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There had been some interesting gossip going through the Negaverse grapevine lately. As Stillwaterite, she never placed too much stock in it. It was amusing to be a fly on the wall for it most of the time, but something about this latest bit had caught her attention. Apparently, there was a man who was actually known as a mercenary, and did some jobs here and there for the Negaverse, in addition to others. Rumors said he had a rep and list as big as the state he came from.

She thought that sounded pretty bomb, and now she was curious. It sounded like something straight out of movie, and now she wanted to see him in person. Plus...this dangerous line of work he was in had her curious too.

That's why, as Knot, the woman found herself stepping into a dive of a bar that prided itself on having something of a good ol' country charm. Oh yeah. This was already promising to at least be an interesting night, even if nothing else came of it. She noted that her entrance immediately had many looking her way suspiciously, as, she understood, she was a newcomer...and wasn't exactly dressed to the proper country dive bar aesthetic. The key was to act like you owned the place.

So she did. Knot made her way towards the bar, and squeezed in between some patrons to flag down the bartender. "Excuse me." She said with a smile as he came over, also eyeing her suspiciously. "I'm looking for a Mr. Dallas. Is he around?" If it was possible, the looking got even more suspicious, but after a long moment the man gestured to a table in the back where a bunch of others were gathered. "Over there. The one looking like he's king of the world with the cowboy hat." Was the gruff answer.

Apparently he was used to random people coming to inquire about said man.

"Much appreciated, sir."

She pushed off the bar and weaved her way around some drunken patrons until she came up on the table in question. Oh. It was a poker table, apparently. Not that she knew a whole lot about that but had seen enough movies to know what she was looking at. There the man was, funny enough, to a tee what the bartender described. King of the world at the table. Knot casually made her way over to him, coming to a stand behind slightly behind him like she was an interested observer. Which wasn't wrong, but she had another purpose.

"...Mr. Dallas?" She inquired after a moment, eyeing his cards before she looked at what she could of his profile.

One pale brow lifted into her bangs at the statement, and she took a moment to contemplate. She did want to talk, and she was coming into his turf to do it, so she understood that, to a degree, she would need to play by the rules set. There was no harm in the request.

Knot slid onto the cowboy's lap, making herself comfortable. Legs crossed as she smoothed out the bottom of her long shirt on her thighs, and she leaned against his broad chest. The rest of the table occupants were ignored, because she was here on a mission.

"And don't get any ideas or your hopes up. The only thing I'm going to blow of your's is the cards." She smiled. "Oh, I would hope that your ma doesn't call you Mister. That's bordering on possible fetishes and issues I want to know nothing about." Her voice lowered then, so that the next part would be only for Dallas' ears.

"Word is that you're quite a talented man and I'm curious. So what I want to talk to you about might be best for a table that's not so crowded. No rush. Finish your game. The seat's pretty comfy."

"You're not my type, cowboy." Because she was just going to n** that in the bud right now. She smirked at the ma's comment, and then just took to enjoying the time. Making memories. Hm. If she ever wrote a memoir about her short but odd time of existence so far, Making Memories would be a delightfully corny title. New York Times Best Seller list, maybe?

"We'll get to that shortly." Knot replied, and when the cards were produced for her to b to blow, she did. Her eyes met his for a moment, and she could see that as much as she was working on reading him, he was reading her as well. There was something really fun about the potential of dipping into something really dangerous. Her attention shifted to the cards he held in his hand, and honestly, the symbols and numbers didn't mean anything to her. He seemed confident though, and the table seemed in suspense.

Knot just patiently waited to see how this would play out.

He won, and he was calling those out who owed him. Yes. It was very clear who was in charge, here. Knot was getting ready to slide off his lap for the transition, but before she could bat an eyelash he shifted her and then lifted her over his shoulder. For a brief moment, there was that feeling of butterflies in her stomach, purely because it was so rare for her to be, literally, swept off her feet (and being thrown around by knights when powered didn't count).

The disadvantages of being a tall girl.

Knot couldn't help an amused laugh as he took advantage of patting her bottom. She briefly hoped she wasn't flashing too much of her underwear from the position, but oh well. Soon enough she was set on the ground, where she smoothed down her shirt, and then slid into the booth across from the man. She felt his legs against her's, and just...had to be nothing but amused. There was someone who just took full advantage of any opportunity given to him. No shame. The woman made herself comfortable though, which meant she crossed her legs and sat back in her booth, arms crossing as well.

"I'll just be frank." She told him, smiling. "I hear you're an expert in all sorts of trades questionable, illegal, dangerous, and lucrative. I want you to teach me."

"You never asked until now." She replied with a smile, just to be cheeky. "It's Knot. With a K before the not." The woman continued to look at him with that smile as he said he didn't take students, eyes flicking towards the drinks when they were placed on the table. Hm. It occurred to her that she didn't know what her alcohol tolerance was, much less if she ever had a drink before. She'd need to be mindful.

Knot took her glass, eyes moving the amber liquid as it swirled in the glass before looking back up at the man.

"You're going to take me on." She told him for a fact, just like she was stating that the sun rose and set. "Because I'm going to make it worth your while, and I imagine you never had the privilege of working with someone with a skill set like mine." Was she going to use being Stillwaterite to every bit of her advantage in any endeavor she picked up? Yes. Yes she was. She just had to word it very carefully.

"Oh, that was easy." She answered. "I have ties to that organisation here in the city, that one that hires you here and there. You talk to the right people and it creates a trail to follow."

She didn't care she'd been demoted, that there had been an obvious shift based on her reply. It was part of learning and figuring it out, but she knew she still had something to bring to the table. It was just a matter of convincing him how, without compromising her identities.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." She told him cheerfully. "I don't know how to play, that's why I'm here and that's why I'm asking you." The woman leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, and the glass between her hands for the time being. "No, you're seeing what I want you to see, and I haven't shown you anything. To a degree, a mystery it will remain as well, because what I can do I keep secret, but if you teach me, you'll see results."

Her smile faded as she got more serious. "And I'm not here to bull s**t. So you want something tangible? You'll have it. Start teaching me---enough that I can do some things on my own, and the first five good jobs I successfully complete you take seventy-five percent of the pay. I keep the remaining twenty-five. While you're teaching me, I won't ask for any payment for any jobs we're on together. What I can learn from you during that time is payment enough."

She felt a little on edge, and not in a bad way. In a way where this was exciting and she really wanted this to work out. She wanted to challenge herself.

"It's the best offer I can give you, as I don't have a lot of money to throw your way right this moment." Which was why she was here asking. It'd be fun and if she could start stashing away some money...she could help out Machine and Bus, too. Get them nice things. Things she couldn't get with stealing.

The smile returned as he agreed, only after altering the conditions, of course. She expected it. It was just in his nature, from already what she'd seen, that the terms would have to be his last words. "Deal." She'd take that in a New York minute, and laughed a bit. "Oh, it's not sentimental. I'm here for a good time, Dallas, not a long time." So she'd make the most of it.

Knot paused as food appeared, and she took the invitation when Dallas pushed it her way. "Thanks." There was something to be said about the charm of bar food. She nodded. "Understood." Though, she did feel some hesitation within herself. Surely there'd be no innocents involved, right? In this line of work, it was pretty corrupt people running these kinds of games...surely. She had no problem taking out or compromising those kinds of people but...

Well. Best not to get ahead of herself. When she could be Stillwaterite, a whole other world of possibilities opened up to her. Ways to make things happen. "Numbers okay to exchange, or are we doing this all by word of mouth?"

Now that she had started to get something to eat, Knot went ahead and finally tried a sip of the drink on her hair and oh man it burned. Strong and rich, which told her something. She probably hadn't been a drinker before...well. She was going to somewhat fix that now.

Especially given her current company. She took a bigger swig this time, and followed it with more food.