MASK OR MENACE IC CONTACT

[selfequipped]

"Hey, it's Kate. Leave a message."

Comments

[selfequipped]

She did what?

[selfimage]

There's a page out of the book of recklessness for you.

[selfequipped]

We were supposed to handle that together! Subtly! [Her voice is raising at three AM.

Sorry, Billy.]

[selfimage]

I take this isn't the kind of subtle that you meant.

[selfequipped]

I do know how to be subtle.

[selfimage]

I meant Skye--nevermind, I'll dial back on the 3 a.m. post-haze sarcasm.

A little tidbit for you, Jesse seems to think that he's doing this at the benefit of the imPorts. A little nearsighted if you imagine him in chains and a striped shirt. Kara insists that she'll do anything as long as he doesn't go to jail--but I doubt she'll get that far in their drug pursuits.

I'm not sure who's better at convincing who. If it's Jesse convincing Kara, or Jesse convincing himself.

[ says the king of self-sabotage. ]

[selfequipped]

[She listens, and for a moment, she's silent—likely making Loki worry that the call is dropped.

But then she speaks:]

Unless Jesse's leveled up his manipulation, it's all Kara. I wonder if she calls him "kid" while being so blind to what he's doing and the problems it can cause. Does being old make you stupid? [Because that's all Kate can think of.]

That he thinks he's helping everyone sounds exactly like him. It's not too different from the kind of half-cocked thing you'd cook up, but you'd be smarter about it. [Doing bad to benefit is Loki's whole thing. Him throwing himself under the bus was a part of that, so it coming back to Loki isn't as surprising to Kate as it could be.]

Do we know how he's doing his charity work?

[selfimage]

[ he taps on the receiver. ]

I'm standing right here.

[ don't talk about him to him while he's on the phone that's rude. ]

No, she wouldn't divulge any other details that weren't intent. A pity, really. She really thought she had aces up her sleeve.

[selfequipped]

[Hey, she used "you."]

Then we find out his money laundering. We can see if anyone's made any big donations to the imPort fund. Mandrake will have paperwork on it.

[Oh, she sounds thrilled about that.]

[selfimage]

That's simple enough to do under his nose. Have Billy take him out, pick the lock. Viola.

[selfequipped]

Or we can be less underhanded and just have Billy ask.

[selfimage]

As long as you can withstand Mandrake's interrogation on the matter. He might not give them up easily, being a skeevy, paranoid politician.

[selfequipped]

And that's why we have Billy ask instead of them going ... out again.

[selfimage]

And what does Billy say when Mandrake asks? Because he will, inevitably. And Billy will ask too.

[selfequipped]

I don't mind telling Billy.

He does know how to be discrete.

[selfimage]

[ there's a pause, and she can hear the exasperation in his voice. ]

Don't make Mandrake suspicious. Suspicious politicians never, ever, ever, ever—can I stress more evers?—ever ends well.

[selfequipped]

And you think breaking into his office is going to help?

[selfimage]

I believe it one less tip-off. Unless you'd like to deal with Mandrake snooping along to boot.