Under the Gun

[hooliganstatus]

WHO: Aeon Flux Monica Distalus and you!
WHERE: The City
WHAT: Misadventures with a Merc
WHEN: Throughout the event!
WARNINGS: The Hellfire Club prompt has an outside link in case there's any NSFW content there. :) Otherwise I'll label anything as it comes up.

The Advertisement
In the latest edition of the newspaper, there's a plain ad: a triangle with a pop-art eye in the middle, its lashes long and bold. Above the logo are the words "Services Rendered". Below it: "Place Personal Ad In Best Foot Forward Magazine. Address To A.F."

The Hellfire Club - outside link for potential NSFW content
Maybe you're already a member. Maybe you found a way in otherwise. But if you're interested in the darker, steamier side of life, you might find yourself at Monica's workplace, The Hellfire Club. Or maybe you just wanted to get a hold of her and didn't know how to otherwise...? If that's the case, you're in for some interesting atmosphere.

The Mercenary
Aeon blends with the shadows in her black leather pants and jacket, a gun and a grappling cable at her hips. Whatever her target is tonight, she's not letting anything distract her from it --

-- hm, except for maybe that movement in the alley below that should, by all intents, not be there. She's canvassed the area and made herself familiar with its regular comings and goings, and this isn't one of them. Even if it's some mugger with a knife, she's not worried. She hooks her grapple over the edge of a roof and slides down to ground level to confront whoever's there. Whether it's you or she's accidentally your savior remains to be seen...

Wildcard
((Have we already planned something out? Would you rather do something else? Put it here!))

Comments

The Merc

[on_repeat]

Movement came in the form of purposefully spilled food items near the entrance of the alley, part of it smeared deeper into the shadows to hint at the struggle still occurring.

Echo had A Day already, but this just took the cake. The mugger had him shoved against a wall and punches him, waving the knife around wildly before pointing the tip of it at his jaw.

"–Wallet, phone, everything you got or you're losing your face!"

"I already lost some pay an' a tip, thanks to you," Echo levels with the man, his brow furrowing the second the blade deftly slips, leaving a light trail down to his neck.

"Wallet!" He nearly shrieks, forcing the tip deeper to get Echo to begrudgingly comply.

[hooliganstatus]

Aeon touched down a few feet away and pointed her gun at the mugger, letting the click of the hammer being drawn back announce her arrival.

"I'm going to have to ask you to give that back to him. You didn't say please."

[on_repeat]

Both simultaneously look up, but Echo had the better vantage point. The mugger nearly freaked out upon hearing the click, spinning around to face Aeon, his bravado swiftly unraveling now that he was being held up at gunpoint.

"Where th'fudge did you come from– ?!"

The new distraction gave Echo an opportunity to sloppily smack the knife out of the guy's hand, metal clattering into a pile of cardboard boxes.

[hooliganstatus]

"My mother, where else?" She took a step forward, directing a wink over the thug's shoulder at Echo. "Come on, now, give him his wallet back and maybe I'll let you leave and rethink your life instead of calling the police."

[on_repeat]

The wink was met with a mild smirk. That was a good answer. A valid one, at that.

Now knifeless, the mugger became visibly frantic under the intimidating pressure of Aeon's coaxing and Echo's low-level glower. Whatever protest he had in mind died in the back of his throat, turning into a soft whine before he finally conceded.

"Fine!" His voice cracked, flinging the wallet away and raising his arms up. "There! Happy!?"

[hooliganstatus]

"That's not my question to answer," she said mildly, looking once more to Echo. "Are you, handsome? I have a feeling I can make him do just about anything. We could see if he feels like embarassing himself a little more, tonight."

There was a glint in her eye as she looked at the mugger that said she was fully capable of making him heel, and she'd be happy to do it - but her smile was still playful, not malicious. Whatever she'd put him up to would hurt him between the ears, not anywhere else - something that would make him think at least twice about his course of action that night.

[on_repeat]

"He's already at a one-star rating," Echo replied, taking a second to see where his wallet went. But the more he thought about it, a crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as a brow arched, trusting her tone despite the fact she's still holding a gun. "Go easy on him."

During the exchange, the mugger nearly babbled, veering back and forth between a quick apology and begging to just be let off the hook. One last burst of frustration led him to a third option: try to run before Aeon carried out her fun.

Well we did talk about coffee - hope this works!!

[out_of_order]

Go figure, even when you had perfectly good coffee brewing in the office, the moment one person suggests a coffee run, there ends up being several other orders and of course, who does the task end up falling on? One of the interns.

This is why Cal's found standing in like at a popular shop, looking over the list he'd written in his notebook. It's a little depressing how much of his notes are coffee or lunch orders rather than potential story items or pointers, but it's all part of the job. Finally he steps up to the counter to relay the order when a commotion outside draws everyone's eye to the door. A man charges inside and grabs what he can to try and barricade the door, police cars pulling up outside in the street.

"All right, nobody move!" he shouts, brandishing a gun that naturally sparks off some gasps and screams in panic. "We're all gonna sit in here nice and quiet or things'll get messy." Nervously he glances about between outside and the people within.

At the counter, Cal swallows, sharing a concerned look with the workers behind him.

Love it, thanks! :D

[hooliganstatus]

Monica had been in the process of enjoying her customary Wednesday morning breakfast treat - a splurge on an order of those tiny hockey-puck shaped egg cakes with the bacon and gruyere cheese, and a cinnamon cold brew with extra sweet foam - when the commotion started.

She stayed stock still, her eyes the only thing moving as she surveyed the shop, looking for anything that could be useful. A bookcase full of hip best-sellers and a few albums largely banked by coffee mugs and tumblers, displays of French presses and bags of coffee beans ... none of them stocked closely enough together for the optimal domino effect that would have made this a quick solve. She'd have to think fast and stall for just a little time.

"Excuse me, but if no one moves, how is anyone supposed to get you the money?"

[out_of_order]

Cal glances over towards the woman, brows arching. He's sure it's not the first time he's seen her here, but inwardly he cringes when she speaks up.

The man with the gun looks around before pinning the speaker, looking at her almost dumbly. "Wha? Look, I didn't ask for money did I? Now just do everyone a favor and shut up," he scowls, glancing back outside.

[hooliganstatus]

So he just wants to avoid the police. Which means he's got something on his hands or on his head that isn't any good. She can work with that. Unfortunately, her coffee is cold. But she recalls the man next to her ordering a double espresso and sitting down just a moment before all this started - which means he would have ideally had half an hour to read his newspaper before he could drink it without burning his mouth.

First he didn't want her to move. Now he didn't want her to talk. For a dominatrix, those were fighting words. For one who was also a mercenary in her spare time, it was practically an invitation. Monica motioned for the man to be silent, then grabbed his cup while the crook's back was turned and flung it with scalding accuracy at his gun hand.

[out_of_order]

Cal had been watching her the moment Monica had drawn attention to herself. He tensed as he saw her move while the gunman was preoccupied, looking over towards the baristas to mouth 'get down' as he gestured as much as he dared with his hand yet on the counter.

He looked back in time to see that cup sailing across the room. The gunman shouted as the hot liquid sloshed over his hand and the gun he held, his fingers loosening around it. It fell along with the cup, the latter of which fared worse as it shattered on the ground. Clutching his reddened hand, the man's eyes looked wildly about the store for whoever threw it.

lmk if this is ok!

[hooliganstatus]

He didn't have to look long or far, as the moment the cup was in the air, she launched herself at him. His gun didn't even hit the ground as she slid into position to catch it, grabbed his scalded arm with her free hand, and twisted it around his back, thumbing the magazine out of the gun onto the floor and rendering it almost useless.

"One bullet left in here, and it's in the chamber," she said lowly in his ear, kicking the ammunition underneath a display shelf and keeping the gun aimed at the floor. "Leave now, without this weapon, or you know where it's going."

Totally fine!

[out_of_order]

It had all happened so quickly. There were of course screams and movement from the other customers, and behind the counter the workers had ducked and allowed others nearby to slip in for cover. Cal remained where he was, mostly because he was staring in mild awe at what had just happened.

"Aarrgh!" the man howled, glaring murderously at the woman. Her words made him break into a cold sweat as his eyes flicked wildly between her and the rolling bullets on the floor. He drew a shaky breath between grit teeth, giving a jerky nod as he gulped, eyeing his gun that was no longer in his hands. "L-lemme go, I'll go!" he insisted, wincing as he gave a desperate tug of his arm.

Advertisement

[beepbeepmotherfucker]

A foot fetish magazine... seriously? God, this is embarrassing. But he's heard that this person is the one to go to if someone wants something... illegal. So he'll take a chance. It's nothing fancy. Just a request for A.F. to reach out to him regarding... services.

[hooliganstatus]

His phone rings the day the ad is placed - at a time of day where she will seem punctual, but not overeager for business.

"Is this E.K.?"

[beepbeepmotherfucker]

Eddie jumps when his phone rings. He hasn't been nervous about this at all, why would you even think that?! He swallows and answers.

"Uh... yeah. I'm guessing this is A.F.?"

[hooliganstatus]

"Correct. That wasn't a very detailed advertisement." She smirked down at the magazine in her hands, rubbing the glossy paper between her thumb and finger. "First time?"

[beepbeepmotherfucker]

He sighed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Uh... yeah. I didn't know how much detail to put in it since I'm not looking for, uh... feet..."

[hooliganstatus]

"That's fine. Most people keep them simple and save the details for the call." She dropped the magazine on her kitchen counter and tilted her head to trap her phone between her ear and shoulder, deciding to pull open the fridge and fix herself a drink.

"So, Mr. K, what sort of things above the ankle are you looking for?"

[beepbeepmotherfucker]

Eddie stood and began pacing. It was only a phone call, but still... He gestured nervously as he talked. "I, uh. I've got a problem. I've got these powers I don't want. I've heard rumors that there's something out there that can make them go away... I've also heard that you're good at finding stuff like that. Do you think you can help me?"

wildcard! hijinks, as discussed

[noch]

Merrin has been following this guy—the latest target in a trail of information and people that leads back to whoever was responsible for ordering the deaths of her coven, her family—for a few blocks now, waiting for her opening to corner him. She'd used a spell earlier to render herself completely invisible, though she takes care to stay well away from any passersby—the spell doesn't make her intangible, after all.

Hopefully he's headed home or—well, she'll take anywhere, at this point, as long as he's alone, and she can... question him. Uninterrupted.

goodie goodie <3

[hooliganstatus]

The well-dressed politician was on his way back from some late tryst or meeting, his long black coat pulled tightly around him despite the cold. Aeon's guess was that he was hiding some sort of document, and he carried a cane with him as he walked. She listened closely to the sound it made as it hit the concrete of the sidewalk, trying to decide if it might hide a blade. The intel had told her their mutual target, one Christopher Dukakis, was once a fencing champion, and given his involvement in several Russian mafia deals, he was no stranger to threats. The Syth family didn't like to leave loose ends.

The loose end who had survived Dukakis' latest attempt to silence their witnesses had hired her to make sure he lived through the trial, rightfully not trusting the police. She fixed the sniper sight onto her rifle and zoomed in ... only to see a canvas cloth over a shuttered street vendor stall flutter as though something had brushed it, nearby.

"Hmm."

[noch]

The streets are empty and quiet, and no one is around—or so Merrin thinks. It's the perfect place to ambush her target. Releasing the spell that keeps her invisible, she appears in front of Dukakis as if stepping wholesale out of a cloud of green smoke. Her hood and cowl are pulled up to hide her hair and the lower half of her face, so that only her eyes are visible, reflecting the green glow of her ichor.

Dukakis isn't a slouch, at least, and he immediately moves into a defensive position, that cane angled out in front of him. Merrin's eyes narrow, but she doesn't otherwise pay it any attention. His voice is condescending when he asks what she wants—he probably expected something like this.

"Answers," she replies flatly, taking a step towards him.

[hooliganstatus]

"Ah-ah-ah, little cardinal," Aeon whispers to herself, readying to move if she has to. Dukakis is her mark, and she'll be damned if she lets some other superpowered girl take what amounts to a good three months' rent from her.

But answers can be worth something in her trade, as well, so she waits to see what happens. One hand goes to her grappling gun, though, and she's ready to use it and reveal her presence if she has to.