Brown eyes fluttered open.
No, that was too poetic. Valkyrie didn't do poetry, not in circumstances like this- circumstances about as tender as a 70yr old man in a speedo. Ugh, not an ideal mental image to wake up to.
Brown eyes opened, blinking 3 or 4 times to adjust to the darkness.
/That's better/
[Aww, I liked the poetic one more]
'C'mon guys, I don't have time for this right now' Valkyrie scolded the voices. She'd stopped denying their existence a long time ago.
[A long, long time ago] supplied one. Valkyrie had dubbed aforementioned voice 'Cray'. Once you knew her, it wasn't hard to guess she was named after the craziness that seemed to consume her.
/Your positivity about the subject is positively sickening/ grouched the other. Valkyrie had chosen 'Red' for this one. It suited the temper that so promptly overtook her at any given situation. Sometimes it even overtook Valkyrie herself, though that was only in... rare... cases.
Valkyrie was now painfully aware of the fogginess clouding her mind and the lax condition of her muscles. So much for that escape attempt... if it could even be considered that. This was the third time this month alone they'd given her an extra dose. She could be audacious- no doubt- but this was just plain stupid. She imagined the guards had something to do with it.
Corrupt-ass douche-wipes they were.
At least all this time in solitary was giving her some new creative insults. Not that she'd ever voice them... well... maybe one day, after she'd finally busted outta this shithole.
Valkyrie scoffed at her inner-itulogue.
As if.
She'd learnt a long, long time ago there was no way to 'bust outta this shithole' as she'd so eloquently previously put it. But hey, can't blame a girl for hoping.
Her mini-conversation with herself was interrupted (rudely) by a sharp set of knocks on... a door? She wasn't even aware there was one.
Valkyrie snorted in amusement, 'Not like they ever ask for permission anyways' she thought drily.
As expected, the man simply walked in, not awaiting any sort of confirmation from her.
/Seriously? They had a door all this time and we never knew!?/
[All the fun we could've had outside this room! And we missed it!]
Valkyrie somehow felt betrayed by the room, if that was even possible. 'Sure it is' she reasoned with herself. Of course it was possible to be betrayed by a room.
"You. Girl." The man spoke gruffly.
[I think he's talking to us!]
/Nu-duh/
'Really guys? Try to keep it down up in there okay? I've gotta act sane for the next minute' Valkyrie thought before realizing, she was technically arguing with herself. Eh, not the first time.
The man- clearly fed up with Valkyrie's silence- walked closer, "Ay, I'm talkin' to you lady. Get up"
Valkyrie blinked; once, twice, before launching off the ground. One hand wrapped itself around the man's neck, the other held back near her ear in a fist.
The man let out a huff of air, "So you do move"
/Why isn't he scared? Aren't we scary enough for him yet?/
[Oooh a joke! I like this one!]
"Anyways, if you're done with your little threatening show, I've got another client here. Looking for your particular... skill set..." the man said smoothly.
It was then that Valkyrie remembered the chain, cold iron locked tightly around her ankle.
Ah.
That'd be why he looked so calm. That or the fact that he- like everyone in the building- knew she couldn't do anything anyway. She hadn't bothered fighting for a long time.
[A long, long time]
/Thanks for that. Like we needed a reminder/
[No problem!]
/That's not wh- ugh, whatever/
"So" the man began, knocking Valkyrie out of her thoughts, or should she say the voices thoughts. I mean, they were technically her as well.
"You plannin' on comin' out and introducin' yourself anytime soon or are things gonna have to get a little rough?" the man asked, slipping out of the faux-choke hold easily.
/Oh, I'll show yOU ROUGH/ flared Red.
"Woah, woah, woah, calm down there Red. We don't wanna hurt anyone yet, not when we have a job to do" Valkyrie reasoned- out loud apparently- as she realized a moment later.
"God, when they said you were a crazy bitch I didn't realize they meant it literally" the man whistled in mock-awe.
/saY THAT TO MY FACE YOU MOTHERFU-/
Valkyrie chose to cut that thought off before it became something more, the last thing she needed was Red taking control right when a job was offered. There was no way in any of the 7 Hells she was losing the opportunity to get out of solitary, even if it was for just a few hours.
"I recall you saying something about a job?" she brushed imaginary dirt off her tunic, "Tell them I accept"
The man grinned; a too-wide, predatory expression that almost- almost- made her reconsider.
"Good"
/This is gonna be bad/ Red sighed, ever-the-cynic.
[You don't know that! Maybe they'll be fun and we'll be friends!]
'Guys' Valkyrie hissed. 'I need to focus for this, or else we'll be back in solitary before you know it. You don't want that for us do you?'
/No/ hissed Red.
[No sir-e! That place is no fun at all]
'Good, we're in agreement on that one then'
A rough hand shoved at the small of her back, forcing her forward and through the doorway into the auction room. Not that it was used for that often. Only the weak, new recruitments- the ones who weren't up for missions- went in there.
No one ever came back.
[~Ominous~] whispered Cray conspiratorially.
/ More like ~serious~/ Red countered, mock '~' terms- however that was possible- clearly evident.
Enough about the room though, Valkyrie was much more fascinated by what- or should she say who- was in it. Not that he was particularly special; at least not any more so than any buyers she'd met in the past. He was just a little... young... for the types of services she was used to offering.
Then again, she supposed, looks were never a sound judgment of the interior. Ah damn, what was that phrase again?
/Never judge a book by its cover?/ drawled Red.
[But these are such pretty covers] swooned Cray.
"Hola senorita grasshopper"
Icy blue eyes snapped up to meet hers, a look of playful challenge in them. That was new. Usually her jovial greetings discouraged buyers more so than encouraged them.
[Can we keep him!?] Cray gushed excitedly.
/He's a buyer, he keeps us- not the other way 'round/
"Name's Ace" spoke- well- Ace, as Valkyrie now knew him.
"Though you already know that" he pushed off the chair, though didn't take any steps, instead, leaning over the backrest.
/I'm sorry but... what?/ Red spluttered.
[I think I'd remember a guy like him] Cray said slowly, seriously even, genuinely thinking for once.
The confusion Cray and Red carried perfectly onto Valkyrie's own features, a look of slightly agitated puzzlement clearly evident.
Ace, in turn, appeared just as confused as her. Obviously they'd met sometime recently- or at least notably enough for him to remember a random mercenary like herself. Valkyrie counted this as evidence #427 the drugs had effect on her memory.
"You-You don't remember me?" he asked quietly, any trace of his previous, cocky behaviour now gone.
Valkyrie remained silent.
Realizing he was going to get nothing out of Valkyrie he turned to the man who'd come in with her, head tilted in a wordless 'What?'
The man, of course, offered no such explanation, choosing instead to change the subject.
"I apologise Mr... Mr... What was it again?"
"Westminster" Ace supplied.
"Like I said, I apologise Mr. Westminster, but The Shadow doesn't form attachments. Though it may display emotions, I promise you it is nothing more than a ploy; a useful tactic on sleeper jobs"
Ace was still for a minute, the unnerving silence noticeable even to Valkyrie, before taking out four dull brown leather sacks, dropping them onto the table with a resounding 'thud'.
"I assume the rates are the same as last time? Though, I think I may be in need of extended use-"
The man opened his mouth to no-doubt object, but promptly shut it as Ace pulled out another two. He slid five across the table, grabbing a dagger out of nowhere and slitting the sixth open. Gold coins spilled out, a silent confirmation of the validity of the transaction.
The last bag was slid over and the man was practically salivating at the sight. He hurriedly scooped the bags up, pushing Valkyrie in the general direction of the blonde man and scurrying to the door.
"I hope you enjoy your purchase Mr. Westminster. I promise you won't regret it. The Shadow is very... skilled... at what it does" he fumbled at the door handle- a process much easier done with hands not feet- and hastily tumbled out, re-adjusting the bags as to not lose any precious coins.
Ace's face remained impassive; though Valkyrie noticed the subtle way his jaw tensed as the man left the room.
"So..." he started.
/Good with words isn't he?/ Red quipped sarcastically.
[Sew?] Cray asked childishly.
/No, 'so'/ Red said, fed-up tone already becoming present, /As in, 'I don't know what to say that's not gonna be douche-y' kind of 'so'/
[Ah, okaiiiiiiiii. So?]
"So" Valkyrie confirmed.
[Awkwwaarrrdd] Cray drew the word out.
/I knew there was no recovering from a conversation like that/
"So" Ace said, more firmly this time, less of a question and more of a statement.
/Wow/ Red said incredulously.
Cray giggled, [This is fun]
"So?" Valkyrie suggested.
Ace deadpanned her.
"So" he coughed, more out of discomfort than physical necessity, "You ready to go?"
/That's new/ Red spoke doubtfully, /they don't usually bother with our consent/
Valkyrie remained silent once again.
"Everything's packed on my end. You need anything from inside or are we good to go?" he asked, shifting in a way that was probably a little more self-conscious than Valkyrie assumed he meant to be.
She gave a brief nod in response.
Ace paused, obviously debating the pros and cons of confronting her about her communication techniques, or lack thereof. He settled for ignoring it for now.
"Welp" he started awkwardly, "Everything's packed on my end. If you're good to go with what's on you now, we should get started. It's already well past dawn and we need to reach my back-up base before dusk to convene with the others"