The Dead Savant

DeletedUser

Something was wrong… Even through her enhanced vision, Xiao Ling could not see anyone within the container, yet she could still clearly hear a crying girl. As a precaution, Xiao Ling took a small knife out of her sleeve, then took a step in, the sound of her boots echoing slightly in the container. In response, the crying faded and stopped, followed by an apologetic, feminine voice. It seemed like the girl was also a Savant, specifically an invis – nothing Xiao Ling hadn’t seen before. “It’s fine. Are you here t-“

Suddenly, the container shook to the side, taking Xiao Ling by surprise and leaving her on the floor, as the container lifted off the ground. While she started recovering her balance, a metal clang alerted Xiao Ling to the man climbing up the side of the container. Another sudden movement caused the container to shake once more, catching Xiao Ling off-balance again and leaving enough time for the man to climb up the container. The trenchcoat-clad man looked clearly flustered, but was calm enough to pull out a revolver and aim towards Xiao Ling, who had just got back on her feet. Realising there was nothing to be done at this point, Xiao Ling started lifting her hands up to show that she did not intend to fight, but not before the man suddenly flew to the right and into the wall of the container. Out of thin air, a small girl with neon pink hair materialised, still in a throwing position. The container shook once more as she ran towards Xiao Ling, before briefly explaining that they didn’t have much time.

“Look, I have no clue what’s going on right now,” Xiao Ling responded, “but I’ll follow your lead for now, tell me what I need to do.” Xiao Ling had no reason to trust the young girl, but she had nothing to lose at this point. Stowing away to Brazil probably wasn’t an option now, not with the crane operators having most likely spotted a man crawling into the side of the open container. The man himself seemed to still be conscious, despite the bleeding at his head and was yelling what was presumably the name of the girl next to her. If need be, she was willing to kill the man if she got the go-ahead from “Trixie”, but at the very least she would try to knock the man out before leaving the container. Xiao Ling had a lot of questions for “Trixie”, but now wasn’t the time. For now, her priority was getting out of the situation she had landed herself in.
 

DeletedUser28032

With the revelation that Tonya had absolutely no way of contacting the resistance Dante couldn't help but roll his eyes typical woman, forces you into doing something without having the slightest clue what to do when you wave the white flag! Dante thought to himself as she went on to suggest contacting the various arms dealers they'd used over the years. It wasn't the worlds greatest plan and was just as liable to lead the Feds right to their door but it was currently their only option "Fine, well if we cross off the ones you used and the ones overseas..." after all there would be no way in hell that Ashley would be able to smuggle the quantity of arms and explosives she'd needed at a quick enough rate without being discovered "...and we can forget about any that the regiment used as well which leaves us with...The Sons of Virgina, The Mayan's and ...Corrado Vanetti" Dante said; using his fingers to tick off the few remaining organisations with the clout to supply weapons in any real quantity "We can start visiting them tomorrow once I've sobered up, I just hope you know what you're doing" Dante said before getting up and heading to bed, hoping that he would regret this decision to help.

By mid-morning the following day Dante had already ruled out Mayan's after learning that most of their number were either dead or in prison after a turf war with a rival motorcycle club which left Vanetti and the sons. Personally he had more faith in the East coast gangster having the information they required, that and he didn't like working with the Sons as they a bunch of bigoted racists and Dante hated having to play the part in order to get what he needed we should have wasted them whilst they were still only a nuisance he quietly grumbled. Thankfully however after a long conversation with a couple of middle men Dante finally managed to get a meeting with Corrado Vanetti "Find yourself a pretty dress Tonya, we're going to LA to meet with a gangster!" he called in a jubilant tone of voice. Things were finally beginning to move.
 

DeletedUser31931

Giles
The police formed up quickly. The breach didn’t take long. They rushed the main door and it crashed down. Cries were uttered, boots stomped, hand gestures given. The bodies surged through into the building, a river of human flesh covered in bullet proof material. The helicopter continued to spin around and the news reporters remained silent, awestruck by the spectacle they were witnessing. A minute passed. The river of flesh stopped. Two minutes. Some of the bodies, still in masks, came out of the door. Three. Still nothing. Four. “And the Police have confirmed that they have found no people present within the house.” The first sentence of many as the commentators exploded into action. Interviews were held with police commanders on the ground, theories were bandied around the studio, everything was discussed. The officers returned to their vans. The vans returned to their stations. Only a few cars, some police tape and a few officers were left surrounding the house. The water came back on. At some point, the low humming of the helicopter vanished. The news continued on. Other reports were given, as well as a few updates on how the trio of Savants had vanished onto the breeze. The world passed on. They remained a headline story, but now it was roundup. Learn facts, regurgitate as necessary. In depth discussion of characters. How Samantha had been missing for so long. Why she turned up in Boulder when she was from New York. Why more of an effort hadn’t been made to find her in the four months of her disappearance. What had happened to her now. A cursory report on her family (disappeared a few weeks after the crisis began). Similar news stories about Nicole. A report on the Anders family in general. A recap on the bombings leading up to the Crisis. The corrupt family. How it was at the heart of the Savant threat. Several public statements of apologies from various DSRP figures (though no appearance from the chief spider himself). The world carried on.

Liu
As Liu consigned herself to being led by Trixie, the girl grabbed her hand and pulled. A bullet pinged off the side of the crate as trenchcoat fedora let off a shot, but the shifting crate threw him, causing him to miss. Trixie pushed open the crate door. They were a few metres off the ground now but there was another line of crates. She jumped, pulling Liu after her. Trixie landed hard on the crates and she let out a small moan from the several metre drop onto a hard surface. To be honest, she was lucky to have not broken anything. Looking around for Liu, she managed to pick herself up. “That should, like, give us some, like, time. He’s, like, afraid of, like, heights.” She fixed the woman, the woman she had chosen to stake her future on, the woman she knew had killed seven people (six of them innocent) with no hesitation, the woman who could probably end her life without a second thought, with a stare for a second. She wondered if this was the right choice. At least before it had been warm, comforting. This… ‘being’ business that she’d fought so hard for… was it really worth it? She shook her head. That was just him talking. She was stronger than him. She didn’t need him. “We should, like, go though. He’ll, like, come after us as soon as he’s, like, able to. He’s, like, gonna be like super mad as well.” Standing on top of the crate, fairly exposed to the rest of the dock (something she wasn’t much pleased about and she imagined didn’t exactly thrill Liu either), she waited for the small (okay she was about her height but that was pretty small) woman's response.

Dante
Tonya appeared at the foot of the stairs as Dante called up. She was dressed in a long flowery number. It was orange and yellow and flowed from her shoulders down, over her upper body, expanded around her waist and ended slightly above her knees. One of the few liberties she’d allowed herself, she’d liberated it from a shop in Taiwan that manufactured such dresses as fitted a girl of her size. It wasn’t her original shop but that wasn’t safe anymore. It was hard, having to give up her life before she’d reclaimed her mind but, given that she should be dead by all rights, she wasn’t going to complain about it. “How do I look?” As it happened, it had been fortuitous timing, she’d been trying on the dress anyway to make sure it fitted. Once Dante had given his response, she’d pop over to him and lean in and peck him on the check, leaving a slight lipstick stain. “Now then, are you ready for the big meeting? If so, then give me the address and we can get going.”

Raypool
“I hope you realise what an absolute imbecile you’ve been!” This was the second lecture he’d received this week.
“Well it wasn’t my fault that she got lucky.” The group had convened again. Raypool was having defend himself. Again. The first time they’d at least agreed to the plan. This time it was a DSRP cockup, straight and simple. “The plan never accounted her taking someone with her when we let her escape and if you-.”
“Enough!” The distorted voice cut across Raypool and even he knew to fall silent at the familiar sound. X had been keeping quiet for most of the meeting but they had chosen to break their silence now and even Raypool knew to keep quiet and listen. “You lost an important test subject. We needed the boy-girl to experiment on. Your failure to recover it will be noted and will not be looked upon favourably.” Raypool winced. He knew he’d messed up. He opened his mouth, about to make reassurances and promptly thought better of it. “You’ve also failed to deal with that loose end still. We don’t care about surprises within your organisation and agents going rogue. Make sure it doesn’t happen again. Make sure that those responsible for the mistakes are dealt with. Make sure the loose ends are tied up. And the rest of you? I appointed Raypool, if you have issues with him, you bring them to me.. Unless you’ve got better ideas than him on how to run it, keep it to yourselves. Otherwise, I suggest you come and talk to me. But they better be very, very good. We shall end there.” Raypool sighed inwardly. He’d come off slightly better than he’d feared. At least X had given him a small window of recovery. As he recited the group motto and exited the call though, Raypool’s mind was whirring. His position would only last as long as he was able to deliver results. Whatever the cost. He buzzed his secretary, another new one. The words, however, had been installed. “Donna, coffee, with froth.” As a seductive affirmative response was purred down the line, Raypool sat back in his chair and considered his options. Maybe it was time… Maybe… Raypool opened up his email client and started to compose a new email, header: Project Upgrade Public Activation. As Donna, his ditzy long blonde secretary, entered the room, he smiled to himself. This could work. He had the solution in his hands, all he had to do was use it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Deleted User - 819397

The scene reached the breaking point, with the DRPS breaking into the house, even the reporters going quiet as they waited for the inevitable capture. Giles found himself torn between needing to look away and needing to watch, the latter winning out. And yet...something seemed wrong. The house wasn't large...there was no reason they hadn't been able to find them yet...people were leaving the house without the unconscious bodies he was expecting to see. And then the reporters delivered the kicker...no one was in the house. They had gotten away. A huge weight fell off Giles' shoulders at the news, reaching for the remote to mute the TV before sinking back, trying to get a grip on himself. She was out, she was safe...which...that meant it hadn't been a trap...there was no sense in showing a tense scene just to have them get away if it was designed to lure someone in. Damn it...he'd...he'd lied to his sister...first time they'd seen each other in the better part of a decade and he'd lied to her with one of his only statements made to her. There wasn't anything for it, though...she was gone, the TV continued to confirm that on the headline, kept on to ensure they didn't change their minds. The person who had gone in the house had probably been a blinker then, all things considered. He'd just need to apologize to Nicole when he saw her next. The cordons were being taken down, the neighborhood returning to normal. There was still the question of whether Nicole was under the *******'s control, that part could have still been a trap, but he at least hadn't construed the whole situation, that much was certain now.

"Giles...are you ok? You're looking better...they got away...I don't know how but they did..." Rachel was relieved as well, though it sounded like her main concern had been Giles' mental state.

"Yeah...I don't think it was all a trap anymore...I...Nicole may have still been, but...starting to think it was less likely now..." The former aristocrat looked over at his friend and shrugged. "Not that I can do anything about that now."

"Ok, that's enough cryptic statements. You said you wanted to watch this happen, it's over, and I want to know what did this to you."

Giles winced, looking away and scowling. "I told you, I don't want to-"

"And I told you you don't get to pull that anymore!" Rachel was angry now, not willing to let it drop. In a calmer tone, she continued, "Giles...you don't realize what this has done to the rest of us. Will worries about you being on the street every day to the point it's making him sick, Emily must have bothered all of us that we must be able to do more to help you a thousand times, and even Ryan's concerned about you...in his own way of course, you know how he is, but...the point is our lives have been centered around you since you got back, and we've never asked you for anything. And in that time you've withdrawn so much you don't feel like the same person anymore. Something happened in that, what, week you were gone...please...talk to me about it..."

The former aristocrat couldn't bear to meet Rachel's gaze, expression haunted. "Rach...I'm trying not to think about it, let alone talk about it..."

"You so obviously are though! Giles, you're stuck on the fourth stage of grief...you've been depressed almost since you got back...didn't see denial, anger took you about a day from your own admission, and you seem to have skipped bargaining, but...you don't ever smile, not really, you don't laugh...not only are you not the life of the party anymore, you're not someone who would enjoy going to a party, and that's just not you!" She leaned in, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Please...just talk to me about it...if you don't want me to get all clinical on you I won't, but as your friend...everyone else has been worried, but so have I...you know how much we all...how much I look up to you, able to roll with the punches...what hurt you so badly you've become like this?"


He was crying again. Damn it. Proving her point through the tears. he wasn't himself anymore, he knew this...there wasn't any way to deny it. But he really, really didn't want to talk about it either...talking about it would make the hurt fresh and new again, and he didn't think he could survive it, not when going through it the first time had almost destroyed him. And yet...Rachel deserved better than utter denial...they were too close for that. He'd been cruel to all of them, he could see that now, but they weren't here...she was. So... "I...I'll tell you one thing...but I don't want to talk about it more...until at least tonight. Is that ok?"

"Of course...I suppose that means you want to stay here for now then? That's perfectly ok with me, but I want to make sure it's what you want..." The heat was gone from her voice, concern and compassion flooding back to fill the void left in her anger's absence.

Giles nodded, chuckling a little as his tears subsided, at least for the moment. "I put some thought into it...I can be a new boyfriend, living with you while trying to find a job. Real winner, but..." He looked over at Rachel and blanched at her shocked expression. "No...no, Rach, not what I meant...I...I'm not in a good place to be dating anyone right now...I...I know what the rest of the group always said, and I know how we both felt about each other, but...it never felt like the right time, and you know that. This...this is about as far from the right time as it could possibly be. Just a cover story, ok?"

Rachel nodded, slow, processing the idea. "Ok...I can accept this, and I'm happy to let you stay here, you know that. Now please, tell me what you wanted to about what happened..." Her hand squeezed his shoulder a little, looking to comfort him.

A slow, shaky breath later, and Giles looked his friend in the eye, wanting her to see the deadened truth in his words. "Two people I cared immensely about are dead, and it is entirely, without any shadow of doubt, my fault." He held her gaze for a moment, then turned away again, blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill again even as he felt Rachel drawing him into an embrace.

"...God...Giles, I'm so sorry...that...that makes so much of how you've been make sense...I...I won't push for details until tonight, but...please, if I know you at all you're letting this destroy you...don't let it...you have so many people still alive who want to be a part of your life, don't deprive them of the chance to know you..."

They were both crying now, a pair of weepy young adults holding each other as if their lives depended on it. Giles broke the hold first, wiping his eyes, his beard changing to a dirty blonde as his hair reappeared in the same shade, stopping at a short length and in general matching what would be considered acceptable for a work environment. He didn't need to change off the red, but it clashed horribly with his turtleneck and that wouldn't do for going out. "Thanks Rach...I...I know I've not been myself, but...I don't have any plans to go off and die, I promise you that. I'm...gonna get out of the house for a while. If we're gonna play the role right, I'm gonna need to apply for some positions to sell it, though I don't expect those to go anywhere since I can't give them my ID or anything...call me Jake if we go out together, just to be safe...I'll be back tonight or text or call you if something happens...no reason not to carry my phone and things around if I'm supposed to have a house and all, y'know?" He didn't feel like leaving, but the atmosphere had become a little oppressive and odds were if he stayed Rachel would eventually break down and start asking for details...that evening he'd need to give her something else...he didn't want to, but she had been right...she deserved to know. He just didn't know if he had the strength to give her that.

A frown on her face, Rachel nodded. "Alright, but please be careful, the police are going to be on edge after that fiasco on the news...and when you're here, you look like you should, no arguments. That's my only condition. Understand?"

A slight smile touched Giles' face for a moment, and he nodded. "Loud and clear." He stood up, stretching and letting his power remove the moisture from his face and redness in his eyes before heading for the door, looking back as he reached it. "Rach? Thanks...for...pretty much everything. You're amazing, I hope you know that." A warm smile from his friend later, he departed. He'd play his part for the day and come back in the evening...they both deserved that much.
 

DeletedUser37114

Giles
As Giles sat in a coffee shop, nursing a mug, the day resumed its pace. The usual crowd shuffled in, students with assignments, a couple older folks who wanted to chat, a couple other unemployed folks just looking to be anywhere but home. As the lunch rush was dying down, a young man walked into the shop. He was toward the taller end, Asian, with black hair streaked with grey and fine features, wearing a blue t-shirt that was worn enough to have more than a couple holes, a new fleece wrapped around his waist, worn cargo pants, and scuffed, sturdy hiking boots. The man stopped for a moment after ordering a cup, frowning at Giles and moving out of the main traffic area to watch him. As soon as his order was done, he would sit down at Giles' table, still staring. "Why are you so sad?" the man asked without preamble before waving at the air, continuing in a rush. "I mean, I know you don't want to talk about it, nobody ever wants to talk about it when they've got a sucking chest wound, they just assume you know it's there and you shouldn't stick your hand in it and feel around. But I've got a feeling that what you have isn't a sucking chest wound, more like..." The man frowned, bending to look critically at Giles' chest for a moment before straightening with a worried look. "More like a broken heart. Not sure which one I'd prefer to have, never had either, but that really does look painful. Want some help fixing it?"
 

Deleted User - 819397

There was something to be said about the insanity of the world, that such a horrific thing could almost happen in a home and yet the coffeeshop Giles was situated in not even a mile away was running business as usual. He'd pulled up a seat in the back of the building, catching up on things with his phone. He didn't risk sending texts to his friends, he had no idea how in-depth the *******'s searching mechanisms were, but general news he could find without risk. At some point he'd need to go ask for a job, not that that was going to go anywhere when he was going by a false name, unable to provide documentation, but...had to keep up the act at least. For Rachel's sake as well now, not just his own.

The former aristocrat hadn't been there too long when someone slid into the seat across from him. Startled, he looked up to see a man of Asian heritage, young even as his hair disagreed with that analysis, with clothes that were very well worn indeed aside from a fleece that he could just barely see from where they were sitting. Frowning, Giles opened his mouth to ask if he could help the guy when he spoke up, asking why he looked so sad. Ok...little weird as an opening line, but at least it was a question he'd dealt with be-waitasecond...the guy had anticipated his usual response and plowed right on, something about a sucking chest wound...the way he was talking, the former aristocrat started to think he was crazy, and was beginning to formulate a response that would allow him to leave, when the man stopped talking entirely, staring at his chest for a moment before deciding he had a broken heart, not a sucking chest wound. That stopped him cold. he shouldn't have been able to get that just from looking at him...he hadn't even had time to get a word in edgewise, there was no way in hell...something was off about him. Giles was certain the guy wasn't a trap from the monster...he was too random to be effective at such a role, especially when sitting down across from your target was a moronic move. So he was a lucky guesser then, or rather a semi-lucky guesser, seeing as his previous guess was that there was a sucking chest wound, which didn't exist physically and to be frank didn't make sense on an emotional level to the former aristocrat. At least he didn't need to have his guard up for once...

So deciding that the guy was harmless, Giles thought about how to respond to him...he'd seemed earnest enough, no sense in hurting his feelings. Smiling half-heartedly at the man, he opened his mouth to answer, then paused. Outright lying that he was fine wouldn't work...if he could guess at a broken heart that easy, giving him verbal material to work with was a bad choice. That meant some version of honesty then. "Thank you for your concern...it's really not something I'm comfortable talking with with strangers, though...hard enough to talk about it with my closest friends. What about you? You said you've never had a sucking chest wound or a broken heart before...how then did you decide I had one or the other?" This was a reasonable take...polite refusal into directing the conversation on him. People loved talking about themselves, he knew this as a rather guilty offender himself on that front. Now that he had an in, he could continue talking with the guy about meaningless things so as to keep everyone's feelings intact, and then they could go on their own paths. Just like almost every conversation he'd had with anyone in the past three months.
 

DeletedUser28032

Clean shaven and with his long ash blonde hair tied back into a yuppy like ponytail, it would appear to the casual observer that Dante brushed up pretty well, though for anyone that actually knew him the sight of him in a suit would be a rather jarring experience. Watching the petite asian girl descending from the bedroom upstairs he'd offer her the first genuine smile he'd given her since arriving in the country "like a million bucks babe" he drawled in his charming Southern accent.
After sharing the details of where they needed to be, Dante would take her hand with visible anxiety over doing so. Even though they had jumped multiple times now without incident he still couldn't bring himself to fully trust her, with him still half expecting there to be a bat on the other end.

They'd jump into downtown LA, and after a short walk would find themselves at a rather nice restaurant in the posh part of town. Approaching one of the waiters Dante would simple state that they had an appointment before being ushered into private room.
The room was extravagantly furnished in an overtly Italian style, with a table and chairs covered in a pristine tablecloth taking pride of place at its centre "Alexander, long time no see" a middle aged Italian man greeted them with a broad smile "...and who is this exquisite creature, you know I may have to steal her from you" he continued, chuckling as his own joke "Corrado, may I introduce Miss Amy Yeung...and you're welcome to try" Dante responded just as warmly, whilst quietly hoping that Tonya would forgive the use of her given name.
Taking a seat at the table; a pair of suited men stood a respectable distance away watching their every move, Dante waited until the first course had been served before getting down to business "so Corrado, as you may have guessed I'm after a little help with a...sensitive...issue, we're looking for this woman and belive she may be looking to contact people within you're line of business" Dante said sliding the picture across the table for the dark haired and slighlty over weight businessman to look at as opposed to Tonya who had garnered more than a few glances from him already "...anything you could tell us would be greatly appreciated and strictly confidential of course"
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser37114

Giles
Apparently the young man had stumped the sad man. Which was sad in its own right, he wanted to help make the sad man a happy man. But fortunately, the man spoke up after his pause, thanking him and explaining that it's something he didn't want to talk with while trying to change the subject. He'd apparently already forgotten that he knew the sad man didn't want to talk about it. But the young man wasn't going to argue. Not when he'd been asked such an interesting question. "It felt like the right thing to call it," he replied after a moment to consider. "I get this feeling that you're in pain, that you don't want anyone to know, and that I might be able to do something to help. And since I can't patch you up, it had to be something on the inside, you know. Like a kidney failure or heartburn or anxiety." He smiled, he knew he wasn't making a whole lot of sense, but he didn't really need to focus on that right now. Making Sad-Man Glad-Man was too important. "So instead of having an empty little conversation and us going our separate ways, let's actually get something done..." The young man extended his hand across the table to Giles, smiling genially. "Toby. Figure you should at least know my name before I ask you to follow me down a dark alleyway only knowing that there's a pleasant surprise at the end." Which he absolutely intended on asking the man to do before rethinking things. Or refeeling things out. Whatever. Bad idea maybe becoming good idea now, since the sad man didn't want to talk things out yet.
 

Deleted User - 819397

It seemed that Giles had hit the mark, with the man striking up on the topic of why he'd decided there was either a chest wound or a broken heart involved. He had had a feeling that Giles was in pain, that he didn't want anyone to know, and that it wasn't external damage. Which left...options on the inside, even if the ones he listed were rather far off from what he'd went with. Which, ok, sure. He supposed anyone could look at him and see he was sad, even if his second guess had been a little too correct. The guy then ruined the reasoning he'd just laid out by again guessing where the former aristocrat was thinking, that they'd have a useless conversation and move on never to see each other again. And then outright rejected that, saying they should get something done about him being sad instead. Baffled, Giles took the proffered hand, registering the guy's name as Toby. Still rather thrown by the fact he'd been out-maneuvered for the second time in this short conversation, this time by a thought he'd had and not voiced, he forgot to be cautious and replied, "Giles." He realized what he'd done as soon as he'd released his hand and tensed a little, but it was too late. Oh well, there were many people with that name out there...even if it meant something to Toby, there was no reason he'd link the name to one of the more wanted Savants out there. Besides, he was talking again, mentioning a dark alley with a 'pleasant surprise' at the end. Frowning, the former aristocrat looked at him, skepticism evident in his face, before deciding it wasn't worth asking and had probably been a joke, all things considered. And besides, it wasn't like he was intending on going anywhere with Toby anyway...which he should really make clear to him, now that he thought of it. "Toby, look...I'm touched that you want to help me feel better, but I don't know you...you have no reason to help me, and I have no reason to go anywhere with you. You seem like a nice guy, and I don't mind chatting with you while we enjoy our drinks, but I've got somewhere to be this evening. Besides, I'm sure you've got more important things to do than try to work through a stranger's problems...I'm going to be ok eventually...just taking more time than I thought it might." Giles was quiet for a moment, then added, "If there's something else you wanted to discuss though, I'm open to talking with you for a while still." He couldn't get a feel for this guy...Toby seemed at the same time genuine to a fault and way too insightful for his own good. He found himself liking him and his honest, direct manner, but all the same...he didn't know him, and they owed each other nothing...he wasn't about to burden such a gentle soul with the horrors he was still working through...
 

DeletedUser31931

Tonya
He liked the dress! It was hard for Tonya to hold back her smile as Dante complimented her. She took his hand and waited until he’d given her the instructions. A second later and the pair were standing in downtown LA, a few minutes’ walk from where they were supposed to be meeting Dante’s contact. It was nice to be back in the States, even if Tonya was conscious of every side glance and stare that came their way as they made their way through the city. The paranoia over the fact that Raypool probably wanted the pair of them for dead didn’t help. Her hand twitched and she felt the urge to go to the pistol hidden in the clutch that she carried in her right hand. That or teleporting would just end horribly though and so she restrained herself. As they walked into the restaurant, a fancy Italian place, they were led through as Dante explained that they had an appointment. They sat down, Dante introducing her as Amy Yeung I guess he operates on a given name basis then. She smiled politely and let the two of them do the talking, her eyes scanning the backroom, assessing potential threats. The whole thing was going fairly amicably and the first dish, spaghetti carbonara with an egg broken on top, was served.
As Dante pushed the picture across the table, however, things began to turn sour. Corrado picked the picture up and his face fell. “You’re playing a dangerous game here friend.” He paused, put the picture down and slid it back to Dante. “I know who she is. And if you’re looking for her, I can guess who you and your friend Miss Yeung are.” Corrado sighed and brought his hand up to one of the guards. “Double the detail outside, just in case”. As the guard scurried off outside, Corrado let out a grim smile. “Still, you’re a valued customer. And besides, the DSRP are bad for business. New kids on the block, showing off their flashy new toys. As for your friend here? I don’t deal with her but I know who does. She and her partner came to us a couple of weeks ago, looking to do business. Feds have been up my arse of late though and I’m not looking for anything to give them a reason to start proper, so I pass on her business. Next thing I hear, she’s shacked up with one of the new dealers on the block.” Corrado paused for a second and fixed Dante with a stare for a few seconds, as if evaluating him. “He’s good at his job, and he’s trustworthy but he’s dangerous. Perhaps more importantly, he’s one of your own. Goes by the name of Firework and it’s a name he lives up to. Those who cross him? Their ashes are delivered to their families in the post. Not my style, of course, but it gets the job done. If you’re serious about finding your girl, I can arrange a meeting with him. That said, you’re going to need to have something to offer him, and I mean more than cash. If you want it, I can get you setup whilst we enjoy our meal. If not, you can still have the meal. So, Alexander, what do you want?”
 

DeletedUser28032

"What!? No! Jesus, Corrado we're not one of them!" Dante retorted in a shocked voice as Corrado suggested quite rightly that he and Tonya were Savants "look, some guy is paying me a heap of cash to track down and...deal with the woman in the photo, thats all" Dante lied. He'd known the gangster for a while now and so wanted to keep on good terms with him even if it meant lying about his true identity, that and considering the current climate it didn't pay to advertise.
Despite Corrado's suspiscions, the guy supplied them with the information they required; even going so far as to suggest arranging a meeting with the Savant arms dealer in question whilst they finished their meal; which as per usual was exquisite "arrange the meeting, the sooner we find her the better...i'll even look at dealing with our pal Firework for you as a sign of good faith" just because the guy was a Savant didn't mean that Dante wouldn't put him in the ground if it suited his purposes to do so. The guy was a criminal and if Dante was able to prevent Ashley from using him or even better, take over his operation it'd grant him more control over the former Fed, and as far as he was concerned the shorter the leash about Ashley's neck, the better.
 

DeletedUser

(OoC: Got tired of typing Xiao Ling so I’m switching to Liu now. Laziness prevails.)

Another gunshot sounded as ‘Trixie’ pulled Liu towards the exit, but for once the shaking container worked for them as the man slipped and the bullet ricocheted off the side of the container. Suddenly, Liu stepped into the air as ‘Trixie’ jumped out of the container, pulling Liu out with her. Liu barely managed to break the several metre fall with a roll, the impact causing her to wince in pain. The other girl seemed to fare little better and both of them took a while to pick themselves up, before ‘Trixie’ turned around to talk to Liu.

“So trenchcoat man doesn’t like heights?” Liu responded, “I’ll keep a note of that, I doubt that’s the last we’ll see of him after all.” So my trip is now ruined and I’ve probably made a fairly persistent enemy, all because I decided to try and care for once. Guess the persistent enemy part isn’t so new though. Well, better finish what I’ve started.

As Liu lamented her out-of-character decision, she noticed the slight hesitation in the other girl’s eyes. There was definitely something wrong with ‘Trixie’, but Liu couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong. The over-the-top personality definitely had something to do with it, as if the girl was trying to… or being forced to hide something. Either way, Liu wanted to get to the bottom of this, though she wasn’t really sure why she was that interested.

Quickly agreeing to ‘Trixie’s’ suggestion to get out of the shipyard, Liu decided to start speaking as they were running. “Trixie, right? Call me Liu. I’ve got a hideout nearby we can stop at for a bit before deciding what to do next, so we can start by heading there…” Liu hesitated for a bit, unsure at what to say next. “First off, I’ll warn you by saying that if it turns out all of this is a trap for the DSRP, then I’ll make sure that you’re the first to die.” Regardless of the other girl’s reaction to those words, Liu continued on. “Second, you need to tell me what your relation is to that man, who on Earth you are and… why you were crying in that container.” The last question wasn’t exactly necessary, but Liu felt like she needed to know.
 

DeletedUser37114

Giles
And thank goodness, the sad man had a name. Giles, apparently. Though by the looks of how Giles reacted after giving that as his name, not the only one he had. That wasn't important, though, a name was a name. And judging from the skepticism on the his face, the sad man wasn't up to trusting him enough. Granted, even Toby didn't really know what the pleasant surprise was, so that was probably safest. But then Giles spoke up again, trying to make sure they went their separate ways again. Sure, he used all sorts of nice words to dress it up, but the meaning was clear and straightforward. He didn't want to talk long term, he didn't want to stick around, he didn't want to trust, didn't want to open up or try to heal any faster. Which, on one hand, was understandable. But on the other... He had time, though. At least a week, maybe more, to stay here before he had to start moving again. Should be enough. Toby smiled at Giles, leaning back in his chair and sipping at his coffee. "Most important thing I have to do this week is drop by some place in the suburbs. Say hi to some peeps, drop off a present. 'sides that..." He paused, trying to figure out exactly what he DID have to do this week. Pretty much nothing, if he was being honest with himself. Which meant more than enough time to help out with this. "Nope. Nothing. So I'd like you to trust me, but I know you aren't going to do that right away. So some advice instead: Talk to someone you do trust if you can. Anyone, really. A friend, someone you work out with, some woman who's been carrying a torch for you a while, whoever. I know it'll be hard, but it's important." Even if he had a week, he wanted to get as much done as possible. He'd feel better that way.
 

Deleted User - 819397

The conversation with Toby continued to spiral in circles, with the guy leaning back and replying that he had nothing to do for a week aside from saying hi to a couple people and dropping off a present. Which...that just didn't sound right. No one was that free to help a complete stranger. That just didn't add up. And yet Giles still didn't feel like he was lying. He was supposed to be a major people person, he was supposed to have a good feel on peoples' intentions...so either his instincts or rationale was wrong, and he couldn't figure out which made more sense. Toby gave off no vibes that he was anything but genuine, honest, and compassionate. A rarity, and something the former aristocrat wasn't used to seeing. But still...who in the world had an entire week in which they could help someone they'd never met until deciding to sit across from them while drinking coffee? Considering the possibilities, he dragged himself back to the here and now as Toby explained he wanted Giles to trust him but knew that wasn't going to happen during this discussion, but that he wanted him to talk to someone. Which made sense, but...oh come ON, the guy had a knack or something for hitting the nail on the head in the most casual ways possible. Without so much saying it, he had told him to talk to Rachel about what had happened. Saying it wasn't going to be easy, but he had to do it for his own good.

Giles was fairly unnerved now. Why couldn't he get a fix on this guy? On the surface Toby was an amicable person, someone who was a little too quick to be friendly to strangers, but that wasn't a crime...Giles had been guilty of that a lot himself over the years. In fact, on the surface, he wasn't too dissimilar from how the former aristocrat used to be. A people person, wanting to help said people, and something about him made you want to trust him. And yet...that was three times now that he'd taken knowledge he shouldn't have known about and applied it to the conversation in the most impactful way Giles could think of; casually. If you wanted something to resonate, you delivered it with no drama, let the other party attach the meaning to it. And Toby had done that three times. First with deciding he had a broken heart, which on its own might have been a lucky guess...after all, he hadn't been the first person to decide he looked sad. Second was determining the direction he'd been taking the conversation, which...ok, if he was as good a conversationalist as he seemed then MAYBE that would be justifiable. But the third time, picking a description that fit Rachel, as much as he might not want to admit it at the moment, that was too much. It had followed two generic examples. Friends made sense, everyone had them and sometimes talking to them would help, everyone knew that. Giles was fit, it wasn't a stretch to (correctly) imagine he worked out, and ok, maybe someone he worked out with he'd feel comfortable confiding in. But that last one...there was no reason to go into that much detail, and that confirmed that there was more than guesswork going on. Was Toby a mind reader like Quill? No, or he'd've known his name before he'd given it, and the reaction he'd given when Giles had filled him in made him believe that had been an appreciated piece of knowledge. Still...no one was that good of a guesser without some help. Not that he could think of a Savant power that he'd heard of that fit such a talent, but...unless another explanation offered itself, that was all he really had to work with. And that put things in a different light entirely.

Leaning back and relaxing a little, Giles smiled at Toby, more honest than he'd done before but still not reaching his eyes. "I'll admit I'm surprised. Not used to people caring about me that much...especially not people who just met me. I do appreciate your concern, I meant that...and I'll...think about talking to someone...kinda promised I'd talk at least a little about it this evening with a friend...don't know how much I'm going to, because I also meant that it's not something I want to discuss with even my closest friends..." The former aristocrat leaned forward again, smile dropping, withdrawing a little into himself. "Look...I'm not saying I don't trust you, because I consider myself a reasonable judge of people when I have my wits about me and you aren't setting off any alarms, but...I don't want to burden you with what happened to me. It's bad. I told the friend I mentioned a moment ago the basest piece of it and they started crying. You seem like someone who's been lucky enough to avoid misfortune, I don't want to drag you down with me. However...if you're really as free as you say, I wouldn't mind talking with you more. Not about what happened to me, but...kind of don't have anything important going on myself during the days right now, and our conversation has been the most interesting thing that's happened to me in a while that didn't make me want to curl up in a hole somewhere." He blinked, that had been more honest than he'd wanted to be...that was the second time that had happened in this short conversation. What was wrong with him? Guard up, Giles...he's not a threat, but all it takes is one person getting nervous and the DPSR are swarming the cafe. Recovering, he concluded with a quick, "does that sound agreeable to you?" He had a feeling that Toby would accept...after all, he was the one who had approached him, wanting to help. This way they were at least spending more time together...maybe the former aristocrat could do or say something that would convince the guy he was really ok, that there wasn't any need to draw the sordid details out of him...because Toby was a bright penny amongst the drab of the world with his honest, friendly demeanor...no need to tarnish him with prolonged contact with the recently ruined coin Giles had become.
 

DeletedUser37114

Giles
Well, there was definitely some good coming out of this conversation if Giles was smiling. And better than before, brighter. Apparently he wasn't used to people caring about him that much, which was sad in its own way. But that just meant that Toby had to try harder to help out, no reason for Giles to keep feeling that way. Plus, he was going to talk to someone, a friend. Though he was still reluctant to tell the whole story, which was a pity. A sip of his coffee at the pause, and Giles was heading back into Sad Man territory, saying he did trust him, but didn't want to burden him. Which was a load of roadkill, but Toby wasn't going to argue that. Too many things he didn't want to talk about that he'd have to be truthful about. There was also a suggestion of talking with Giles more and him not having anything important during the day, and how much he appreciated the conversation, which gave Toby a little bit of the glow he'd been looking for when he sat down at the table. Of course he'd agree to have more conversation time. Or more time doing whatever, conversation probably shouldn't take up every moment of the day. Maybe... Oh, yeah. Conversation. "Sounds fine," Toby replied hastily. "Though when you have your talk with your friend, tell her as much as you can stand. Better to have at least someone else know everything. Share some tears, bake some brownies and eat them. You know, non-romantic housemate stuff." And he really needed to get going now, things were happening. Finishing his coffee, Toby got to his feet, stretching and tossing his cup into a nearby trash can without looking. No reason to try to push things today, not if Giles wanted to talk more tomorrow. Besides, he had to find somewhere to sleep tonight, maybe grab some food. "See ya!" he called back as he hurried out. If he managed to walk quick enough, he might even have time to pick up his package tonight...
 

Deleted User - 819397

Much to Giles' consternation, it was Toby who was now lost in thought. He'd been rolling with the punches so well that him going silent was disconcerting. The former aristocrat was just about to ask if the guy was ok when he snapped back into action, agreeing to talking more, before going back to the conversation he was so certain had to happen with Rachel, saying they should talk about it as much as he could stand...and...well, there was more proof to the theory. Giles hadn't specified gender, not wanting to confirm the whole 'carrying a torch' concept...or think about it, if he was being honest. And yet Toby had said 'her' without any hesitation. He really wasn't going to be able to hide much, was he? How much did the guy know about him already? Or did he need to insinuate for him to know? He had no answers there. There wasn't going to be any asking either, not in a public place like this. There were bound to be some DSPR around after the earlier fiasco, maybe even in the cafe, he wasn't about to put them both at risk. Still, the idea that he should talk as much as he could about it...the very thought made him shudder. Though Toby was mentioning how there'd be good in it, comparing it to tears and brownies. He kind of doubted it though...what good would come from reopening the wounds? They hurt enough as it was. Still, the former aristocrat didn't need to worry about that just yet...the important piece now was making plans to meet with Toby who was running out and hold on what was happening? "H-hey, we didn't get...each other's number..." he half-heartedly called out as the guy ran off. Sure...the rest of the conversation had barely made sense...why should the closer be any different? He'd still agreed to meet...with how randomly he'd found Giles the first time, he supposed he could operate on the idea that it would happen again.

A predictable ending to a halfhearted attempt at getting a job at the shop later and Giles found himself heading back to Rachel's. Whether he chose to talk with her or not, he'd agreed to come back in the evening, and she deserved that much from him at least. Plus if he had to admit it, it was wonderful to be back in friendly company and a soft bed. He knocked on her door before trying the handle. Unlocked, which made sense...she'd've wanted to make it easy for him to slip in when he was done, and she was in a nice enough neighborhood the odds of a random robbery were low. He slipped in to the smell of something delicious and full of chocolate baking, and he followed his nose to the kitchen where his friend stood over a cooling pan of...of course. Of course it hadn't been a metaphor...that made five. The former aristocrat decided to stop counting. If a single short conversation had given that many casual statements that were all too accurate, there were going to be far more. "Hey, Rach...I'm back..."


Rachel started and looked around, smiling. "Welcome back, Giles...remember the condition?"

Giles nodded, allowing his appearance to return to what he wanted it to be. It felt...so nice...being in his proper appearance...with the clothes...the clothes...dammit. There went the fricking waterworks again...

His friend was at his side in a moment, arms around him. "Hey...I don't want to make you sad...if that's too much for you, you can look how you want..."

The former aristocrat shook his head, fighting back the sorrow that threatened to take him once again. "No...not that. That feels good. I just...thought about things I shouldn't have is all. Be fine in a moment..."

Rachel nodded, pulling back once she felt he'd recovered. "You want a brownie? They should be cool enough now..."

Giles nodded, smiling enough to be considered socially acceptable and blinking back the remaining tears. Heh...tears and eating brownies. Correct in full once again, Toby...

The remainder of the evening wasn't bad. Perhaps sensing he wasn't up to talking about it after his brief breakdown, Rachel didn't press Giles for details about what he'd said earlier, and he appreciated it. He knew what Toby had said...and if he'd been right about so much he might have been right about it being better in the long run...but he just couldn't take the chance. If even thinking about...certain topics...caused that strong of a reaction, the odds of disclosing the gory details making things better were slim to none in his opinion. They talked about small things and how nice it was to be able to talk like this again, all meaningless chatter that was all too careful to avoid subjects that might cause a relapse. The former aristocrat went to bed feeling like he'd let Toby down, which was ridiculous. He didn't know the guy, and he wasn't about to feel guilty over this...it was his own life, his own sorrow, he could handle it on his own, dammit. But...even so, the kindhearted advice echoed through his mind as he fell asleep.

The next day Giles resumed pretending to be Rachel's deadbeat boyfriend looking for a job. This time he'd chosen a bakery as his hangout. They still had coffee, and the food was a lot better than a coffeeshop's. If he had been serious about the job hunt he might have actually tried here...the place felt homey and comfortable. Still, he wasn't here to get a job. He was here to play the part, keep them both safe. And, if he was being honest, he was sort of hoping that Toby would show up. Though he hoped he wouldn't know that he'd avoided talking about what had happened at all with Rachel...he didn't want to let the guy down, even though he also still believed it was his choice to make. With any luck, his uncanny ability to know things wouldn't cover what to him would look like a complete failure.
 

DeletedUser31931

Tonya
Tonya had to restrain herself as Dante had his outburst, exclaiming that they weren’t Savants. She knew the point in hiding themselves but that didn’t mean she liked it all the same. Still, at least this way he likely wouldn’t know and if it came down to a fight with him, that gave them a small advantage. Corrado, for his part, simply raised a sceptical eyebrow before lowering it and motioning for Dante to continue. “I’ll not question you Alexander… Your business is your business.” As Dante went on to accept the offer of a meeting, and to offer to deal with Firework, Corrado laughed. “You misunderstand me. I don’t want Firework dead. Quite the contrary, he’s a useful someone to have around. He knows not to interfere with my territory, he’s based in Chicago, put down the remnants of the gangs that shot one another to pieces a couple of years back, been carving out a hole for himself over there. He knows whose palms to grease and whose to burn and he’s been very good at making sure that we stay on good terms. Plus, if the DSRP ever get interested in our little business, I figure they’ll go for him first and they’ll have a good fight on their hands.” Corrado chuckled to himself for a second, before his face darkened. As he spoke again he fixed Dante with a grim stare. “I hope you know what you’re doing Alexander. These aren’t like old times. You make too much noise and you’re going to get heat. A lot of it.” For a second, he seemed much older than the muscled forty something he actually was, as if the fight had long since left him and all that was left was the burnt out husk of a man. He smiled and suddenly he seemed his usual spritely self. “Well, unless you’ve got anything else you want to talk to me about, you’d better be on your way. I’ll set about arranging that meeting for you and I’ll contact you by the usual channels when it’s done.” He settled back in his seat and folded his arms, waiting for a response or for the merc to leave.

Trixie
Once the two had got their breath back, they set off, with Liu leading the way. Trixie followed willingly, occasionally casting a glance behind her, almost expecting to see Damon appear from behind a corner. They had reached the edge of the shipyard when Liu started to ask her questions. Trixie took a second, composing an adequate response that wouldn’t… dammit… that wouldn’t… She felt the tears leak from the corner of her eyes but her melancholy was cut short by the screaming sound of sirens in the air. Trixie could make a pretty solid guess as to who the sirens belonged to. “DSRP. Damon must have, like, called in backup.” She went to set off, and then realised that she still hadn’t answered any of Liu’s questions, and they didn’t have time for her to do so now. “Look, I’m… You’re going to, like, have to, like, trust me. If I, like, stand here and, like, give you the story, by the time I, like, finish it they’ll be, like, loading us up into the trucks. Or, more specifically, they’ll, like, be loading me up. They’ll have already, like, executed you, several shots to the back from, like, a long distance, makes it, like, look like you died in a fight. I… Damon made me, like, work for him, but I, like, found a way out. Now I, like, want out and going with you is, like, my best ticket. Anything, like, beyond that and you’re going to have to, like, wait. Now then, do you, like, trust me? Because, if so, then, like, get ready to run with me.” As the sirens pulled into the carpark, Trixie knew they didn’t have long. She could picture the scene in her head, a DSRP van screeching to a halt and the doors bursting open as the agents rushed out in their suits, tactical display sunglasses already on. They’d stream through the port, looking for Trixie and Liu and they would not rest until they found the pair. It was now or never.
 

DeletedUser28032

Ahhh so they're not trying to kill one another...fair enough, Dante thought to himself as Corrado gently rebuffed his offer to remove Firework "ok, fine by me" he responded with a shrug, not that it didn't mean he wouldn't kill Firework if it suited his purposes, more that he wouldn't go out of his way to do so.

Silenly echoing Corrado's sentiment that he hoped he knew what he was doing, Dante finished the last of his meal before bidding the gangster good night. As far as he was aware there was nothing else that he required from him and he didn't want to push his good will any further than he had to, and so after agreeing to the usual method of contact he and Tonya would leave the restaurant; one step closer to achieving their aim.

They'd stay the night in one of the local hotels; nothing fancy, just a mid range hotel that was better than the average rat hole without being too expensive; they needed to keep a low profile after all.
Signing in as a married couple under fake names, the pair of them would settle in for the night, with Dante remembering to leave the bedside lamp switched on for Tonya, knowing that she'd freak out otherwise. Though he knew from bitter experience that the petite Asian girl didn't sleep too well these days as her actions whilst under Raypool's thrall came out to haunt her in the dead of night, with Dante simply holding her until she finally dropped off to sleep.

Come the following morning Dante would make his way over to the tiny pizza joint on the other side of town and enquire as to whether his order was ready before learning whether or not Corrado had managed to arrange a meeting with their friend; Firework.
 

DeletedUser

(OoC: Trixie’s actions and details of her power approved by Zem)

Whatever Trixie’s answer was, it now had to wait. The obnoxiously loud sirens were unfortunately familiar and their steadily increasing loudness and pitch a sign that they were getting closer and quickly. The other girl confirmed Liu’s suspicions of the source of the sirens, while also adding that Damon – presumably the trenchcoat man from earlier – probably called them. Which meant that… Liu stopped as the other girl prepared to set off again, her trust in Trixie wavering as her relation with Damon was still unclear. Trixie seemed to realise this too, as she stopped and explained her situation quickly.

Made her work for him? So blackmail? Or something worse… The answer Trixie gave left Liu with even more questions, but Trixie was right in saying that this wasn’t the time. Liu quickly assessed the situation. Judging by the sound of the sirens, the DSRP had just pulled up into the car park. The two of them were probably good enough to sneak past mostly unnoticed, but there was no real need to risk anything going wrong. The safehouse would be that way, so…

“I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.” Without waiting for a response, Liu activated her power, pumping adrenaline into her bloodstream. Then, focusing on increasing her muscle strength, Liu picked the other girl up, princess carry style. In response, Trixie went invisible as she panicked, making Liu invisible at the same time and causing her to almost trip over herself as her legs disappeared. Regaining her balance, Liu focused on her leg muscles and jumped onto the roof of the nearby building. With practiced movements, Liu made her way across the buildings - completely unspotted thanks to Trixie’s power - and reached the safehouse completely unscathed.

After entering the abandoned warehouse, Liu immediately opened a small crate, revealing some of her equipment that she had originally intended to leave behind. Liu took this out along with a change of clothes for Trixie. “Probably a good idea for you to change, there’s probably a tracker on your clothes, or else Damon should realistically never have been able to find you in the first place.” The outfit Liu took out had been slightly too large for her, which annoyingly probably meant that it was a perfect fit for the other girl. “Also, I want to hear answers now, I’ve been holding these questions for long enough.” Liu presumed the girl knew what her questions were and waited for Trixie to respond.
 

DeletedUser37114

Giles
It wasn't too long after Giles took his seat that Toby walked into the bakery, hair damp, his fleece on instead of wrapped around his waist. Ordering coffee and a couple scones, Toby settled in to wait for his food, frowning and making motions with his hands as if trying to organize a plethora of notes on an imaginary board. As soon as he had it, the young man walked over to Giles' table, sitting down across from him, still trying to make the same hand motions as he digs in. "Morning, Giles," he mumbled between bites. "Hope you slept well, make sure one of us isn't struggling to get everything to make sense..." Taking a quick sip of his coffee, Toby made an appreciative noise and took another, slower sip. "Mmmm... Dang, this place is good. Totally worth the extra buck and all the employees look really comfortable, would love to work here. Can't, of course, places to do, things to be, y'know. Day on day choices hard be is." Toby stopped for a moment, blinking and frowning. "English, Toby, you can do it..."
 
Top