Joseph's drink of choice was simple.

All he needed to be happy was a rum and Coke. After the first one just a Coke. It was perfect, really, better than pretending to be a T-totaler. He didn't have the aura for it, the look for it. Besides, drinking led to loose lips and loose lips led to pay bonuses, better missions, and maybe even the chance to get the hell out of here. Drinking was a big social occasion the world over, of course, and the first thing that they taught you in spy school was how to blend in…that was kind of the point…

Though Joseph wasn't exactly having the easiest time blending in right about now.

"Give me a rum and coke and a blue Hawaiian." Said Joseph, leaning against the bar. He did his best to look like he belonged, that he came to places like this all the time. He did go to bars, or at least he had before he'd been put on the clock twenty four seven, but not bars like this. Even a stupid foreigner like him knew better than to walk into what was obviously a yakuza bar.

Either that or a meeting of Japan's largest black suit and tattoo convention.

"You with her?" asked the bartender motioning over to Shigeko. She was sitting in a booth scrolling through her phone. She looked, somehow, like she belonged. There were a lot of girls not much older than her here…and he doubted that this was father-daughter night…

Yeah, he fit right in.

"Yeah, I am. So about those drinks?" asked Joseph, making the hurry up motion with his hands. He had thought that it had been the universal hurry up motion. Clearly he was wrong, and clearly he needed to hang out in more yakuza bars.

"What happened to the other guy? Shimazaki's boy?" asked the bartender. Joseph took the time to light another cigarette. This was…not good. Shimazaki, unless he had a son, besides the other kids that his handlers were sure that Shimazaki was responsible for, used to come here…with Shigeko. He knew what they had been, Shigeko had a lot of relationship woes for a kid her age….and he knew that Shigeko and Shimazaki both had a lot of enemies.

He took a drag off of his cigarette.

"Don't know, didn't ask." Said Joseph as he exhaled. The bartender sighed and dug two glasses out from under the bar.

"Figured that kid would get himself killed one of these days…the boss's daughter, of all things…" muttered the bartender as he got to work. Joseph filed this information down for later. How deep was Shigeko in with the yakuza. He knew that Suzuki had taken out nearly an entire family and the resulting power vacuum had caused a crime wave the likes of which hadn't been seen in decades…how much had Shigeko known about that?

He'd have plenty of time to find out.

Shigeko liked to talk, especially when she was drunk. So that was what he was going to do. He was going to drink with her, letting her get drunker and drunker, and he was going to get what he could out of her. He had no choice. Fukuda knew. Not that it was him specifically but he knew…and that was Suzuki's righthand man. If Suzuki was sending him around then…well then his days might have been numbered. He had to come up with something good before he got compromised. Before he had to run…before he got himself killed…

If he came up with something good, something perfect, something that made him staying here obsolete then that would have been perfect.

So he had choice, really, but to ply a thirteen year old girl with as much liquor as he could get into her. He had no idea if she liked this drink, she liked that sweet stuff and she liked blue, but if she didn't like it then he'd get her something else. Anything else. She had said that she missed it, when Shimazaki would take her out and buy her drinks…her meaning was clear.

And Joseph…well he liked being alive and well compensated.

"Here you go, one blue Hawaiian for you and a rum and Coke for me." said Joseph as he sat the drinks down onto the table. She clicked her phone off and put it in her bag…hiding something from him? Or just tired of staring at a screen? Or just tired in general. She'd been on edge since that thing with Fukuda…

Not a good look for her.

"Does yours have real Coke in it?" asked Vice President Suzuki

"It better have real Coke in it, I can't stand Pepsi." Said Joseph

"No, I didn't mean like the drink." Said Vice President Suzuki

"Oh…no, probably not. I mean this is a shady place but I don't think it's that shady." Said Joseph with a laugh. One that he had to make sure met his eyes. Right. She did…coke. That was a thing that she did…he wasn't sure if he could go that far with her. He hadn't ever been one for coke, it just made it feel like his heart was about to explode, and he didn't know if he could keep his cover on if he snorted a couple lines of coke with her or whatever…

He took a sip from his drink.

"I was going to tell you not to eat coke. Shimazaki says that eating it just makes you feel really sick." Said Vice President Suzuki as she reached out and took the garish off. Some pineapple and grapes on a stick. She looked them over once before taking the garnish into her mouth and pulling the fruit off bit by bit. Joseph took another sip of his drink and looked around. They weren't gathering an undue attention, that was good, and it also said something about the state of society, in Joseph's opinion.

Not that he was being paid for his opinion.

"He's got a lot of experience with that, does he?" asked Joseph. He was being paid for the information he could gather, not his opinion on it, so that was what he was going to do. Gather information. Find something good. She took a sip of her drink…and she had been going on and off all day.

Good.

"He said that he only ate it once, and only a little, but his friend ate a lot of end and ended up with his stomach bleeding…so I wouldn't want that to happen to you." said Vice President Suzuki

"It's nice to know that I'm in good hands." Said Joseph. He watched her hands…that would have been the perfect time to reach for them, or at least one of them…but he didn't want to cross that line unless he absolutely had to.

"I'll take good care of you, don't worry." Said Vice President Suzuki

"I knew you would." Said Joseph

"I try to take good care of people….but it's kind of hard, you know? It's like no matter what I do it won't be enough…and there's always so much to do." Said Vice President Suzuki

"Well, you are the Vice President, Vice President Suzuki." Said Joseph. She made a face as she swallowed her drink…and he knew that wasn't too strong for her. He took a drag off of his rapidly dying cigarette. He needed the time to think…she wasn't upset, at least she didn't look it…but clearly he'd said the wrong thing. No, there was no way in hell he was going to botch this mission. Joseph didn't care what he had to do, he wasn't going to end up dead in a hole somewhere.

"You don't have to call me that, you know. You can call me Mob, or Shigeko, or Miss Suzuki I guess. I don't mind, like I said before. I like it when people call me by my name." said Vice President Suzuki…said Shigeko. That was how he was going to have to think of her. As Shigeko. She said that she liked being called by her name…her actual name. Was Shigeko more intimate to her than Mob? Mob wasn't even a name, a real one, if anything it sounded kind of cruel. A mob character…she was anything but.

She was the brightest thing in this shady dump.

"Sure thing, Shigeko. I just meant that it seemed like you've been a little overworked lately. Seemed like you needed a break." Said Joseph

"I did, I mean I do, I mean I did…it's just been a lot. Like the thing I told you about with Hatori getting shot….and then the other thing with the mole…thank you so much for bringing me here. It's nice to go out places and just…be. Shimazaki used to take me here a lot…um…before." Said Shigeko

"Oh yeah, the bartender knew him." Said Joseph

"Oh. I didn't know that. Maybe that's why he brought me here so often. He used to live around here back before he was in Claw…and before he got kicked out of his family. He said that this was the best place in all of Tokyo and he used to take me here a lot…um….before." Said Shigeko. Joseph bit back a well placed 'before you were born'. This was not the time or the place for that.

"Before you two broke up?" asked Joseph

"I'm still not sure if we're broken up. I mean I never said that I wanted to break up and he said that he was in love with me and…and it's kind of complicated. But he's in Osaka so I don't have to worry about that. I mean I kind of miss him…kind of a lot…but it's better that we're far away from each other. That way Minegishi will be less mad at me." said Shigeko

"They shouldn't be mad at you, though, in my opinion. An open relationship means just that, an open relationship." Said Joseph. He went off on a limb there. Agreeing with her, going against her best friend, but even if she disagreed then she'd still be talking…and he was curious about Shimazaki. He was a powerful esper in his own right, and a lot was known about him, but none of it useful. His bloodline, work he'd done, crimes he'd been involved with before Claw…they would try and take him alive if he could. They actually executed very few people. Some got recruited, some lived out the rest of their lives in cells, and some were used as research subjects…if he could bring them Shimazaki Ryou he might have stood a chance at getting the hell out of here. He was pretty unique as far as espers went…

Probably just enough for the bonus, not to be able to just walk away…if they were ever going to let him just walk away.

"I'm still their best friend and…and I should have been a better friend to them…and I should have been a better friend to Hatori, too. He says that he's ok but he's got a really bad scar. I mean you know, you've seen it." Said Shigeko

"It's not that bad, I've seen worse." Said Joseph with a wave of his hand. He sat back and tried to look less on edge. They were friends and this was a friends…outing…or whatever. Going out for drinks afterwork with his boss. He was her friend and he was going to keep the conversation light, airy, and flowing.

"You mean on the Awakened?" asked Shigeko

"Worse. Junior league hockey. There was this one kid who wouldn't play with pads on, not even a helmet. He was a complete moron and he wound up wrapping his car around a tree later but back when we were kids we were practicing, like normal, and he collides with me…and my hockey skate, which isn't like a regular ice skate. I'm not sure if you've ever seen a hocket skate before-" said Joseph

"I haven't, but I did watch some hockey since you like it…it's ok." Said Shigeko

"Glad you liked it. Anyway it's a much bigger blade and I sliced clean into this kid's leg. The scar…I wish I had a picture. I have never seen a scar like that before in my life." said Joseph

"I'm sorry for your friend. I know, I mean I don't know, but I've seen how hard it is to have scars." Said Shigeko

"It's not that bad." Said Joseph

"It's pretty bad. My little brother can't wear shorts or short sleeved shirts outside of the house. That's why the Awakened have long sleeves and long pants with their uniforms…it's really bad. I wish that we didn't have to hurt them like that." Said Shigeko

"Isn't there some other way to Awaken people?" asked Joseph knowing fully well that there wasn't. There were two accepted ways to turn someone into an esper, according to government scientists. The first was a massive, A-bomb, level dose of radiation and the second was torture…and that only worked on someone who had the genetic potential to be an esper…and there wasn't any one gene to test for. At least that the government had figured out.

Claw would have known better…but they were pretty stingy with their Awakening data. All of their data, really.

"I don't know. if there was then I don't think Dad would be doing it that way…or maybe he would have. He can be kind of mean sometimes." Said Shigeko

"Sometimes?" snorted Joseph, partially because he couldn't help it and partially out of an attempt to endear himself to her.

"Ok, a lot of the time…and I don't know why. I don't think he cares that people are getting hurt but…but I have no idea how that could possibly…work. I don't know how my Dad's brain works sometimes, he's really weird…I wish we didn't have to hurt people." Said Shigeko

"You're in charge too, why not just have your scientists work on finding some other way to Awaken people?" asked Joseph. He could see the lightbulb going off above her head…and it hadn't just been the faulty wiring in this place. Had it really not occurred to her how much power she had? Or maybe it just hadn't occurred to her that she could defy her father like that….hmm….

"I…I can do that. I can but…but Dad's going to be upset." Said Shigeko

"But you'd be helping a lot of people. Isn't that your life's goal or something?" Said Joseph, pushing her just a little bit too much…but if he could sow some dissent…if he could make the house of Suzuki fall…he knew that he'd be handsomely rewarded. Plus a good deed being it's own reward and shit like that.

"It is…and you're right. It's better to help people than to hurt them. Dad's going to be mad at me…but he's been mad at me for a while. Sometimes it feels like everyone's mad at me." said Shigeko

"Well, I'm not pissed at you and as for your Dad…well it's just the age you're at. I thought that my Dad hated me too when I was thirteen. Turns out that I was just giving him grief. You'll probably understand when you have kids of your own." Said Joseph. She took another sip of her drink. Probably no progress on that front of her life…unless she felt like being reckless. Or maybe she just didn't know not to drink while she was pregnant. She was only thirteen after all. She didn't really seem to be the best at taking care of herself.

"I don't think that Shoko and Shigeo and I are going to fight. I mean I don't know what they'll be like but when I have kids I plan on never fighting with them or yelling at them or hitting them or making them feel bad in any way. Also I'm not going to run away." Said Mob

"Well you wouldn't be much of a mom if you made them miserable…and it's hard to be a mom when you've run away." Said Joseph

"Exactly. I'm going to do a good job." Said Shigeko

"What do you want for your baby shower? Or am I not allowed to come because I'm a guy?" asked Joseph

"You can come, but I'm not having a baby yet. Minegishi would be mad at me if I did and I don't really know anyone who I like that much. It just seems like kind of a big step, having a baby with someone, and I don't really know anyone that well…and I don't think that I want to be married, either. My parents were married and it didn't help them at all." Said Shigeko

"Marriage is overrated, in my opinion." Said Joseph. Why only have one woman for the rest of your life when you could have all of them…well all the ones who wanted you, but if that pool of women was greater than one then there was no point in settling down.

"I just don't think that I could deal with being divorced. Seems like it's even worse than being broken up with…and breaking up with someone. Also I don't think that I want to fall in love again. I was in love once and then he ripped my heart….and also someone was in love with me but then I wasn't in love with him and it was a mess so…so yeah, I really don't want to fall in love right now." said Shigeko. She was giving him a look that he couldn't read…unless she thought…

Back. Out. Now.

"I'm not really looking for a girlfriend either. I just don't think that I have a lot to offer a girl a right now." said Joseph. He made sure to turn it back to him. That way she wouldn't feel rejected, in case she had been making an implicit offer before, and she thought that the idea was still on table…in case she ever changed her mind…

He prayed that she didn't.

"That's good….I mean not good. I mean…um…do you like your drink?" asked Shigeko

"It's alright. Yours?" asked Joseph

"I like it, I like White Russians better, but I like this. There's probably something that I like better than that, though. Shimazaki was always bringing me new things to try…it was nice…but this is nice too. Thank you for bringing me here with you. I needed this." Said Shigeko

"Think nothing of it. Going out for drinks with the boss is a Japanese tradition." Said Joseph

"It is?" asked Shigeko

"Yeah, well for salarymen, which I'm not sure if I qualify as but if I don't we can just pretend that I do." Said Joseph

"You can stay, and I think you might count since you have a salary…but I didn't know that it was tradition. I think that would be fun for everyone…" said Shigeko. Joseph wondered if he had suddenly developed clairvoyance. He could see it now….all the Awakened in Claw stumbling around Tokyo drunk…

There wouldn't be a Tokyo in the morning.

"That could be pretty fun, a Claw wide cocktail party or something. Invite all the big guys, some of the Awakened." Said Joseph

"That would be good for New Year's Eve…and Dad wouldn't be able to come anyway so it doesn't matter….you always have such good ideas, Joseph." Said Shigeko

"Thanks, I try." Said Joseph

"You really do. You should help me plan Sho's birthday party. He says that he doesn't want a big party but he deserves one. He's going to be turning thirteen, that's a big birthday. Also we're going to be the same age again. That's always special." Said Shigeko

"Oh yeah, what are you guys? Six months apart?" asked Joseph

"Five months." Said Shigeko. Joseph made a mental note of that. Either esper pregnancies were shorter than normal ones, there wasn't any data on them at all at this point, or Suzuki Sho had been born premature. That would have explained a few things. His emotional problems, Suzuki's rejection, but aside from that he was normal…but still. Joseph was no expert on the subject but he was sure that it took nine months to make a baby.

That was worth looking into.

"That's pretty damn close. What's it like, having a part time twin?" asked Joseph

"We're never twins, I'm always older….it's ok. It's kind of hard being in charge all the time but Sho's been really good lately. He says that he feels better because Dad's not around. He says that everything is going to be better from now on because Dad's gone, and that we don't even need him…but I think we do. I mean he's our Dad, you know?" asked Shigeko

"That's not a bond that's easily broken." Said Joseph

"It really isn't. It took me a long time to stop caring about my mom…to mostly stop caring about her…but I don't want to stop caring about my Dad, too. He's mean but I love him…and I don't know why people keep on trying to do bad things to him." Said Shigeko

"He's a powerful man. Other people get jealous and want to take that power for themselves. It's just the way things have always been." Said Joseph, quickly. He knew better than to get into the long list of people Suzuki Touichirou had stepped on to climb his way to the top. That wouldn't have endeared him to her at all…if she even believed him. She honestly did try and see the best in people no matter what.

It was going to get her killed someday.

"It shouldn't be like that, though. I wish that everyone in the world could just be kind to one another. But that's a lot to ask. People can be so mean to one another…" said Shigeko. She was looking down, now, getting closed off. Not good. Keep her talking.

"People can be pretty great to one another too. The way I see it is that you've got good people, bad people, and people in between. We're all just trying to live our lives in the world and, yeah, sometimes the bad people mess things up for the rest of us but at least we have each other. We're all just trying to get through life together, you know?" asked Joseph

"Oh…I get it. Things can be bad, sometimes people do bad things, but at least we have our friends to help us get through life." said Shigeko

"Yeah, that's it. We all need each other. You've got to have friends, all of that." Said Joseph

"You're really smart like that…we do need to all have friends…and I need my friends back. I don't like how we're all separated and I don't like how we're all fighting. Maybe if I bring everyone back together….but then they'll just fight more…" said Shigeko

"Or you could just tell them that you want everything to go back to normal and see what happens. See if the bond you guys have is strong enough to survive all of that. Plus, you know you are the one in charge." Said Joseph. Fuck the fall of the house of Suzuki, they were slowing imploding as it was. If he could break apart the upper echelons…the inner circle…the greatest concentration of power in all of Claw…maybe even the entire esper world…

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

"I don't want to be bossy…but I do miss Hatori a lot. In a friend way…and I'm worried about him. Shimazaki too, but also in a friend way." Said Joseph

"What's going on with Shimazaki?" asked Joseph. Ok, they were back to her ex now…he knew he was terrible for thinking it but he was getting kind of sick of hearing about her ex…but it was strategically important…

"I don't know, I haven't talked to him in a while. The thing with Hatori getting shot just makes me nervous for Shimazaki, that's all. Sho went to visit him and said that he had a big gun collection…so I'm nervous about that." Said Shigeko

"Why? I heard that he knew how to dodge bullets." Said Joseph. He'd seen it, actually, a rare bit of CCTV footage that hadn't been scrubbed clean from the crime scene. A rare miss by Claw. In it Shimazaki Ryou was dodging bullets like he was in the Matrix or something. An amazing feat for anyone, but someone like him? Mixed in with that was the fact that he could teleport, too, and over pretty vast distances…

How someone could have gotten two overpowered abilities like that Joseph would never know.

"He can, and his barrier is pretty tough too. He said that they tried a bunch of times to execute him like that but it never worked." Said Shigeko

"So, what are you worried about, then? From what it sounds like the guy is completely indestructible." asked Joseph

"Oh! Nobody is indestructible, except for maybe Fukuda and Shibata. Shimazaki can get hurt just like everyone else, he just likes to walk around with his barrier up all the time. Bullets can't get through it, Shimazaki doesn't like the sound guns make. He says that it hurts his ears and sometimes it takes a while for his hearing to come back all the way and he needs to hear to know what's going on, since he can't see, I mean." Said Shigeko

"Wait…so he's vulnerable to loud sounds?" asked Joseph. That came out wrong…awkward…kind of suspicious…but maybe he could just pass it off as not having a good grasp of the language…if she said anything.

"He doesn't like them because they mess with his hearing and then he's distracted and doesn't fight as well. He says it's easier to hear people coming and…and I don't want anything to happen to him. If he had been here then he could have just stayed under my barrier but he's all the way in Osaka…and it's all because of me." said Shigeko before she polished off her drink. Joseph could have kissed her. This was perfect! This was…he had to stay calm. She was clueless, not stupid. He couldn't get excited…even if this was the best piece of news that he'd gotten in a while...

That he could have gotten.

"I know it's tough but, hey, nothing ever lasts forever. Like that drink. You stay here and I'll get you, us, another round. How's that sound?" asked Joseph quickly. That was…this was amazing….but he wasn't going to give himself away. Even Shigeko would have noticed if he just started laughing at the table like some kind of maniac.

"That sounds good…um…you can get me whatever." Said Shigeko. Joseph stood up, maybe a little too quickly. He just had to walk for a little bit, walk this off. This…this amazing...he was going to be ok. He had found out…it was so simple, too, why hadn't anyone thought of that…well he was the one who thought of that. Something so simple…

He was getting out of here.

He was going home…not now but later. He hadn't been discovered yet. If he came back with enough good information…information that wasn't going to gather its self. He walked through a string of hardened yakuza with a small smile on his face…barely there…too much to hide completely. He was getting out of here, he wasn't getting compromised, and he was…he was maybe going to go home. It would all be over soon…

Sooner, though, if he didn't drag his feet…and he wouldn't. Not with something so simple.