Danika almost returned to her apartment, she was that tired when they called it a day. Things were moving shockingly quickly though, and they had received an almost immediate reply. It had sounded quite favorable, and it seemed likely that Lin Hao would be able to start Lee Soobin's new job soon.
She made the necessary transfer and went home to where Shinichi and his dad were waiting for her instead. She took a deep breath before opening the door, but her nervous tension disappeared as soon as she saw Shinichi pelting up the stairs with a grin on his face. He looked so happy to see her that she could only respond with happiness.
"Weren't you going to be asleep when I got here?" she asked teasingly a few minutes later.
"I did nap, but you're getting home pretty late," he replied easily.
"Yeah, I might just become an accessory after tomorrow," she replied. She just hoped that she wasn't becoming an accessory to a crime.
Shinichi's warm fingers caressed her cheek and he replied, "It must be going well then, good job."
"I don't know," Danika admitted.
She jumped a moment later when Ryuske asked, "Want anything while I'm out?"
She called over the railing, "No, but, you're not going out this late just to give us privacy are you?"
Ryuske's familiar rich laugh bubbled upward and he replied affectionately, "I wouldn't mind doing that, if you'll let me know when you'd like me to, but no. I'm meeting my own band mates for a late dinner."
"Oh, I hope you have an enjoyable meal," Danika replied uncertainly.
"Have fun, see you tomorrow," Shinichi leaned over the rail and told his dad casually, while giving Danika's hand a comforting squeeze.
"I will, and don't forget to give her the paperwork," Ryuske replied. "But Danika, we don't need it completed right away, make yourself comfortable. Night you two."
The sound of the door into the garage closing mixed with Danika's doubtful question, "Paperwork?"
Shinichi winced and said, "You don't have to sign it unless you want to. It's kind of a resident agreement?"
Danika blinked. Of course this kind of building with its fancy security would have paperwork for its residents. "What do you mean I don't have to?" she asked doubtfully.
"Well, you can just stay here like you're staying temporarily until you're sure," Shinichi replied a little nervously.
"Give me the paperwork," Danika demanded. "But can I read it in bed?" She almost giggled over Shinichi's stunned reaction.
He recovered after a moment, and grinned. "Sure. Do you want anything first? Can I help at all?"
She shrugged. "I don't know yet." She entered Shinichi's room nervously, and stopped in shock. She glanced back at him and saw his worried expression. "Wow, you did all this in one day?"
"Not by myself," he admitted. "Is it okay?" He gazed at her hopefully.
She turned and surveyed it carefully. He'd managed to get a lot of the things she'd suggested as 'maybe eventually' done already, including a long narrow shelf for her plants, low enough for her to reach. It was positioned beneath his plushy shelf, and even the lighting for it was already in place. She hadn't even completely entered the room, and she could already see that 'Shinichi's room' was the wrong description. She moved farther into 'their room' and nodded.
She read the residential agreement tucked up beside Shinichi a while later, and yawned as she turned the page over. Shinichi took it from her when she finished and said firmly, "You're obviously too tired to be signing anything."
Danika protested, "It's not complicated. It's much more straightforward than most rental agreements I've seen." She couldn't prevent the next yawn that escaped though.
"On your next day off then?" he suggested.
"Alright," she agreed. It was really the most lenient agreement she'd ever seen though. It looked like you were pretty much agreeing not to fill the pool with gelatin or burn the building down as far as she could tell.
--
When they met in the morning, Chen Zing reported that Starcraft Technologies had already received an enquiry about the employment history of Lee Soobin, and the necessary data had been substituted.
The real Lee Soobin had left the programming team before the beta. She was currently a housewife, who was safely at home with her two small children. Watching her children develop often gave her interesting ideas about different AI development tactics, so even though she'd retired from the team, she and Lin Hao still kept in touch.
Danika asked Lin Hao, "Did they confirm already? Do the rest of us take time off while you're working there?"
Lin Hao checked and then shook his head. "Not yet. I don't know. Is the data line ready?"
"By noon they said," she replied. "And maybe this is a silly question, but why aren't you firing the guy who sent them the copy? Doesn't the quick reply from these people confirm that it was him."
The team member from the accounting division spoke up first, "We are still trying to collect proof of an unusual payment to Frederick Frederickson."
Lin Hao shrugged and added, "They might just be so desperate that they don't care. Even if it's really him, it's as true in corporate war as in traditional war, that if you keep your enemies close they have less chance to surprise you. And we don't want to give ourselves away either."
Chen Zing said, "It's possible that he was part of a group, but I'm pretty certain he was responsible."
Lin Hao's expression was a little weary or resigned as he simply shrugged again, and Danika wondered if Frederickson was someone he'd worked closely with for a long time. She felt kind of sorry for the guy just because of his name, but she thought she'd have felt so offended by his betrayal that she would have fired him right away. She didn't think she'd be able to just let it slide and carry on.
They got the call that informed them that the data line was ready, right before Lin Hao got the call that confirmed that the game company really did want to hire Lee Soobin, and they'd like him to start as soon as possible.
Lin Hao actually hesitated while making his reply, and asked Danika in a whisper, "Will it really be believable if I say I can start right away? Do people do that here?"
Everyone turned to look at her, and Danika thought quickly and suggested, "Maybe claim you need a few hours travel time at least?"
Lin Hao took her suggestion, and looked relieved when the person on the other end quickly assured him that it was only to be expected. When asked if he needed lodging and food arranged, he agreed that it would be very helpful. The pirating company's HR personnel were obviously accustomed to working with people who commonly neglected their basic living requirements.
"What if you meet someone who actually knows her?" Danika asked worriedly after the call ended.
"It's a common enough name that it won't matter," Lin Hao assured her.