[M] The Key to Betrayal (Eli&Siks)

[Elizabeth16]

The Key to Betrayal
By Elizabeth & Siksta

Mature Rated for the following: Language, Drug/Alcohol Abuse, Sexual Content/Themes, Violence, Graphic Content/Themes, among more.

It was raining in Seattle when she met him.

Not that that was a surprise. It rained every day in Seattle, minus a few during a lucky year. The misty city was home to those who knew carrying an umbrella was a futile effort to stay dry, because the rain would find a way to make anything damp, yet all carried one the same as keys anyway. Skyscrapers fed into dark clouds above, lights blending almost equally with the lightning at night, brushing into the thundering heavens during the day. Streets were wet underfoot, reflecting anything that passed by.

That evening, little had changed. The lights of the evening were flickering on, illuminating the sidewalks for those going home and those leaving home. Rain tinkered against the shoulders of all who dared to pass, little droplets rolling off in the wind of speeding cars. Among those leaving for the night, those who lived in the neon lights and lonely days, was Serena Gray.

The elevator to the Aspira Penthouse closed, the light flickering to Main Floor. Resting against the railing lining the deep redwood, Serena adjusted her leather jacket, pulling it closer to her, already trying to keep warm. Long hair the color of chocolate brushed the bottom of the jacket, a pale gold band brushing the smaller strands off her face. The shine of the gold brought the attention past the otherwise normal attire, dark jeans and tall boots, to her eyes.

"Have a good day, Miss Gray."

Bright eyes flashed to the man behind the building's welcome desk. "You too, Mark." She had told him as many times as she could imagine to call her by her first name. It was as useless to continue trying, but in her head, she always added "It's Serena, nothing else.".

With that, she was pushing through the spinning doors of the skyrise out under the purple skies. Serena's hand slipped into her pocket, the other holding the trademark plaid umbrella above her, making her way towards the bar. Despite being a part of the sidewalk traffic, the woman stood out. It wasn't simply her movement, the easy way she navigated a path more familiar than her own home. It wasn't the faint hint of class in the dark denim and tailored leather, nor the Burberry umbrella weaving between the countless dark umbrellas. There was something in the way she smiled a small rose smile at every person who looked up as they passed, how she paused with every street cross to give an envelope to the men who lived in the rain. It was a bit of everything, the contrast to the city.

"I'm not late." Serena was smiling before she even pulled open the door to the Blue Moon, the gentlemen's bar she spent her evenings at.

"You do know how to push the clock, Serena!" A blonde with sprinkles of freckles laughed as Serena slid into the back of the bar, through a small door leading to the staff office. "One day you'll get fired for coming late."

"I don't think so." Serena scribbled her name and time on the paper that tracked their hours, before glancing in the mirror. Her makeup, darker than she preferred but perfect for her job, lit her aqua eyes up like the sky. She let her leather jacket rest on the chair before closing the door behind her, the black tank top underneath subtly sequined and suggesting. "I'll never be late."

The pair laughed, the blonde unlocking the main door and flipping the switch that added the pale blue neon light to the outside. It wasn't long before the long bar Serena stood behind had several men resting with their amber drinks. Serena took a white cloth and traced the inside of each glass as she listened to one of the regulars and his story, her eyes resting on his, her face the image of compassion. When the man left, only just before 11pm, she turned her back to the bar, singing softly along to the soft music while heating water for her tea.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Fat lazy drops of rain tumbled off the wide brim of his old top hat and coated the gortex fabric of his long trench coat as he stood in the still in the shadows across from the Blue Moon Lounge. His newest target, one Serena Gray age 22, long deep brown hair and striking blue eyes. Bounty would be a smooth fifty grand alive but only five grand dead. Normally the merc wouldn't take a job with such a difference in payment but beggars can't be choosers as they say, works been slow as of late and bills were building up. You have to pay off a lot of folks nowadays, used to be anyone would do anything for a few easy bucks.

He'd been standing in the shadows for almost an hour while he waited for Ms. Day to show up. After tailing her most of the day he discovered that she was on the night shift here tonight. He needed to keep any eye on her and time his strike right otherwise it'll be just five grand in his pocket with around ten grand in expenses for this job already. Once satisfied that she was in the right place and staying for awhile he stepped deeper into the alley and grabbed up a water proof backpack he had hidden behind one of the trashcans. He quickly walked into the overhanging doorway of the building on his left and changed out of his work clothes as he called them and into a pair of baggy jeans, a plain white t-shirt, his two pistols cleverly stashed on his person and a denim jacket. Lastly he pulled out a green umbrella opened it. Throwing his bag over his shoulder and checked his way then jogged across the street to the front door of the Lounge.

Pushing his way into the warm dry room he closed his umbrella and shook it and himself shedding droplets over the linoleum floor.
"Gad damn rain, it's like Noah's flood all over again." He says allowing his natural cowboy accent shine through. Normally he talked with a straight but raspy voice much like what you'd expect a Scarecrow to talk with. Like most of the things he does hiding his voice was trained a certain way. Master lier and skilled actor actually maybe when he retires he'll find work in Broadway. With a slight shiver he walked into the actual bar area and spotted Ms. Gray behind the bar. She was pretty, why did he always have to kidnap or kill the pretty ones? As he entered the low light his features were revealed.

He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a muscular build. His face was scruffy and rugged looking with a square jaw and tanned skin. His eyes were a steady green eyes and his black hair was short cropped and close to his head. Give him a cigarette and a cowboy hat he could be the new Marlboro Man. But right now he's just Jack Veshes off duty Taxi driver looking for a drink and a quiet place to relax for a bit before going home to his lonely apartment. At least that was his story this time 'round, giving his umbrella another shake he walked up to the bar giving his best rouge smile to Serena.
"Howdy, ma'am mind if a road weary driver rest his bones for a spell?" He continues to smile at her brushing rain from his jacket.

[Elizabeth16]

Serena's heard the low chime call out the arrival of another man. She glanced into the mirror that lined the back of the bar to see a man talking to himself while folding up the bright umbrella. His face was shaded, but the jean jacket over jean jacket fit perfectly in with the average clientele. Giving him time to get settled, the awkward fidgeting the men do as they pretend to fix their jacket or fold an umbrella, but honestly sizing the room up for the place least likely to have to talk to anyone, Serena hummed the next line while finishing the last glass.

"Hottie at 12' o clock." The blonde waitress slid out next to her behind the bar, running a bill.

"Hm?" Serena glanced again into the mirror, only now catching the face of the man approaching the bar. His tan skin was lined with an aftershave shadow, highlighting the strong features of his jaw and deep eyes. There was a little smile on his face as he came up, the dark contrast between his green eyes and military cut black hair catching the low light. "All yours," she whispered to her friend before turning to greet him.

"Welcome to the Blue Moon." Serena brushed her hair back over her shoulder, leaning forward every so slightly on the bar, her lips forming the easy smile that every customer got when she felt tired.

When his accent showed through, her delicate eyebrow raised and she nearly laughed, biting the inside of her lip, her eyes lit. The country way the words rolled out was a picture perfect clone of old black and white Westerns. "Howdy, ma'am mind if a road weary driver rest his bones for a spell?"

"Of course," she said after a second to swallow her amusement. Behind her, she could almost hear the blonde swallowing her own tongue to hold herself back, her face showing bright red in the mirror. Sally didn't do well around men. "What can I get you?"

[SikstaSlathalin]

Halder smiled at the dark haired woman behind the bar trying not to show he noticed the blond's red face in the mirror. It was adorable, but he would have to focus on Serena right now. She looked tired, probably a long night of miserable men hitting on her, or just being miserable. He swung his bag from his back and placed it in the empty stool besides him. Next he hung his still dripping umbrella from the back of the stool and adjusted his jacket about his muscular body.

Taking his seat before Serena he scanned the wall behind her picking his poison. Usually he wasn't much of a drinker, it didn't help him on his job. And unless it was helpful in his job he didn't bother with it. Reading books aside he was a boring guy in his personal life. He remembered what he used to drink and smiled at the woman.
"Jack and Coke if ya please. "Cowboy fuel" as my pappy used to say. Though he never had it with coke." He spun in his chair studying the other patrons, it was sparse, but the few people here he didn't recognize as any kind of threat. Mostly lonely businessmen, actual Taxi's Drivers after shifts, and the odd faceless form. "Looks like a ghost town in here, I take it the rain keeps some folks away from the watering holes?" He spun back and gave Serena a smile reaching for his wallet to pay for the drink.

[Elizabeth16]

As she leaned forward, she took the time to trace his jaw line. He was handsome, anyone could admit to that, but the fact he was her was a blaring sign to walk away. He had dark green eyes, flickering with thoughts as obvious as if it was a movie; though it could only have been a silent movie, or one never filmed, as the flickering happened too quickly for her to even guess at his thoughts. Quickly enough, the only thing was her reflection as he refocused back on her. His comment was sweet, she thought to herself with a nod before digging through the fridge to find a non-flat coca cola.

Adding a couple of ice cubes with her bare hands and going slightly strong on the alcohol, as most men here tended to prefer, Serena slid the drink across to him. "It's always raining," Serena smiled unconsciously, blue eyes looking over his shoulder towards the clients and Sally's insistent staring at the cowboy. "Didn't stop you, did it?"

It was the type gentle prod that barkeepers mastered, the one that mildy put the questioner on edge, the kind that said 'I'm not giving you any information buddy', but a kind one at that.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Halder smiled at the woman's evasive answers and looks.
Damn, pretty and smart. Never an easy thing this. He nodded thanks to her sliding the money he owed to her before swirling the little straw around the glass stirring the drink up before sipping it slowly, letting the pleasant burn of the alcohol trickle down his throat.

Savoring the burn for a few seconds he placed the glass back on the counter and smiled at the barkeep. He could see the blond staring at him in the mirror past Serena and smirked at her causing her to put her head down and scamper off to get empty glasses.
"Well, I'm not a real good case for that. Back on the range I couldn't just stop cause it was raining cats and dogs. The horses needed grazing and the cattle needed driving. Don't know 'bout y'all up here, but I didn't mind it much. Nice and cool as a breeze in the summertime and a free shower to boot." He smirked at the last bit taking another sip from his drink watching things in the mirror.

Thoroughly enjoying his drink he felt it cooking in his stomach, and was glad he had eaten before coming here. Getting sick always killed the chances of anything with a cute girl, and even more so when that girl was his latest bounty.

Taking another slow sip he spoke looking for a conversation he could stumble down with the girl.
"So it usually like this?"

[Elizabeth16]

Her back was turned to him as he spoke, her blue eyes flickering up every few words to be polite. She tried to be genuinely interested, but his accent was distracting. It was almost too funny to take seriously. Not in a city, at least. While he spoke, slow and relaxed, she had gone back to her mug of hot water, digging out a tea packet from her personal stash behind the bar. Winds of the summertime. The words conjuered an image of ripe grass, rippling across the tall leaves as if it was a moving sea of gold, the winds whispering. She was standing in the field, her hand outstretched, the blades brushing against her palm like the touch of a lover, urging her to get lost in it's waves.

The silence of a question hung in the air, breaking her moment of daydreaming. The look that she gave the man at the bar as she tried to remember exactly what those words had been that had hovered over her golden field. It wasn't quite deer in the headlights, but the processing thoughts and shaking off from a different world was obvious across her face. "This?" Serena casually took the cash off the counter, tucking it under his tab. "Most nights. It gets busier in the earlier hours."

The steaming water was turning a rich brown, the aroma of Chai tea mixing with the various half open bottles around the bar. Holding the handle with one hand, grateful for the warmth, her other hand gently stirred the tea bag around, speeding the process up from its traditional steeping.

"Hot waters on, Sally," she said over her shoulder, knowing her coworker would be looking for instant coffee around now. There was a little bit of fumbling and mutters behind her. Serena smiled mischievously, a glance at the man revealing the culprit of her friend's trouble tonight.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Halder nodded noticing the woman's glazed over eyes and slightly dreamy expression smirking lightly.
So she's a dreamer too. That could be useful. He watched her beautiful face for a few seconds until her eyes refocused and she took his money answering his question. The answer surprised him or maybe he just wasn't as used to city bars as he thought.

When he was a drinker it was only in country bars, people get there early find a spot and stay there until the barkeep tossed them out. And that was just on weekdays, during the weekend if you got there just as the bars were open you would be able to find a good spot and keep it. If you waited too long though you'd be lucky to have a place to stand. He liked the feeling of being lost in a crowd, dodging drunks swinging their arms to a song or just swinging at another drunk. He had lost count over how many times he's been in a fight by accident and wound up busting someone's teeth off the bar.

"Well shoot, we ain't got that back home. This time of night, the place would be packed and showing no sign of lettin' up. Lucky if you got the barkeep's attention without shouting." He spun around in his chair and turned his back to the bar sipping his drink studying the place a bit more, Serena was a tough nut to crack into a conversation with. He finished his drink watching some figures huddling against the wind and rain walk past the bar. He half expected them to enter, but it seems they had better places to be than in a warm dry bar with attractive women to look at and talk to.

He studied his empty glass swirling the ice around some before spinning back smiling at Serena his cheek slightly red from the alcohol.
"May I have another please, pretty lady?"

[Elizabeth16]

"Mmhm." Serena was quiet as she listened, still swirling the teabag around the dark water. Her eyes stayed downcast as he spoke of a different place, of bars morning like these. The reasons he was describing were exactly why she choose this bar. It was different. She'd spent plenty of her college years in the midst of a mass of swirling bodies, mastered the art of getting the right drink for free under the beats of high bass. The shining dress, the smell of cologne and sweat and alcohol, the looks from men that brought her body down to simply a object to be had... It was too much, too loud. Blue Moon was a home for a lot of these men. Sometimes, she could help them feel better. Others, she was there when they had had too much, the silent guardian for their weakest moments. Most of them she knew by name, though none knew her name. Wearing a name tag in a bar wasn't always the brightest of ideas.

She finished the rest of the coke and added Jack Daniels to his next cup, placing it in front of him with a smile. His own smile was a bit out of place here though. Every so often they got a group of men coming here to relax and celebrate, but smiles and this happiness from a loner was much more rare. "You miss it, don't you?"

The sequins on her shirt caught the low light as she leaned against the back side of the bar, a good 5 feet of air and a solid wood piece between them, raising the more cooled tea mug to her lips.

[SikstaSlathalin]

He squinted a little as the shine off the girl's shirt caught his eye, at first he looked around for the source, but once he found it came off Serena's shirt he found himself actually studying her body a touch more than he should've as she asked his question though his eyes moved to his refilled glass and he heard a slightly wistful laugh with a hint of sadness coming out. It has been a long time since he'd been home or even really thought about it other than remembering interesting little snippets of it to be used in situations like this.

Did he really miss it? Sure it was where he was raised, where he learned his values and skill, where he became what he is today. But did he really long to go back? Not really, he's seen the world, and there's a lot more to it than just cattle driving. He missed parts of it but he wouldn't be going back anytime soon.

He looked down in to his glass sipping to slowly before answering.
"Yeah, at times. Everyone misses their home from time to time, but Pappy always said. "Dwelling on the past don't do you a lick of good, you can't go back and change things. So why bother bitching about it?" He laughed softly sipping his drink more.
"So how about you? You don't strike me as a Seattle native."