Young Writers Society

"Of course, dear," Rana answered, voice sickly sweet.

They both knew that they were equally disdainful of the elite. Fat, entitled bastards that laughed as they kicked the poor in the face. Rana was going as a matter of necessity, nothing else.

"What could I possibly want to do more than this?"

Other than literally anything else.

The limo pulled up to the entrance of the event location. In front of them, an elderly man with slicked-back silver hair and a woman 30 years his junior on his arm entered the venue. Kris rolled her eyes. That was exactly what she expected to see at a place like this.

Edward was almost immediately opening the door for Kris and Rana. "I trust that your riding experience was pleasant," he said, offering the ladies a deep bow. "And I hope that you enjoy your evening!"

"Oh, we will, thank you," Kris said with a smirk, eyeing up the building and already creating a plan of action.

"Thank you, Edward," Rana said sweetly, resting her hand on his arm for the briefest moment before continuing down the path. She tugged her dress straight -- and, a little lower -- then plastered a smile on her face and fluffed her hair. She glanced at Kris. "It's show time, baby."

Kris rolled her eyes as she climbed out of the limo, right on Rana's heels. Behind Rana, it was easy to blend in; everyone's eyes were drawn to Rana's dress (but more to the areas it didn't cover). Meanwhile, she was mentally placing every person, thinking back to the files she had memorized to learn the targets of interest for this operation. She had a list of 14 people who could almost certainly lead her to a resource dump, and she had every intention of maximizing on at least one of those opportunities.

Rana took a deep breath as they stepped inside. The scene was brightly lit and bustling with people wandering around, music covering the roar of all the voices. This was it.

No more getting to have her own personality. For the next few hours, she was nothing but giggles and fluttery eyelashes. But it'd get her what she wanted. She only needed a few simple pieces of information to get what she wanted, and she was certain she could flirt it out.

"Senator Tyren!" she squealed, plastering a look of sheer delight on her face as she rushed towards him, even as her heart sank. He was handsy. But powerful. She threw her arms around him in a hug, kissing his cheek before she pulled away. "Oh my gosh! It's so lovely to see you again!"

He wrapped his arm around her hip, keeping her pulled close to him as he smiled at her, gaze lingering on her chest far longer than it did her eyes. "Rana, my dear!"

It was showtime.

Kris' stomach twisted as she watched Rana interact with the senator. She admired how Rana was willing to use her good looks to win favors, but the feminist in her was disgusted by the senator's behavior.

She turned her attention to the wider room, and her gaze landed on one of the most powerful senators in the country, Senator Garvey. While not one of the engineers of the Treatise, Garvey had managed to weasel his way in and had used his clever way with words to accrue quite the fortune. Luckily for her, he had become overconfident due to his current status and lifestyle, and she fully intended to exploit that confidence to capture and redistribute the resources he hoarded.

Kris began to walk in his direction, gaze locked and false smile comfortably in place.

Rana wrapped her arm around Tyren's shoulders, then seductively leaned forward, gently bringing her right hand down on his opposite shoulder. She leaned in a bit, but not too much. Close enough to bui;d anticipation, but not to give him what he wanted.

"I've heard your business is booming lately, is that true?" she asked with a smile. "I was so glad when I heard the news."

She'd been no more glad then than she was now, to be in his meaty grasp. He was at least twice her age, if not older. He tightened his arm a bit, twisting her hips to angle in towards his.

"This month has been delightful," he answered with a smile, gaze now locked on her lips. "I didn't dream it could get better, and yet now it has."

He finally turned his gaze to her eyes and gave her a slimy smile that made her want to go take a shower. Instead, she giggled hit his chest playfully. "Oh stop it, you."

"Senator Garvey!" Kris announced, holding her arms out for a wide hug. She held in a smirk at the look of disbelief and confusion on his face. She pulled him into a tight embrace and then stepped back, brushing a curl behind her ear. "Kris. Senator Nelson's goddaughter," she explained. It was a lie, of course, but Senator Nelson was known for his charisma, and a goddaughter would certainly be in character.

Senator Garvey beamed at her, revealing a golden canine. "Yes, of course! Please forgive me, it's been so long. How have you been? How is your family?"

"It's only the truth, my dear." His hand was creeping under the edge of her short skirt.

Rana was beginning to regret not bringing the dagger Kris had suggested. The senator was a few inches away from her reaching down to break his fingers.

"Oh, but I'm the one who's so fortunate to get to be with you." Rana twisted away from his hand so that she was standing directly in front of him instead. She leaned in until their chests were a hair's width apart, then leaned close to him so that her words would tickle his neck as she whispered. "I don't know how you've been so successful. A man's man, if I've ever met one."

"I've been good! My family is healthy and well, thank you for asking." Kris let a wide smile spread across her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I know I haven't been around much. I've been focused on my studies."

"What are you studying?" Senator Garvey inquired politely, leaning in closer to her.

"Political science with a concentration in economic theory!" Kris bounced on the balls of her feet. "I have some ideas about improved execution of our current system." Please, take the bait.

Tyren inhaled, biting his lip as he moved both of his hands to her lower back. "It's quite simple, really," he murmured.

"Could you teach me?" she giggled. "I just... I admire people who are able to do what you do, you know?"

"Heh, well, it's mostly just a matter of controlling resources and making sure they're well hidden," he answered absently, lowering his head ever so slightly so that his chin was next to the side of her head.

"How do you do that?" she whispered, moving her right hand from his shoulder to run her fingers down his chest, ever so gently.

He was close to breaking... she was pretty sure. If he didn't, she was going to rage. Her flirting was for sale, she didn't plan to let him have it for free. Just a little more, before she could get his disgusting paws off her... and then move on to the next bastard. She nearly sighed at the thought.

"Improvements? Really?" Senator Garvey chuckled. "Like what?"

Kris took a deep breath. "Well, it seems that mismanagement of resources is part of what's causing the scarcity. And since no one sees how the resources are handled, I have to challenge it."

Senator Garvey paled slightly. "A girl of your position, challenging the system that's set in stone by the Treatise? That could end your career before it even begins," he warned.

"Simple, really," Tyren murmured. She could feel his breaths getting shallower. "We have warehouses stashed around town to store resources."

"Warehouses?" she asked gently. She didn't move, letting him squirm with anticipation.

"Yeah," he breathed. "They're all over the city, hidden in plain sight."

"They are?" she answered, trying to sound surprised. And stupid.

"Yeah. There's one right down the street, at the corner of Limestone and Davidson. No one's the wiser."

"And what do you," she moved a bit closer, barely brushing against him. "With these warehouses?"

Kris shrugged coyly. "Jason -- I mean, Senator Nelson -- always taught me to do what I believe is right by me and by the people that I represent, or, will represent," she corrected. "And who knows? Maybe I'll uncover a major problem."

The color drained from Senator Garvey's cheek, and he placed a hand on her upper arm and squeezed gently. "How about this? Because you're a friend, I'll give you an exclusive look at how these resources are stored. Then you can decide if this is really worth wasting your energy on." He let out a forced chuckle.

"Keep the resources secure," he answered gently. "Until we can distribute them to where they need to go."

He leaned in and kissed her neck. Her imagination flashed to the satisfaction she'd get from driving a dagger through his side. But instead, she giggled and swatted him on the chest gently. "You rascal!"

She pranced away from him playfully, holding on to his hand and tugging him after her. "You seem awfully thirsty tonight. Shall we go get some wine?"