AN: another rp documented here with my friend writing for Nightcrawler as I throw plot at him like a ST for a table top game.
The night air was brisk, the moon above just short of full and only occasionally obscured by wisps of cloud. A pleasant night for a walk about, for one to contemplate the world, relax, perhaps travel arm in arm with a loved one. But this night there were more important things. Evil was at work. The criminal underground dealing in arms, drugs, artifacts, some exotic animals. For those who did not wish to be a part of such business, they would be glad to see neither human nor mutant flesh was on the market here. The clientele considered themselves above at least that form of trafficking, this was not the audience for that market. There was plenty of armed security, and in the box above the well muscled man in crisp attire, who presided over the event. As he descended the stairs, a petite Asian woman walked beside him, a white bodycon dress clinging to her frame and long white hair a silken invitation, if not for the sharp edges of her face and icy blue disregarding gaze. Her feet were bare as she trailed after the host, a collar around her neck that was ornate. Silver with blue swirls, something easily mistaken for a gift or mark of the bdsm communities, a clear mark of her position. The host took his chair, she settled in to stand beside him, face blank, as the auctions began.
Item after item, but what would draw the attention of an X-man? What could have gotten the professor's attention enough to send one Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler, to investigate this even? There it was. A vial of something, shown very quickly before being tucked back into the safety of the casing. A set of vials, promising to grant temporary powers to those who used them. Tested, tried, results will vary, but for those who wanted to feel like something more extraordinary, the bidding had begun.
Unseen by the seedy types below, Kurt clung to a high bit of scaffolding, arms and legs wrapped around the metal. His tail was curled around a pair of binoculars, letting him watch for his target. The Professor was certainly rattled over this new drug, and had sent Kurt to retrieve it. Certain...less calm heads had wanted to send a whole team, but Xavier had wanted things handled more subtly. "Ach, ja, Professor. But that's a lot of guns," Kurt muttered to himself as he watched the proceedings. The armed guards wouldn't be too hard to handle, but if they weren't using suppressors, the quiet approach would dissolve quickly. He saw her then, padding barefoot down the stairs. Kurt bared his teeth at the sight of the collar. He'd seen enough injustice done in his time. The mission was obviously paramount...but if he could get the vial AND the woman he was assuming to be a slave to this underworld scum, he certainly would. Muscles tensing, Kurt settled in to wait for the drug to appear again.
The bidding came to a swift conclusion, and perhaps the next part may as well have been fate. The man in charge nodded to the case, the primary big block item of the night too important evidently to be delivered by anything less than his own prized possession. She moved forward at the nod, a hush falling over the crowd, and only one was foolish enough to make a jest about how much the bidding might start for her when she reached the platform. A few in the crowd chuckled, some eyed the crime lord with nervous reproach. The man grinned, making those unsure in the crowd relax.
"You have admirers, Ai. Do you have something to say for them?" she said nothing, but when he said her name again she paused in her advance towards the case. He stood from his seat, and motioned with one hand for the man who had commented to come forward.
"I don't believe I've seen you at these before. A new face?" he strode forward and offered a firm hand shake for the other, who accepted.
"Mark."
"Mark. I'm sure you know who I am," another laugh from the crowd, "Are you enjoying yourself?" Mark gave a grin and a nod, but was cut off before he could properly answer, "Oh good." a hush fell over the crowd as the man in charge used the hand grip to turn Mark towards Ai, who's face remained blank.
"She's much more lovely up close. Say hello to your admirer, Ai." her blue gaze flicked between the two, and she gave a low bow and a soft,
"Hello." Mark smiled, mimicking the bow slightly,
"Hello."
"Now, Ai?" she glanced up from her bow, he issued a single command in Chinese, and the rest happened in a blur of speed. She stepped forward, a hand snapped to Mark's wrist, another step and jerk of motion and he was on his stomach, Ai's firm grip on his arm twisting it out of socket with a pop. Mark gave a scream.
"That's enough, Ai, I think he's learned some manners." She released him as easily as the command issued had been followed before, and stood by.
"Now then, run along back to your place, Mark. And keep this in mind the next time you eye what isn't yours." a few light chuckles came from the crowd at his expense as he pulled himself back down and cradled his arm. The man in charge gave Ai a nod, and returned to his seat as she returned to collecting the case. With it in hand, she moved steadily towards the winner of the bid to hand it over personally.
The mutant watched the bidding silently, eyes flitting from the items up for sale to the armed guards and back as he waited, the very top of his tail twitching impatiently. At last, it was time! And the winner was getting a hand delivery by the woman he'd noticed earlier. Kurt had to smile. Sometimes God saw fit to make things easy for him. The teleporter tensed, tucked the binoculars away, and prepared to move out. Of course, that was before she wrenched the man's arm out of its socket. He hefted a sigh, a heavy exhalation, sweeping his eyes skyward as if asking "Really?" "Well...job's a job. Gott im Himmel, bitte sei jetzt bei mir..." He had to move right then. While people were still somewhat distracted by the show of force. "Why couldn't he just have had her punch something instead," he wondered silently as he teleported to the top of the box, quickly neutralizing the guard there with a heavy blow of his rapier's pommel. "It would have been so much nicer, and still made his point," the teleporter continued to himself as another guard vanished. "I guess I just don't get it." He was on the stage now, appearing with the telltale crack that heralded him. Only one shot. His tail shot out to wrap around the white-haired woman's wrist, hand on her shoulder. Teleport, quickly, a few blocks away; release before the nausea wears off. He backed off quickly, offering her an apologetic smile. "Es tut mir leid, Fraulein, but I'm going to need to take that briefcase. Is there any way that can happen without a fight?"
The crowd was thrown into chaos, but none anticipated what would happen next, certainly not the woman being snatched away. The man in charge was quick to make moves to demand the two would be found, though neither of them would hear it. Ai was reeling by the time she was released from that grip. What was that? What had happened? She spun to address the man, no blue one, who had apprehended her. For a split second that too was surprise enough to earn an actual expression on her face, before the steely resolve returned. Her gaze flicked about the area, spotting the water not far away, the location had been near enough to the docks. She did not release the case, eyes narrowing at him and sliding into a fighting stance, before she seemed to realize something. She blinked. She smiled. She laughed, sharp teeth behind the lips, and then she held the case out for him to take. She still said nothing, though the apparent act of defiance had brought a glimmer behind those eyes, which up close had a reptilian slit to them. The fingernails at the ends of her fingers were claws, as she waited for him to take the case. She would not, in fact, resist, but instead easily allowed the transfer, and stood back again. Instead of words, she motioned with her head that he should go, and slid her attention back to the building they had come from.
"I must return." the words were soft, accented and heavy on tongue.
Kurt was unaware of the reactions back at the auction site, but had his suspicions. It was always the same with those types. And this wasn't seeming to be different either. Kurt hefted another sigh, blade coming around readily to a defensive stance, his eyes warily watching her center mass to catch any movement. She was off guard after the trip, and it showed, if only for the barest of moments. Good. But soon it was his turn to be surprised. She...smiled? Laughed? Held the case out? Kurt eyed her warily, his yellow eyes on hers. He idly noted the shape of her pupils, the presence of her claws. A trap? An attempt to close the distance between them so she could strike? Or was she unhappy with her lot and just looking to disrupt her...owner? Employer? Whoever he was, it wasn't important. She was...willing. Seemingly. He reached out with his tail, warily, slowly. She let the case go without any resistance. Curious, Kurt raised a brow. He could let her go back, even return her himself and escape. But that collar still rankled him. He couldn't just leave without a word. "Danke schon. That went easier than I thought it would, to be honest. But...warum? Why do you need to go back? Why serve instead of living dein own life?"
Her gaze flicked back with the same expression she had worn earlier. Vacant. Or perhaps guarded.
"It is no choice. When he tells me to kill you, I must." When. She knew it was coming, and the statement doubled as a warning. He should go. Already she expected to face retribution for so easily handing the case over. She could already hear the heavy footsteps growing closer, and winced when she heard the voice in her head, the word coming as more of a command this time,
"Go!" The blue on the collar glowed, tightening to bring her to her knees. She could hear the voice in her head,
"Ai, return to me." she began to stand to do just that, and he added to the command. "Bring that intruder, if you can. Alive." she sighed, turning towards Kurt again.
"I have been instructed to bring you back." A rush of speed towards him, no longer disoriented from the earlier teleporting, she kicked off the ground and in an instant was airborne, literally flying without wings to aid her towards him. So that if he teleported away, she might follow.
Her words troubled him. She must? What kind of sway could this man hold? He mentally sketched a description of the pair. Xavier might know more, and if he didn't, Forge would be able to find the information. "You would nicht be the first to try to kill me. Or the last. But I don't understand...why-" His question was cut short by the woman's barked command. He refused to give up yet, though, sheathing his sword, tail tightening on the briefcase. He nodded at her explanation, feeling no ire towards the woman...though plenty of annoyance at the situation. It just couldn't go smoothly...and she was flying at him. His instincts alerted him of every safe place around him to teleport to, and he picked one. Perhaps not the smartest one, but still, he'd decided. His trip was short, the mutant reappearing a mere yard to one side, eyes watching her.
She barely paused, coughing on the smoke he left behind but not deterred. She veered, rushing towards him again, as some of the men caught up at last. They turned from figure to figure, unsure what to do. Small enough brains, they chose to open fire on the intruder. She paused, a glare to the crowd, and her form shifted. It grew. A smooth liquid motion, that left a twelve foot white dragon in her place. A Chinese serpent, standing between the men and their target with a hiss. The men lowered their weapons as a voice somewhere between a hiss and a growl sounded heavy words, "my master wants him alive." The literal dragon turned back towards him, seeking out again what she'd been told to fetch.
Kurt tensed as the woman turned back towards him, taking note of her agility. His ears picked up the sound of the incoming men. Before he could figure out how to deal with them all, she intruded, placing herself in the path of fire. That was odd enough before she started shapeshifting. By the time she was speaking, he'd seen enough. Kurt wasn't fool enough to fight a dragon alone. He 'ported to a skyscraper a few blocks away, all but disappearing in the shadow it cast over the countless windows.
He was gone. As she had told him to go. At least she hadn't been instructed to kill him. She sniffed the air a few times, the smoke left behind not something she could easily track. She gave a shake, a shimmy, the scales began to fall and shed away, melt and dissolve, until she was standing again in a human shape. The dress did not survive the process. She didn't even notice. She turned to stride back to her master, and none of the armed men bothered to stop her.
"I was unable to capture." She would inform her master, moving to her knees as she had learned to do, pressing forehead to the concrete floor.
"What a curious event. Now why would one of those x-men take interest in our little organization? Curious, isn't it? Well no matter. I'm sure you did what you could." She was confused. But had learned long ago to roll with his whims. "All the same, I'll be keeping you very close to me, Ai." He motioned with a hand for her to rise and come perch on the arm of his chair. "You are very precious, my pet. I'd hate to see anything happen to you." She knew better than to even grit her teeth. Instead she gave a nod, and imagined the day she would crunch his head in her jaws.