Rulers of Night

[Sinopa]

@DoomyCakez​

"...you lost weight."
The first words the child spoke to Tatsu in 2 years. Not much a surprise to him though, as much was expected and he'd have it no other way. He wasn't a huge fan of the emotional greetings he was so uncomfortable with; he knew he'd get more than enough of that when he finally faced his sister. A sort of dread stirred within him, he feared what she would do to him, whether it was torture or being forced to socialize either were appalling.

"Yes, well in my travels I prefer to walk from place to place as much as possible, and food can be scarce where I resided." He said, finally answering her after she had accepted his hug. He wrapped his arms around her and gently squeezed affectionately. He began to sway, enjoying the embrace of one whom he hasn't seen for so long, but came to an abrupt stop at the mention of his sister's unhappiness. He knew he'd hurt her when he left, and yet he still went, and after many years have passed he will do it again, such is the life of Tatsuo Kurohime.

He snapped out of it at her question and the tender pull of his hair, and looked down at her face.
"Of course, I wouldn't come back home without souvenirs of my travels." He clapped his hands twice and Lennor quickly entered the room.
"Master?" He inquired, head bowed, and hand resting on his chest.
"Bring me the old leather bag from my luggage, please." He ordered.
"Yes master." The loyal ghoul bowed once more, left, and then hastily reappeared with the light brown over the shoulder bag in his arms. He handed the bag to Tatsu, then departed at his master's dismissive hand motions.

Tatsuo rummaged through the bag until he stopped and pulled out an object covered by his hands. He put his hands infront of the girl's face and opened them.
"Boo…" He said in an emotionless voice as a male shrunken head fell from his palms and dangled before Coi's face as it hung by a string wrapped around his fingers.
"Apparently this was a vampire who convinced an entire ancient tribe that he was a god due to his vampiric powers. They sacrificed themselves to him one by one, an unlimited food source. Someone figured out that he wasn't a god and persuaded the remaining tribe members that the vampire was a fraud. They found a way to kill him and here is what's left of him." He held it out for her to take the gift. "One of the many artifacts I've obtained in Egypt, but this screamed Coisette… well not literally, I think they drained the brains."

 

[DoomyCakez]

@Aka~Kitsune

Sergei slowly pulled the glass away from his lips, tongue momentarily darting out to lick up the last of the thick red that had lightly stained the inside of the wine glass. He was hungry, which was a common thing for the mob boss, being that he was actually rather picky about whose blood he drank; however, he had welcomed the glass's contents with little to no fuss. It had taken the slight edge off of him, calming him slightly as drug would do to any addict; however, he still could not shake his twinge of irritation. He was moody...and knowing that only seemed to add more to it.

His attention was pulled from himself when he felt something on his cheek. He had forgotten that he was still leaning over the table with the empty glass in his hand, his mind having wandered to the slightly darker aspects of his personality; however, Reika's touch seemed to bring him back from that. causing him to glance up in surprise. He felt her thumb brush along his chin, her smile fading slightly as she felt his stubble. Sergei pouted for a moment; however, he masked his mild displeasure with a small chuckle as her cockiness shown through. She thought she would win the bet? Sergei grinned rather deviously at her, nodding his head to her desired bet and laughing to himself that he had so easily fooled her. When she purred, her purred back, mischief practically melting off of him. "Hmm...very well. We have a deal, Kultaseni~" His eyebrow did raise slightly, taking notice of her sudden change of tone...She was quickly becoming equally devious. She barred her fangs and he grinned in return, showing of his glistening rows of shark-like teeth, but as her own hint of sadism poked through, Sergei's eyes gave a small glimmer, his grin slowly melting into a bemused smirk. Reika was indeed showing her old self; however, in a flash it was gone as she was suddenly the cheerful, energetic , "good girl" that Sergei knew was not true.

He chuckled, leaning his cheek against her soft hand for a moment before slowly bringing his hand up her arm and curling around her hand. He turned his head after a moment, leaving his eye on Reika before closing it and lightly pressing his lips to her palm. Let her show her sadistic side...He actually found himself liking it even more. He breathed a small sigh, warm breath lightly blowing against her palm skin before he once again looked up at her, a glimmer of his own dark intent in his emerald gaze. "Deal..."

As her hand slipped out of his grasp, Sergei slowly leaned back against the couch, watching her in subdued silence. He watched as she laid her head against her arm, pink locks overflowing as they cascaded over her slender shoulders; however, she was watching him too. With the sudden color change of her eyes and the fading of her smile, Sergei could not help but shift in mild discomfort. Her sudden cooing did nothing but unsettle him more, being that it contrasted so with her serious features. At the mention of his stubble once more, Sergei's expression soured and he lightly stuck his tongue at her, pouting at her displeasure with it. "I thought it made me look more like a badass, Kultaseni..."

However, Reika continued, suddenly standing as her dress gave a small twirl, swaying with the natural way for her curved body. Sergei watched, momentarily mesmerized before noticing she had closed the distance between the them...She spoke in a breathy whisper, something that sent a small chill through him as a small bead of sweat making its way down him neck...The things she was doing to him... Sergei could feel his face reddening slightly, eyes locked on her as she leaned over and slowly brushed a lock of his hair through her finger...Sergei suddenly felt rather tight, his body tensing as she did that...

When she spoke his named and asked that damn question, Sergei stumbled over his words, suddenly finding his throat rather dry. "I...I..umm..." His eyes suddenly fell to the curve of her breast, the heat on his cheeks only intensifying as he quickly glanced up at her face, shaking his head to regain composure. His expression fell, quickly turning back to his usual devilish grin. ''I'm afraid that is confidential, love..."​

 

[DoomyCakez]

@Sinopa

Coisette tensed only slightly as she felt Tatsuo's arms wrap around her, her level of mild discomfort rising slightly. It was odd how alike the two were, being that she disliked the idea of emotional reunion and overpowering affection as he did; however, where Tatsuo would only be callus, it seemed that Coisette seemed to have little to no ability to even convey what she was feeling. Even know, where most children would be rejoicing from the affection of such a long lost friend, Coisette only vacantly stared at the mahogany walls of the palour. It was not that she hated Tatsuo's affection, quite the opposite really, but the idea of showing that affection in return seemed to slightly override the child's mind. A simple hug would suffice enough for now.

As Tatsuo swayed, the small girl's form was visibly engulfed, being slowly pulled along at the lazy pace that Tatsuo had set. When he squeezed, she lightly pinched his side to signal her slight displeasure. It was a secret language of theirs, more action than anything else; however, at the mention of Reika, Tatsuo visibly halted and his grip around Coisette's small frame lessened. Coisette glanced up, studying Tatsuo's expression with another vacant stare. Despite his body's reaction, Tatsuo's expression seemed to display no sigh of change....He was rather good at that.

She decided to keep Tatsuo's strand of hair between her small finger, taking in the texture that she had somehow forgotten after he had been gone for so long; however, he pulled away upon hearing her question about any sort of present. With a clap of his hands, Lennor seemed to appear out of thin air, looking rather surprised. Coisette glared at him for a moment, crimson eyes taking in his features....Had he fallen asleep? She almost expected he had, seeing the slight dislevelment of his hair; however, having to carry all of Tatsuo's bags and unpack them in a timely manner would produce the same effect.

She watched him bow and leave once more, only to return in a matter of minutes with a brown leather bag draped over his shoulders. Coisette was watching the bag like a predator, eyes never leaving it as it was seated before Tatsuo. She blinked, glancing up at Tatsuo as he quickly rummaged through the bag, only to find his hands concealing something. She stared at his hands, leaning closely as her face scrunched in curiousity. With the opening of his palms, she was suddenly welcomed by the gruesome face of what looked to be a head that someone had tried to turn into a raisin. Her eyes widened, a look of sheer....EXPRESSION crossing her face as she stared at the head in child-like wonder, listening intently to Tatsuo's story.

When he held it out to her, Coisette immediately tossed her stuffed bear aside, letting it fall on the floor as she reached out and gingerly took the gift from his hands....The head felt oily...like new leather, yet it was hard...almost like a chunk of rock....Such an exquisite face...She knew she would treasure it forever.​

 

[RaccoonKing]

@DoomyCakez


A sly grin failed to slip from delicately painted lips, canvases of red having only slipped further after a small falter when he had kissed her knuckles. The gesture, as simple as it was, brought a flush to porcelain skin but failed to shift any other physical feature of hers as she stared, in return, back at Sergei's own green eye. It was devilishly fun how their games would turn out. Even better, it brought out a side of Reika that had seemed dead to the world, a side that brought the same predatory grin to her lips every time, that caused her heart to beat run wild within her chest by even the smallest action of the mafia don, that caused her to continue playing this game.

She loved it all.

Purring in delight, the sound rumbling from her chest, the pink haired vampire let the curled locks of red once more around her grip before it was released as the female raised her brows. With a small curl to the edges of red in farewell, her opposing hand had settled upon his left shoulder, fingers taking their time to one by one, tap against his suit jacket. "Confidential?~" She questioned, sighing softly in a mocking manner as she settled her free hand upon the curve of her waist, the hum passing her lips followed by her deliberately slow words. "But what harm is done by telling me, my darling Sergei?~". It was then that she had applied force to her grip, pushing him further into his seat as she leaned over him, features growing more amused.

Reika just seemed to feast upon every reaction, from the stumbling words and the bead of sweat, It seemed that she only became more and more infatuated with beating Sergei in this game. Golden orbs danced around within the flicker strobe lights that reached even here, encasing them in a multitude of colours as she trailed her gaze to his lips, bringing her hand back to rest upon the curve of his jaw, thumb trailing along that very line as she watched, interested. "You understand, my darling, that I was terribly bored?" Her lips had formed a light pout, thought her eyes had not changed to follow suit for they still remained the same. "Two months...You didn't even call..."

The grip on his shoulder vanishing as she looked back up, once again looking at him in the eye as she settled manicured red against her chest, settling by the silver chain that swayed from her throat due to her occasional shift. "Oh, how you make my heart ache, sweetie~" She cooed, tone false as she tried to mimic hurt but her tone was far from sincere. "Can't you hear it? I think it may have broke..." Was the continued tease as she closed her hand, sighing dramatically before looking back to him. "Could it be, that you are playing our game with others?" It was clear that it was just a continued ploy of hers, a lead to the next act...

Having shifted closer till they were face to face, Reika's hand had slipped from his cheek to his lips, settled there in a shushing motion as she cocked her head, casting pink locks from her face as she grinned. Her eyes, bathed in the golden warmth had softened incredibly but it was the vile twist of her lips to a smirk of all things. "Or is it that just an excuse? Is the big, bad wolf scared of a girl of all things?~" Reika had accused him as her actions had led her to a point that it seemed that her next action would be to kiss him of all things. "Or is it because I am an informant, darling?" It continued, her hand haven fallen to his shoulder. "How boring...~" Reika really loved when their meetings ended up like this. "Maybe I should find someone else to entertain me, don't you think so Sergei?~"
​

 

[Gladis]

GM Post
Damian and Reece
@DoomyCakez
​

The sound of glass shattering against the polished floor filled the room, plunging it into complete silence. Ignoring the maid who quickly apologized and then proceeded to hurriedly clean up the mess she'd made, Damian let locked his green gaze on the women seated at the opposite side of the table. Behind her two men were standing, silent, upright and each with a hand placed in their pocket, ready to jump into action at the smallest hint of danger.

"Let me make this very clear," she said, boring into the president of the Redrose court with her icy blue eyes, "I do not care for how much you want to put an end to it, nor how much you are trying. If these frequent crimes do not come to an end soon, there will be war. Strengthen the laws, enforce more people from your side, execute offenders of law. I don't care what you do, but put an end to it. Far too many humans are coming to harm at the hands of this organization. We can and we will exterminate your kind if nothing happens," it was an outright threat, and although Damian didn't let the words phase him, the ferocity with which they were delivered did have him swallow once. Mrs. Lockart certainly was not a women to be tempered with, that much was for sure.

"Mrs. Lockart was your name, no?" the president said, managing a slight smile in which he displayed his sharp canines quite clearly — usually a warning sign that one had gone too far in the body language of vampires. "I'm sure you understand we are already doing everything to the outmost of our abilities. Crimes won't end happening over a night and it will take time to get hold of the offenders — but I assure you that we're working on it."

"I would hope so," her reply was as cold as she gathered the documents spread out on the table and slipped them into her briefcase, "I will dispatch two groups to this case, as requested. Do not fail," she rose from her seat, heading starting towards the large double doors leading into Damian's office. The two men followed suit. Just as she was about to exit, however, the woman stopped briefly, glancing in the presidents and maid's direction. "you're keeping a ghoul, Mr. Ravensdale?" she nodded pointedly towards the girl, who's long white hair and crimson eyes made her identity rather obvious. She wasn't particularly tall, nor did she look too old. In fact, if Reece were to guess she must have been somewhere around the age of seventeen when she was turned.

Damian tensed. "She was turned before the rules were implemented," he informed in a calm voice, meeting Reece's gaze head on and rather fearlessly.

"Have a good night, sir," was all he got in response from the head of the vampire investigators. Then she left the room.

The president of the Redrose court breathed a heavy sigh, tiredly massaging his forehead. This was only the beginning of the night and already it felt as though it would never end.

"Rosa, would you please do me the favor and get Tao?"

"Yes, my lord," the ghoul timidly nodded her head, bowing to Damian respectfully before heading out to do her task.

 

[Gladis]

@Strawberry275 @Sinopa

​

"I'm sorry, but Mrs. Lockart won't be able to make it in time," a young man with short blond hair stepped up to the conversing men, a diplomatic smile present on his features. To most investigator's, Dhampir's were a complicated case. As they were neither human nor vampire, it was rather hard to decide what to make of them. Even if there were a few dhampir's working for the Watchers, they were often treated with a certain caution by most investigators. It was quite obvious that this investigator was no different, in that case.

"I hope you won't mind me taking care of the payment instead. It's a pleasure making your acquaintance, mr. Daeson. I'm David Johnsson, Mrs. Lockart's assistant," Although he did offer his hand and showed no signs of distaste, he was unusually tense.

(Super sorry for the short reply, but it's all I have for now. >.<)

 

[DoomyCakez]

@Gladis


The silent slide of Tao's shoes softly echoed in the empty parlor of the Rose Red Court Estate. He sighed, black gaze lifting from beneath his raven hair as he gazed at the darkened ceilings. To his left was a small red couch; however, Tao was in no mood to sit and relax. His mind still raced, the image of the sniper on the rough fresh in his mind...Not only that, but it seemed to Tao that the Investigators were beginning to lose faith in the court...They had slowly started to over step their boundaries when it came to the collection of ghouls and the hunter he had seen just this night only added more to his thoughts. With the ghoul now in the hands of what appeared to be a human, Tao's worries only seemed to deepen...

The vampire sighed, arms folding over his chest as he turned on his heels and paced the other direction towards the parlor archway. Tao never really understood westerners' taste in decor, finding the entire room to be rather suffocating with it's vaulted ceilings, deep drapery, dark colors, etc. Tao was not a fan of it; however, he was never one to voice his opinions out loud. Instead, he allowed his mind once more to flow back to the sniper on the roof. The Investigators were not the kind to have snipers, being that a majority of them appreciated the more "gun hoe" approach to hunting. Could it have been a vigilante of sorts? That was also something that Tao was uncertain of; however, if there was a new player to the table of hunters...one that could possibly not only be after the blood of the ghouls...what would that spell for the many vampires that ran the city...ones who lacked the fighting skills that people like Tao had. The vampire's eyebrows furrowed, his expression souring as he brought his hand up and lightly tapped his gloved fingers against his smooth chin.

He turned once more, this time taking a few strides to the middle of the room and coming to rest just about the small chandelier. He tapped his foot lightly against the polished floor, mind racing as he tried to formulate how he would even begin to relay all of this to Damian... His eyes narrowed, thoughts flooding over him as he let his hands fall and slid them into the pockets of his tight trousers. "...If the sniper is just hunting ghouls...then that would not be much trouble for the court. This vigilante could actually prove to be a much needed asset...However, what if it is not only ghouls that this...sniper...is after..." He spoke slightly aloud, only to turn as he heard the clicking of heels just outside the room. He turned, only to be greet by the passing glimpse of what appeared to be Reece Lockhart...she was a constant in the Court, being that her Investigators played hand and hand with the court's elite. Tao frown, but let no further emotion come through as she disappeared down the hall...leaving nothing more than the usual, overly sweet scent of human. Two large men followed close behind, both dressed in black. Tao eyed them carefully, seeing the small bulge in the side of their jackets. Armed...still untrusting of the vampire court it seemed. They too, disappeared leaving Tao with a sour expression on his face as he waved the sickeningly sweet fumes from his nostrils.

He let his hands fall back to his sides, his expression turning back to its usual stoic nature as he was greeted with the young face of a Rosa. He knew her all too well, being that she had been near almost longer than he had. Tao gave the girl a once over, eyeing her timid nature and her large, scarlet eyes as she hovered in the doorway...much like a dove would. Tao remained rather silent; however, letting the girl speak first before he would...

"umm...Mr.Ravensdale will see you now..." The girl spoke, her small voice barely making an echo in the spacious room; however, there was always a layer of something else there....much like many of the members of the Rose Red Court. Tao nodded, eyes falling to the back of her head as Rosa turned to lead the way. Tao stiffened slightly, a frown setting on his lovely features as he prepared himself for this meeting. Tao was never a fan of relaying bad news, much less his failures...He rarely had them, being that he enjoyed avoiding the awkward disappointment that would follow when he did. It was a silly fear, but it was one none the less.

Rosa turned down the usual long hallway, the pictures of the ancient court members decorating the walls in a creepy testament to the court's longevity. Tao never understood why Westerners' took pictures like these...The colors were so dark...hardly becoming of the men and women who graced the court's presence. He kept his opinion to himself once more, the only noise in the hallway being the small click of Rosa's heels against the polished, wood floors. The door at the end of the Hallway was large, overbearing like the rest of this place, and a deep brown just like the polished floor. Tao stared at it, taking a few deep breathes as Rosa disappeared inside; however, her voice carried back into the hallway. Why did Tao always have to be announced? Could he not just walk right in and get down to business...He never enjoyed these kinds of formalities, rathering to just say his piece and move the hell on to more important things...like figuring out who the hell the sniper was...or how to get that damned ghoul that had escaped him.

He was pried from his thoughts as Rosa's head appeared from behind the door and she beckoned him inside. He followed automatically, pushing passed her as she held the door open and stepping up to Damian's desk. He stopped a few feet away from it, the sour expression never seeming to leave his face; however, it seemed to be mirroring Damian's. Tao stiffened, bringing his left fist to his right palm as he held them just in front of his chest. He bent at the waist, bowing deeply to Damian as his raven locks cascaded down over his shoulders and shielded his face from the man. He remained silent as he did this, being that this was usually the only form of greeting that Damian would receive...It was the Norm for the two.

​

 

[Gladis]

GM Post
Damian
@DoomyCakez
​

Damian was deeply troubled. Despite keeping his expression blank, there was little doubt this was the case. A few strands of hair which he usually always took so much care to comb back had fallen out of place, irritably dangling into his face. Sighing, the redrose president brushed them back into place, glancing up as the sound of the door creaking open reached his ears. Damian would need to have someone do something about that, later. As ordered, the black haired young man stepped into the room – silent and graceful, not too unlike a cat stroking through the streets at night. Damian didn't know why, but he often found himself comparing Tao to a cat. Naturally, Tao was far from as unpredictable as cats tend to be. At least as far as Damian was aware.

Tao bowed – a stark contrast in behavior when he compared it to Reece's. He acknowledged Tao's greeting with a slight nod of his head, his expression remaining unchanged as he made a sweeping gesture towards the wooden chair opposite of him. It had been beautifully carved, just like the rest of the furniture in the room, and had a rather gothic style to it. The seat itself had been dressed with red satin, matching the heavy red curtains framing the large window behind Damian. During day time, the curtains would usually be closed. Now it was night, however, and the view of Norland city spreading between the hills into the distance was absolutely breathtaking.

"This conversation will perhaps take a while, so you may as well take a seat. Thank you for heading my call so quickly," said the middle aged vampire in appreciation, casting a glance in Rosa's direction. Usually words were not needed when he conversed with his ghoul – just a glance, a motion of his hand or nudge of his head tended to be enough for her to understand. Whilst psychic communication between master and ghoul was unheard of, this kind of deeper understanding of each other was not.

"As you wish, master," she said, curtseying politely and turning on her heels. The door fell shut behind her as she left, again with a creak.

"Good god!" Damian snapped, though calmed down as quickly as he'd lost his temper. There were more important things than an annoying door at the moment. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Tao. "Let's begin with your daily report," he said, sounding tired and perhaps just a little frustrated.​

 

[DoomyCakez]

@Gladis


It seemed that Damian's meeting with Reece Lockhart had been anything but pleasant; however, that was to be expected with who Tao was fairly certain that Damian saw as nothing more than food...yet his hands were tied when it came to attacking her and putting the woman in her place. She was indeed troublesome to the court, mainly for her claws dug so far into their shoulders as she tried to keep them in line. Tao could not help but find it odd, but he understood that when the minority started to surpass the majority in power, the majority would of course tighten their leash.

Tao straightened, eyes quickly raking over Damian's form and taking notice of the slight displacement of his hair...Indeed...the meeting had been far more troublesome than even Tao could have guessed. Damian never seemed so flustered or upset; however, seeing as how Reece left in the same state, and guessing from the sheer amount of masterless ghouls that Tao had had to put down within the last few months...Tao was guessing that the meeting had been anything but favorable for the Rose Red Court. Tao frowned, but other than that showed little to no knowledge of Damian's troubled mood.

He received a slight nod in return as Damian gestured towards the dark wooden chair just to Tao's left. Tao glanced at it, black eyes eyeing the carvings and the overall gothic manner. It was not the man's taste; however, it did look slightly comfortable, even if Tao was not in the mood to sit. He shifted, weight resting on the back of his heels as he visibly relaxed, listening to Damian's thanks and answering with a soft murmur. "mmm.."

Rosa left and closed the door behind her; however, the creak caused Tao to visibly tense, his eye giving a small twitch as a shiver went up his spine; however, he made no other move to it disturbing him. Damian seemed to be the opposite. With his fist landing on his desk, Damian reacted with ardent anger; however, the anger left as soon as it came, only followed by oppressing silence. Tao waiting, being a man of few words and honestly having no idea what to say to this situation. Silence was usually best for times such as these.

Once Damian asked for his report, Tao once again tensed, offering a small sigh as he brushed his hand through those raven locks. "The mission was a failure..." he decided to start with the basics, and make his way through. "Target was in my sites; however, it seems that the Investigators are lacking faith in the Court's ability to carry out the hunting and extermination process. They sent their own agent, who attacked the target at exactly 20:12. Investigator failed to make a fatal blow and target managed to escape down the alley at 20:14. I followed as the Investigator pursued the target, only to watch as the target escaped into the canal at exactly 20:17." Tao could not help but frown at his own failures, realizing how incompetent his story was making him sound, but he continued. "I followed along the waterside, only to find the target being pulled from the water by an innocent at 21:21. Innocent then proceeded to drag the target into her home. I prepared to approached immediately; however, something on the other side of the bridge caught my attention. It was the glint of what I can with 85% confidence say was the glint of a silencer. I have come to believe that there is some sort of vigilante hunting ghouls within the city, being that the rifle was aimed at the wounded target and innocent before both disappeared into Innocent's home at 21:23." Tao's frown deepened as he shifted once more on his feet, fist clenching slightly as he glanced at the dark red drapes just behind Damian's head. "I am fearful that the Innocent is indeed a human, mainly from the overall scent radiating from the home; however, I believe that as of now the Target is of little to no danger in his current state. Unfortunately, with this sniper in our mists, I have a suspicion that he or she may also be after vampires. This assumption only rises from the common knowledge that if you get rid of the source, than the disease can die out. I am unsure if the sniper may in fact be hunting vampires as well, but I can say that whether he is or not, it may prove more troublesome to control the ghoul population with both the second and third party added."

Tao released a small sigh then, minor annoyance coming to his expression as he glanced Damian in the eye. It was very unlike Tao to fail in his mission, so this was indeed weighing heavily on his mind. "I have nothing further to report. I apologize for my sloppiness. I believe I have grown rather complacent in my duties..." He seemed genuinely apologetic, his robotic nature faultering as he glanced down at the floor.

​

 

[Sinopa]

@Gladis @Aka~Kitsune
(sorry, its kind of rushed XD)​

Just as soon as Ari stopped his ranting to the investigator another appeared in the place of the investigators' boss. Disappointment could be seen in the gang leaders features.
"Aww, I was so looking forward to meeting with Reece." He ignored yet another outstretched hand, keeping his own held behind him. "Well I guess I can't do anything about that. Delighted to meet you as well, David Johnson." He greeted with a smile, familiarizing himself with his name, a habit of his since he form the Crimson Rats.

"Let's get this little matter of payment out of the way I have a little "kitten" in the car waiting for me. We have 3 crates of standard rifles, 10 in each, 4 of standard pistols, 20 in each, 3 full of ammo, 50,000 in each; one is for the rifles and the other is for the pistols. Then we have 30 pocket knives, 20 daggers, 50 throwing knives, and for the really old fashioned investigators, 5 swords; Larae loves to go all out when it comes to her blades. So that comes down to $20,000. My men are unloading it now." He stated, going off of memory.

Ari was in quite a hurry, not wanting to return the members late and work off their time, so once the crates were unpacked and the payment was made he rushed off leaving in the middle of the conversation. This was not unusual for the leader, it was a habit when his mind was somewhere or when he was bored. As he started towards the truck the gang member hurried to get in as they knew he'd leave whether they were in the truck or not. It was so much as him being mean, and most of his gang knew that, but he tends not to focus much on those around him unless they have caught his interest. An example of such people would be the girl who waited patiently in the passenger's seat. Lihua Féng, or Kitty Li as Ari calls her, was one of the few who received most of Ari's attention, he found her intriguing and her skills was what caught his eye the most.

"Alright Kitty Li, once we drop the truck off at Ardelle's we can go wherever you want." He smiled as he hopped in and scooted closer to her, allowing a man to sit in the driver's seat and begin to drive back to the factory. They arrived at the factory moments before their deadline and they all began exiting the truck. Ardelle stood behind the factory where they parked waiting for them.

"Seems like you've managed to escape punishment once more. You're lucky this time. Do you have our cut?" She said placing her hand on her hip and leaned slightly to the side. She glanced at the 5 members Ari took and they straightened up and rush back into the factory before Ardelle's eyes turned back to her leader.
"Very lucky. And yes." He pulled out $7,000 from his wallet and handed it to her. "Here you go."
"Thanks. I'd love to talk, but there's still much work to be done so I'll catch you later. Oh and Mr. Sourpuss is here. Hey! Lyle! He's here!" She called as she opened the door. "See ya Ari." She turned to Lihua and smiled warmly towards the little girl. "Bye Lira." Then she disappeared as the door shut.

Soon a slim man with blonde locks and blue eyes walked out and stood in front of them.
"Evening Lyle." Ari greeted.
"Hello Ari. I brought your car; your reports are in it. I assume you will want me to run some errands now?" He replied getting straight to business.
"Perfect and you assume correctly." The leader gave Lyle the rest of the money he was given for the shipment. "Disperse this among the ranked properly, and please visit Kris Kamat in the hospital and pay the bill using my share. Tell him I'll visit tomorrow." Ari ordered, receiving a nod from his second.
"Will do. Have a good night." He handed Ari the keys and began to walk to his own car.
"You too. Come on Kitty, where do you want to go now?" He asked as he led her to his black Lexus GS 350, and got in the driver's seat after opening her door and shutting it when she was comfortably in. He looked at her patiently waiting for an answer.

 

[RaccoonKing]

@Sinopa

An hour. Pale lips parted in a small huff as dark blue orbs looked wearily around the area from the safety of the truck, fingers twitching nervously upon the bright screen of the tablet as she began to chew idly at her lower lip. Finally, her brows furrowed as her imagination sparked around the fate of her boss, causing her grip to tighten as she lowered her head. "...Ari is fine..." The whisper was met with no response as she looked back up within seconds of trying to still those troublesome thoughts, leaning forwards despite the restraints of her seat belt to try and search for the raven haired Rat boss in hopes of his quick return, though her hope was quickly dashed when she failed to catch sight of him.

Sighing once more, she slipped back into the comforts of the truck's leather seat as she brought her legs up closer to her torso so the tablet could rest against her thighs. Instantly she had flickered the screen back on, having entered the usual pass code, before she opened up the two applications once again and decided to first respond to the message that currently blinked repetitively upon the corner. Pressing her finger lightly against it, the window quickly took up a majority of the screen as she read over the last message and in result, the sent link.

Pursing her lips, Lihua flicked the window to the corner as she watched the internet open up the link sent to her by her mother who she was frequently in contact with in terms of her research. Her father as well. It was another article. Sighing as she tiredly pinched the bridge of her nose, Lihua began to study the contents of the article about the benefits of a new robotics design. Ten minutes passed as she would occasionally copy a few key phrases onto a new document so once she was back, she could add them to her own research and designs before she once again opening up the messaging system used to contact her parents. Not that she was telling them the reason for her research.

Who would tell their parents they were helping a Gang?

The on screen keyboard popped up and Lihua was instantly tapping away at the gray squares. It was a short message but she was sure that it conveyed her gratitude to them for their help in the research that had kept them up to this seemingly ungodly hour along with taking time from their own jobs. The tech specialist smiled faintly as her finger gently tapped against the corner of cool metal, expression softening considerably before she searched for the screen's button int he dark, causing her only source of light to be extinguished in seconds.

It wasn't long after this that the door was opened and Ari had returned, causing her expression to brighten up considerably. After all, her participation in the gang itself was due to Ari and he was the only one her anxiety did not effect her around. "Anything? Really?" The female had gained a thoughtful look at that as she cast her gaze to the floor of the truck when the driver had returned. Immediately her expression had twisted and she had shifted closer to the door, her grip on her skirt's hem tightening. Currently, Lihua wore a white tank top with a navy cardigan with a matching blue skirt that met with a pair of white knee high socks and brown combat boots with a heel. The most interesting feature of her current outfit though was the silver head band lost within the dark blue locks, causing two wire cat ears to peek up from the navy tresses as it was lined with false white pearls.

With a quickened heartbeat and a poorly concealed expression of worry, Lihua did not settle nor become able to even mutter a word until they reached Ardelle's place. Climbing quickly out from the truck, Lihua had pressed her hand to her chest to try and silence the pounding that consumed her attention to a point she didn't even notice when Ardelle had appeared until minutes later. Swallowing, she let her gaze slip up until she met the gaze of Ardelle. For once, the girl did not shift behind Ari due to her familiarity of the ranked member. "G-good evening, A-ardelle." She had brought herself to say as she smiled faintly at the woman. While her and Ari talked, Lihua took her time studying the factory with a small humm, only to nodd back her goodbye before following after Ari.

Lyle however, had come and gone before the girl had even noticed as her curiosity caused her to continue studying the factory and its contents. Before she knew it, she had climbed into the can and pushed her tablet into her lap as she pulled the seat belt over her, snapping it closed with a small click. "Hm..." Her face scrunched up slightly in thought before her head snapped around, gaze settled upon him as she smiled faintly. "Can we go and get some food? I forgot to eat before we left..." She finished, turning her gaze off to the side. "I need to buy more snacks as well...the dome is running out of supplies..." Which meant that she had already eaten away at the food she brought the previous day. Once again, her nail began to tap lightly against the screen of her tablet in a rhythmic pattern as she seemed to revert to her more secluded self suddenly. "I...I c-can show you what I'm possibly working on as well? I h-have my parents help on this one as well so It may end well..."
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