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Post by JezusBagels on Dec 25, 2009 14:40:09 GMT -5
Monkuta stared in silence at the man for a long time, an inscrutable frown adorning his face. Finally, when he knew he couldn't figure out who this man was based on his features alone, he said, "My name's Jim. We don't get a lot of visitors in this neck of the woods. Who are you?" Be friendly. Be normal. Easier said than done.
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Mri
Apprentice Scribe
:)
Posts: 207
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Post by Mri on Dec 27, 2009 20:18:48 GMT -5
Joseph glared at him, not bothering to answer the man's question. He'd noticed the way the guy'd looked at him, studied him, as if he recognized him somewhere. His luck, he owed the man money and a lot of it, and if he remembered that, he'd probably wouldn't help him out until he collected.
"His name's Joe-"
He shot his father a hard glare, shutting him up on the spot. He watched as his dad took a gulp, his face turning red in embarassment before looking at his shuffled feet. Joseph turned his scowl on Monkuta before saying, "Joe Showard." There was no hiding his first name (or rather, first part of it), but he could hopefully lead the guy on the wrong path with supplying a false last name. Balcony was his real one. Joseph Orn Balcony.
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Post by JezusBagels on Dec 28, 2009 17:26:35 GMT -5
Monkuta thought about it for a second and said, "Showard... Not from around here, are you?" He shot a glance in the direction that Marina and the old man had gone. They were out of sight. "What brings you to my neck of the woods, Joe? It's not exactly good hunting terrain. No roads nearby. I'd almost be inclined to think you were doing something... illegal." He exaggerated the word and gave Joe a quick smile. Keep the mood light, but get the information, he reminded himself.
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Mri
Apprentice Scribe
:)
Posts: 207
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Post by Mri on Dec 29, 2009 11:26:38 GMT -5
Joseph wasn't the best at hiding his emotions from across his face, but knew how to cover it quickly. Still though, if the man's eye was sharp, he'd no doubt notice it, but Joseph wasn't concerned. Few had eyes that sharp. But before he could reply, his father hastily cut in.
"Nothing illegal I assure you. He's a good boy. He really is. He's just -" he cut off with a swallow, having lost his nerve and his son was quick to pick it up.
"If you haven't noticed," he bit off, "the view's quite beautiful up here." Not that he saw it, but he'd heard his father talk about it enough.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jan 2, 2010 0:17:11 GMT -5
Monkuta laughed a bit. "Come on, Joe. Don't give me that. If I know you--and believe me, I do--you're not the kind of guy who goes places for the view. Why are you actually here?" he said, his voice only slightly tinged with an accusing air. He was sure that this guy was up to no good. But how was the old man involved? Monkuta didn't doubt that the man was his father, but there was more to their relationship than met the eye. He was sure of it.
Then it clicked. Joseph. He hadn't recognized this man immediately because the drawing on Crowley's wall was far from skilled, but Monkuta gained more confidence with each passing moment. This was a wanted man.
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Mri
Apprentice Scribe
:)
Posts: 207
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Post by Mri on Jan 17, 2010 15:05:13 GMT -5
"Come on, Joe. Don't give me that. If I know you--and believe me, I do--you're not the kind of guy who goes places for the view. Why are you actually here?"
Joseph scowled at the man in an attempt to hide his fear. How did the man know? He had to be law enforcement. A ranger. His mouth dried out, but that only made him scowl all the harder. When faced with a tight spot, he had a tendency to bluff more, to get meaner and he did so now.
"None of your damn business. I told you why; accept the answer."
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Post by JezusBagels on Jan 21, 2010 20:32:39 GMT -5
"None of your damn business. I told you why; accept the answer."
Silently, Monkuta stood, circled the boulder, and crouched in front of Joseph. He'd been expecting a response like that. Fortunately, Monkuta was a little more unorthodox when it came to interrogation than other rangers. "No," he said with a semi-fake crazed grin on his face.
Then he slowly stood, sure to sustain eye contact throughout the entire movement, and lifted his leg high in the air and brought his heel down upon Joseph's hand. Stepping back, arms crossed, he asked, "Care to give it another shot?"
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Mri
Apprentice Scribe
:)
Posts: 207
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Post by Mri on Mar 30, 2010 16:04:10 GMT -5
The archer pulled taunt on the bow, breathing steadily so as not to disturb the arrow from its designated course of flight when she chose to release it from its captivity. Her movements were calculated and unrushed - professional - despite the fact that she was about to take a life - maybe even an innocent one. The man she didn't know except by face alone. Her employers never supplied a name and she never asked. Despite all that she'd seen, some things were better left alone. Her lungs swelled and emptied; her chest moved slowly up and down. She moved her bow a little to the left, lined it up with her target, breathed in and out. Waited. Watched. Released. ~ * ~ "Care to give it another shot?" Joseph opened his mouth to snap a reply, but found it suddenly filled by a sharp object, immediately followed by his own blood. Seconds later, he was dead. ~ * ~ They'd made their way into town a few minutes before and Marina, distracted by one of the sellers, briefly forgot why she was hear. She wasn't much one for dressing up, but she couldn't take her eyes from the dresses. Until of course, the man's father prodded her in the back and even then, he nearly had to pry her away and yet, still her head turned to stay focused on the fountain of silk. Once they rounded the corner, she starred at the ground, her face set in a frown as she tried to figure out what had pulled her. She could've sworn... "Excuse me! Anyone, please! Come help my son!' Her thoughts were snapped back to the present as she watched Joseph's father run from person to person, clutching their arm and begging for guidance. Many simply shrugged him off with looks of disgust and Marina came to the logical conclusion that no one here liked his son and she couldn't say she blamed them. But still, a mission was a mission and she was sent to find help, right? It sounded right enough and so she went to join him, careful to not mention the man's name that needed rescuing. Unfortunately, the streets were crowded and she didn't notice the man watching them, nor heard the words that passed his lips up the ladder of his group's command and finally out to a hired mercenary who was close within the son's proximity. Their secrets would never be found.
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Post by JezusBagels on Apr 24, 2010 13:33:52 GMT -5
The irony wasn't lost on Monkuta as Joseph's second shot was cut short by a shot of a different kind. But he would enjoy that little joke later. He pivoted and turned in the direction that the arrow had come from. No one in sight. Must be one hell of a shot... he thought in grim admiration. Then he realized what that probably meant for him and took cover behind the giant boulder, proving its usefulness yet again. He humorously considered trading Marina in and taking the boulder as his apprentice as it had been a valuable asset twice today.
From his place behind the boulder, he dashed into the nearby brush and began making his way through the forest in a large arc, hoping to catch the assassin from behind, assuming that this person hadn't seen him leave his cover and wanted him dead as well. ____________________________
Four cloaked men entered the crowd. They split in half. Two moved towards the old man two towards the young girl. There were a few loose ends that had to be taken care of.
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Mri
Apprentice Scribe
:)
Posts: 207
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Post by Mri on Apr 29, 2010 18:58:12 GMT -5
The shooter watched as the arrow flew true and without a moment's hesitation, she slinked backwards toward town. New to these lands, she wasn't versed well in her current environments, so had to keep on the trail. She made sure to keep all expression from her face that may betray her recent accomplishment, but nevertheless, when she heard the sounds of a small company heading towards her, she slipped behind a boulder and waited for them to pass. ~ * ~ After having spent a great amount of time trying to find help, Marina finally gave up and headed back to Monkuta, telling Joe's father to stay and keep trying. After all, she didn't want to completely give up; she was simply bored herself. Grumbling and with her face set in a scowl, she headed past the outskirts of town and made it three hundred yards before being grabbed from behind. She opened her mouth to scream, but a rough, dirty hand muffled all such attempts. An arm wrapped around her stomach and kicking and screaming, she was hauled into a bear of a man's arms and drug deeper into the woods. Fortunately, they were heading in the direction that she needed to go. Unfortunately, there was no way she was going to get out of his grasp. ~ * ~ The shooter watched as a man hauled a girl close to his chest, a hand wrapped around her mouth to stuffle all screams. She waited until they passed before continuing on her way, never once looking behind her. ~ * ~ Joseph's father, Ari, continued in his plea with the townsfolk to save his son, but as soon as the girl left his side, he straightened his stance into it's normal form and disappeared into the tavern. He sat at a table in the back after ordering a round and waited for her to meet him. It didn't take long. Thirty minutes later, he was leaving town a whole lot poorer than when he'd entered, but he was also a whole lot happier than he'd ever been. Having put up with his son's crud for over twenty years no one could fault him for finally putting an end to it. ~ * ~ After receiving payment, she left town immediately, not caring if the man finished the other two off. Her part was done and she had enough to live on for a week before picking up another job. ~ * ~ The man had received orders to elliminate the two helpers, but to do so, he needed bait. Dirk was confident in the skills he'd learned in the past few months - for his training had been long, harsh, and overly effective. Still, he'd always preferred the easier way than the hard and in using the girl as bait, he didn't have to hunt for the other. After finding Joseph dead, Dirk uncovered the girl's mouth to pull a thin blade from the sheath at his side and scanning his surroundings, he quickly plunged it into her left bicep. Her curses quickly turned into a scream and after she quited into groans, he yanked it out, bringing another scream - though at half the strength as before. In a few minutes he could end her life and the man's along with it.
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Post by JezusBagels on Apr 29, 2010 20:57:03 GMT -5
Monkuta followed his mystery assailant for almost twenty minutes before deducing that they had gone to town, at which point they would be virtually untraceable, seeing as he had no idea what they looked like. They weren't stupid. He hated smart criminals. They made his job so much more difficult. He breathed deeply, knowing this would be the last time he had to deal with... whoever it was.
He resigned to head into to town and inform Marina that their mission had failed. However, on his way, she came to him. The knowledge that he wouldn't have to go into the town made him smile a little, even though it came from a large man holding his apprentice hostage. He followed them from a distance for awhile, wondering if there might be some information to gain from careful observation. Then he stabbed her. Observation time: Over.
He bounded, quickly and quietly up a tree and launched himself from it's branches. He flew through the air towards Marina and her captor from the side, knocking them to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marina lying on the ground. Nothing to do about that for the moment. He mounted the man and put his knife to his neck.
"You hurt my apprentice. Let's talk about that."
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Mri
Apprentice Scribe
:)
Posts: 207
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Post by Mri on Jun 22, 2010 11:21:20 GMT -5
Dirk was only aware of a sudden pain in his side before he found himself on the ground, his stuffing literally ripped out of him by a jagged rock on the ground. He'd created a simple garment designed to 'seem to transform' the actual image of his shape by giving it a rotund figure. It was a crude garment and if it wasn't partially dark outside, it would've been a clear give-away that something was wrong with him. But he'd been bored and figured it'd be a simple assignment of assassination, so he figured he might as well have some fun while doing it.
Now however, as he lay on the ground, his knife barely in his fingers, and his hostage out of reach, he had different thoughts on the subject entirely.
He twisted to sit up, struggling to get out of it, but before he could so much as remove an arm from the sleeve, metal settled upon his neck, freezing him instantly.
"You hurt my apprentice. Let's talk about that."
Knowing there wasn't really anything totalk about, especially with a man stradling him and a knife to his throat, he shouldn't really bother. Of course, it didn't really look like he had much of an option.
"I stabbed her, waited and then yanked it out."
Unfortunately, his mouth hardly listened to his brain.
"W-w-w-w-w-w-ait," he said quickly, trying to recover from what he was sure was a mistake of words - or rather, from being killed on the spot. "I have information concerning Joseph." And as an afterthought, "And I only stabbed her in the leg - nothing permanent." He offered a tentative smile. "Heh-heh?"
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Post by JezusBagels on Jul 7, 2010 21:03:46 GMT -5
"I have information concerning Joseph."
Monkuta smiled crookedly. Happy endings always choked him up. Well, not really. In any case, he wasn't about to lose another lead. He tentatively relaxed the pressure of the blade on the man's throat, sending a clear message that he wasn't going to die just yet.
"And I only stabbed her in the leg - nothing permanent."
The smile vanished from his face for a fraction of a second, then returned. This time however, it possessed an entirely different meaning. "You know, you make a compelling argument," he remarked, nonchalantly. "All you did was stab her in the leg. Nothing wrong with that. Why, I've been having a such a good day, I think I'll just let you go."
He took his knife away from the man's neck and paused for a moment before lifting his arm high up into the air, burying the blade in the man's thigh and then ripping it out, twisting it in his grip as he did so. Assured that this new foe could no longer do much in the way of escaping, Monkuta stood and made his way over to Marina, examining her wounds.
"So... How do you know Joseph?" he asked over his shoulder.
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Mri
Apprentice Scribe
:)
Posts: 207
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Post by Mri on Jul 26, 2010 7:17:17 GMT -5
"So... How do you know Joseph?"
Dirk's breath came ragged and fast, his hands clutching his thigh as if he could stop the pain. Sweat started to bead down his skin and he was starting to think maybe he wasn't cut out for this work after all. But knowing that whatever this man could deal to him, he'd receive ten times worse if he came back 'empty-handed,' so it wasn't like he had a way out - except in death.
"I don't," he managed to grit out. It was the truth. Joseph hadn't been his mission; they however, were.
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Post by JezusBagels on Aug 1, 2010 21:27:47 GMT -5
"I don't."
Monkuta raised a frustrated brow. "You don't? What an odd thing to say, especially after having claimed that... Hmm... What was it? Oh yes: 'I have information concerning Joseph,'" he teased, imitating the man's voice to reinforce his point.
As he responded to the man, Monkuta ripped open Marina's pant leg to get a clear view of the gash in her leg. The man had told the truth; it would heal completely, but he'd cut muscle. She wouldn't be walking without crutches for quite awhile. It would be even longer until she could run and jump and climb... Even longer until she regained the strength and agility she'd achieved during her training. This realization angered Monkuta. In fact, it downright pissed him off. No more games.
He used Marina's ripped pant leg to create a makeshift bandage and slow the bleeding until he could help her more. Then he stood and walked back to the mystery man. He lifted his foot and stomped down on the man's right hand with his heel. He heard bone crack and shatter. "Let's start with your name."
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