Delphi had liked Henry well enough when they had first met. He was fairly serious, but had a great sense of humor, or he laughed at her jokes and she found herself pretty funny. And was a dapper dresser.
Henry had liked Delphi well enough when they had first met. She was pleasant, engaging, and funny. Funnier than he had expected anyone in this business to be.
They both had just one foot in the door, trying to find some sort of stability in this strange business. Neither of them had heard of the other, and when Delphi asked for his name at the end of the night, "Henry Liu," rolled off his tongue like an amateur.
Delphi smiled and left without mentioning hers. A trick of the trade. But it didn't take Henry too long to figure it out.
The next time they bumped into each other they were both a bit more prominent. Their names were much more common than they had been. They were working different circuits, Henry was more into private security, but they occasionally heard of the other.
Henry had been contracted for the safety insurance of a foreign dignitary whilst at a gala. There were a lot of important people there. He sat at a table across from his client's. Henry watched carefully as people passed by him. His eyes flicking towards the entrances, exits, and then back to the dignitary every few seconds.
He had almost missed her walk in. Three years later, and she looked just about the same. Delphi wore a black jumpsuit, with a high neck and no back. A thin scar made its way up her spine. Her hair fell in big curls, and crystals shaped like teardrops hung from her ears.
Henry glanced around to see who else had noticed her.
No one had.
Henry briefly wondered if it was a good or bad thing that it was only he who had been drawn to her.
He was still wondering that.
Henry had wanted to kill Aldrich Aalders for quite some time. The scene that had played out only hours earlier, involving the beating of someone he cherished, also did nothing to abet Henry's desire to crush his employer's throat with his own hands.
Both Henry and Delphi were not under the impression that Aldrich would not find out about them. They had just hoped to keep their affiliation a secret as long as possible.
Aldrich was not surprised that his head guard had been bewitched by a Kane sister. It happened to the best of them. Though not surprised, he was angry. But that would have to wait. He was sitting in the passenger seat of a Cadillac Escalade when he received Winston's call, and he calmly asked his driver to turn around. If Henry had been in on it the whole time, Aldrich severely doubted that Delphi or John Wick were actually dead.
Delphi knew that there was not a creative bone in Aldrich's body, he even had his security team wear security guard uniforms like a bunch of dopes. And thus, she also knew he would keep her sisters in the very place that she used to bring people to him. Delphi was struck with nostalgia as she walked through the backdoor of the restaurant Aldrich owned.
Delphi was past the point of telling John he could go. Mostly because she knew he would never listen to her, but also, maybe just a bit, because she felt better with him by her side.
John walked through the restaurant with his gun drawn, weak shoulder out, a fighting style he had learned a long time ago. Delphi led and motioned for John when the coast was clear. They would never reach the vault if Aalders' men were alerted to their presence this early in the game.
Aldrich relied on an honest and loyal staff to keep his operation afloat. That was why when Delphi, Cleo, and Iris left he had been a little hurt. It was Phoebe who comforted him and explained that her sisters, due to their strange past and unconventional upbringing, could not stand to be tied down.
Up until recently, Aldrich had remembered his closeness with Delphi fondly. When he thought of her, his brain always called up a memory of her washing her hands.
Cut and bruised, he knew that the hot water would make them sting, but she let her hands sit under the stream anyways. A long minute passed, and Aldrich cleared his throat to get her attention. "Sorry," she apologized hastily, moving to dry her swollen knuckles. "We didn't have running hot water at our house growing up." She explained as she walked past him.
Aldrich learned then that he would never really understand those women.
His driver had not been moving fast enough for him. So, Aldrich had shot him and taken his place in the driver's seat.
After Delphi had led them through the kitchen and down the stairs, she took out the blade John had given her. He understood what that meant and holstered his gun. His hands moved quickly against the guards. Delphi muffled their screams with one hand as she stabbed them with her other. They made a quick business about it. Together, they went through 30 men. John's kill count was much higher with a partner.
Troy, ever faithful to Aldrich, but very afraid of John Wick, realized that their only hope was to separate them. He sent his five best men after Wick, and decided to handle Delphi himself.
John told her to move on as the men closed in around him. With so many around him knew that he may have no choice but to shoot. These men were more skilled than the rest. They gave him much harder time.
He held off as long as he could, but eventually his shots acted as a warning to her, and she began to run.
Troy stepped out of the aisle way in front of her. She started her assault with a kick to his chest. John shot the first man, but then his gun was knocked out of his hand. Delphi pummeled Troy with punches. John snapped a second man's arm. Troy hit Delphi in the abdomen, busting her stitches and causing her to scream in pain. John heard and began to move faster, newly motivated.
Troy took Delphi's moment of pain to slam her to the floor. He moved behind her and wrapped one arm around her neck, and braced himself with the other. Delphi moved quickly to release herself. She would not last long under his grip. She leaned down and crouched, and wrapped her arms around his knees, drawing him to the ground.
John swung his forearm out, much like a hook, and connected it to the third man's throat, immediately knocking him to the floor. The fourth man created distance between them. He was a kicker. John hated kickers.
Delphi moved to sit on Troy's chest, hoping her weight would give her some leverage. He threw her off easily. They both rose. Delphi moved in for a head kick.
The man also moved in with a head kick, John blocked with his shoulder, hand, and other palm, and then moved in with body shots.
Troy did not block, the top of her foot connected with his jaw. Delphi had learned this kick while training with Abraham. How fitting she used it now. While discombobulated, she began to hit him again and again in the head with her fists.
The fifth man drew a wide stance. He stuck out his jaw. John's fist collided with it.
Delphi seized her opportunity. She knocked Troy to the ground and used her knee on his throat, choking him. He had landed precisely where she wanted him to. She picked up the gun she had knocked out of his hand. She placed one bullet through his ear.
Delphi knew she was close. She thought about waiting for John, but decided to continue on without him. He would find his way easily enough.
John began walking the way Delphi had run.
