Yet another of the Plot posts

[wiredspade]

She drops to to a low duck in what's called the Elephant stance as the blade, a broadsword, swooshes over her head. She doesn't even consider it an attack on her life as her foot slides forward, torso still bowed, and eyes on her opponent. An arm shoots out, knocking the blade from the Four's hand a and winding her body with the Four's on the next

Comments

/sometime after Sieben's conversation ends

[headfollowheart]

The idea had come to her on Saturday, after she'd finished questioning the Arcana servants and had needed to get out of Victor's rooms before the stress of the last week started to make her snap. So, the new accounting office. First, the monthly budget for Spade Castle, tweaked and shuffled and adjusted until it was as neat and perfect as she could make it. Then her more secret job, organizing Athena's investments. Making changes, banking profits in the secret accounts she'd set up in Cayman and Switzerland for the ex-queen

Re: /sometime after Sieben's conversation ends

[wiredspade]

Meghana was focused, collected. A job she needed to do and she needed to do it well. The flouncing and fighting were never her true jobs. Not even close, despite her joy of the fight and her pride in winning. That was the hobby.

She did take a shower, but she wasn't dressed in her uniform. Unusual for a spade. Jeans, a batwing tunic blouse. The closest she'll ever get to being comfortable and casual on Deck. She's about to open the door to the IT Office when she hears Zoe's voice.

“Good morning, Ms. Kattalakis.” There's a slight pause, "You may."

Zoe is the Jack's assistant, after all.

[headfollowheart]

It's not something she's spoken to Sieben about yet. She's not entirely certain whether Sieben realizes she knows what's going on - or if he knows, even though she told Andrea she had to tell the Face Cards. She had to try and fail to bring the other Four back from the Clubs, after all, and that was exactly a week ago now. "It's about Andrea Cruz-Well," she says in the lowest voice she can manage, even though this area of the Castle is all but deserted. "I had an idea for something we could do here to help locate the...problem, but I don't have the resources."

She's still in her uniform, or as close to a uniform as she gets - a pale coral silk dress that does nothing to conceal the bright pink scar on her upper arm from the stitches she'd had removed just that morning, skintone leather flats, hair hanging in dark waves just past her shoulders and clipped back on one side with a silver barrette. The harmless pretty girl.

[wiredspade]

Sieben is aware of something and the bastard isn't telling her much other than unlock those computers. Of course she'll do it. Trust takes time among the Spades and this is probably safer than one of those trust exercises that Adare once brought up.

Meghan give a slow nod at the the mention of Andrea's name, "What do you know, I've got stuff of hers right in this office." She begins to unlock the door. It's so nice to be able to have locks again. "Your boss know about this idea of yours?"

Never trust the pretty Spade girls. Even the gentle looking ones.

[headfollowheart]

Zoe waits until the door is unlocked before speaking. "Not yet," she says. "I wanted to know whether it might be possible or not before I took it to him." There was also the fact that she didn't have a clue, at this point, who knew what. She was pretty sure Sieben didn't know she was at all involved in the disaster, since she'd been keeping that one quiet. Knife wound? Training accident. Nerves? Worried about Victor, naturally. Not that that Sieben had asked, but those were her planned answers if he did.

She wasn't taking on Andrea's responsibility in this particular matter.

[wiredspade]

"Oh?" Meghana opens the door into the IT Office. It's much nicer than one would expect. Clean, feminine if a touch warm because of the equipment. But then Meghana's been back for a few weeks. She is not going to live up to any stereotype as a Spade or as a Computer Geek.

She gestures to a chair and when the younger woman is inside, she shuts the door. She glances around, always alert, before sitting in her chair in front of her work computer. "So what's the idea floating in your head?"

[headfollowheart]

Zoe sits and tucks back her hair a little nervously. It seemed like a good idea - it was a good idea - and not that hard to explain, but hard to begin. "Well," she says. "I was checking to make sure some of the funds I manage had gone through all my secrecy checkpoints, and it made me think that one angle we could pursue, when it comes to finding the information Mr. Well stole from the Deck, is to follow the paths of his money. There are ways you can hide it, of course," and she's cognizant of most of them, which gives them a good starting point, "but you can never hide it completely. There's always a way to figure out where it might be headed. So."

She pauses for breath. "The problem is I'd need to get into see his accounts, and I'm not a hacker." Smart about computers, yes, but not a hacker.

[wiredspade]

Her face was impassive as she listened to Zoe, eyes dark and somber though maybe her shoulders indicated she was a touch bored. Inwardly, her mind whirled. So Mr. Wells, Andrea's husband, was a thief and dragged Andrea along? Was that the information that Sieben was withholding.

Well, he had a good reason to withhold it. She could see the fury bubbling in other Spades. She would probably be angry later. When everything was safe and sound and it was all right to flip the fuck out. "Well, giving me a name doesn't always help, that's for sure. But that's a sound idea on tracking what's going on."

Should she go to Sieben right now? No. Not right now. Her job was to open the first laptop. Then she'd report what Zoe told her. His assistant, his worries. Because it didn't make sense that he wouldn't tell her what's going on and then Ms. Kattalakis telling her this?

The Spades were not united as she thought. "There are ways of getting the accounts, of course."

[headfollowheart]

They were split in a hundred different directions. She supposes it's pretty understandable, so soon after Athena had left. You couldn't expect everyone to fall into one line.

At least, she didn't think so.

"Do you think we can do it, then?" she asks. "If we can, I'll talk to Sieben. I just didn't want to bring it to him before I knew whether it was at all possible."

[wiredspade]

But Meghana is now determined to help fix it. It's what Muni wanted and what he hoped her brothers would do. But Muni thought more like a traditional Spade than he realized. She doesn't expect anyone to fall in line until people make good reasons for them to fall in line.

"If I can find a seed," She eyes the laptop of Wells' that sits on her desk. "There's a good chance."

[headfollowheart]

Zoe's eyes follow Meghana's, and her eyebrows shoot up. Andrea didn't really - but she should stop being surprised at what Andrea has and hasn't done, and she nods. "I'll...outline the plan for the Jack," she says. And also probably get iced out for days, since telling him about this will basically mean confessing that she did, in fact, know about it for a number of days.

[wiredspade]

Andrea did. To the worst person to give them to. And probably the only one on the Deck right now who could open up those computers. And of course, a fellow Spade. One that was not doing backflips right now.

Meghana actually liked these times. "Thank you, and to inform him I was addressed by you. I knew there was trouble going on with Andrea but... not so much like this. Lord Vishnu give me the strength not to murder people when we're done cleaning up this fucking mess. And it's been floating out there for how long?"

[headfollowheart]

"Twelve years according to what she blurted out to me," Zoe says. "Apparently she didn't realize until some time after she came back here." Supposedly. There's no guaranteeing anything Andrea's said is true at this point, and possibly Zoe is among the least inclined to be charitable at this point in time.

"I'll let him know that I spoke to you." If Zoe realized how little Sieben had told Meghana, she'd be looking forward to this conversation even less. But the music had to be faced.

[wiredspade]

"Twelve years." Lips pursed quietly and she tapped a maroon painted nail, already chipping, against her lips. "And yet... they haven't acted. What on Earth would they be fleecing? No blackmail? Were they dealing with disturbers.

Jagan seemed fine when she saw him last. No pressure on his end.

"Excellent." So very little, Meghana would probably be interrogated when she spoke to him next. Not a comfortable feeling or thought.

[headfollowheart]

"It's a long time to sit on something. Maybe it's been hidden, and it hasn't been found. But you'd think Well would have known where it was." Very little made sense about any of this, Zoe thought. There surely would have been some kind of indication...

She would likely be dealing with ice. Keeping quiet had been a mistake, but it's what she thought was best. And it would have been fine if Andrea hadn't hidden for an entire week. But she had, and now Zoe was in it. She stands up, her skirts flowing around her. "I'll let you get to work," she says, "and come by later?"

[wiredspade]

"A painfully long time to sit on something like this. Christ, do you know how many scientists would flip out over this place? Jesus." She rubs the bridge of her nose, all those ideas on pocket universes, validated. Or whatever this place is. "The blackmail so many people could put on us?"

"Sure." She feels nothing but pity for Zoe right now. Of course the way things are going with the Lord Jack, she's probably going to be answering a few questions after she gets this damn thing open.

And then there'll be a second one.