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WHO: Hans Gruber, Bela Talbot, Arthur
WHERE: a zoo somewhere! ~~because it sounds like fun~~
WHEN: sometime after the failed Constellation heist and Dooku's confession
WHAT: a meeting to assess things pertaining to a certain criminal organization
WARNINGS: probably none

Unlike some, Hans had not been particularly surprised by either the failure of the Continuum heist, or Dooku's subsequent confession of being Antares, the leader of the Constellation. He had decided not to take part in the former, it striking him as too risky a venture, given the reliance that had to be placed on anonymous participants. Maybe the Stars knew who everyone was and would vouch for them, but Hans preferred to know his team for brazen fieldwork of that sort. And, as it turned out, that had proved to be a wise policy, considering the double-cross that ensued. As far as Dooku's confession went, the Count had been the person who recruited Hans in the first place, and while he hadn't known for certain that Dooku and Antares were one in the same, he'd strongly suspected it, paying attention to speech patterns and the like.

While it hadn't seemed quite the thing to come right out and ask in that particular instance—possibly suicidal even, given that the emphasis on anonymity was likely Dooku's direct order—that hadn't stopped Hans from endeavoring to find out the identities of some of the lesser, satellite members (his own security level) and had been successful in a couple of instances ('the stars are right' being both simple and effective, provided it could be inserted into casual conversation), both of whom he'd been on good terms with already, and it's to these people he turns now, arranging to meet in person at a nearby zoo to talk things over, having little desire to take part in any further anon conversations at the present time.

Currently, he's standing in front of the giraffe enclosure, having a staring contest with one of the long-necked inhabitants while he waits, who clearly seems to expect Hans to feed it. Oh fine. He'll give it a lettuce leaf out of the nearby bin. "Happy now?"

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Hans is someone that Bela has worked with before so she feels like she could trust. Her relationship with Arthur was slightly different to the one that she had with Hans, but she also trusted him. Why Hans chose a zoo of all places for them to meet would remain a mystery to her. Bela is here though, casually walking past the animals (most of them were asleep) until she reaches the giraffe enclosure, coming across Hans as he finishes feeding one of the animals.

"Looking for a career change?"

It's a gentle tease.

Edited 2018-03-01 21:27 (UTC)

Arthur, for his part, is mostly here for Bela - she's his closest friend here, by far, though he also gets along with Hans reasonably well. They all seem to have similar goals and mindsets, as well - especially given their mutual affiliation with the Constellation.

He doesn't think of himself as evil, or anarchic, for that matter. He'd chosen not to take part in the raid because he prefers to keep a low profile, and B&Es at a major corporation or government complex kind of destroy that whole idea.

But he appreciates some of the opportunities afforded by affiliation with a group like that, opportunities such as this one.

"I'm not sure there's much money in feeding giraffes," Arthur adds, hands shoved in his pockets and sunglasses on his face as he approaches, equally casually, with Bela.

In Hans' opinion, innocuous public locations are good places to have discussions about less-than-legal secret things. Just look at all the spies or crooked politicians in movies meeting in some park, feeding pigeons, so celluloid precedent, or something. Well-dressed people don't hang out in shady bars and Hans has had enough of that for a while, anyway. At least in an open space it's harder to be overheard.

He smirks slightly at Bela's jest as he cleans his hands with one of the wipes from the dispenser. "Highly doubtful," he says wryly, in answer to both her question and Arthur's remark. He nods at the animal. "She's rather insistent."

Joining the Constellation had given Bela opportunities she may not have had by herself. It didn't mean that she wished to take part in the more destructive jobs the organisations was interested in. She preferred to be on the sidelines - gathering information and conducting small jobs which would turn a profit.

Bela did not want to be involved in the kinds of activities that would get people hurt or even killed. She's adamant about it.

"I think she likes you." Bela says, now done with teasing Hans. "And you're probably right, Arthur. I don't know of any rich zookeepers."

Arthur nods a little, still smirking faintly.

"Which of course begs the question," he adds, leaning a bit on the railing, looking for all the world like he's interested in the animals in front of him. "Why did you bring us here?"

His question is full of interest. He suspects whatever Hans has in mind, it is likely to be lucrative.

Hans feigns surprise at Arthur's question, tilting his head towards the giraffe. "I should think it would be obvious—to make new friends, of course."

While there is no doubt he's being facetious about the animal, the first part of his reply is not said in jest, given the upheaval in the Constellation of late, which is the main thing all three of them have in common.

"I'm interested in both of your opinions with regard to certain changes in the corporate structure of that business we all have an investment in, and any expectations you may have moving forward."

The Constellation had become fractured, but not entirely broken. Perhaps it was inevitable that there would be a change in leadership, and yet Bela hadn't exactly prepared herself fully for it. She had other priorities on her mind.

"Part of me thought that the corporate structure of the business would've remained the same. The other part thought that dissension in the ranks was always possible." Bela is quiet for a moment, trying to think about the second question.

"As for expectations, I hope that I'll be able to remain a part of the business for the foreseeable future."

Arthur nods his agreement. "As long as I can keep doing what I'm doing with no significant changes, I don't see a need to alter my position within the organization."

Now, if new leadership brings about new, more stringent rules or something, he might bow out, but he hasn't seen any real indication of that - not yet, anyway. He's always been a peripheral player at best, anyway.

"I'm really just a contractor, though, and I plan to remain that way," he adds. A free agent, occasionally doing work with them, but always only serving his own agenda.

"Which leaves me free to pursue other goals, if I want."

While Hans considers himself a contractor as well at the moment, he wouldn't be averse to the idea of moving up in some capacity. That notion potentially has its drawbacks however, in that as a planet, he'd be more likely to be given an increased amount of direct orders from the stars, and as he'd found when he was with the Volksfrei Movement, he's less inclined to take orders of late. To be a star himself, he'd have to know a whole lot more about the way the organization was run... which he could conceivably learn as a planet, if he were willing to be an order-taker. A little catch-22 there. It is beneficial however, to have some ready made connections.

He listens in silence as Bela and Arthur speak, finding validity in their opinions, although there's a point he'd like to expand on, or at least, speculate about.

"Dissension in the ranks," he repeats, "specifically with regard to Antares' downfall. I have no idea who Regulus is, or was, but if they're responsible for betraying him in a coup d'état, so to speak, I'm less inclined to abide by their leadership."

"Like Arthur, I consider myself a contractor. Free to do what I want and only take part in some of the Constellation's activities." Bela was content with the position that she had within the organisation and wouldn't seek to take on more responsibility, considering the plans that she had for her business and for the future.

She looks from Arthur to Hans and waits for him to say what he needs to before commenting on it.

"Unfortunately, I don't know who they are either, but I'm less inclined to trust someone who uses that kind of method to seize power." Would they turn on anyone else in the organisation?

"I'm less inclined to give someone like that my real name, at least," Arthur says with a shrug. "But I don't know who they are, either. That was kinda the whole point, after all."

Arthur snorts faintly. "I really don't care about the politics. If I don't feel like I can trust those I've associated with, I'll stop associating with them and find others I can trust." He glances between Bela and Hans. "For instance."

"It's quite possible they know who you are already, being at the top of the organization and having access to all information." A beat. "Presumably." He doesn't doubt that Dooku knew who everyone was, although how much was actually documented for someone else to find is harder to say.

"Personally, I'd rather not put my trust in an unknown entity; it's one thing with satellites, and entirely different coming from the top." He pauses, gazing at the giraffe thoughtfully. "I believe I'll make an effort to see what I can find out."

"Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help you find out." Bela is including Arthur in that because it may come down to a team effort. She trusts that he'd come through for everyone involved.

As for what could be documented about her, Bela had only told a handful of people about what she really did for a living back home. She never went into a lot of detail with Dooku, even with them being good friends.

"We could just as easily form our own group." She adds, half-seriously. "Should the Constellation come to an abrupt end."

"Or take a turn in a direction we don't like," Arthur adds with a nod at Bela. "New management always causes shakeups. Regardless, I plan to stick with freelancing - I get the best rates that way, if everyone is competing for my services. I'll definitely keep you two in the loop for lucrative opportunities, though."

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