Safe (house) Words, Part 1

Posted on Mon Jun 7th, 2021 @ 3:49am by Kindra Graham & Jonas Bailey

Mission: Fortune & Glory
Location: Persephone, Jonas' safehouse
Timeline: Six months ago, after 'Complex Savior'

The outside of the safehouse wasn't anything pretty to look at. But that was kinda the idea, at least for Jonas. The inside was better...after all, Jonas would have time when he had to lay low there for quite a while. Might as well have it decent. They were in a six foot by ten foot foyer as soon as they walked through the front door. Once the door closed, Jonas retrieved the key from a hidden panel and let them into the main house. He turned on the lights so they could see where they were going.

Jonas then gave Kindra a tour of his safehouse. A short hallway bottle-necked them into an open room. On the left was a living quarters with a couple of soft chairs, a couch, and two end tables with lamps on them. On the right was a kitchenette with a stove and oven, a sink, a refrigerator, and some counters and cabinets.

The safehouse was not at all what Kindra had imagined, with nothing more than cortex dramas to go by. The living space was comfortable and clean, with all the basic comforts anyone could ask for.

The hall continued a little, dividing the house. On the left was a bedroom and the right was a bathroom. The hall ended, but the safehouse didn't. A thick metal wall, covered by the same wood paneling as the rest of the house, held a hidden door. It took a lot of strength and force to knock loose the locking mechanism, but then the door slid into the wall easily enough. Inside, there was a large area rug, a queen-sized bed on one side, a night stand with a lamp, a wardrobe, and a chair. The other side held a bathroom and shower. Opening the door from the inside only required the movement of the locking mechanism and sliding the door.

Kindra was momentarily confused when Jonas walked past the bedroom to the end of the hall and stopped at an apparently blank wall. But then he opened the hidden door and she followed him inside.

He paused and turned to Kindra. "Well, there it is. It's not much, but it's off the radar. And this safe room is where you can sleep."

"When you said it was a safehouse, I had no idea what to expect. It's lovely, truly. And impressive." She gestured to the secure door. "Did you design this yourself?"

Jonas grinned at the complement. "Thanks. And yep, I designed it. Had a little help in building it though. If you want, I can carry your things in here while you make yourself at home. Shower's over there if you want to get the day's grime off. There's not much fresh stuff to eat, though. I can't have it all going bad if I'm not here. But there's canned foods, rations, and protein bars in the kitchen. I can make a grocery run tomorrow if you want.

Kindra glanced down at her suitcase. "Thank you. I'm sure we can make do with whatever supplies you have here. With some luck I'll be able to find transport off Persephone in a day or two." Jonas' thoughtful hospitality bespoke a more refined upbringing than his appearance suggested. "A shower sounds wonderful, but perhaps a cup of tea first? I'd like to savor a moment of calm, and we should talk about your payment."

Jonas nodded. "Well, cortex access is in the front room whenever you're ready for it. I'll see what's hiding in the cabinets for tea. Come on." He started out of the room and continued. "Calm and credits...not a bad start."

She chuckled at Jonas' answer and followed him to the kitchen. While he searched the cabinet for tea and cups, Kindra picked up the kettle on the counter, filled it with water and set it to boil. "Ah, well… It's my standard practice as a companion to settle money issues before I get undressed, even if it's only for a shower and I'm the one paying."

She sat at the kitchen table. Now that she was beginning to relax, Kindra recalled the puzzle box Margaret had given her from Walter. Her fingers wrapped around the box inside her pocket. She propped her other elbow on the table, forehead resting in her hand as Margaret's revelation about Walter's killer and Kindra's own dangerous experience in the spaceport hit her again. "Thank you again, for rescuing me."

Jonas was still pilfering through the cabinets when Kindra talked about undressing after the money. He let out a hearty laugh as he pulled two cups from one of the cabinets. "I don't think I've ever started a conversation or deal with those words." He brought them to the table and set them down while waiting for the water to boil. He saw her rest her forehead in her hand as he sat down. "I might do jobs for the highest bidder, but I don't like seeing a pretty lady get the treatment those thugs were about to give you."

Kindra leaned back in her chair and said thoughtfully, "You're an honorable man." She was not a perfect judge of character, but she was confident that was an accurate assessment. She reached for a pad of paper and pen on the table and placed it in front of Jonas. Numbers and barter written down made the terms of an agreement clear to both parties, even when written casually on paper. "You are rendering a valuable service to me. What payment do you want?"

He half smirked at her comment. He had grown up on Ariel in a decent and well-off Alliance family until he was sixteen. Some of that decency must have sunk in at some point. Jonas picked up the pen and made a notation on the pad of paper. It may have been on the high side, but he was planning to get down to where he thought would be a good spot.

Kindra pulled the pad and paper toward her and considered the number Jonas had written with surprisingly good penmanship. It was not higher than she was willing or able to pay, but there was an art to haggling, and she guessed his opening bid was inflated. The amount she wrote on the pad before pushing it toward him was twenty percent lower. "In order to get off Persephone, I may need to transfer additional credits to your account and ask you to book transport for me, under an assumed name."

Jonas took the pad and pen. He listened to Kindra as he looked down at her number. It was definitely lower than his original. This girl seemed to know a thing or two about haggling and prices. But then...Companion. She probably had to know a thing or two about a lot of different things. He was about to write down another number when a thought struck him and he paused a second. Tapping the pen on the table, he said, "I can do that, book transport under an assumed name. But I tell you what, you can keep the additional credits that you'd transfer and we'd settle for this number if you take me with you. Been looking to get off Persephone myself for a couple days now. Right here," he said, pointing to the number, "can be my wages if you'll hire me as your personal bodyguard. With the provision that either of us can break atmo and leave whenever necessary." It was a long shot, but he was willing to try and it never hurt to ask. Even if she lowered the number a little more for his wages.

Kindra considered his proposal for a moment but could see no downside. "I think that could be even better cover for me, if I'm not just traveling under an assumed name, but as your plus-one. You could pass me off as your spouse or sibling, or whatever works depending on the transport." She held out her hand to shake on it. "Do you have a destination in mind?"

Jonas shook her hand in agreement with their deal. "Sounds good to me. We could travel under assumed names as a couple until we get to our first or second destination. By that time, we should be far enough away from Persephone that we can resume our regular routines and names. As for transport, I can't see a pretty lady like you on a rickety old barge. I'll have to reach out and see if there's anything more befitting. Destination? Well, if you wanna stay in the Core, we could head to Valentine or Albion. If you wanna get out of the Core for a bit and away from trouble, St. Albans might be a good stop. Or a Skyplex. But I reckon it'd depend on where you could get some business done."

"I wouldn't mind an old barge if it gets us away from Persephone, though I suppose a transport where I don't stand out is better. I'll trust in your judgement," said Kindra, thoughtfully. He was right, affording a bodyguard would mean she'd need to seek out more work, and perhaps she'd need to be less picky about selecting clients. On the other hand, with Jonas as her bodyguard she could take certain risks. "Since you don't have a destination in mind yourself, the outer worlds might be best. Though I understand the Guild's influence may be thinner there."

"A decent, more fitting transport it is then. I'll get you to the outer worlds with our first stop being St. Albans," said Jonas. "And I wouldn't worry too much about the Guild's influence being thinner. You use what influence you have and I'll take up the slack. Been to the outer worlds so many times I've lost count. Where you don't have influence, you have contacts. Where you don't have contacts, you have big fists on a big man who carries a big gun." His mind went back to those early years when he ventured off on his own and ended up on Alden's ship. He'd been taken on to protect Alden and he did just that. "You're paying me to be your bodyguard. I'll guard your body right well." He paused a second. "I don't think that came out quite right." He added with a chuckle.

"I get your meaning," said Kindra with an appreciative chuckle. They already had a good rapport, he was smart and knowledgeable about the places they'd be going, and he had a straightforward honesty about him that put her at ease. She hesitated a moment, fidgeting with the puzzle box in her pocket, unsure if she needed or wanted to add a certain stipulation to their arrangement. But then she thought of Alden, her regrets, and how much leaving him still hurt. "I expect we'll be in close quarters from time to time, especially when we're posing as a couple. And, well, you're an attractive man and I… well, I'm not saying I won't be tempted. But to keep things uncomplicated and avoid confusion, it'll be best if we maintain professional boundaries."

"Little lady," Jonas said, with no hint of sarcasm or demeaning in his voice, "I like your honesty. Always feel free to speak your mind with me. That said, you're an attractive woman and I'd be an idiot to think otherwise. As far as being tempted, why, I'd clean myself up, put on something fancy, and try to contract with you. As it is, I'd be a danged fool to take advantage of a Registered Companion that has influence with the Guild. I may not be bright in some things, but I ain't that stupid." He grinned and put his hand out to shake on the addition to their deal. "Professional boundaries."

She accepted his offered handshake, noticing the way his much larger hand engulfed hers. Everything about Jonas was big… Kindra caught her thoughts before they wandered too far in that direction. "You've demonstrated that you're an honorable man. Truly, I'm not worried about your conduct with me." She considered stopping there, but she wanted Jonas to understand she had no reservations about hiring him. "There was a man I met a couple years ago. Not a client. We… I…" Heat crept up her neck and spread across her cheeks, and wistfulness colored her tone. "Let's just say I fell for him and crossed the line of respectable professional boundaries. That part I don't regret a bit, but after… well, I've a mountain of regret for after." She took a sip of her tea. "Have you ever been in love, Jonas?"

Jonas listened and nodded at times. "Don't go around tellin' people I'm honorable. Might go and mess with my reputation as a hired gun." He smiled and laughed. Then he noticed her cheeks flush when she talked about this guy and the situation with him. "Regret ain't something I have the luxury of having. If I felt regret, I couldn't kill people I was hired to kill. As far as love, nope, can't say I ever have. Been in lust more than a few times, though. But never love. I guess not feeling regret kinda comes into play there."

Kindra smiled. Lust was a straight-forward emotion, it fit him. "Even a hired gun must have something like a code of honor. Certain kinds of jobs you would refuse to take. I suppose regret comes from doing what you think is the right thing in the moment, and finding out later it was a mistake."

"I guess I might have a code," Jonas said. "I can think of a couple of jobs I might not take. Or take them and then flip on the guy that hired me. Got a few scars from one of those. Or maybe take one and get ready to seal the deal only to learn something else that'd change my mind." He thought about her comment regarding regret. "I reckon that makes sense, when you put it that way. Though if I'd find out later it was a mistake, eh, it's done and there's nothing I can do about it now."

"You've got a point, there," said Kindra, more than a bit curious as to what situations and jobs had caused Jonas to make a course-correction. "We can't change the past. Best we can do is learn from it."

-----