Time to Work

[Jacinda]

The girl blew her off. Yeah. Seriously pissed her off. Jacinda looked at Tenzin and rolled her eyes. "Girl- Amelia with Tech-"
she imbued the name with all the sarcasm she could muster. "If you believe that then you're even more naive than you are young. We may all be Atharim, but we are not all hunters. I've worked with too many squints not to know the difference."


She held the girl's gaze, refusing to back down. "Which means my friend here is right. A lone.....what was it Tenzin? A tiger."
She flashed her a tight smile, before returning to the girl.

Most of it fell into place. A team of one....if you didn't count artificial friends. Which she didn't. That was just sad. "So maybe, before you disappear into the night, you think about this. You are a hunter looking for the person or persons responsible for the last few hits at safehouses. So far, whoever it is has had an easy time of it. You might want to think this out."


She was about to suggest a strategy when she caught Tenzin's eye. She couldn't be sure, but it seemed like she was content to let her go off. She hesitated. Damn. Damn, this was hard. Natural inclination and all that. Years of habit.

Was she Regan? Well...Older. Wiser. More experienced. Hunts before most her "partners" were born. Uhh yeah. Therefore do what she said and otherwise shutup. That was how she'd always done it. Don't like it? Well, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. Seriously.

But she wanted it to be different with Tenzin. She really did. But it was so fucking hard. The right course was obvious. Like blindingly obvious. Like duh. But only if all her guesses- about the girl, her motives, her assignment, her loyalties- only if ALL of them were right. And if not, well, either or both of them could die. There was always the gamble.

Not her right to make that call. She had no doubt Tenzin would have her back. She'd be there. Because she trusted Jacinda.

But....That charm at her wrist weighed nothing. Just a tooth. But it was also the weight of an anchor. Not my right. It was a two way street.

She frowned, looked back at "Amelia". "Listen, my friend and I need to talk. Without any little snoops either. Pull your drones back. All of them. But please wait. We may be able to offer you something."


She gestured for Tenzin to follow and walked to a corner of the room- her hip only mildly twinging. The rib was a bit worse if she twisted more than she should have. Livable though- where no drones were and they could speak privately.

She kept the girl in sight and her voice to a near silent whisper. The swarm seemed to radiate around the girl's head now. Good. Still, silent, she spoke. Tenzin's hearing was incredible. Thanks for small favors anyway. Seriously. Such a good trait. "She's hunting whoever is hitting safehouses. And who downloaded information about Atharim operative locations. I think we should help."
Her mouth twisted- just a bit. But a team was a team. Tenzin was her partner and friend. Her family. And she was not Regan. "What do you think?"


((Ooc: Nika drones modded w permission....cept for BB,.of course, cuz it was clearly too busy dying from being in too close proximity to a Papa Johns pizza))


Edited by Jacinda, Feb 5 2018, 12:28 AM.

[Nika Raskov]

She just looked at the woman, shrugged and managed not to dig at the pain in her eye this whole evening was beginning to cause her. Tiger. That had nearly made her laugh aloud. This was ridiculous. Were they going to call her mom next?

Her drones recalled, Nika resisted the urge to sigh aloud. Why the hell were women so dramatic? Of course she wasn’t with Tech. She had only been tagged to investigate the safe house though. Not to hunt anyone, especially a fellow Atherim, if that’s what was happening. There were specialty teams for that...she was pretty sure there were. She was also pretty sure she wanted no part of that delicate task. While Nika was about as far removed from Vatican politics as she could be, that would probably put her on the radar of people she could do without knowing. With the Regus dead, shakeups were undoubtedly afoot and she had no ambition to become anything more than what she already was. She solved the delicate problems that would keep tac teams up at night. Those answers were easy; cut and dry. Her job had always been simple in practice if not necessarily execution. Simple.

She looked at her watch, already knowing it was late. The assassin checked her forearm display. Everyone outside was reporting no problems. That was good. I mean, what was wrong with these people? Had she pried into their identities? No. She didn’t care. She snorted and pulled the gun from her bag, checked it and tucked it in the holster at the small of her back. The assassin parked herself in a chair with only the bounds of propriety keeping her in the building.
Edited by Nika Raskov, Feb 5 2018, 01:53 PM.

[Tenzin]

If the girl wanted to hunt alone, Tenzin did not care to stop her. She did not find the lies insulting; she understood better than most that sometimes the camouflage was necessary for survival, and whatever her reasons here, she did not feel a threat from them. But she could scent that Jacinda did not feel the same way even before the words spilled out and the woman moved to pull her aside. At first she almost laughed; not unkindly, just in amused jest at having been asked for permission. It wasn't necessary; she trusted the other woman, and would expect the same in return when the roles reversed. They were pack, of course she would follow -- unless some other instinct told her to speak out.

If Jacinda wanted to chase this, Tenzin would be there, running right beside her.

She realised then that Amelia with Tech was not the only tiger in the room. That this was an effort not to be snubbed at. Tenzin's understanding of their partnership was something intrinsic to her blood, but for Jacinda this was something completely new. Something that needed rules and boundaries and words to define. "I think to trust you. We help if she wants it. If no, we search ourselves. But carefully. You still hurt."
She frowned, shifted her weight a little as she searched Jacinda's gaze. Her voice lowered, her forehead almost close enough to touch. "Regan is not you. Give you permission to not always ask, I trust in your instinct."

[Jacinda]

Jacinda smiled at Tenzin's words, relieved. Alright. Alll-right. This was gonna work. So odd, this kind of trust.

She had trust. She did. In herself most of all. But to an extent, with others she had worked with. But they'd had to earn it, one way or another.

But there was always the matter of who led. That was usually the fight, especially if it was some cocky asshole who thought having a dick made him head-honcho in charge. Yeah, that didn't last long, not with her. Especially, when she went ahead and made the decisions that needed to be made and then dared him to call her on it.

Oh, they wanted to. Mouth opened, face turning red, about ready to let fly. And then maybe they'd catch a look from the others; see the raised eyebrow and her smirk saying 'Really, little boy? Did'ems get huwt by the mean ole lady?'

But not now. She wanted to do this. And Tenzin was willing to come. And when Tenzin said 'let's do this', well, she'd go. Simple. Easy.

Somehow, though, the best part was what she said about Regan. She wasn't sure how she had picked up on that. That it was what she'd wanted to avoid, now that she could see more clearly how their relationship had been.

But the words washed away any residual doubt. They filled her with warmth. Well, the words did, but also the look, the effort she put into...just being nice. It felt good.

Jacinda touched her hand briefly, smiled at her and nodded. Then she turned to the girl and padded back over. "Well, 'Amelia', we're willing to help you if you want it. Track down whoever did this, who stole those files. Up to you."



Edited by Jacinda, Feb 5 2018, 06:35 PM.

[Nika Raskov]

The two women were still chatting about something. Must be important. Nika leaned back and wondered why the chair wasn’t more comfortable. A tone sounded in her earpiece. She checked her forearm and sat up straighter. The assassin had to read it twice.

Findings acknowledged. Proceed with investigation. A2 authorization granted. Lethal Finding granted at your discretion.

Well. They wanted her to do it after all. Okay. Nika was frowning at the readout when the older woman walked back in. Blue eyes tracked upward from where she sat. She smiled a lopsided smile. That was genuine. “Alright. Thank you. I’ve just received A2 authorization…” That meant she was authorized to use any resources and personnel she deemed fit, short of calling in tanks and a whole army. “As well as a Lethal Finding.” She stood. “So, no, I’m not with Tech.” A thoughtful expression appeared briefly. “I’m thinking of putting in for it though, down the line.”

The assassin held out her calloused hand. “Please call me Amelia Pond.” Which of course it was not but that was how things were with the Atharim. These two should know that.

[Jacinda]

Jacinda looked at the girl and barked a laugh. "Amelia Not With Tech, but thinking of transferring, good to meet you. Jacinda Cross. This is Tenzin."
She didn't give any more to either of their names. Archangel at your service. Wolf-hound of the Himalayas. God, that would sound dumb.

Her voice became only slightly teasing. She smiled at Tenzin and winked at her, letting her know she was just having a bit of fun. She actually was ok with all of this. "Looks like we got an A2, here. Not really sure what that means, exactly, but I'm guessing you're the big cheese right now."
Girl's accent said Italian maybe. " Where we come from, there aren't a whole lot of ranks, cept maybe age. Or skill. Surviving the hunter lifestyle is a pretty good indicator of your abilities."


She paused. She did want to do this. Ribs and back and all. At least get out of the fucking house. And she knew Tenzin was all but ready to break down a door. She had enjoyed their time together in the house- more than enjoyed. It had been quiet and comforting. Peaceful even. But they weren't really indoor people.

And the indoor comfort was only special because it was usually pretty rare.

"Still, I'm ok with you taking the lead on this. Just you be sure not to be a fool about it. We don't work with fools. Not saying it's you, but I've seen a lot of young folk who knew someone who knew someone and thought that it meant a damn thing. It didn't."


And that was that. They'd go and see what was going on. Amelia might be alright. She did seem competent. At the computer stuff anyway. The drones. They'd see about the instincts.

She looked to Tenzin. "Anything you want to say, Ten?"

[Tenzin]

Tenzin was content to let Jacinda take the lead on this one. Though they wore the same mark, the Athari here were a world away from her brothers and sisters in northern India. The tech reliance alone outweighed anything she was accustom to -- not that the rākṣasa hatyārā lacked for it, but Tenzin's territory roamed the wildlands where such things were useless as slippery pebbles. Back home she used her nose and instincts and claws to track her prey; relying on a signal was liable to break her leg falling off a cliff edge. Her gaze drew to the drones whispering above Pond's head. She spoke to them like they were alive. It was a strange, strange thing.

A white grin marked her affirmation of the pact, and she shook the offered paw calloused palm to calloused palm. Then, while the others spoke, she stooped to tidy her things away. She wrapped the bone shard in the skin, tied both to the notebook and textbook, slung that in her bag - which she scooted out of sight. Then she checked her weapons, tied the dark cloud of her hair away from her face with one of the leather ties about her wrist. The energy was thrumming through her limbs, and she was grinning like a loping predator ready for the chase.

She laughed when Jacinda turned to her. "Yes. I say why sitting like lemons when someone hunts our brothers. Talking done now, yes? Let's go."

[Nika Raskov]

Niceties out of the way… “A2 means we can have all the King’s horses and all the King’s men...” Her tone dried out. “However, I think we can handle it for now as the King’s men are a little too soft for my taste.” Nika walked over to a long wall and pressed her hand to an area five feet up from the floor above the light switches. The wall parted in foot-wide segments to reveal a backlit cache of weapons, ammunition and armor. “Now then, I don’t play rank games either. Results speak for themselves so we seem to be on the same page there. Take what you need for a reconnoiter, there's another safe house we need to see. At minimum we’ll need to be able to communicate with each other so an earpiece is in order.”

It didn’t seem like the other women were fresh out of the Vatican but the assassin really would rather they not accidentally shoot one another in the darkness. She selected an integrally suppressed 9mm pistol and a couple of empty mags. The assassin had her own taste in ammunition and dug in her satchel for a cloth case with some sort of cat cartoon printed on the front. She made short work of loading the cased telescope rounds into the magazines, the black blunt-tipped cylinders not even resembling the bullets of yesteryear but rather appearing more like worn stubby crayons. Shooters all had their preference. The assassin finished her quick prep and clicked home the clip before chambering a round with a smart ratchet of the slide. Nika checked the optics quickly and slid her weapon into a shoulder holster. “Ready? The other house is a block away." That was kind of ridiculous in her mind.
Edited by Nika Raskov, Feb 10 2018, 11:54 PM.

[Jacinda]

Jacinda smirked at Ten's comment. Not that she got it. Lemons? Jokes never translated. Her Spanish was fairly good, but the minute people started with the dichos or chistes she just pasted a half smile on and nodded. Not usually worth the time it would take to explain, anyway.

Still, she did like it when a laugh cracked the woman's face. Girlie, on the other hand, was all kinds of jokey. Not a bad trait to have on missions. Helped with tensions and such.

The wall slid open and she selected her weapon. Jacinda was fine with her own side piece, though she loaded up on ammo. And took an ear piece too. And her leather jacket, now that it had been cleaned. Ten had to help her put it on...well on the side with the rib break.

She eyed the girl, daring her to say something. Ten didn't appear to get the ear piece so she showed her. Prolly not a lot of signal in the mountains of northern India. Their use had limits for certain terrains.

Anyway, loaded for bear, they headed out, Jacinda a little slower with hip and ribs. This was mostly recon but whatever. She'd power through. And once outside she stopped, watching the girls walk away from her. Girlie really did look 12 in her hoodie with shoes all lighting up with different colors. Are you fucking kidding me? she thought with a laugh.

She rolled her eyes and caught up. It wasnt far.

They got to their destination quickly and while the other two looked around, she palmed the entrance. In the kill zone, she had her gun out, on point, the other two in position. She could smell bleach in the air. A lot of it.

She was aware of Amelia dispatching her drones, but she liked to use her eyes for this.

"Hello? Friendly types here!"
No sound. More importantly, the house had that empty feel. She wasn't sure what it was, exactly. A combination of things. Puzzle pieces. Air pressure. Smells. Sounds. It formed a pattern that she'd learned to recognize over the years.

Still, she was careful and swung around the corner. Everything was dark, but empty. "Clear!"
she called out before checking another room. She heard clears from the girls as they did the same with the others.

Finally, they all gathered in the main living room, lights having been switched on. Jacinda gestured to the terminal. "Well Amelia, not with IT. Let's see what's going on."

[Nika Raskov]

The lemons thing was also lost on Nika. She’d given up a long time ago trying to guess where everyone was from, mainly because a lot of the people she met she also killed but also because the world was all mixed up like a bin of glitter in a preschool craft room. Craziness. No, she didn’t say anything at either of the other womens’ symbiotic assistance. She wasn’t thrilled to be taking walking wounded out but regardless of that, everyone could be useful. Even if only to provide distraction. Nika didn’t need really any time at all to put a round through an eye socket. Still, if would have been nice to have been informed.

The walk over was uneventful. She’d left four drones in the other safehouse with instructions to stay out of sight and observe and report in only, unless otherwise directed. The assassin had more than enough of the little swarm drones outside. Her shoes were awesome but she did shut off the lights before entering the house. Their search was satisfactorily efficient and was marked on her mental checklist for Team Spice Girl as a win. They were fearsome versus an empty house. Drones were stationed at the entrances or exits depending on who you were and she made her way to the terminal. The house did smell very clean.

Nika winked at Jacinda's joke about her not-name and keyed in like before, setting up her virtual screen. The footage was played for all to see. No secrets here. One person present in the house, joined later by the same woman from the first safe house. The two appeared to know one another, no threatening apparent. They spar, with freaking swords...then he commits seppuku and the woman beheads him. What the hell? Then she pilfers through his pockets, steals something...and leaves. Did she touch him during the fight?