The Book of Thoth

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Danny scrambled up the building, trying to balance speed and silence. He vaulted onto the roof, then glanced around quickly. He didn't ask which way to go, just ran to another edge and jumped to the next, lower down building. The landing was not the softest, but scrapes and bruises were something you got used to dealing with. He got up and turned around, motioning for her to jump.
(( I cannot express how long I've wanted to use the word 'vaulted' in a roleplay post. ))
 
((Holy crap! Idk how but I never got a notification for this! Sorry about that!))
A bit unsteadily, Amelia jumped off the building and onto a lower one, and rolled with the fall to lessen the impact. She grunted a bit as she landed but managed all right. She scrambled over to a fire escape ladder that emptied into an alley right near the parking lot. "Over here," she whispered over to catch Daniel's attention. Grabbing to rungs, she slid down the ladder as fast as she could manage and hid in the dark of the alleyway. The men were all over the parking lot and hotel by now, but at least they didn't seem to know which one was their escape vehicle or if they were even going to steal a vehicle.

Luckily there was only one jeep in the parking lot, so Amelia knew exactly where to head to. At the sound of footsteps however, she pressed herself against the alleyway wall and practically held her breath as the soldier neared her. Once he was rounding the corner, she quickly reached out and grabbed him from behind, one arm under his neck constricting his breathing, and another hand across his mouth to prevent him from calling out. She held that position on him until he stilled from unconsciousness due to lack of air. "Use the cars as cover," she said to Daniel as she glanced a peak at the lot once more to see the positions of men.
 
(( Oh, it's alright. c: I'm patient. ))
Taking a deep breath, he ran across the roof and quickly climbed down the ladder. Amelia was peering out of the alleyway, an unconscious man at her feet. Walking over, he lifted his brows after glancing to down. "Nicely done," he told her, then leaned past her and looked out to the parking lot. After quickly counting the men patrolling out there, he realized just how physically close he was to his female ally. Never would he admit it, but a soft blush colored his cheeks. "Sorry," he offered in apology for invading her personal space, then he got straight to business. "I counted just about ten guys. Rest must be inside." Swallowing, he looked into her eyes. "I think we could just make a break for it."
 
((Thanks for being so cool about haaha)

Amelia was startled by the close proximity of Daniel leaning so close to her. She tensed up and when he apologized, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. "It's alright," she mumbled. She listened to his assessment and nodded. "You're right," she amended. There were only ten men outside right now, but if they snuck around the parking lot and took there time, there was a good chance that there would be three times as many by the time they reached the jeep. And there was no way they would be able to avoid pulling out of this parking lot stealthily. Amelia was good, but she wasn't that good.

She stayed silent for a minute, thinking. "I'll go ahead first and distract them. I'm smaller and probably faster than you so I'm less likely to get hit and you also have the M4 with you. They don't know you're even at this hotel yet, so they won't be looking for you at first and I'll be drawing their attention, got it? Good." Without waiting for his reply, Amelia shot out of the alley way, crouched low at first but then at a full out sprint as she dodged between cars and vans as the men pulled out their guns and began firing at her. She didn't give stop for anything unless it was to take cover and at one point, shoot a man who ended up being a lot closer to her than she had anticipated. She paused for a moment as she stood over the man. He wasn't dead, but he was definitely out of commission for now. And it sure as hell looked like he wouldn't need that assault rifle or that grenade. Grabbing them quickly, Amelia tucked the pistol back into its holster before running towards the Jeep once more.
 
(( I'm generally pretty understanding when it comes to rping. ^^ So, no worries. ))
"Oh, crap," Daniel muttered as she ran out into the parking lot. Crazy woman. So, he followed suit.
"Hey, bitches!" he yelled, mostly as a way to draw attention. He did have superior firepower, after all, but if she was as smart as he thought, it wouldn't stay that way for long. The rifle began a deadly barrage before most of the men had even turned toward the voice, and Daniel ducked behind a car before they could return fire. After shooting a few rounds, just enough to get the opposing force to get back into cover, he moved up to the next car.
 
((That's good, I always appreciate it when my RP partner is chill like that))

"Idiot!" Amelia cursed as she heard Daniel call out to the guys. Using the assault rifle, she picked off two men that turned their attentions to him and finally, Amelia made it to the Jeep. A bullet had grazed her shoulder as she was making it to the side of the car and she could tell she was probably bleeding, but she was otherwise unharmed and a graze was the least of her worries. She plastered herself against the side of the vehicle and took a look around. It looked like the men were all taken out but she knew more men would be poring in within seconds. She hopped into the passenger seat of the vehicle and yelled at Daniel. "Get your ass over here before they send reinforcements!" She called after him.
 
(( Exactly. No point in being a hardass over things that I do, too. ))
Daniel charged across the parking lot, sliding into the driver's side door of the Jeep. He hit more than hard enough to bruise, but that was a problem for later. Quickly tossing in the M4, he jumped into the driver's seat, started the vehicle, and backed the hell out of that parking lot. The car took off down the street, followed by shouts in Somali. "Tell me if you see anybody getting into a car," he told her, spinning the wheel and making a turn that would be impossible for a larger vehicle.
 
((Same, sometimes RL keeps you away from stuff, we're only human, amiright?))

Amelia let out a sigh as Daniel swiftly pulled them out of the parking lot, but she didn't let herself relax too much. "We're clear, but that's only temporary," she said, giving him the 'o.k.' As she said that however, she could see several military-like vehicles coming their way. "And if I were you, I would sink real low in your seat," she suggested as she positioned the assault rifle to balance against the seat. She ducked as a man in the vehicle that was gaining on them fired some shots that luckily missed the car entirely. The cars weren't equipped with turrets and trying to shoot a moving vehicle was extremely hard to do. Especially for simple soldiers like these men. Amelia didn't aim for the men in the car, but instead fired low towards their tires. She managed to get two cars down with only a handful of ammo, but she was going to run out soon if Daniel didn't find a way out of there. "Can't you make this car go any faster?!" She yelled at him without taking her eyes off of the men.
 
(( Exactly! Sometimes your muse dries up, or you have chores, or something else. Everybody gets issues like that, so why should you be mean about it? ))
The grin that spread across Daniel's face was downright scary. "Don't need speed," he responded. "Better buckle up, babe."
With that, he whipped the car into an alley.
If there was one thing, just one, that he would say was his best skill, it would be driving. As evidenced by the absolute hell he put the cars following them through. Hairpin turns, tiny alleys...hell, he even drove down flights of stairs. The Jeep was just tough and light enough to handle the abuse, but the other cars weren't so lucky.
And Daniel? He was grinning like a kid in a candy store.
 
((Exactly! If there is anything that makes me not want to RP with someone too, it's when they're like "Hey when are you going to reply?" ))

Amelia was thrown to the side by the sharp turn the Jeep took. "Holy shit," she swore as the assault rifle tumbled into the back of the Jeep. There were very few times that Amelia would admit that she was afraid for her life, but this - driving with Daniel - was one of them. She gripped the side of the vehicle until her knuckles turned white and watched Daniel grin like a maniac. Looking back, however, she noticed that the largest vehicle had tipped over and if she were to guess, she would say that Murad Tamir was in the vehicle. She let out a "Whoop!" of triumph at that as Daniel began to gain distance between them and their pursuers until they were eventually out of sight.

"Well, would you look at that," she mumbled, impressed and finally relaxing enough to allow herself to sink into the seat. She allowed herself a glance at Daniel and tried to move the brown strands of hair from her bangs from whipping in her face. "Nice job back there!" she yelled over the sound of the car and wind blowing. "I'm pretty sure you scared two years of my life away though."
 
(( I only pester people after days of no replies, and I do it in a nice way. Ask them why they're not responding, or something like that. Not "Respond right now seriously omg". ))
The car slowed, turning onto a normal street and merging into traffic. "Thanks," he responded to her compliment, smiling widely and looking at her, then back at the road. "Nonsense. Heart attacks are good for your health." Daniel looked back at her, then noticed the blood on her shoulder. "Shit, Amelia, you're wounded!" Concern was evident in his tone, and in his expression. Normally, the man was good at concealing his emotions, but adrenaline tended to erase that ability.
 
((Yeah same, like it's one thing to want to know if the RP is still active, but it's another to annoy someone into replying, it's so disrespectful. Also I think I'm going to head off to bed, but I'll reply in the morning!))

Amelia looked up at Daniel and rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing you never became a doctor," she commented before Daniel noticed the graze on her shoulder. Now that they were in the clear, she could get a good chance to look at it. It stung a little, but it wasn't anything too bad so long as she didn't let it get infected. She waved his concern off. "It's a small graze, looks worse than it is," she said with nonchalance as she reached into her duffelbag to pull out a small first aid kit. She got a small sterile pad and peroxide to clean it up, before pulling out a salve. "When you can, put some salve on those bruises of yours," she commented. "It'll help them heal faster and you seemed to get some real nasty ones."
 
(( Alrighty, night. c: ))
Daniel snorted. "That can wait until we're on the plane." Besides, pain was something he could handle. Cuts, bruises, even more serious injuries, he could take without much complaining. Things like emotions were a whoooole 'nother ball game, and he generally tried to avoid dealing with them. Glancing at her, he asked, "You get first aid training or something?" It was mostly just to help him assess her skills. Plus, he was curious. The woman had always sparked his interest, but when you're shooting at each other, you don't really get the chance to have a good get-to-know-you talk.
 
"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug as she put the little kit away. At Daniel's question, Amelia snorted. "I hardly have what you call training, but I learned a few tricks in first aid over the years by necessity," she explained. After all, a gunshot wound in the desert was bad, but an infected gunshot wound in the desert was practically a death sentence. Amelia relaxed in her seat once more and put her feet up on the dash of the Jeep. She raised a brow at Daniel and shot him a curious look. "What about you?" she asked. "Any special skills I should know about?" She realized now that she barely knew anything about the man except for the few encounters in the past when their rivalry led them to butt heads.
 
"Well, may as well give you the whole autobiography," he responded, glancing at her, then back at the road. "I'm Canadian by birth, born in Churchill, Manitoba. Raced when I was younger. Just go-carts and shit. Treasure hunting's pretty much the family business, so I've been using guns since I was...nine? Graduated high school at sixteen-with a helluva lotta hard work-then Dad couldn't keep me from going with him. Always been good with riddles and puzzles." The Jeep turned onto a road and finally began to leave the city behind. "So, what's your story?"
 
"Nine?" Amelia repeated, raising a brow. That certainly was very young, but she kept her opinion to herself. "Why aren't you still working with your dad? The times I had the misfortune of running into you, you were alone, if I recall correctly, though I could be wrong. I was ah- a bit focused on the prize to pay much attention," she commented. Hearing his story, she couldn't say she wasn't surprised after watching Daniel in action. He looked like he was born to be a treasure hunter. As much as Amelia hated to admit it, he was damn good at what he did.

She leaned back but tensed slightly when Daniel asked about her own story. She shrugged feigning nonchalance before she began speaking. "Well, my past isn't nearly as interesting as yours. I graduated from high school with good grades, cut ties with the family and went to college to get an anthropology degree. I was a full-fledged archaeologist working at some old Mayan ruins with a Master's degree and a crapload of student loans to pay off. I had never held a gun until the day some bandits shpwed up looking to steal some artifacts to sell on the black market. I made it to the jackpot before they did and made a shitton of money off of what I found. I started working solo after that," she explained as they drove. She shivered slightly as the cold desert air was blown about but didnt reach for the blanket she stole from the hotel. It would probably get colder by the time they reached the plane anyways. "I like what I do," she said quietly. "I get to travel around the world and make sure that artifacts stay out of the hands of men like Tamir. What more can I want?"
 
(( Sorry, had to mow the lawn. -.- ))
"Anthropology? Interesting field," he told her with sincerity, smiling softly. The college education-and the major-made sense to him. She was always a step ahead, and now Daniel knew why. "Yeah, this is pretty good work." Taking a moment, he considered the questions she asked him. "Dad's retired, has been for years. He's living out in the wilds of Manitoba with Mom, last I checked." It'd been a while since he'd checked, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "So you've got no close family?" he asked, eyebrow lifting.
 
((no worries, I just got back from work))

Amelia made a noise in the back of her throat. "That sounds like the kind of place I'd like to retire. Either that or a nice beach likes the ones that were around Latin America," she commented. As much as she loved her life of adventure, Amelia couldn't imagine herself doing this kind of work forever. She wouldn't mind becoming a professor of Archaeology one day when her body decided it was too old for climbing. Although right now, Amelia was more concerned with what tomorrow held than the next few years.

Her nose scrunched up in distaste at Daniel's question of her family. "Not really, no. I had a brother and sister, lived with them for a bit in college. They tried to get by without paying rent or getting a job until I got sick of their shit and cut all ties with them. Haven't looked back since," she explained, crossing her arms in front of her and sinking into the seat further to get more comfortable. "So," she asked, changing the subject, "you have a special someone at all back in Canada?"
 
Daniel shook his head, chuckling. "Nah. Few exes here and there, but nothing serious, not for a long time. This kind of life isn't exactly accommodating for relationships." He was good at keeping others at a distance. It was how he preferred it. Life was easier when you didn't really have any close friends. Lonely, maybe, but it saved a lot of pain if the worst ever happened.
"You got anybody?"
He almost didn't ask the question. The nervousness, and the bit of hope mixed in, he felt about asking her was something that made him uncomfortable. Too much feely-crap. However, what made him good at this job wasn't his tendency to think things through.
 
Amelia shook her head. "Same here. I think the last time I was with someone was my first expedition, actually," she said, her brows furrowing as she thought. "You're right, though. This job isn't made for anything long-term. I was never in any one place for too long and eventually, 'I might come home,' isn't enough for them anymore." She shrugged and crossed her arms tighter along her chest. It was definitely starting to get colder out now. "You ever think about it though?" she asked. "Whether or not you're just better off quitting while you're still alive and settling down and getting a real job where you don't have to worry about a psychopathic drug lord chasing after you?"

Amelia paused for a second, maybe she shouldn't be asking such personal questions. But still.. she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious, and as much as they were talking about intensely personal stuff, she still had enough leeway to be vague about certain details, and she could tell that at times, Daniel was being purposely vague as well. So what did either of them have to lose? It sure as hell made this trip a lot less awkward.
 
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