In reply to Victoria Fitzwilliam (msg # 41):

"Right... I'll give you 20,000 krone to start off with. I'm not got my check book with me, but if you give me the address of where you're staying, I'll get a money order sent over to you that you can take to any of the local banks. If you need more, call me. I do expect an accounting of how it was spent, so don't go blowing it all on handbags."

That amount equated to $2894.36; quite a chunk of change.

"We will be staying at the Hotel D'Angleterre, leave the cash at the reception desk." She was done slumming it and the extra security at the hotel would come in handy.

She made a note of the details in her own shorthand in her notebook before waiting to see if Katya had any additional questions.


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This message was last edited by the player at 20:41, Thu 31 Mar 2022.

Ursula's eyes opened wide for a second, before they returned to their normal expression. That was about eleven thousand Deutschmarks, nearly what she made as a nightclub singer in a whole year. Probably small change to whatever CIA section Homburg Joe worked for, but a glamorous amount of money to her. Big cash, fancy hotels, international operations: not the life miss Sokolova was used to, but the one fräulein Lang had signed up for.

"Built in 1795, the grandest hotel in Copenghaguen by the turn of the 20th century," she quoted from her guidebook. "Very popular with White Russian exiles after the October Revolution. Occupied by the Nazi High Command during the war. Probably lacks the charm of Pension Ludo, but we can give it a try if you insist, Vicky."

Seeing how nobody cared to do it for her, Ursula lit up her own cigarrette and took a deep pull from it.

"How many handbags, then?" she asked idly, blowing smoke towards the ceiling. It was her way of saying there were no more questions.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:16, Tue 05 Apr 2022.

In reply to Katya Sokolova (msg # 45):

"No handbags. You are to use this money responsibly," Homburg Joe replied, either not getting the joke or not finding it funny. "So, you will get half now and half later, when you have made some progress. Let me know when you have anything."

With that he got up and walked out of the cafe without saying another word. He turned left and started walking off.

At that point, the owner looked over.

[Language unknown: "Ur rirole romtednot thiundlat ilck adal laei?"]

Victoria watched the man leave and then came back to the now when the owner of the cafe asked for payment. She handed over the required cash and then gave the room another sweep with her eyes as she finished he drink.

"What now ? Hotel and drop off our stuff ?"


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Ursula watched him leave with a disapproving expression. Any onlookers might have assumed Homburg Joe had finally overstayed his welcome, his bad flirting eventually rejected by the ladies.

"nAw hAHnBaHgGz, uSe eEt rIzPonzEebElY," she mimicked the man, rolling her eyes and taking another drag from her cigarrette. "We're saving the free world here, and the man is being a miser. Must be spending the change on those outdated hats."

She finished her beer in one dramatic last gulp and tilted her head towards Vicky.

"And a taxi, even. Do we have to collect receipts? It doesn't sound very... operationally discreet."

With a last nod she got up and followed (or led) Victoria to the door, and towards the Ludo to pick up their suitcases.

The two of them returned to their hotel, where the proprietor was very confused at them leaving so soon.

Now they needed to get to their other hotel... and that would either entail a long walk or ordering a taxi. The latter of which meant finding a telephone booth. And having some coins.

Ursula realized she could have avoided leaving a trace by renting the room for just a couple of hours instead of the whole night, but there was no helping it now. Even better, she leaned into that mistake, pursing her lips and frowning as she dropped her suitcases at reception just long enough to pay for the room.

[Language unknown: "Poie a elngpa ie eraanyeen," ]she said to the receptionist, with a forced smile that purported to (badly) conceal the fury and disappointment underneath as she paid. [Language unknown: "T lin ulurof ear naurpriv a icpeng Di sanastles ofhech ich losien..."]

That said, she grabbed her suitcases again and marched to the Beetle, waiting for Vicky there.

"We had falling," she informed her when she arrived, back to her carefully broken English with a heavy German accent, lighting another cigarrette. "That is story. I am cute, poor German. You are rich Brit, on grand tour of Europe. You pay bills, I am very nice. But I resent, sometimes; so quarrel. So now we go to fancy hotel, have nice dinner, you pay, I am mollificated until next quarrel. Oder?"

She started the car.

"Which way to Angleterre?"

Victoria got out the road atlas from the glove compartment and made a quick route to their destination. She rested the book on her lap as they drove and Victoria directed them/

"Any idea on how we want to approach the assignment ? Would looking over his flat be to direct ?"


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Ursula drove carefully through the unknown nighttime streets, thankful that at least the rain seemed to be over.

"I was thinking of bumping into him in one of his known hangouts. To pump him for information, and either to gain entrance to his flat, or to keep him busy while you search it for evidence. I can't think of a good excuse to hang around shipping offices, except maybe if we wanted to charter a little boat for a daytrip or something like that? That leaves 'sailor bars' and 'brothels'."

She lighted a fresh cigarrette and stopped at a red light, looking at Vicky through the smoke.

"I'd go for bar. Maybe we're slumming it a bit, tourists meeting exciting men in seedy places, huh? And I'd rather avoid the last option, unless it's strictly necessary," she added with a shrug.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:35, Thu 21 Apr 2022.

Victoria gave what Katya had said a little thought... "Yes that sounds acceptable and we can always wing it somewhat given how these things invariably go... At lease lets get and idea and understanding of his habits through out the day and we can then come up with something more detailed."


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Ursula nodded, eyeing Vicky for a moment before her eyes went back to the traffic.

"Sure, we do need to know exactly where he hangs out. Easiest way would be to follow him around, but then we risk him noticing us, and then getting suspicious if he casually runs into us at some of his hangouts. So if I'm going to be the public face of the op, it should be you tailing him around. What about this - we check in at the Angleterre, we have an amazing dinner on Homburg's dollars, tomorrow you follow him to get an idea of his usual routine, and the day  (or rather, the night after) I bump into him some place, while you take care of his place?"

"Yes, that sounds good." She gave a nod as well and then went back to ready and directing from the street atlas.


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Ursula smiled sardonically as she kept on driving.

Of course it did 'sound good' to Vicky: it meant she wouldn't have to deal with Suvorov directly, leaving that unsavory part to Ursula. Given how terse Victoria was, she doubted she would be the ideal one to ensnare the Russian.

On the other hand, Ursula knew she was better with people than with things, more of a swindler than a burglar. The plan also meant she would have the next day virtually free to roam the city, have some fun and spend those hot CIA bucks... and with any luck, perhaps also some KGB rubles, courtesy of her prospective new friend.

"It's this big place ahead? Shall we get separate rooms then? If we're not supposed to know each other or be traveling together."

"Let get adjoining rooms and we can keep the charade going when we are outside our rooms. Do you want me to tail you while the "romance" is happening ? Or should I do his apartment once you have him somewhat hooked ?"



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This message was lightly edited by the player at 01:06, Thu 05 May 2022.

"That's a good idea, Vicky, about the rooms," she nodded, slowly warming up to the laconic Brit. "A flexible arrangement. I guess you can watch from afar while I get him to take the bait, before you go do your thing."

She parked in front of the hotel and made a pause to look at the other girl. Her voice was perfectly neutral.

"I mean. If you're OK with that," she added, letting her eyes ask the implicit question there.

Victoria nodded along, "No that sounds good and I have no problem with it. Once of course we find out where he lives, could also be he has another place for "other" activities."


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"Oh, I assumed Homburg Joe could get us his address. If not our people, then PET must surely have it. Would be dumb for us to have to find Burpman's place on our own. We'll just give him a call from the hotel, ask him for the address, and to drop the twenty grand at the Angleterre. Let's get the cash first, worry about expensing it later," she added, closely watching the other's expression. She didn't know a single agent who didn't love to fleece the Agency as much as safely possible, but maybe the Brit was the straight and narrow kind.

"So, about 'while the romance is happening' and potential 'places for other activities'," she carried on, lighting a fresh cigarrette, voice matter-of-factly. "I'll try to bring him here. Who doesn't like a luxury suite, after all? And it's safer. But he doesn't want to attract attention to himself, so..." she shrugged.

So unlikely to be troblesome, said that shrug.

"I brought a camera and I woder if he's a suitable target for kompromat," she went on in the same tone. "Either for official, operational purposes, or..." she shrugged again.

Or for a little spot of lucrative, private blackmail, the second shrug meant.

The hotel porter saw them getting out of the vehicle; he was a middle-aged man with thinning black hair.

[Language unknown: "Ver ble Mi yinoverea ntai aveanteen?"] he asked in German, offering to take their bags from them into the lobby.

Two suited men were walking into the hotel, not entirely in a straight line and trying to support each other. Clearly had a good evening, then.

[Language unknown: "Ni, wiunek menpl,"] Ursula smiles, delighted with being served, for once. She steals a glance at the tipsy duo, eavesdropping and (professional deformation) trying to ascertain their room number.

Victoria handed over her bag and followed the porter in to the hotel. She avoided the duo of businessmen as best as she could as they moved through the lobby towards the reception desk. Once she was check in she made sure that the rooms that both she and Katya had were indeed adjoining.


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In reply to Victoria Fitzwilliam (msg # 63):

The rooms were indeed adjoining. Each of them had a radio in, where you could pick up various local and foreign stations. There was a lounge downstairs that had a television in if you wanted to watch the one television channel that Denmark had.

Ursula waited until the man dropped their suitcases at their room and left, before she let the big smile surface on her face.

"Finally the lifestyle we deserve," she enthuses, dropping on the sumptuous bed. "Shall we get room service? Boring, but safer than dining downstairs, no? Don't want people seeing us together if we're not supposed to know each other."

"Yes room service would be welcome.... good food and drink before we start." She flopped down in to a large comfortable chair in Katya's room.


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"Mmm hmmm," Ursula agreed, kicking her shoes off and rolling on the bed to grab the menu from the nightstand. She studied it for a few seconds before folding it and sending it flying like a frisbee in the general direction of Victoria. Without changing posture she picked the phone and dialled Homburg Joe.

[Language unknown: "Ove iouproard, urteac a forei Paôfoac virwerlinndewer, virardame acchni. It an ou thu whom rutndelin ent. Kororthis virön!"]

That said, she hung up and yawned, waiting for reception to pick up.

"Allô? This is room 312, I'd like to order some dinner, please. Yes, I'll have the Chateaubriand and a bottle of red. No, I don't know, yes, I'll let the maître d' decide. And marzipan for dessert," she ordered, and covered the speaker with a hand. "Vicky? What are you having?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:02, Fri 13 May 2022.