To anyone who cared, he just looked like another guest.
Not quite as young as the fresh out of college interns who always peppered these events. And not as old as the politicians themselves.
But this was one of those celebrity political events and he was just another tall, dark and handsome socialite like the rest of them. Just another Hollywood playboy, with too much money on his hands and a bug for traveling.
But a very wide-open wallet.
That's what got him into a lot of these things. His generosity and his interest in donating to various foundations is what had him constantly rubbing elbows with celebrities of all kinds -- including those who thought themselves above most West coast fundraisers. But there were other reasons to be here.
A chance encounter five years ago at one of his benefits had started him down this path he was taking now. Kamatari had been the name of the guest, although that evening he was a "she." Aoshi had ferreted out the imposter fairly easily, and for some reason decided to ask why he did what he did. Kamatari had simply shrugged, and said that he did these things for fun. There was so much one could learn here and those who were kings of information in this day and age controlled destiny itself.
The words had been a bit grandiose, but he considered them anyways. He had instinctively known that somehow With his money and connections, he had access to a whole world that most people had no idea existed. Kamatari had clued him on a way to make the boredom of wealth more tolerable.
Just as Kamatari found masquerading as a woman to be useful, his wealth also served its purpose. So he embarked on a journey then that took him deeper and deeper into new and exciting territory.
Aoshi Shinomori had become a spy.
Rogue detective was more like it... but he was careful to mask his identity through a series of off-shore accounts, answering services and numerous firewalls and his secret weapon.
He worked for whoever he felt like or whose case he felt couldn't be refused. As a rule, he never delved into anything that would catch the eye of the real deals -- the guys who worked the top chains of spy agencies of various governments; however, the things that couldn't' go through official channels or things that the government did not want documented occasionally found his way for him.
These were cases that always involved sensitive issues -- those that were usually to be hushed up once the truth was discovered. And he was always careful to be discreet. However, he also was clear with his clients that he kept everything somewhere safe; meaning, if he were to suddenly turn up dead, deals of secrecy were nullified. It kept his clients from offing him -- that is if they could ever figure out his true identity. It kept them wanting to keep him alive.
That might not be great terms for his clients -- but he was clearly one of the best, and the best were worth keeping handy, weren't they?
Glass of whisky in hand, he made his rounds chatting with 'good friends' here and there like any good socialite. None ever noted that the entire time he had managed to stand with a clear view of the entrance and where he could overhear a number of conversations.
Tonight he was on assignment again. A fairly simple one. He was supposed to check out yet another shady character, one who was just another small- time drug lord masquerading as businessman. Small potatoes, really, in the grand scheme of criminals, but his client wanted to know what the man was up to anyways.
He straightened his tie as he spotted the person he was waiting for. Thin, reedy, not much of a physical threat, but something about his eyes told Aoshi that Kanryuu Takeda wasn't to be underestimated.
His companion, though, was slightly different. Aoshi frowned slightly as he got a glance of Takeda's companion.
Tall, confident, beautiful, and with a mysterious smile -- he found himself unable to look away. His eyes told him that she was roughly the same age as him, and a woman of some society. She wasn't one of Takeda's normal floozies.
As he watched a loud young woman make her way over to them, he realized that the beautiful woman wasn't Takeda's date by any means. Takeda was known to be scouting for capital to expand his operations. Perhaps this woman was part of one of the various cartels Takeda had eye on.
Why that thought pleased him, he didn't know. But it opened up a certain course of possibilities in gaining information.
His lips curled into a hint of a smile as he made his way over to them, his drink in hand.
It looked like this assignment wasn't going to be so boring after all.
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--- +--- a/n: This is an AU idea that came to me last night. Sort of a detective/noir story here. Can you guess who the lady in question is? :) And will I continue? Uhhh. Maybe later. When the other story finishes ;-)
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--- +---
Not quite as young as the fresh out of college interns who always peppered these events. And not as old as the politicians themselves.
But this was one of those celebrity political events and he was just another tall, dark and handsome socialite like the rest of them. Just another Hollywood playboy, with too much money on his hands and a bug for traveling.
But a very wide-open wallet.
That's what got him into a lot of these things. His generosity and his interest in donating to various foundations is what had him constantly rubbing elbows with celebrities of all kinds -- including those who thought themselves above most West coast fundraisers. But there were other reasons to be here.
A chance encounter five years ago at one of his benefits had started him down this path he was taking now. Kamatari had been the name of the guest, although that evening he was a "she." Aoshi had ferreted out the imposter fairly easily, and for some reason decided to ask why he did what he did. Kamatari had simply shrugged, and said that he did these things for fun. There was so much one could learn here and those who were kings of information in this day and age controlled destiny itself.
The words had been a bit grandiose, but he considered them anyways. He had instinctively known that somehow With his money and connections, he had access to a whole world that most people had no idea existed. Kamatari had clued him on a way to make the boredom of wealth more tolerable.
Just as Kamatari found masquerading as a woman to be useful, his wealth also served its purpose. So he embarked on a journey then that took him deeper and deeper into new and exciting territory.
Aoshi Shinomori had become a spy.
Rogue detective was more like it... but he was careful to mask his identity through a series of off-shore accounts, answering services and numerous firewalls and his secret weapon.
He worked for whoever he felt like or whose case he felt couldn't be refused. As a rule, he never delved into anything that would catch the eye of the real deals -- the guys who worked the top chains of spy agencies of various governments; however, the things that couldn't' go through official channels or things that the government did not want documented occasionally found his way for him.
These were cases that always involved sensitive issues -- those that were usually to be hushed up once the truth was discovered. And he was always careful to be discreet. However, he also was clear with his clients that he kept everything somewhere safe; meaning, if he were to suddenly turn up dead, deals of secrecy were nullified. It kept his clients from offing him -- that is if they could ever figure out his true identity. It kept them wanting to keep him alive.
That might not be great terms for his clients -- but he was clearly one of the best, and the best were worth keeping handy, weren't they?
Glass of whisky in hand, he made his rounds chatting with 'good friends' here and there like any good socialite. None ever noted that the entire time he had managed to stand with a clear view of the entrance and where he could overhear a number of conversations.
Tonight he was on assignment again. A fairly simple one. He was supposed to check out yet another shady character, one who was just another small- time drug lord masquerading as businessman. Small potatoes, really, in the grand scheme of criminals, but his client wanted to know what the man was up to anyways.
He straightened his tie as he spotted the person he was waiting for. Thin, reedy, not much of a physical threat, but something about his eyes told Aoshi that Kanryuu Takeda wasn't to be underestimated.
His companion, though, was slightly different. Aoshi frowned slightly as he got a glance of Takeda's companion.
Tall, confident, beautiful, and with a mysterious smile -- he found himself unable to look away. His eyes told him that she was roughly the same age as him, and a woman of some society. She wasn't one of Takeda's normal floozies.
As he watched a loud young woman make her way over to them, he realized that the beautiful woman wasn't Takeda's date by any means. Takeda was known to be scouting for capital to expand his operations. Perhaps this woman was part of one of the various cartels Takeda had eye on.
Why that thought pleased him, he didn't know. But it opened up a certain course of possibilities in gaining information.
His lips curled into a hint of a smile as he made his way over to them, his drink in hand.
It looked like this assignment wasn't going to be so boring after all.
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--- +--- a/n: This is an AU idea that came to me last night. Sort of a detective/noir story here. Can you guess who the lady in question is? :) And will I continue? Uhhh. Maybe later. When the other story finishes ;-)
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--- +---