble. I'm afraid I wouldn't enjoy this very much."

"Noble souls are the only kind that are going to get people out of here," Kirk explained. "The deities aren't going to make a deal with someone they know is self serving. When they know you're going to do whatever it takes because it's other people's lives on the line? That's when they can get the most out of you."

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Log; Ongoing

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