redjacketthief | Appointments

[It had come as something of a surprise to see his name among those conscripted to fight for the Malnosso, if only because he had had the good fortune to avoid this fate for several months now. But with the time to sit and mull over what he would commit himself to in less than twenty four hours, he was calmer - or at least, he had time to cultivate the appearance of being calm.

Sure, he felt a certain measure of displeasure at being forced to do something against his will; but this event he came to consider as an opportunity to learn something about this world they inhabited, if not the Malnosso themselves. Every little piece of information had its worth.]

By now, I am certain you are aware of the Malnosso's recent announcement.

I read it.

[Acknowledgement of information didn't imply approval. The fact that noted non-combatants were on the list sent a surge of white-hot anger rushing through his veins--the very idea of it was enough to earn further ire from the thief. This was further bolstered by the addition of his friend--nay, his brother--on this list.

He steeled his nerves. There was nothing in his power that he could do. The only option available was to be patient and wait for the right opportunity.

It wasn't here yet.]

What are you going to do?

I will prepare myself. [What else can he do?, his look begs the question. He could resist, which was something he had considered given his stubbornness - but it seemed like this draft would serve a purpose greater than to simply fight members of the Third Party.

Zantetsuken is laid out before him, along with the delicate tools with which he will eventually clean, oil, and powder the blade. Needless to say, he will have to repeat the process when he returns.]

Of course you will.

[Lupin smiles at his own foolishness. Of course the steadfast ronin had already considered his options and chosen the path which best suited him. He had been there longer, and knew what the larger picture looked like than Lupin could hope to even after a month.

He contemplated saying something along the common niceties. 'Be careful', 'good luck', 'don't die'. Those phrases were too well rehearsed, empty. Worse than that, they implied the one thing he absolutely feared in others: a complete lack of faith.

Fujiko's words from the Christmas party, uttered in a fit of haste, still stung. 'Maybe Koichi's better suited to get us out'. It was hard to tell what her true beliefs were on the matter, as always, but the very possibility of her giving up made him want to rain hell on their captors.

He allowed himself to breathe and, just this once, let go of the outcome.]

Go give 'em hell, Goemon.

Edited 2011-12-15 04:41 (UTC)

Mn.. [Lupin's remark rouses a low chuckle, a grim, lopsided smirk tugging at his lips; he wouldn't have it any other way. But as his eyes slide open and he meets the other man's gaze, his smile fades as quickly as it came, the look of wry amusement replaced by an understanding of the words left unsaid, the words unneeded. Maintaining eye-contact, he nods, just once.]

You. You have to be- [Adele cuts herself off with a muted swear. Malnosso, they read the journals. Watch, listen, the eyes they have on them burn her all the more at the moment and it pulls a violent expletive from her lips while she breathes to think of what to say.] We need to talk. Somewhere private. [A beat, low, rough, and forced.] Please.

[It takes a little while for him to reply; when he does, his voice is oddly calm for all of the turmoil going on in his mind. Drinking bourbon with Jigen always helped with that. Unfortunately, he may have had a bit much...]

Pick a location, Dellie...I'll be there.

The tunnels. [The likelihood of being monitored there was slim from what Adele understood. By the time Lupin's responded she's a little less frantic, but still deeply frustrated.] As soon as you are able Lupin.

Will do.[There's an audible sigh, and the sound of chairs shifting and bottles being shoved aside before the book closes. He did that intentionally, Adele--he's not especially in the mood. He meanders to the tunnels in question, walking carefully along the roads and through the trees. The thing about liquor is that it hits you slow, but hard...he really did have more bourbon than he anticipated.

Even tipsy, it doesn't take him along to arrive--journal-less. The damnable book was punted into the woods with all of his frustration. It wouldn't come back for a few days.

First thing he does upon entry is light up a cigarette. He'd lost count of how many he's had that day. The second...is withdraw his Walther and place it on the ground, lightly kicking it aside. He could tell that the good Doctor meant business; so did he. He wasn't gonna hurt her.]

So...[Hands go in pockets.] What are you plotting, if you've called me to the tunnels in the middle of the night?

[Bottles. God only knows how many, and Adele takes steps to further temper her frustration. Lupin is likely either drunk, or hungover, and neither will be receptive to raving. She makes her way down to the tunnels and paces, much slower than she had before; the conversation with Obi-Wan had given her some measure of peace. Or it was the possibility of something to be done about being in the village that gave her focus. If she was perfectly honest with herself it was the latter.

At the clatter of a gun against concrete she turns, eyes tight and wary on the metal laying against the wall before she answers.]

I am not plotting anything- But you. You must be. Why else be mixing explosives in your apartment? [She stalls in her pacing long enough to reach down and pull the knife from her shoe, another slim one from the lining of her coat, and a long needle from her french roll. These she wraps up in a handkerchief and sets down by the abandoned Walther. He'd shown her that much courtesy, she will do the same.]

Even should you tell me I'm wrong, I will not believe you.

[Even drunk, he knows better than to blab. The only time he blabbed was during his first shift--'Expose yourself,' the horoscopes said. It made him fucking honest.]

Smoke bombs. [He says this with practiced ease.] I do best with my toys, and none of them are here. I decided to try my hand at making them, if only for peace of mind.

God save me from paranoid criminals and their plots. [Still. They hardly knew each other, Lupin was a thief, she a surgeon, and though she was accustomed to working with criminals in some respects, this, this would be too much to ask. Too much to demand. Were he more open with his plan it would actually worry Adele more than if he tried to play it off.]

You are a Lupin. You are a master thief. Thieves of any caliber do not take kindly to any kind of prison, and I know that one of yours would not be so complacent here. You must be planning something.

[Swift. Succint. Dead on. Lupin answers her with silence first, thoughfully blowing smoke into clouds around him, before he steps forward. Close. Too close.

He leans down so that they are eye level, and maybe a breath away.]

...It's not as simple as picking a lock.

[One day she would learn to be silent. To accept and let go. And Obi-Wan, she might think to be sorry later, but for now she cannot accept this prison, not when someone could do something. It was beyond her in every way, but if there was anything she could do...

Though it makes her tense, jaw locked and fists clenched, she holds her ground. Waiting for whatever it was Lupin had to say.]

Nothing here is.

[He regards her carefully, irritable but very focused. The fists clenching and the jaw locking weren't lost on him.]

...Do you want to know why it's not simple?

[Five different levels of foolish, this. They didn't know each other, didn't trust each other- even if he knew her to be dead. She makes an attempt to reign in her frustration, though. It is no fault of Lupin's she feels so impotent.]

Enlighten me.

Politics.

[The word hangs heavy. Lupin straightens his posture, turns away, and runs a hand irritably through his hair. He didn't know her...and didn't want to say more. Not with...recent events on his mind.]

..? [Politics? Poli- of course. With a village so large as this, and despite the lack of an official governing body there were still members of the community that had influence over the rest of the populace. Those that felt that it was better for most here. Not everyone had something to go back to, not everyone went back alive, some were genuinely better off here, or so she'd read. So she'd thought of Giles. But...

But.

As much as she wouldn't begrudge anyone an attempt to leave, could she begrudge anyone that wished to stay?]

That does complicate matters.

So you see my dilemma? Good. Find me a person good with politics--or find me that damned elusive guy with an accent--and we'll talk more.

[More smoke. He still has his back turned, but the tension in his shoulders and the rough edge on his tone should be enough of an indicator of his feelings on the matter.]

...You think you have it rough with Giles? [Because he knows where you live, Adele.] That makes five people I've trusted that have gone missing for me. One of them my is girlfriend. Another a long standing, loyal partner and friend.

Elusive man with an accent? Is there someone in particular you need found? Many here have accents Lupin, you're not being terribly specific. [Though she really doesn't expect him to be. Specifics at this juncture would be tipping his hand, most likely. It wouldn't be something he did often to those that knew him well, let alone someone he'd just met-

and he tips it just a bit anyway.]

I did not know him well. My frustration stems more from the circumstances than his loss. [Though it stings all the same, especially since she knows damn well what waited for him, what waits for her.]

...You do not want them, but I shall offer them anyway. You've my condolences Lupin.

You're right. I don't.

[The words came out sharper than he anticipated, a reflexive reaction to the permanency implied bu Adele's sympathies. Goemon's posessions were still around, as were Fujiko's; they might yet be back. The ever sweet Murasaki....that was different, and it was for the better that she went home anyway. A girl that kind should be a kindergarten teacher, not participating in rebellions.

Smoker and Giles...they weren't friends, but they were tolerable allies, and both were on his radar. He had no idea what happened to the Captain...but Giles was gone.

He claps a hand to his face and shakes his head, briefly questioning whether he was mad or not.]

You want something helpful from me? Get yourself a cellphone.

Apologies. [Soft and immediate, she hadn't meant to infer...anything. Too little known and too much at stake- ha. Were it not for the madness of it all Adele was all but certain she's never left Unger's Compound. Shaking that thought off she watches Lupin's back, waiting. For a dismissal, to be ignored, and it surprised her when he spoke again.]

...My own would be useless shrapnel should it appear. [But...] I will find one.

You do that. Make sure it's Bluetooth-enabled. Keep it charged. Keep it on your person. Don't jump too obviously if you ever recieve a message.

[A moment of silence, then:] Mine too. Desolee. I've been having a few rough weeks. [sigh.] Goddamn, I'm gonna need more bourbon. And time to think.

[New clients, new village, new reality, and yet here she was taking the exact same steps that saw her killed before. At least here death wouldn't be permanent, but that does not lessen her anxiety. Adele nods and slides her hands into her coat pockets. Bluetooth. Cell Phone. Don't jump. All she needs now is Bartholomew.]

You've no need to apologize. It was presumptuous of me to say anything on a matter where I know so little.

...

While I cannot join you in drinking said bourbon, I would not be adverse to helping you find it- also. I have asked this of Gambit, and he expressed confusion. Did you leave a bottle of wine in our kitchen?

Wine? Why would I give wine away, when I could be drinking it myself?

[The questions was anticipated, the confusion was practiced and flawless--no way is he revealing that!]

...And thanks for the apologies, then. I have a few other possible drinking buddies to hit up too, since it looks like I'm not sleeping tonight.

Appointments

Video, tonight?

Video, tonight

Video, tonight

Video, tonight

Video, tonight

February 1st, [Voice]

February 1st, [Voice]

February 1st, [Voice]

February 1st, [Voice----Action]

February 1st, [Action]

February 1st, [Action]

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February 1st, [Action]

February 1st, [Action]

February 1st, [Action]

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February 1st, [Action]

February 1st, [Action]

February 1st, [Action]

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