Ideal conditions for a little "information gathering".
Perfect setting for grabbing some dirt on yet another wealthy mogul set up in Saint Denis
It was a great night for Mei, this action made her salivate. The rich never cared for her when she was poor and starving, nor did they care when they pushed everyone not fortunate enough to be born white into a small corner of the city filled with squalor and decrepit buildings. Reminiscent of one of her favorite books, "A Tale of Two Cities". Though there would be no guillotine or revolution for the wealthy class of Saint Denis. No, in the face of oppressive odds and hopeless futures one must be willing to take matters into their own hands. This was something Mei was excellent at.
She changed her voice in order to accomplish what she needed, hid her identity, pretended to be something she wasn't all in the name of survival. She was tenacious but well aware of her limitations as it was a constant reminder to her as she wandered the streets, though this night is different. She relished these moments: Getting dirt on the rich and theft are what she excelled in, and she was prepared to prove the city why.
She dismounted her loyal, skinny old horse "Faith". Faith wasn't much, but he was there for her, and Mei cared for him. That was good enough for her and him alike. Both thrown away at some point but united in their loss, he always by her side. Her lifted shoes hit the ground, she wasn't a naturally tall woman to put it nicely, and she needed size to account for her appearance, but that's what a good cobbler is for. The shoes added at least three inches which helped keep a masculine identity intact, lifted from heel to toe. She adjusted her blue jacket, white trim highlights the neckline and silver buttons keeping it closed up and more importantly concealing her body. Underneath the jacket what appeared to be a french dress shirt, very common in the city but comfortable. Plaid, neatly kept pants rustled in the moderate winds of the evening though it did not phase her. She had a job to do, after all.
These opportunities were few and far between, but when they presented themselves she delivered, conquering adversity wherever she found it was one of the few pleasures she relished in a wealth deprived life. She quietly walked along the wharf of the city, her target? A seafood restaurant, one of the finest in town: Blue Salmon. She has heard nothing but good things about it, though was never wealthy enough to even touch the scraps as they hit the trash.
"Perhaps after this is done I will get to experience it before the doors close for good..." Mei wondered to herself, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she waited for a trolley to cross a roundabout, making her way to a corner of a street adjacent to the wharf. The city was not extremely lively in the dead of night, not with the weather as unruly as it has shown itself to be, that's fine however. No one pays attention to an supposed Chinese man likely heading to work, when you are as nondescript as Mei, crowds simply get in the way. S
he walks the sidewalk, past a beggar and into an narrow alleyway home to a collection of homeless desperately trying to make shelter with the garbage of the city. She approached a large metal gate heading into the loading area of the restaurant, no deliveries were scheduled for the evening according to what info she had, it was only natural that there would be no employees inside. Her Schofield revolver glistened in the moonlight-quickly covered up with the lip of her jacket as Mei reaches into her pocket to withdraw a lockpick and torque wrench.
This...this is something she took pride in, breaking a lock is elementary in concept, but what makes the task difficult is the different forms and variations it could take. Locksmiths almost always have some personal touch to them, a symbol to show who crafted such an expertly designed safekeeping measure. The golden "R" on the front means it was a Roebuck, which means the fourth tumbler will always give...click.
Mei hummed to herself as she crouched down and got a look at the lockpick and keyhole wrestling against each other, stroking the tumblers carefully until she found some give-click. Fifth tumbler. Mei stuck her tongue out and bit down on it, furrowing her brow as she worked a final stroke-click. The lock gave way. "Simple. Good." Is all Mei could think to herself, quietly pocketing the lock and opening the gates as slowly and softly as she could, emitting a quiet whine of metal on metal. Just enough so that her small frame could slide inside of the loading area.
Mei used to think a great deal in her jobs, but has learned to keep a clear head and conscience as she works, the express intent of clearing her mind and tunneling all of her focus into what needs to be done has made her impeccable at remaining quiet when it matters most. She casually wanders the loading area and finds a door that leading inside to the restaurant. She takes slowly deliberate steps toward the back entryway, extending a hand out to turn the knob-
-unlocked?
The door...opened, there was no resistance. This was particularly odd. Why would a reputable, top quality restaurant in the biggest hub within several hundred miles simply be unlocked? It's downright foolish. Mei stared forward at the pitch dark interior, her expression blank but a conflict raged on internally, "Why was this unlocked...this doesn't feel right..." She took a deep breath through her nose and took soft, slow steps inside, "Perhaps...they feel a locked gate is enough...no...that can't be it..." She continues to toil over the sheer inexplicable event of an unlocked door, she shakes her head perhaps as an internal wake up call, "In and out. Quickly."
Mei softly stepped inside and peered about, looking for a safe which supposedly contained a forged land deed used to steal from an elderly couple on the north end of town. Far too old to realize what had happened and would not live long enough to fight the swindle. It was cold, heartless, calculated, and smart. It did nothing but seed contempt for the owner, as the Chinese immigrant moved around the emptied, tidy kitchen, the smell of sauces permeating the air from a recent cleanup.
She moved into the foyer where a collection of high quality furniture, rugs and even a small stage for a live band beside the front windows, as if to taunt the city-goers not fortunate enough to listen in. This was more than just an eatery-it was an experience. Mei couldn't waste time, this entire job was already far too odd for her. She climbed the staircase in the back of the foyer, situated in between the stage and the kitchen doors and found even more tables, plants, paintings on the second floor. All worthless. On to the third-an office-this had to be it. Mei didn't want to chance it, she slowly approached the door and tested it, palm resting on the doorknob she gave it a turn and-unlocked. Again. Mei had no time to process this worrisome state of affairs, she powered her way into the office and looked for the described safe, immediately heading to the desk where it was supposedly kept. She scanned the drawers, and looked to the side walls before pushing the chair aside and lifting the rug underneath the table partially up-a floor safe. She found it. It's always the same thing with these office spaces and where they choose to hide valuables.
Mei brought an ear down to the floor, hovering just above the safe and set to work, holding her left hand beside herself to help keep a mental note of what she has accomplished. She turned the dial counter clockwise, slowly but surely.
*Click*, 42, Mei reset and begun spinning clockwise, she has done this plenty of times for it to not take a profound length of time. After all, there isn't nothing particularly unique about this model as she held an index finger up to in the air.
*Click*, 15, Mei's middle finger joins her index, as she spins counter clockwise. She hears some rustling coming from downstairs-she knew someone had stumbled upon her but knew better than to interrupt herself. She was far too close, her concentration.
*Click*, 23, the safe swung open, "We know you're in here Kenneth." A booming voice echoes from downstairs, Mei grabbed the documents inside and cracked the window directly behind the desk. She didn't have time to listen to this nonsense.
"You're surrounded, there's no way you will get out of here unless you work with me." Mei froze, a hand pressed against the window as she heard the marching of several men gather outside, she even noticed some lawmen. "What was going on...?" She wondered aloud.
"You're a wanted man, there are some people who would like to talk to you...but I can help you make that disappear." The voice was growing closer, Mei breathed deeply through her nose and cracked the window open further, planting her leg into the windowsill and pulling herself out while holding onto the decorative molding outside.
"There she is!" One of the voices beneath her let out, "Freeze!" They demanded. No chance. Mei swung herself from the window to the rooftop, a gunshot whizzed by after she cleared it, in complete and utter shock. "Th-they're trying to kill me." She thought, a violent shiver brought on by panic running along her body.
"Get her!" The voice boomed from within, Mei needed to move, and it had to be now as the citizens of the city, either drunk or working a dark and lonely night, broke out into a riotous commotion, yelling intelligibly as a collective and scattering from the area. Chaos is something she could work with. She used the opportunity to scan the area around her-there were buildings closely packed together, some with balconies, others without. She needs to cut directly up the street until she knows Faith and his fading hearing could hear a call. She stood up, sprinted with incredible speed in a running start, and jumped from the restaurant, landing atop a jewelry store. She rolled after the jump and carried her momentum, spotting a butcher's with a man toting a shotgun, recently awoken from their slumber.
"Don't ya dare!" He bellowed at her, though next to that building the left hand side was another restaurant. She continued her sprint despite the threatening man and made it to yet another rooftop. The downside is there was nowhere to go, she had to chance it. Mei whistled out for Faith as she slid down a ladder, holding desperately onto the plaid cap that kept her hair in place. She broke out into a sprint across the street, letting out another whistle. Now they knew she was grounded.
"He's trying to get away!" Mei hears, continuing her run while keeping her eyes peeled for Faith. She was confident that she could beat any of the men behind her in a footrace, but a horse is another story entirely. She cut into an alleyway, doing her best to avoid the beggars gathered around conversing among each other about what exactly was happening. She ended up in a small plaza with several dwelling surrounding it, manic voices being heard from inside separate homes as she let out yet another whistle. This time though-galloping is heard, plodding awkwardly on the cobblestone road. It was almost assuredly Faith.
Mei could guess the strained gait anywhere. She smiled to herself and turned to leave the small complex, spotting Faith hobbling toward her, she grabbed onto the reins and swung herself atop the trusty horse and giving it a poke with the heel of her shoes into its side, beginning to run. Faith didn't have much left, but when it mattered he could still run, and does Mei certainly need it.
"This was a set up, it had to be." Mei guessed, cursing underneath her breath as she cut through the empty streets, hearing even louder galloping echoing from every direction. Trying to corral her in the city, "There is absolutely no way they could have known I was showing up. I have to leave the city. Southwest road is close. Easy shot into the swamp." She refocuses and changes course, heading to the southwest road in a large loop along the streets in order to avoid any head on pursuers, "When I find out who did this, there will be hell to pay." Mei grit her teeth and swung the reins hard, Faith pushed even more.
A group was forming behind her, she wasn't losing any ground but she certainly wasn't gaining it. She had to outmaneuver them. The swamps were just the place. She rode past the wharf once more with a tail of six separate horses, men firing shots at her direction with a mixture of repeaters and revolvers. By what can only be luck they were all missing. Mei kept her gaze forward, drowning out all gunshots and focusing on the treeline ahead within the swamps.
"Faith might break a leg in there, but I have no choice, I'm sorry my bo-"
A loud gunshot rang off, a thunderous and powerful noise that could deafen even the loudest of crowds from behind a stack of crates along the bridge, a well placed shotgun blast aimed at Faith's head. There was nothing that could be done. The lifeless body of Faith ceased galloping instantly, the force coming from the gun causing his frail body to twist forward. A shocked and confused Mei had no time to react, not to the gunshot, not to the careening body of her former friend. She was flung from the saddle and sailed through the air, her hat carried off by the wind as her locks were freed. It was not a pleasant landing, Mei struck the stone bridge violently, crashing and rolling along its surface, collecting scrapes and tears along the way. Mei felt herself fading, the shock of pain hitting her, a dead friend several yards behind her, the ominious galloping of her pursuers drawing closer. She fought to stay awake but there were limits to the Human body, even for someone as determined as she was.
She faded to black, limp and bloody on the ground of a heartless city.