Going out to the club was a special treat for Cory, particularly with what she had in mind. A little visit to her favorite chemist and she would be flying high all night, maybe even into the next. She had a plan, get wasted and have some fun before flying off to some job in Morocco. Besides, a night with Liz was certain to be fun, even completely sober. It had been weeks since she managed to successfully ditch the ever so nice man who'd taken her out to dinner, and she was looking for a more 'bad boy' or maybe 'bad girl' to spend the night with. Life was short and London was full of beautiful people to spend her precious time with.

Striding into Liz's normal hangout, Cory grinned when she saw the tiny Brit. Really, while Cory was concerned a bit about just how many drugs Liz used, the woman was a pro. God knows Cory couldn't make Somnacin sober, let alone high as a kite like Liz sometimes did. "Hello sweetie, how are you and what are you on?" If Liz was taking it, it had to be fantastic.

Standing in the middle of the Victoria and Albert, Cory looked for her target. It was a game she played in museums when she didn't have someone with her, picking someone and trailing them until they noticed her. It was almost amusing just how unaware of the world some people were. Still, she didn't pick just anyone to follow, families and children were off limits, that was plain creepy, same with old people and couples. She liked following loners like her, less likely to be creeped out by a pretty girl following them.

Looking over the crowd of people coming into the lobby, Cory spotted a good target. He was tall, rather attractive if she was honest with herself, and the way he continued without stopping told Cory he didn't have a girlfriend getting her purse checked. Walking briskly but still quietly, she followed him through the different exhibit rooms, careful to keep the numerous display cases between them. When she got closer, Cory could see he was Latino probably from the skin tone and facial features, and about her age. He looked tired as well, and a bit jumpy. Cory almost felt bad for him, but this was just some random civilian, he probably didn't even know she was there.

New York City was usually her default city to end up in when she had nothing else going on. She blended in very well, and there was an endless amount of hiding places in case things began to go south. The only drawback was that this city seemed to be a common denominator among people of her trade, so invitations like this was were not uncommon once the rumor mill started up that she was in town. Delilah was just about to settle into her room, put on a nice cop drama that she tried to keep up with from city to city...when she got this text:

"Hey gorgeous,
what's up? Your peppy attitude and short skirts got you dead yet?
If still alive and not in prison, let me know how things are.
ps. hope you've dumped your psycho boyfriend. xxxxxxxxx"

She could not have hid the grin on her face even if she wanted to. He always knew how to cheer her up. As the texts continued, it ended up being a night out, and she found herself in the short skirt that he mentioned in his first text. As she got herself ready, she smirked in the mirror, remembering the time she managed to get him in his skivvies in the middle of a shisha lounge, and how she got drunk and did the same damn thing. He made a bad girl out of her, honestly. After applying her lipstick--red, just in his honor--she took one last look and walked out, the credits rolling on her cop drama.

Delilah Taft hailed a cab and texted him a picture of the street signs outside. "almost there, darling. still can't believe you managed to drag me out," she texted him with the picture, shaking her head back and forth at the silliness of all of this. When finally she arrived at the little bar, she walked toward him and the booth he sat in. As she slid down, plopping her purse in between the two of them, she grinned up at him in the way she always had. "Nice seeing you again, Mr. Eames. It's been a while." A small kiss was planted on his cheek and she leaned back, watching the waiter make his way over to them.

 He was getting entirely too old for so many late nights. Going out clubbing, drinking too much, or just staying up all night working on things like he'd been doing recently, waking up at four AM with his laptop still on in bed with him.

Robert climbed out of bed sometime in the mid-afternoon, dragging himself to the kitchen to make some tea. Cory was already gone, to god knows where, so he didn't really bother with clothes. He'd been seeing Eames far too often over the last month to really care about clothes, the Brit had a tendency to impose horrible habits on him.

Speaking of which, he grabbed his phone off the counter, immediately texting Eames to see if he would be out with Liz again, getting abysmally drunk and forgetting anything he did.

"so I don't have the same volume of alcohol at my residence as usual, but what are you doing today? are you going to be busy? just me here, I think. xo."

It was a quiet night and Max didn't really know what to do with himself. Katrin was back at the center for a few days of testing, he'd finished a job recently enough that he hadn't had the time to find one, and well, he was just out of things to do. Karl wouldn't want him to call probably, since that's what Max had done the day before and Max couldn't think up a manly excuse that could work as code for "I'm lonely and bored, entertain me."

Collapsing on the couch, Max flicked through the channels for what felt like the fiftieth time. Der König der Löwen managed to hold his attention for a few minutes, but then the dad died and Max had to change the channel before his man-card got revoked for crying over a cartoon lion. Stumbling into the kitchen, Max was staring at his pitifully bare fridge when he heard a knock at the door.

He was given two weeks to complete a team so Eduardo Cuervo had absolutely no time to waste. His first initiative was to track down and find the only Point he'd known and ask her if she would please help him. With some consideration Ms. Taft decided it wouldn't be hard to grant him help from afar, but there was a small chance of her having a bigger job near where she was staying with the brute of a boyfriend, so from afar was good enough for him.

Throughout the planning process, however, Eduardo was sure he would end up needing a forger of some kind. There were apparently two talented forgers around the area, though he was working with very strict geographic guidelines here. Delilah had informed him of a red-headed forger named Cory. Whether or not this was her real name didn't much bother him--she was able to be tracked down.

He checked his cell phone one brisk morning before heading into a bookshop. The immediate word that came to Eduardo's mind when he glanced around the quaint store was "dainty"--but then, there were some doilies around, so perhaps this title was deserved. With his hands in the pocket of his peacoat he began to casually stroll around. His dark eyes scanned the aisles as if he were just looking for any old book. Eduardo had dodged several employees ("Yes, I am just looking, thank you", "No, I don't need any help, thanks") when he happened upon the classics section.

There, in the middle of aisle, stood what he could only assume was the red-headed forger. He walked down the aisle as if he were looking for something until finally he reached the Shakespeare section. She must have not gotten enough of this garbage in high school. Ahh, well, thank you Mr. Kraft for the lessons on Shakespeare. They will finally come in handy.

"Julius Caesar was always my favorite," he said off-handishly. It had been so long since he'd done anything related to this sort of work that he felt a little shaky on his proverbial legs. It was a good thing he found red hair to be adorable.

 Robert headed out at about 7:40, dressed as warmly as he could, bundled up in a hoodie and his peacoat, starting the walk to Covent Garden. He was, of course, wildly worried about Eames. The text messages had been weird, random, and quite suspect. It couldn't be good. He didn't even know what to do if Eames was already drunk, had started without him. Whatever he was about to walk into, he didn't think it would be fun.

He hadn't heard from Eames for quite a while, but he was already getting mental images in his head of how he'd had to guide Arthur to bed and make sure he didn't die in his sleep- after getting punched in the skull, of course.

Robert stepped inside the pub just a few minutes before 8PM, hanging up his coat and his hoodie by the door before heading over to the bar to look for Eames, trying to hide the concern he felt and doing a fairly decent job. When he spotted his friend at the bar, he immediately slid onto the stool next to him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Eames... what's up?"

Eames had no idea why he somehow cared enough about the Christmas Spirit this year in order to organise some sort of shindig.
Maybe because his boyfriend/lover/Pointman was a grinch year-long and he felt it sensible to continue his lifetime trend of being Arthur's polar opposite in everything he did - Yin and Yang; balance of the world; order & chaos.

And basically he really liked a party. Eames was the sort of man who'd take any opportunity to booze it up and eat too much. Any excuse for over indulging and making a mess of himself was an opportunity he'd grasp with both hands and not let go.

So he organised rather than did his actual job, booked out an entire bar and club for a night in the rather posh London borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and paid an obscene amount for it to be professionally decorated like some insane Winter Wonderland.
Because nobody would expect internationally wanted criminals to be partying in pleasant, tidy, posh Kensington, would they?
He'd even hired a Santa for people to sit on Father Christmas' lap, and two slutty scantily clad and very buxom 'elves'.

Eames was vey much the sort of man who liked to out do people, and he was determined to throw the sort of christmas party that criminals would be discussing for the entirety of 2011 at the very least.
It gave him some sort of cheap amusement to party plan afterall, what with Arthur so busy prepping for their next job. A Pointman's work was never done it seemed!

The date was set for December 18th, and the invitations sent out to all of Eames' contacts (the ones he liked, anyhow), with a note for them to invite whoever they wished, with a few provisos;

"Dear Friend/Colleague/Person of Ill Repute,

You are cordially invited to a Christmas Party of the most traditionally decadent means this December 18th, doors opening at 8pm.
You may bring with you anyone you like, with a few exceptions. They must:

a) Not be in any way linked to law enforcement, either locally or internationally.
b) Not have any desire to do physical harm to your Kind & Lovely Host, one Mr. Eames.
c) Not be currently the subject of an FBI, CIA, Interpol, MI5 or MI6 investigation (this rule only applies to Plus Ones, as I recognise most of those receiving this invitation may be applicable).
d) Not have any qualms about taking off their clothes or dancing on tables and/or podiums.

You will find the location upon the back of this card. If you can't find it, too bloody bad.

Festive Regards,

Mr. E."

And on the back of each invitation card was the address of the club in invisible ink. If whoever received an invitation didn't so happen to have any means or intelligence enough to reveal it, then they ought not even be allowed to come to any party of his.

And out the invitations went.

 Robert discovered fairly soon that he genuinely enjoyed work.

He'd taken a job on a whim- he certainly didn't need to. He was more than well-off, between Sharing, the sale of Fischer-Morrow, the stocks he owned in Browning's new company, he could live well above what he currently was. But he loved this life, it was like an adventure to him. It felt like a missing piece. He lived in a fairly simple two-bedroom apartment with a woman who he adored, and did the same kind of work he did, and he got to sleep in and go to the park and pick up sketching again and just live life without any sort of office to work in or nine-to-five shift to hold down.

So, with some help from his wonderful room mate, he made up whatever false documentation he needed, even a fake ID so he didn't need to worry about a background check that would give away anything. Like revealing the fact that he was far over qualified for a job as a clerk at a small camera/art shop in London. That would be too obviously suspicious.

But he adored everything about it. The money was shit- he almost felt like he was volunteering, for how little impact it made- but he loved the people he worked with, mostly college students getting what he'd long missed out on, the customers, the access to art supplies. Robert felt like he smiled and laughed his way through his evening shifts there, usually just him and one other young worker. 

That Wednesday, Robert sat behind the counter, idly taking stock of a new order of brushes that had come in as his co-worker straightened up around the shop, then headed out back to go smoke a cigarette.

1. And Then There Were Three [Nov 1st] ; Lilah and Cory get together the day after Liz’s epic party, but neither of them know what they’re in for.
2. Living In Your Letters [Nov 14 – Onwards] Max and Luca exchange a series of adorable letters, before Max fucks up good. Seems he sent some rather sensitive pictures meant for a girlfriend to Luca! She is less then pleased.
3. Bloody Memory Lane [Nov 11] Delilah and Eames meet up for a trip through London’s Dungeon before having a bit of a chat. Whip cream is involved in a nonsexual but adorable manner.
4. No More Room in Hell [Nov 18] Another letters post, this time between Lilah and Karl, who manage to be disgustingly normal for this comm. Seriously?
5. Abandon Ship [Nov 23] Arthur and Robbie meet up for an info exchange on one of Fischer’s former employees. It’s appropriately awkward considering they’ve both been intimate with Eames.

Hey it’s Bex here, taking over your regularly hopefully scheduled weekly update. Ummm yay? LOL well keep rocking it guys because we have some awesome threads right now that I’m totally f5ing when I’m on the computer.
<3 Bex