Garrett had dealt with dangerous people in the past. He had been shouted at, chased, threatened, held at gunpoint, and in one special occasion, shot at. Still, no one could unnerve him quite like the way Seraphine did. He liked to read people, but it bothered him when they returned the gestures. And Seraphine, well, to say that her eyes are piercing would be quite the understatement. Regardless, she had a reputation, and Garrett had long learnt that beggars couldn’t be choosers.
“I am well-aware, ma’am. Had to make one without appointment though, given the unexpected nature of their request.”- He spoke curtly, preferred not to go into too much details over the phone. - “While the jobs aren’t too lucrative, I just thought you’d be interested in our clients. They requested a meeting later today, after the festival.”
But before he could hear her reply, a customer approached his stall. – “Excuse me.”-He muttered quickly, before hanging up abruptly. It might not be the wisest move, all things considered, but he knew Seraphine would hate to be eavesdropped. Regardless, if she would meet then, she would contact him. Through a message or something. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he shoved the phone into his back pocket and went to attend to the customer.
It was a man this time. Obviously of asian origin, black hair and dark eyes and all, though there was something about him that Garrett didn’t often see in tourists. His eyes too hard, accent far too faint, and the way he carried himself showed neither curiosity or unfamiliarity. It wasn’t enough to draw any conclusion though, so Garrett brushed those thoughts aside and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler behind him.
“Here you go.”- He handed over the requested item, collected the bill and gave the man back his changes- “Would that be all? I highly suggest trying the chilli dog. Lots of people have enjoyed it.”- Continuing with a grin, he gestured to the hanging menu with a finger.”
The man extended an offer to Wei, but Wei was not listening. It was now that Wei was paying closer attention to the man, something he had done before. Something tugged at the back of his mind, but he could not quite place what his conscience was trying to tell him. He studied the man for what seemed like the longest time, although it was only mere seconds. The two men were almost identical in height, and Wei's dark eyes met his muted blue eyes for a split second. Wei shook it off, reaching out and grabbing the water from the man. "That's all," he said, looking at the man for only a second longer before rudely flicking the coins he had recieved as change at the man in the form of a tip, and promptly turning away.
Garrett stared at the man’s retreating back, before reached out for the coins he had let clattered on the counter. Just another rude customer, nothing new. Such was a life of one working in hospitality. However, the man did stand out. Who knew, maybe they would run into each other again. Not that Garrett was looking toward to that. He shrugged, putting on a smile for another group of customers.
"Oh, this old thing?" Lewis twirled the pendent's silver chain around his finger, his smile faltering ever so slightly. The mettalic dove gleamed in the dim light of the bar, it's miniature wings outstretched as it flew eternally still. It was as old as Lewis, and older still. Yet even now, the silver bird remained unchanged, untarnished by time. How many years had he had this old thing? Nine? Eight? Added to time when it had belonged to...
No. His hands folded over the pendant a bit too tightly as the bittersweet memories churned his stomach. No. Not now. He couldn't think about her now. It had been years ago, but the memory was still an infected wound in his mind. All memories were. That's why it was better to push them back and keep moving.
Lewis chuckled flippantly, though no amount of voice adjustment could disguise the faint forcedness of it. "It was my sister's, simple as that," he dismissed, reaching for the drink, "And I'm sure whatever story it tells won't interest someone like you.". The drink was a nice distraction, but the taste was like watered down diabetes with a side of after-party breath. But it did a fair job of masking the not quite foreign yet not quite familiar trace of alcohol and gave him a nice buzz that would give him enough energy to turn back, though leave him in a near camotose state for a while.
His brief moment of tension faded like the wind as his eyes took on their familiar, mischievous light. "So, Mr. Gentleman," he began as he finished the last of his sugary drink, "are you excited about the celebration? It usually gets wilder by the night. Much wilder."
For all their chatting Rori managed to stay quiet to listen to what Wendy had to say. "Nice to meet you, Wendy and Diana!" They grinned, though looked slightly sheepish about how they had met the other two. Ah well it couldn't be helped. "I've gone through stadium city once. Seemed nice enough." Not that they'd seen much of it. Sal liked to move quickly through places. Maybe it would have been a nice place to live... They weren't sure. They were fine with anywhere really. Rori had never been particularly fussy and could make the most of almost all situations.
"Food?!" They perked up even more, grin somehow brightening. "I haven't eaten since this morning and I'm very hungry... Sounds like a great idea! Thank you so much." There was a chance Wendy would end up regretting the decision, considering the fact that Rori ate a bit more than you would expect someone of their size to. It came with all the changing and the bird features. They just seemed to be able to eat more (and get hungrier). "You choose where to eat from, I'm not fussy."
Heather was busy mixing drinks when Trish came up to her counter "Another bar table came in, want me to handle them?"
Heather looked over at the new table. Two people, a man and a woman. What's one more. She shook her head and smiled "Thanks for offering, but you got me out of a jam already, I'll take them." Trish nodded and picked up her drinks before returning to her section. Heather finished up flinging the liquor around and setting them down to her bar guests before she trotted over to the table.
"Hello, how are we doing today?" she said in a cheerful manner. Could she disguise her tiredness and her want to go home? She was damn sure gonna try! "My name is Heather and I'll be serving you today. Our specials today are BBQ Chicken Brisket with a side of fries, our fresh grilled Salmon with greens, and my personal favorite, fettuccine alfredo with chicken and garlic. I can start you off with some drinks first."
The back of Heather's neck buzzed a bit. She felt it the moment her gaze went towards this table. She couldn't quite place why. They seemed like average folk. Yet she felt it.
Nighttime came, and just as many expected, the booze and the boobs came out. The families are long gone, and replaced with debauchery.
Jessica Rosefey, Diana Lucker, & Wendy Lucker.
"... So let me get this straight." Diana said with sheer irritation seeping into her voice, as she sat on a crate, blowing smoke into the moonlight. She could hear the party from all the way over here. Yet, they were parked away from it. She didn't want Wendy exposed to all that non-sense. Not that Diana was too interested in it either. Just going to be nothing but a mess of tits and booze. Especially when they got work to do, and a friend in need.
"You literally made a deal with a shitty hotdog vendor to meet with some mysterious person asking for cash in exchange for finding 'Liv?" Diana said, trying to make sense out of all of this.
Jessica shrugged as she leaned up against the RV. "Yeah, pretty much."
Diana sighed. "Jess..." She said. "I know you aren't that well versed in big cities, and crime, and all... but the last thing you want to do is start making deals with strangers - especially those kind of people asking for money..." She started off.
"Because we don't know just who in the hell they are," Diana started off, sneering. "Running under the assumption that he's not trying to rip us off... we're going to be dealing with the big fish here of the city here. Information brokers, mob bosses... because that's the only damn person you'd go to if you wanted information."
She looked up at Jessica.
"You know I ran with a gang for awhile, right? Our code was to never fuck with the big fish - for good reason." Diana took in a deep puff of smoke. "Because them...? They'll just fucking spit you out when they're done just because you're the little guy."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Jessica asked.
"Fuck whoever he got in contact with, and just find her ourselves." Diana said. "We don't know if they even know anything about Liv."
"... As crass as she is, I have to agree with her." Wendy chimed in, making a group decision. "How can we know we can trust her."
"C'mon, guys." Jessica said, throwing her hand up. "Can we at least hear this guy out? It won't hurt."
They both looked at her.
"Even if hotdog guy is full of shit, we won't know until we try." Jessica said. "So, let's just ask 'em, and leave if it isn't to our satisfaction."
"But I still thin-"
"Jess does have a bit of a point." Diana sighed. "Besides, we can find out who runs this city the fast way... but Wendy, stay out of sight just in case things go wrong."
Wendy sighed. "... I still think this is a bad idea."
"But, as Jess said, we don't have to give this guy anything. If he asks, tell him to suck a dick." Diana angrily said. She turned over to Jess. "Now, let's go... and Wendy, like I said," She turned towards her younger sister, and whispered, "Stay out of sight."
Wendy didn't like this plan as much as the next guy... but if she had to be honest with herself, they might as well see what the fuzz is about. If it goes wrong, they're three strong Metahumans - they should be able to handle anything that pops up. She merely nodded, and converted into her paper form as she fluttered up to the rooftops like a stack of paper lost in the wind.
"Good, now let's go meet our hotdog guy," Diana said, cordially as she started walking after Jess.
Olivia Katelyn Verde.
Still no progress on her target.
Olivia was sitting down on a stool, in the middle of this festival. Looking down on her phone as people walked by her. She had a bottle of beer at her side, but she was hardly in the drinking mood at the moment. Right in front of her was her green motorcycle. She should be getting a move on, but she hasn't found anything about her target yet.
And that irked the hell out of her.
She knew that NEST was going to be on her tail (What, with her daddy being a big name in that organization). She was just hoping that they wouldn't realize that she came here of all places. That wouldn't last long... and Olivia sure as hell can't fight off NEST and get dragged back to Verthaven (Where she'll probably be put in a cell by her asshole father at this rate).
Sighing again she looked up, and saw some women flash a camera, and Olivia shook her head. It's kinda embarrassing. She didn't really have any place here.... but maybe she'd enjoy it a bit more if she had some friends by her side. She smiled slightly as she thought warmly of her friends. She laughed a little bit when she saw some fat guy trip over drunk.
Though, her eyes narrowed when she saw someone.
A woman with a shitty pixie cut, wearing a jacket taken off the street. Olivia knew her.
She was one of the people who was there when the academy was attacked. More specifically, she was one of the chicks with Amethyst. Which meant that Amethyst was here after all. Olivia would have to be quick was a rabbit. She got up, and put her phone back into her pocket as she started maneuvering through the drunken crowds of people towards this woman.
This was going to get messy... which is why Olivia considered throwing up a storm to get people to scatter, but maybe it won't come to that.
Veronica Davis.
Since Veronica was so close to her goal, she decided to treat herself.
Instead of lying down in a dusty motel, Veronica had enough money to afford herself a nice hotel. Well, not nice - but in her little price range since she didn't want to throw away all her Changeling earnings. It was nice enough for your average middle class family. She was wearing a robe, and stepped into her bathroom. Which was nice and warm, as she prepared herself for a relaxing bath. She took off her robe, and gently placed it down on the sink top.
Before she found herself lowering her body into the bath, and let out a coo as felt the warm waters mixed with oils hitting her flesh. She let out a sigh before she slipped off into her happy place as she enjoyed this relaxing bath. She stayed there for ages... before she remembered that she had to meet that whore Seraphine about finding Amethyst. She hated working with that woman - especially since it feels like she's trying to exploit her out of some money. That whore best realize who exactly she's dealing with, lest New Rivere's shining whore finds herself on the wrong end of a firearm.
Killing people recklessly wouldn't benefit her in the slightest. Playing nice would do... for now. She would just shock the information out of Seraphine if something doesn't seem right. It's apparent that her security is sub-par - or else Veronica wouldn't have made it into her little building so easily. She laughed a little while she was in the tub.
It made her realize it was time to get a move on. She got out of the bath tub, and grabbed her towel to clean herself off. She walked over to the sink, and grabbed her robe. She thought about putting it on, before she realized she was alone in here. She didn't need a robe or anything in this hotel room. She stepped out of her bathroom, and turned her head and saw her outfit neatly laid out before her.
A nice white button up dress shirt, some jeans, and some boots. She looked a tad out of place among the now currently drunken populace of the city... Not a problem, since she was not going to associate with them.
They might be expecting to see her skin, but Veronica was nobody's sex object. No matter how much they begged and whined like dogs, she was going to stay perfectly clothed the whole time. She reached underneath her bed, and pulled out a dufflebag full of money. Her earnings as a Changeling. Luis said that, if she pulls this mission off, she'll get get money back, and more.
Which is what excited Veronica the most! Just having some money made her feel great. She was going to make a million some day, and aspire to become somebody. Veronica merely sighed as she realized she's going to be giving Veronica some of this money. She put her hand on the zipper, and her eyes started glowing green with an electrical aura that surrounded it. Electricity traveled down her fingers as she magnetically closed the zipper, and magnetically charged it so that each side would become a magnet attracted to each other. Both sides of the zippers became attracted to each other. Which meant this bag would be impossible to get open. They can probably cut around it, but Veronica was making sure that whoever got to the bag would be inconvenienced until she got over there to give them a solid zap.
She slung the bag over her shoulder, and started stepping out of the hotel room. The door closed behind her, and locked. She had everything with her.
Veronica was nothing more than a walks away from the meeting spot.
Alex couldn't help but wonder a bit aimlessly, looking at all the people around him loose themselves in the throws of debauchery and hedonism. While he did like to thing of himself as such, Alex was rather straight-laced, so when he saw people running around naked, drinking gallons of alcohol, and engaging in all manner of debauched fun, he couldn't help but feel extremely uncomfortable and overwhelmed. Pushing his way through the dense crowd, he once again curse Nora, far beyond annoyed with her dumb prank, which had gone on for far, far too long now. Nora, having sensed this, had decided to disconnected from him a while ago, and he wouldn't be able to contact her, and thus get home, until he could find a secluded place to make a call or she reconnected him. I swear, if I wasn't afraid of messing with her programming, I'd put failsafes in place so that she couldn't do things like this. It wasn't funny when she started, and it sure isn't getting any more tolerable.
Alex sighed, looking around the crowd as he tried to make out a bar that wasn't over-flowing with drunk patrons. His face developed a bit of a blush, however, as his eyes happened to catch two very intoxicated women engaged in some rather intimate kissing some ways away. He quickly looked to the side, the feeling that he wasn't ready or right for a place like this growing with every second, but then his eyes got sight on another two women. One with a scarf following another one with a pixie cut and a jacket through the crowd. Definitely a suspicious scenario if he ever saw one, especially with how focused the scarf woman seemed in her pursuit. Feeling that it was his duty as a NEST agent(in training), he began to tail Scarfy as she tailed Pixie. He tried his best to keep his distance and mingle with the crowd whenever he felt like his targets gaze might've turned his way.
I wonder if I should try and radio something in . . . no. Not yet. Gotta wait until I confirm something shady is going on. For all I know, I'm just about to get another look at how people tend to celebrate the festival down here. Hell, maybe I should ask one of them for directions. Alex snickered at his own try humor, trying his best to tail his target without being noticed.
The unfinished construction site towered over the other buildings in the area, it's giant iron beams glinting in the moon light. It had originally been intended for a shiny new Hotel with penthouse suites and all that. However, the private investors had run into some trouble and funding had been halted for the time being. At least that was the reason that they had given six years ago. For now, it was just skeletal scaffolding, hollow remains of what could have been. Twenty stories up on the north face of the building, Wei sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the concrete, his arm resting on a nearby bright red girder. Earlier, he had watched the sun descend and the moon climb into the night sky, and with it came the New Riviere night life, which sprang up with the night like a pop up book. He could hear the clamor of the crowd and loud music pulsing through out the city. Floodlights from night clubs and concerts carved the night sky, tracing along the stars.
When one is gazing at the starlight and the moon which gleamed like a silver dollar, it tends to cause introspection. So, it should not surprise anyone, that amidst the isolation high atop this construction site, and amidst the glimmering of the stars, Wei found himself reflecting on his life. He wondered to himself, how did he end up here? His thoughts were filled with angst and regret; filled with pleas of "if only." If only he had never revealed his powers. Perhaps then, he may still be atop his throne, counting his cash in Shanghai. Despite his yearning to be atop the heap again, his longing for a time long past, Wei reminded himself of what was tattooed on his left pectoral; the symbol of the Yongqi, or courage. He needed to be strong at a time like this, he needed to be shrewd and astute, and most important of all, he needed to be courageous. Wei was going to be stiff in his pursuit to the top again, but this time in America. He would strong arm his way to the castle to be king again if need be.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a large truck's motor and it's wheels crunching gravel. Instinctively, Wei reached for the Tec-9 which was strapped to his waist, but faltered once he realized it was most likely those for which he was waiting for. Wei extended his arm and ripped open a hole in the dimensional plane with a clawing motion, like he was a tiger ripping out the jugular of its' prey. He stepped through with ease; a couple hundred feet to the ground floor of the site was easy enough. He emerged at the base of building in an the Northeast corner of the building, looking for his associates. A few hundred paces forward, two cars were parked; a large midnight black pick-up truck and another jet black SUV with tinted windows. The car doors of the SUV popped open, and four Caucasian men jumped out, with a fifth black male coming out of the pick up truck. They were clearly a group of thugs, gangsters, mobsters, whatever you wanted to call them; but Wei was here to do business with them.
"Mikhail, my friend! It's been so long since we've last spoke!" Wei called out to one of the men, who had a large jagged scar gashing through his eye.
"Spare me the greetings, suka," Mikhail responded curtly in a thick Russian accent.
"Now what is this, Mikhail? Something preoccupying you?," Wei said, nodding to Mikhail's large entourage, which had fanned out behind him.
"You are a powerful meta-human. My employer did not want to take any chances," he said, before shaking his head and continuing, "but today we are going to put those dangerous abilities to use. Think of it like a test run for your future with us."
"I know what this is Mikhail, I am no fool. Let us get this over with."
Mikhail nodded to one of his entourage, and he went into the pick-up truck and fetched a manila package with duct tape strapped all over it from the back seat. Wei recognized it as the package he was to deliver. "Oh and Wei, one more thing," he called out to him, as one of the men handed Wei the package. "Yes?" he replied, just as he was getting ready to go.
"Don't fuck this one up."
Wei nodded, ripped dimensional portal, and he was off with the package in hand.
---
"Don't fuck this one up."
Mikhail's words rang through his head, as Wei was bombing more than one hundred miles per hour on a overpass through a high speed police chase with a helicopter circling over him demanding him to pull over through a loud megaphone. Sirens screamed at him, and the police cars' red and blue lights were howling at him. Pretty soon he would have STAG all over him, crawling up his asshole and slamming him with time in the shitter. Wei was not about to let that happen, and he floored the gas. Mikhail and his gang were not going to be pleased, but currently, Wei couldn't give a damn what they would think, he was just worried about the law enforcement that was right behind him, practically sniffing his ass. Wei took a sharp left, which was bringing him closer to the heart of the festivities. His best hope was to abandon his car and try to lose them on foot, whether it be through the use of his power or blending into the crowd. "Pull over now! This is your last warning!" yelled the voice through the megaphone, as Wei swerved left again. Suddenly, the police started shooting, bringing down a hail of bullets onto him. Wei, recognizing he was running out of time, careened into an inky alleyway, crashing the car into a dumpster, sending trash bags flying every where. He jumped out of the decimated car, and took a right into an adjacent alley way, ditching his leather jacket in one of the dumpsters on the way. It was a shame, that was one of Wei's favorites He could hear the polices thundering footsteps and shouts behind him in the adjacent alleyway as they followed on foot, but Wei calmed his nerves and focused. He racked his brain thinking of anywhere he could rip a hole to... the hotdog stand he had been to earlier today! With considerable focus, Wei ripped open the portal and stepped through into a roaring crowd.
Wei was sure a myriad of people had seen what he just did, but he did not give a damn, and he filtered into the crowd quickly, rudely bumping and pushing people out of his way as he tried to quickly get through. Once he was a ways in, away from where he had entered the block, he began slowing down, in an attempt to blend in. He slowed his breathing and his heart began to settle down. Wei knew he was not in the clear, and he had to remain vigilant.
Seraphine was a careful woman, it was true you couldn’t get anywhere in this city without gambling something, but Seraphine always played by the numbers, she knew how to stack the deck. Everybody in the city played the game, but the only ones who came out on top were those who were prepared to cheat. As such she’d put out feelers, and though there had been some trouble acquiring information about the girl, she had managed it. It had been a surprisingly thick file, for someone so young, but judging by her attitude, and the brief flash of power she had displayed, it was to be expected.
She’d arranged to have the security of ‘The Night House’ tightened as well. Up to this point it hadn’t been needed, her position and knowledge had been enough protection of city politics, but a woman as unpredictable as Veronica Rory wouldn’t care about those rules. Seraphine might cheat, but Veronica wasn’t even playing the same game.
Seraphine Prime had contacted her of course, and swiftly, say what you might about her, she was a business woman, business was done without personal issues. The location she had chosen was out of the way, but it was safe, she wouldn’t do anything so crass as have it surrounded by armed men, but she would be accompanied by a number of employees, who would be more than capable of handling themselves.
She glanced to the side, tapping her fingernails against the expensive designer clutch purse in her hand, Seraphine was dressed in an evening dress, one that reassured the world of its expense by being simple, but elegant. Cheap evening dresses couldn’t have carried off plain in the way this one could, they would have felt the need to compensate with diamantes and cheap lace. The clutch was much the same, with only the embossed logo betraying just how many meals it might be exchanged for.
She wasn’t interested in double-crossing Veronica, at least not yet. Making it a habit of betraying people affected your reputation, and for someone who dealt in information being untrustworthy was a deathblow. The girl was dangerous, and if she proved to be a problem then Seraphine would deal with her, but for now business would suffice. It was lucrative after all. She hadn’t even attempted to bargain, which spoke either of substantial resources, which was not unknown for the Changelings, or a simple, total inability to care. It worried Seraphine Prime.
In truth Seraphine would not normally have leant this the personal touch, but this woman needed to be handled delicately, and the sum was not insignificant, so she was here. The restaurant was not overly busy, most people were out enjoying the sights, sounds, and lascivious delights of the carnival. There were still a smattering of customers here and there however, enough to provide protection should there be a problem, though she doubted Veronica would be too concerned about collateral damage it was standard practice, this way any double cross would be forced into the open.
Seraphine smiled graciously as she spotted her latest customer approaching with the Maitre d’ dithering behind her like a mother hen. She was a guest of Seraphine Campbell’s, and that meant she was a guest of any self-respecting business man in the city, still, the poor man didn’t seem to be having much look with the young woman. Seraphine dismissed him with a curt glance as the girl sat down.
