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It's a bright shining day, and in a big beautiful house a woman's laughter could be heard alongside a child's giggling. A piano was playing in the background and then the music stops and everything turns darks, sounds of a child crying and a woman cackling madly erupted from the swirling shadows, instantly changing to a scene of blood, and an unmoving body.
Ashley shot up from her bed, soaked and breathing heavily before falling back onto the pillow, eyes closing in weariness. She's seen this dream many times before and frankly she was bored of it, amnesia was a big problem; well she didn't mind losing her memories since she was content living with Melissa but she had all these recurring dreams, and she was unsure if it was a dream masquerading as a lost memory or if it was a sign of insanity. She sighed, another dream that was frequently appearing was ruby red eyes, yep just floating red eyes but she found the eyes nostalgic and comforting for some reason, though she prayed that they didn't belong to some monster or something. Other times she'll hear voices, they didn't make sense to her but she assumed it was from conversations from long ago, long forgotten in her conscious mind.
She rubbed at her temple as her head was throbbing like a bitch, and remembered she ought to write in her diary which helped to organise her thoughts and dreams/memories. She opens her eyes and squints against the bright flickering tube light above her, she frowns as she doesn't have a tube light in her bedroom, and notices the ceiling was unfamiliar and her bed was hard and uncomfortable. She sits up, wanting to scan her surroundings when she lets out a gasp as pain jolts through her from her stomach and she unbuttons her dark red short-sleeved shirt, and lifts her black vest. There is a purple bruise blossoming near the side of her slender frame, and Ashley gently massages in and around the area before diagnosing a case of badly bruised ribs, nothing was broken or bleeding from the inside.
Ashley hears a low, whirling humming which informs her that she was in a space vehicle of some kind, and was at the moment flying through space. Ashley was in a small room, with two beds, it was akin to a jail cell of sorts as it didn't have much in the room and the door could not be opened from the inside. While wondering why she here, she recalled fighting with Riddick and Kyra and something fell on her, but for some reason it was hazy and unclear and her pounding in her head immediately spiked up. Great, as if I needed to lose more memories. She scowls at the chain between her wrists, linking them together, scowling more at the thought that she was caught by mercenaries.
With an annoyed sigh, she swings her legs over the bed and approaches the door, banging on it loudly in hope that she gets someone's attention. Whoever caught her had made a mistake and she had to rectify that mistake through negotiation, or violence if playing nice fails.
"Morning" Ashley freezes her knocking when she hears a familiar male, baritone voice though the intercom. She blinks at the intercom in disbelief that she was caught by Riddick, and she pulls the toggle on the intercom, wanting to know what the heck was going on.
"Riddick! What the fuck? Let me out!"
"Human blood has a metallic taste to it, very coppery but cut it with peppermint schnapps that goes away. Course, that's more for winter, summer time I take mine straight" Ashley stands by the intercom, thinking that Riddick was a fucked up, sociopath.
"Um, right" Ashley was really at a lost at what to say, the other person was bat shit crazy. She hears a low rumble of laughter, and her fuse is lit when she realises the man was mocking her.
"Fuck you! Now let me out!"
"I really could let you out couldn't I? But where's the fun in that, sit tight princess and listen, I got something I need tell you"
"What? That you're a psycho" Ashley scoffs with a small smirk playing on her lips.
"Princess, don't think I appreciate your mean words" Ashley arches an eyebrow at his nickname for her
"And I don't appreciate you calling me princess"
"Whatever princess, the thing is, I lost Kyra and-"Riddick is cut off when Ashley pulls the toggle aggressively on her intercom.
"Why the fuck should I care? Let-Me-Out!" kicking at the door with each word before releasing the toggle and glaring at the intercom while Riddick watches her with amusement through the surveillance monitors.
"Princess, calm down now and hear what I have to say, I believe it's in your best interests" he says the last part, dangerously low as if he was threatening her. Ashley places a hand on her hip, and waits for Riddick to continue.
"As I was saying, I lost Kyra and therefore I need to find her but I was thinking why do it alone? I could use someone like you to help me. You catch my drift princess?" drawing out the last word with a hint of humour in his husky voice.
"Let me think about it…well now that I have thought about it, why don't you go fuck yourself!" Ashley pulls away from the door, and heads back for the bed.
"This is a nice chain you got here, would be a shame if something were to happen to it" Ashley froze, and slowly turned round and moved closer to the intercom as if she was hypnotized by it and pulled the toggle.
"What chain are you on about?" her voice was almost a whisper
"A black chain, got a dragon pendant on it"
"Where the hell did you get that?" her voice raspy in shock.
"It's important isn't it? If you want it back then find Kyra. Once I have her safe and sound, I will return this back to you. Do we have ourselves a deal"
Ashley was a member of the Black Dragons, the last remaining Yakuza that had somehow managed to persevere. That chain was important as it held their family crest, the black dragon which was a symbol of power and authority, the colour black illustrating how the family remains unseen, working from the darkness of the night. The red eye on the dragon was the symbol of protection and blood, reminding everyone in the family that to ensure the protection of the family they must be willing to spill blood, and to avenge the blood that's already spilled. It was made of real ruby, and the main body of the dragon was crafted from obsidian, a rare expensive stone. Everyone in the main family has one, and if one loses it well….let's just say you'll be sleeping with the fishes. Ashley had to get back at all costs.
"How can I trust you?"
Riddick smiles, all his teeth showing "How could you not?"
Ashley sighs, annoyed that the man was talking in circles, but she resigns herself and takes in a deep breath.
"Fine, I'll help but the moment you and her are within ten feet of each other I'm getting the necklace back, with or without violence"
"You got a deal Princess"
"Whatever man, so what the hell happened?" Ashley didn't bother asking to be let out again, she knew he wouldn't.
"….we were caught, all knocked out and then drugged but I woke up before they put me in that cell with you and let's just say our merc friends won't be waking up, ever." Riddick spins on his chair, looking down the ship where there are bodies slung on the floor, crumpled like trampled roses.
"But I did a thorough interrogation on one them before popping his artery" Ashley gulped, while Riddick twirled a bloody, severed finger in his hand before tossing it haphazardly away.
"Right…so what did you find out?" Ashley asked, not at all looking forward to working with this man.
"These men were working for someone, even they don't know who sent them but they were promised a whole lot of money to catch me and Kyra"
"Well you probably have made a ton of enemies" Ashley said coolly, leaning a shoulder on the door beside the intercom.
"But mercs being mercs decided to fuck them and bring the lot of us to prison themselves, of course they had no idea who you were but figured you were a criminal which of course is true. They dropped Kyra at Crematoria, and we were heading to Ursa Luna but not anymore"
"I'm gonna take a guess and say we're heading to Crematoria to pick up Kyra"
"Yeah…but to do that I need to get us some mercs to catch us"
"Then why kill the mercs here?"
"I needed information, mercs aren't a dying breed"
"True that…" Ashley released the toggle for the final time, and since there was nothing she could do in this room she headed back to bed, sitting up and leaning against the wall. Mulling over recent events, someone was after Riddick and Kyra, would that mean they will come after them? This was quite a situation; she had to do things quietly, if she could.
"Sleep tight Ashley" the intercom rang out and Ashley gave a harsh finger to the camera and settles down to sleep. Riddick sits by the controls, papers and photographs in his hands, smiling widely, his bloody hand sweeping over a photographic image of a woman, smoking in the street, unaware that a photo was taken, her name was Ashley Ryoku. Riddick had purposely forgot to tell the young woman that they were also ordered to catch her and that they were going to take her straight to the people who wanted her after dropping him at Ursa Luna. Whoever these rich men were they had done a lot on research into all three of them and he was intrigued to found out why. Not to mention how all three were caught at the same time? Was it coincidence or were they set up? He was looking forward to the storm of events that was clearly going to come, he chuckled loudly in enjoyment.
Let's find us some mercs
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