(M) Into the Never Realm (IC) Siks & Evie

[Evie]

Tahlia Butler
August 15th, 2018
Detroit

The sound a soft, classical melody filled the lobby area. The hotel’s entrance was adorned in soothing creams and brown tones. The ceiling area and rug coordinated well; they each had long, wavy designs that drew patrons deeper into the building and down the sparkling halls.

Tahlia’s heels clicked on the stone floor as she walked. At the moment, her disguise rendered her unidentifiable. She had on a short, black wig styled into an immaculate bob. Her eyes were hidden behind large, fashionable frames leaving little to be seen except for well trimmed brows and fresh lipstick in a mahogany shade. Her thin frame was hidden under a large fur coat.

The day was drawing to a close and many of the hotel guests were coming back from dinner. She easily blended in with the other patrons who donned formal attire. Suited men and their well dressed counterparts lazily made their way towards the bar area. A few important looking people chatted on the phone while they lingered beside the large windows and gazed at the city traffic zooming by.

A few attractive bar patrons looked towards Tahlia as she passed by, and despite the temptation, she ignored them and made her way to the elevators with bags from many expensive stores in tow.

A bellhop who was passing by offered his services, which she politely refused as she pressed the up button. The doors opened with a soft chime and she flashed the young man a white smile as the doors closed.

Once inside, Tahlia sighed to herself. The wig itched her scalp and the heels were pinching her feet. But that, as her mother often said, was the price of beauty. There was comfort and there was style, but you could rarely, if ever, have them both. The elevator stopped and revealed two gentlemen in shiny shoes and crisp tuxedos.

“Are you headed down to the bar, beautiful?” One asked. Tahlia smiled at him, silently wishing she weren't on the job.

“Not tonight, handsome,” she responded. “Early meetings tomorrow.” A perfectly manicured finger pointed upwards and the men caught sight of the illuminated arrow.

“Maybe I'll catch you then,” he said suavely.

“Perhaps.” The doors closed once more and Tahlia allowed the elevator to take her to the high rise, away from the good looking bar hoppers and away from the fun the night life held. “Perhaps not.”

When the doors opened, she walked down the carpeted floor, thankful she didn't have to listen to the constant racket of her own steps. She swiped the keycard that granted access into the room and hurried inside. After placing the “do not disturb” sign on the handle, she locked the doors and leaned the ironing board against it as a precaution.

The bags were dropped quickly, but cautiously. She kicked off her shoes and stripped off the wig, leaving a trail of clothes on the way to the bathroom. She turned the faucet on high and allowed the run to begin filling up with hot, steamy water. The jewelry she wore was placed in the corner of the sink, away from the danger of the drain that had surely swallowed a few expensive items here and there.

She grabbed her phone and began playing tunes from days long passed. Soulful colored singers described the feeling of hope and heartbreak, true love and deceit. She placed the device on the counter and grabbed the toiletries that were carefully placed beside the sink. She squeezed some therapeutic smelling gel into the tub and disposed of it just as quickly as it had been opened. With her handy dandy white pack of cigarettes and an ashtray in hand, she lit up and slipped into the tub. The sweet sounds of a jazzy sax lulled her deeper into the hot water while she soaked away her worries and tried to ignore the burden that would surely weigh her down tomorrow.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Dane Coal
August 15th, 2018
Detroit

Bullets whizzed by his head as he ducked under the branches of a tree before something silver glinted in the hand of a man dressed in black urban camo. He let out a loud swear and slung his hand back and the knife slung through the night impaling itself in the face of a man dressed in a black suit carrying a silenced uzi.

He wasn’t the only one and his friends were close in pursuit. But Dane was far gone and climbing like a monkey up a firescape next to the bank he had just escaped from. With a deep sigh he rolled onto his back and listened to the guards bumble around below him kicking over trash cans and scaring stray cats. He wondered if any of them would be smart enough to look up, probably not. Well that’ll be another hundred grand or so added to his debt, the well-built man let out another sigh and did a quick check of his gear. He had his pistol with three rounds left and his combat knife, enough to get to maybe one place. Looking around the man quickly got his bearing and quickly checked his pockets. He pulled out a small key card and nodded. Inching to the edge of the roof he peered over the guards were far away now, but if they followed normal procedure they’d come back around.

He grunted and quickly climbed from his hiding spot and down the firescape. The keycard was to a close by hotel he’s used for years as a kind of safe house between jobs… or when jobs went fucky like this one. Running through alleyways and across the shadowy streets Dane made his way to the hotel, but caution told him to not use the front door. Slipping around the side of the building he scaled up another firescape and picked the lock to his reserved room. It was warm and quiet, two things he really appreciated right now. He’d come up with some lie to how he got into the room without anyone in the lobby seeing him.

But that would be for tomorrow, he began making his way for the bed pulling his clothes and gears off until he was just wearing a pair of briefs. He should probably grab a shower or something, but it’s been two days since he really slept and he remembered how awesomely comfortable the bed was. The last thing he dropped was the knife, he put the gun under the pillow and pulled the covers up over his head falling asleep instantly.

[Evie]

Tahlia Butler
August 16th, 2018

The dawn crept up slowly, lighting up the city and casting the steel grey buildings in a warm glow. Tahlia threw open the curtains and plunged the room into a golden hues. From her vantage point, she could distantly see a flurry of activity in front of a stately looking building. Some politician would be giving a speech today to try and prove he deserved to run the city. Not something she was usually interested in but her current employers felt like it was important. This politician, unlike many, seemed to have some moral values that didn’t quite jive with the underground’s leaders.

Tahlia quickly composed herself, dressing in stylish but inconspicuous navy and grey business attire, just in case she had to make a dash. Her makeup was applied effortlessly, the result of years of practice. The only women who didn’t wear makeup were the poor and the lazy, mother had always said. Besides, there was something about a pretty face that made a lot of men look the other way when she was doing something she shouldn’t be. Tahlia was trained in using many weapons, and she counted her looks as one.

When she was satisfied, she gave a flirty wink at the mirror before walking back into the bedroom. The shopping bags from the night before were placed in front of the bed. She threw the tissue paper aside and pulled out various black cases. Tahlia clicked them open on the bed and meticulously began putting together today’s weapon of choice: a long barreled rifle. Since they were little, Father had made sure all the kids could take apart, clean, and reassemble handguns in the dark. By now, it was all just muscle memory.

Tahlia slid the door open and stepped out onto the porch, the long weapon in hand. The people below looked like ants. There was a cluster of red where some republicans had gathered to support the mayoral candidate. The dark skinned woman readied her weapon and looked down the scope. Her target would be standing at the podium, and when he did, she had to make sure to act swiftly. There was a slight wind she had to be careful of. Chances are she only had one shot before his security detail whisked him away. Failure wasn’t an option. It would mean disgracing her family’s name and having to go into hiding. That and she wouldn’t be able to come back to Detroit for a long, long time.

The Motor City’s residents rose quickly, and in no time, the streets were bustling. Six lanes of traffic roared nearby and the monorail worked tirelessly, carrying the visitors and early workers to and fro. Tahlia checked her watch. The event was due to start in minutes. Eight a.m., bright and early. The candidate in question had a reputation for making sure his team ran on time, which was good news for her.

There were sharply dressed family members sitting on the stage, no doubt supporting the pride of their family. Tahlia saw a young girl sitting at the end of a row, patiently waiting for her father to take the stage. The girl was probably in middle school, and she was dressed like a princess in a gorgeous red dress with carefully planned accessories to match. Tahlia felt a small pang of guilt at the idea of taking her daddy away, but the money was going to be well worth any lost sleep.

The woman kept her sight on the podium. A different speaker grabbed a microphone and began introducing the man of the hour. Tahlia had stared at her target’s face again and again, making sure to memorize as much detail as possible. She was feening for a smoke and the idea of a cigarette made her itch slightly, but she didn’t dare avert her eyes. There were just moments to go. All she had to do was wait.

[SikstaSlathalin]

August 16th
Detroit

With dawn came some relief, but as was the case with Dane’s luck it didn’t last long. He awoke and found himself still alive, always a plus for his line of work. And it even continued to his getting cleaned up and dressed. He needed to get back to the boss and report his failure, or maybe take a second wack at finishing the job. He’d need to restock his weapons and ammo though, sadly as he left his room he saw just how badly his luck had just run out. As soon as he stepped out of the room two men charged him.

They hit the door hard, but Dane was stronger. He shoved them both away. He slugged the one on the right hard in the face. Then kicked the one on the left in the nuts then shoved him into his friend. He could’ve killed them both, but he really didn’t want to get the cops on his tail as well as these assholes. Leaving them to untangle themselves, the man ran down the hall trying to put as much distance between them as possible. He needed an escape, but he was on the eleventh floor and had no clue how many of these fucks were roaming the building. He needed some place to lay low, he had one more room he had on reserve in this place, but someone else had it reserved to and he really didn’t want to see her again.

But as he heard the men thundering down the hall after him and shouting into walkie-talkies of some kind he had no choice. Double his pace he fished out the other key card and burst into the room. The ironing board propped against the door clattered to the floor. Much to his dismay, she was in there, too. He slammed the door shut and locked it holding his shoulder against it. He let out an annoyed sigh and glared at the woman with the rifle.

“Figured my day would go from bad to worse.”