Y'know, my dudes...I'm kinda thinking of making these chapters shorter. It would just make it a lot easier to read, and it would greatly speed up publication time. Especially since I've got the ACT and AP exams coming up, I just won't have much time to be having fun and writing action-packed fanfictions.
In this concise collection of ~7K words, Alexia and Jess receive their payment for all the trouble they went through in the previous two chapters. Will it all be worthwhile, or is Simeon Yetarian really out to con them as well, just as he has so many others? If he does live up to his word, what will two carjackers do with all their hard-earned funds? What are the side measurements of a 30-60-90 right triangle?
I...have to study that last one 'cause I dunno. Read over this cute little baby of a chapter to find out the other answers.
As soon as the two cars pulled into Southern San Andreas Super Autos, a newly-designed facade located at the crossroads of the Downtown area and a much-poorer ghetto on the other side of the Olympic Freeway, Alexia and Jess were greeted ecstatically by its proud immigrant owner.
Simeon Yetarian, a short, balding Middle-Eastern man with a prominent nose and thick, protruding eyebrows to match, was standing in the back alley of the dealership. They could tell he had been awaiting their return with much enthusiasm, due to the way he joyously came up to them immediately after they stepped out of the cars.
"Ohh, excellent! Excellent job, you two!" he exalted them, shouting his appreciation for the whole world to hear.
Without warning, the overly excited man went up to Jess and hugged her, pinning the surprised woman's arms by her sides.
"Aha, Lamar was right about you, Alexia! I knew you could get the job done, I am so proud of you! I think you and I will make for a great partnership, ah?"
"Umm, I'm not..."
Jess urgently nudged her head over towards the smaller, more insignificant woman behind her, who smiled timidly and gave Mr. Yetarian a light wave.
The Armenian-American con artist, acknowledging his error, released Jess and walked over to face the woman he had talked to over the phone a few hours prior.
"Sorry about that..." he apologized, looking down at the shorter girl in front of him. "But, ah, like I said, you seem to be very dependable, my girl. You have delivered these cars successfully, and I hope that you could do the same for the other vehicles. From this point on, I shall proudly consider us business partners."
Simeon prepared for another hug, but Alexia instead held out a hand whilst retaining her shy grin, in anticipation of a pact-sealing handshake. Respecting her wishes on how to affirm their criminal partnership, Simeon gave her black-gloved hand a warm, firm shake, of the caliber that only businessmen were capable of.
After this slightly awkward first meeting, he strolled towards the two vehicles that had been delivered to him, appraising them so that he could assess how much he should pay the two women for their hard work.
"Hmm, there seems to be a bit of damage, to the Stinger especially," he commented.
"Yeah, um, we ran into some trouble with the cops on the way out," Alexia explained. "They were trying to ram us off the road."
"We managed to lose 'em in the L.S. Metro tunnel," Jess continued. "They got a lil' dirty and muddy in the process, but we could help you wash it off, pay for any-"
"Oh, nononononono..."
Simeon waved his hands in the air, rebuffing the girls' generous offers of help.
"Erm...tell you what, since this is your first delivery for my business, and I am quite a generous man...I will not deduct for the condition of the cars this time. I will cover any costs of repair or respray. It shall not come out of your paychecks."
"Oh, cool..."
Jess, who had grown quite experienced in negotiation and enticement in her criminal career, tossed her long blonde hair to the side and crossed her arms over her chest.
"So, uhh, how much we talkin' here?" she said, giving him a sultry grin.
"Insistent, are you?" he replied with a similar smile. "Don't worry, I have set aside quite a healthy amount for your efforts today."
Out of his pocket, Simeon produced two humongous wads of cash, both of equal weight and value. He deposited these into the girls' cupped hands, as if they were beggars or starving children.
After flipping through the stack of cash and checking the bills for anything that would mark them as fraudulent or otherwise corrupted, Jess looked at the man with a newfound sense of respect, now that he had fulfilled his end of the deal.
"Wow. Not bad, man...What do you think, Lexi?"
Alexia, however, was much too astonished to respond. Flipping through the stack of bills, each marked with Benjamin Franklin's half-smiling portrait, was enough to leave someone who had grown up in such bitter poverty dumbfounded, now that they were in possession of such a large amount of cash.
She smiled widely, even giving a subconscious chuckle as she excitedly flipped through the stack of hundred-dollar bills.
"That is about $5,000 you are holding there," he informed Alexia, sagaciously picking up on her astonished expression as she held the small fortune in her hands.
"And believe me, there is much more where that came from, if you could bring me the other cars on that list I sent you."
"Y...yeah, of course..." she finally managed to find words in response, her eyes not removing themselves from the cash.
Taking notice of a customer that had since entered the building and was reviewing some of the cars on the sales floor, Simeon retreated back towards the garage door that led into his business.
"I can see now that you two are a reliable pair of hands. Great work today. I trust that we shall see each other again soon, ah?"
"Aight. Peace out, dude."
Jess took her friend by the shoulders and led her out of the alleyway behind the car dealership, while Simeon closed his garage door as he retreated back into his business.
"...You alright, Alexia?" she said, concerned about her friend's detachment from reality and intent stare, but nonetheless smiling over how happy she appeared to be at the moment.
"Yeah, I...I've just..."
Alexia attempted to collect herself a little more, so that she could properly respond to her friend's concerns.
"...I've just never held so much money all at one time before. I mean, you know how I grew up and...It's...kind of a shock to me, that's all."
"Ooh, what do you think you're gonna spend it on?" Jess asked her enthusiastically.
Alexia found herself unsure how to answer this question; she looked down at the stack of money, unsure of exactly what she would do with such a large sum of cash.
"Girrrl, we should go out and have some fun today!" said Jess, jumping up and down in the dingy alleyway.
"We could go to the ice cream store and buy every flavor they got! Chocolate, mint, strawberry, the whole shazam! O-or we could go get spray tans, or waxes...Manicures, possibly?"
Jess smiled cutely and wiggled her fingers, indicating that she very much liked the last option. Alexia instead looked downwards at the large sum of paper money for a little longer, considering some other applications of what they could do with it.
"Nah, Jess...I mean, those sound really fun and all, but I feel like I have to spend it on something more...useful."
Jess, while disappointed that Alexia didn't share her desire for such random fun, nodded understandingly at her wishes.
"Um...There's an Ammu-Nation right next door."
Alexia's interest was now peaked. She followed Jess's index finger over to the red-painted brick building, which stood out like a target displayed among all the decaying concrete around it.
"I mean, the boss did say that we should be buying weapons to prepare for the whole...thing with the Roses. And I kinda need to replenish my arsenal anyway, so...to each her own this time, okay?"
Alexia nodded, smiling with content. Jess was not going to cover her financially this time around. This fact alone made her especially happy because their trip to the gun store would not have the opportunity to add to the already-impressive amount of debt she had accrued while hanging out with her. Even though Jess had told her she did not have to pay it back, Alexia fully intended to as soon as she had the money to do so. She felt that it was the least she could do for someone that cared about her so dearly and who had saved her life not once, but twice over the span of just 24 hours.
They struggled to shove the cash into their pockets before heading out of the alleyway and turning east towards the store. They did not have to walk for long on the sunbathed sidewalk before they arrived at the reinforced iron doors that led into Ammu-Nation.
The air-conditioned atmosphere of the shop floor granted the two women a blissful reprieve from the hot, humid Los Santos day outside. A man behind the counter greeted them, his only customers at the moment, with an amiable wave of the hand.
"Howdy," he greeted with what resembled a light Midwestern accent. "How y'all doing?"
"Sup, man?" the more social of the two greeted back. "We were, uh, just lookin' to buy some..."
Suddenly, Jess glanced to the side and looked at Alexia, who looked as if she had been stricken with catalepsy or some other acute illness that causes a person to become stiff and unmoving. Her eyes and mouth were open, seemingly staring off into space or some other unknown dimension.
"...Lexi?"
She nudged her friend with her elbow, but still she refused to move or even blink.
Alexia, who had never seen such an impressive display of weaponry in her life, was stricken with a sort of shocked excitement that merely resembled a catatonic seizure. She stared over all the fully-automatic and semi-automatic pieces displayed on hooks and tables at the front of the store. Many of these weapons, such as most of the submachine guns and heavy-duty rifles, she had only had the opportunity read about in some of the many books on firearms that she possessed and had never actually gotten to see or touch them in person.
But now, knowing that with her newfound career path she would eventually have the means to eventually purchase some or all of these magnificent weapons, Alexia found herself profusely overjoyed, so much so that Jess had to simply push her up to the front counter.
"Uhh...you okay, ma'am?" the friendly Ammu-Nation salesman asked her.
Seeing as the purveyor of these guns, the man who would grant her merciful access to them, was speaking directly to her, Alexia had reason to snap out of her dissociative state and to look at the man.
"Sorry. It's just, uh..." she spoke in her usual quiet voice. "It's...quite an impressive selection you got here."
"Why, thank you. We've, uh...kinda been low on a lot of stock lately. After that incident last night, with the gang battle in Del Perro, more and more citizens have been eager to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Which is quite easy here, since we have the least restrictive gun laws in the nation. No background checks, no waiting period, no nonsense. People can protect themselves and their families easier than ever nowadays."
"Yeah, I-I mean, you got so much stuff here as it is. Rifles, machine guns, grena-"
"Oooh, you got T-shirts?!"
Alexia and the salesman turned toward the back of the store, where an excited-looking Jess was browsing over a selection of clothing. These were mostly hunting vests, but there were also a few white cotton T-shirts with gun-related and patriotic logos printed on them.
Jess selected a specific shirt that she liked. Then, she decided to try it on right in the middle of the store; she was forced to raise her arms ridiculously high above her head so that she could poke them through the holes and put the shirt on over her pink sports bra.
The male salesman became so enthralled with Jess as she did this that he was thrust into a frozen state similar to Alexia's, nearly dropping the weapon inventory clipboard that he had been holding in his hand.
Finally, she successfully put on the shirt. It was rather tight-fitting, but this top at least successfully covered her stomach. On the front, emblazoned across her chest, was a red-white-and blue design that read 'You're About to Get a Look at my Other .44s'. Why Jess liked such a sexually-suggestive design that was probably targeted towards much trashier women than she, Alexia did not know.
"Alright! I'm a true patriot now, Lexi! 'MURICA!"
Jess raised a finger pistol in the air, pretending to shoot and mimicking movie-style explosions and sound effects.
The man behind the counter, meanwhile, stared dreamily at the beautiful blonde-haired girl in front of him. His eyes cast a shade of intense love and longing as he rested his chin in his hand, smiling as he observed the 6-foot-tall grown woman fighting imaginary enemies.
Alexia, meanwhile, was much too eager to get to the task at hand, which was to build up her supply of weapons. Looking down at a display cabinet that encased every sort of pistol and melee weapon she could imagine in clear bulletproof glass, she expressed interest in a certain piece by pressing her finger against the glass above it.
"Whoa, that...that wouldn't be a..."
Realizing that there was a customer right in front of him and not wanting to get fired, the man removed her desired pistol from its display case to show to Alexia.
"Yep. This here is the Armor-Piercing Pistol, better known as the AP pistol. Default 18-round capacity, with astonishing accuracy and a soft, light recoil. It's also fully automatic, so it can do some serious damage if you know how to use it."
The salesman gingerly placed the deadly weapon into Alexia's cupped hands. She began to look meticulously over it, caressing the pistol like a small animal or a precious artifact. She practiced aiming down the sights of the unloaded gun, acquiring a feel for how its weight affected her aim.
"Hmm, you seem interested in that one...Would you like to try it out in the shooting range before making a purchase?"
Alexia looked over to the side, noticing for the first time a large open room adjacent to Ammu-Nation's main sales floor. This space, probably composing the majority of the store's total square footage, housed a modest office space for the man behind the counter, as well as a state-of-the-art shooting range enclosed behind even more bulletproof glass and a gray iron door.
At this point, Jess had stopped pretending to battle the Communists so that she could join in on the conversation.
"Yeah, let's do it, Lexi!" she cheered. "We could go one-on-one, you and me. Put those awesome gun skills of yours to the test."
Alexia looked down at the weapon in her hand one last time, taking notice of its newly-manufactured, shiny metallic surface that reflected a freakishly distorted image of her face.
"...Alright, you're on."
They smiled goofily at each other, despite the usually-confrontational nature of these words.
That being said, the salesman proceeded to this new area of the store, unlocking the door to the shooting range after each girl had paid the $14 entrance fee. To keep the competition fair, Jess was given an AP pistol as well, and both women were supplied with foam ear protectors and safety glasses to avoid potential lawsuits.
Despite Alexia's formidable skill with weapons, it could be inferred that Jess would make for a rather tough competitor. After all, Alexia had never before fired this particular weapon, while Jess had years of experience using it in drive-by shootings and raids with the Skulls. She had also learned to shoot in automated shooting ranges such as this one, while Alexia had been educated by a much more unpredictable teacher, Mother Nature.
The sales clerk addressed the two competitors by standing in the middle of the range, a dangerous place to be when there were bullets flying, but relatively safe now that all was quiet.
"Alright, ladies, here's how this-"
"WHAT?!" Jess shouted.
"Uh...I said this-"
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU! YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO-"
Alexia graciously reached up and removed the ear protectors from Jess's head, suddenly making her hearing much clearer
"Oh. O-okay, you're good now. Thanks, Lexi."
The salesperson looked only slightly annoyed as he continued with his instructions.
"Alright...There'll be two colors of targets displayed. You with the black hair, on the left, you're gonna be aiming at the red targets. And you, with the...beautiful blonde hair and body, you'll be shooting the blue targets."
"Wait...what-"
"Highest score at the time limit wins!" the salesman quickly spoke to deter Jess from thinking further of his highly flattering description of her.
"Each target is gonna be worth 100 points. At the start, a big cluster of targets are gonna pop out of the ceiling above me in all different directions, and you're gonna have 30 seconds to shoot as many of your color as you can. And, uh, just so y'know, if you hit your opponent's target, it's gonna count towards their overall score. So, uh...keep that in mind."
The employee walked somewhat uncomfortably out of the range so that he could operate its controls from a computer in his office.
The two girls, meanwhile, loaded their weapons in preparation for the barrage of targets that was to come. Alexia performed one last inspection of her gun, making sure her aim was adjusted for the light recoil that the salesman informed her of.
"...Good luck, Jess."
Jess finished loading the chamber of her gun so that she could smile at her friend.
"Thanks, girl. You too."
Jess knew that Alexia was probably going to win. She had witnessed firsthand the skill that she had shown last night with the Special Carbine, another weapon that she had never fired before. However, this was not something that had stopped her from racking up an immense body count and probably saving the tiny band of surviving Skulls from being completely wiped out.
Suddenly, a countdown started, beginning at 3, which was synchronized with loud beeps from the gun range's intercom system. The friends aimed their pistols into the range, anticipating whatever was to spring out of the tiled ceiling above.
The excessive amount of targets displayed all at once was quite overwhelming, a big cluster in no particular order that took up virtually the entire gun range. Nonetheless, the two began firing, hitting whatever happened to be in their line of sight that was in their assigned color. Every time a target was hit, a new one almost immediately sprung up in its place, only adding to the confusion and blocking some potential targets.
It didn't take Alexia very long to get used to how the AP pistol fired. She grinned wickedly, enjoying the light push against her grip as bullets rapidly discharged from the barrel, most of them landing right on target, near the center of virtually every red target.
Jess was performing excellently as well, just not good enough to overcome her friend's incomparable skill. Jess much preferred to shoot one-handed, gangster style, but she noticed that her friend was aiming with both hands on her pistol, and hitting targets effortlessly.
Alexia quickly reloaded after discharging all 18 rounds into targets, then firing another 18, then another. She continued shooting at the best of her abilities until another buzzer sounded, calling the time on the challenge.
The targets immediately withdrew back into the ceiling, while the two exhausted women put their pistols down. Shells littered the floor of the room around them in the now-heated room, filled with gunsmoke and continuing to resonate with the sounds of the tiny explosions caused by pulling the trigger.
The sales clerk wandered back into the room. The look on his face represented no less than utter astonishment as he looked at the two women, then back down at the computer-printed score sheet.
"Blonde Hair, you got 3500. Black Hair..."
The man rubbed his eyes, seemingly to confirm if Alexia's score was indeed real.
"You got...5100! A new range record!"
Alexia became just as surprised at the news at the salesman was. She blushed at having achieved this feat, scuffing her feet against the concrete floor of the shooting range.
He moved swiftly over to a board displayed in the middle of the room, on which sat a variety of record scores at both this mode of gunplay and many others that the shooting range offered. The man prepared to add a new slot atop the section of the board titled 'Color Targets: AP Pistol'.
"What's your name?" he asked in the manner he would ask an extraterrestrial its origin.
"Alexia."
The man wrote the name and her score in semi-permanent marker, right above a 'Jackson' that had scored a still-impressive 4900.
"Alright...Congratulations, Alexia. Lemme go fetch your prize real quick."
Both her and Jess followed the man into his office space. He reached into a drawer directly underneath his desk, which housed hundreds of priceless Ammu-Nation discount cards. One of these he withdrew and gave to the victorious black-haired girl.
"This card will get you 25% off everything in the store. This includes guns as well as armor, headsets, hunting vests or even T-shirts like your friend has over there...anything."
Alexia stared at the red-and-white piece of paper in her hand, immediately knowing what she was going to do with it.
"Um, actually...Would it be okay if I gave this to her?" she asked him, pointing to her friend behind her.
Jess's eyes were thrust wide open in shock. She moved quickly to stop her from doing this, insisting that she could handle it.
"No, Jess, it's okay, I-"
"Lexi, no, you don't have to do this. It's your reward, you earned it."
"Yeah, and this is just what I'm choosing to do with it. Jess, it's no big deal. In fact, it's the least I can do, after all you've been doing for me."
Jess wished to push the issue further, but was afraid that it would escalate in front of the patiently-waiting Ammu-Nation employee.
She knew that replenishing her arms supply was going to be very expensive, and that as a more experienced crew member she needed more guns for the advanced missions she was going to be assigned to. Alexia, in the short run at least, would be handling the simpler jobs in her duties as the lowest rank possible in the Skulls and could wait for a little while longer to purchase more expensive upgrades and weapons. At the moment at least, her pre-owned weapons and the few she would be purchasing here would be sufficient for carrying out low-end carjackings and robberies until she had reached a higher rank within the crew.
Consenting to this offer much like Alexia had consented to receiving a free haircut the day before, Jess took the card after the Ammu-Nation salesperson indicated that such a transfer was acceptable.
She gave her friend a tight hug around her shoulders, internally wanting to curse her for being so annoyingly selfless.
Despite the discounts, Jess was still forced to spend the entirety of her $5,000, and then some. She bought the AP pistol she had used in the range, as well as additional ammunition for it. She also purchased ammo for her micro SMG and the assault shotgun she had received from Damien the past night. Then, she added a new gun, the Bullpup Rifle, to her steadily-increasing arsenal, with several rounds for it as well. Nearing the end of her money trail, she picked out a few assorted explosives, sticky bombs and grenades, which were plentiful and perfectly legal in the state of San Andreas.
Alexia also bought the AP Pistol, as well as a classic, LSPD-sanctioned pump-action shotgun, which would most certainly prove lethal in close-combat situations. Her eyes then directed themselves to a melee weapon, a deadly switchblade knife, which she subsequently bought. She also purchased some explosives, slightly more than Jess had bought because she still had quite a lot of money left from purchasing these relatively inexpensive weapons. In the midst of looking around at all the impressive sets of weaponry on the shelves above her, she had come to take notice of a peculiar item, a fully-functioning military-grade sniper rifle, that was dangling tantalizingly from its hook on the wall. But, she reasoned she simply had to come back for this gem, as its price tag was near $20,000.
Both women also made sure to buy several sets of body armor, which they would most certainly need in situations where they were exposed to gunfire for long periods of time. The very last item on Alexia's agenda was a jet-black combat vest, much like Damien's, that was equipped with various holsters and pockets to store multiple weapons at once. Jess already possessed one of these, and she could attest that this was a valuable item for any professional criminal. Accordingly, it was also the most expensive item that Alexia bought, costing near $3,000. This virtually wiped out any money she had remaining from the job, but it was more than worth it for what she knew she would be getting into later in her career.
The two women exited the store, overburdened with bags and body armors that they had to load into Jess's car. She had proactively called ahead to her mechanic, who had faithfully delivered it to the parking lot just beside the gun store.
Suddenly, Jess began panting heavily, leaning on the side of her green Dominator for support whilst she took in oxygen. She seemed utterly exhausted, a complete turnaround from the spry and jovial carjacker that had pulled off a near-flawless robbery of the Richman Mansion.
"Jess, are you alright?"
Her concerned friend moved closer, noticing how fatigued she had suddenly become. Even Alexia, who possessed much less upper body strength than her friend, was not this affected from carrying so many bags of armor and guns.
Jess took a few more breaths before finally accruing enough strength to speak.
"You...did not...have to do that..."
Her acute onset tiredness had forced her to speak in whispery intervals, much like the asthmatic Stevie Kenarban from Malcolm in the Middle. Her speech, however quiet, still contained a tint of outrage and frustration at her friend for being so gratingly kind.
"Um...yeah, I know I didn't have to. I just wanted to."
Alexia gave her friend an innocent smile, which had the impressive effect of getting her slightly-angry friend to smile back.
She took a few more deep breaths, taking a seat on the hood of her car. Alexia sat beside her as soon as the car doors and the trunk were closed and everything was tightly packed in.
The two simply sat in reflective silence for a while, listening to the never-ending sound of traffic that filled the entire city, from the docks and warehouses in the south, all the way to the outskirts of Vinewood Hills. They sat, relaxing and watching the flow of traffic pass them by, pointing out and snickering at pedestrians or vehicles that they found funny or unusual.
Jess continued breathing rather deeply; despite a cooling wind that had been funneled through the skyscrapers to their north, which lessened the effects of the scorching early-afternoon heat, a steady stream of sweat continued to trickle down her forehead. Alexia found this to be quite unusual for her, since she knew how strong and physically active she normally was. Just yesterday, she had managed to chase after a Vagos gang member on foot for minutes on end without growing nearly this tired. And a few hours ago, she had utilized her excellent swimming skills to save Alexia from drowning in the pool of a geriatric bachelor and millionaire.
"Um...Well, I was planning on taking us out for ice cream or some other fun thing, but...seeing as we both don't have money now..."
Alexia nodded, looking upwards to chart the position of the Sun above the city. A quick glance at her phone subsequently confirmed the time as being 2:05 PM.
"That's okay, Jess. I, um, kinda have to do some things at home, anyway. I still haven't unpacked my suitcase from when I got here...two nights ago."
"Oh, I can help you," said Jess, perking up slightly. "Yeah, we could make that into a fun thing. Like, a montage, or something."
"Jess, you don't have to. If you're tired, you should go home and rest."
"Whaaaat?"
Jess said this in a high-pitched, sitcom-style voice.
"I'm not tired, what are you talkin' about, Lexi?"
She successfully rose from her hunched-over sitting position, managing to stand without the assistance of her car or the building behind her.
"I mean, I'm 23 years old, I'm in peak physical condition. Y'know, besides the whole...'drug use' thing I was telling you about earlier. But really, that hasn't left a big impact on my health, I don't think. I don't have sores on my face or premature wrinkles, like most other addicts. Overall...I'm good, girl. I could totally help you with that little thing of yours."
Alexia looked over her friend, still quite worried about her condition at the moment. She was still shedding sweat beads at an increased rate, enough so that stains began to form under the sleeves of her new T-shirt. Whether this sudden onset fatigue was a result of drug withdrawal was something that Alexia did not know, but it caused her much concern for her friend, no matter the cause. She felt as if Jess was possibly trying to hide something from her, and that her promise of abstaining from drugs entirely could potentially impact her health more than she was willing to admit.
A sudden vibrating in her pocket served to temporarily distract her from her friend's disquieting condition. Alexia withdrew her phone, struggling to see the caller ID through the Sun's glare on the screen.
"...Who dat?" asked Jess.
"It's, uh...it's...Damien."
Alexia lit up at the sight of his name and the phone number that she had received the previous night.
Jess nodded understandingly. She happened to think that their relationship was rather cute, and couldn't help but smile at how it was progressing.
The girl receiving the call pressed the button to answer it. Again, seeing as her friend was very interested in what was going on, she was sure to set the phone to speaker mode.
"Hey, what's up?" she happily greeted him.
"Hey," responded a much healthier-sounding Damien. "What you been up to?"
"Oh, nothing much, really. I've, uh, been with Jess most of the day, we've been hangin' out."
"Kicking ass and eating waffles, you know," Jess added herself into the phone call.
The sound of Damien laughing could be heard from the other line, accompanied by Alexia's own quiet, breathy giggles.
"Yeahh, I was gonna guess that's what you were..."
Damien paused for a second, halting his laughter.
"Hey...that wasn't you two over at the Richman Mansion, was it?"
Jess and Alexia looked at each other, confused as to how he knew about this particular thing.
"Uh...yeah."
"Duuude, did you really...Hef Hilton frickin died, man. It's all over the news, he had a heart attack after two female carjackers broke in and stole his premium rides."
Jess breathed in sharply between clenched teeth in an acute representation of both guilt and nervousness, scuffing her feet against the parking lot's dark concrete surface.
Alexia, meanwhile, was dealt a blow of fresh anxiety at the news. Of course she felt terrible that her actions had inadvertently led to the death of another person, especially a cherished American treasure like Hef Hilton, whose efforts have brought immense pleasure and joy to innumerable men and their teenage sons the world over for generations. Unfortunately for the two women who had just received payment for his cars, Hef's iconic status would probably motivate the police even further to find the thieves/murderers.
"But...at the same time, he was really old. Shit happens. I'm not blaming you or anything, I was just wanting to let you know, 'cause...since people loved him so much, there's probably gonna be an investigation into his death. I'd advise you two lay low for at least a little while. Just like we're doing over at the compound."
"Oh yeah, um...how are things, over at the compound?"
Alexia wanted desperately to steer away from the conversation of Hef's untimely death, as she felt terrible enough about it already.
"Oh, uh, things are going...surprisingly smoothly. Like, with the inquiry into who betrayed us last night. With all the info we've gathered, I...think we'll be ready to make our move pretty soon. So, uh..."
Again, Damien paused; while Alexia could not see him, she could clearly picture him rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Um...well, at the rate it's going, I'm predicting the investigation's gonna be wrapped up maybe tomorrow. So with that in mind...do you think you and me could possibly hang out...tonight?"
"Wow, tonight? That seems kinda..."
"Really short notice, I know," Damien completed her sentence.
"But, uh, I'm not demanding you dress up nice or anything. I just won't have time to do stuff like this once the war breaks out and the shit hits the fan. I just...I really wanna get to know you, Alexia. Take you somewhere nice, y'know?"
Alexia was forced to think about his offer for a few moments. She understood Damien's plight, as she too wanted to know more about her potential future romantic partner. All she knew about him at the moment was that he was a veteran assassin with a distinct Liberty City accent. Alexia had always had trouble connecting with people in general, but she noticed that it greatly sped up the process and broke down many of her social barriers when she had gotten to know them extremely well: their thoughts, emotions, motivations, back stories, etc. This is partially why her friendship with Jess was so powerful, as she had virtually told her all of this on the day they had first met.
"Um...yeah. Yeah, let's do it."
"Alright. I'll pick you up outside your place...where is that, by the way?"
"Uhh, Pillbox Hill. The luxury apartments."
"Damn."
Damien chuckled slightly, as he was quite impressed with where and how she lived.
"Okay then. I'll pick you up around 8, alright?"
"Okay. See you then."
Alexia said these last words rather quietly, smiling as she hung up the phone.
She looked back toward Jess, who had resorted to covering her mouth in a silent display of awe at how adorable their semi-romantic conversation was.
"Uh...I guess I got a date tonight," said Alexia.
She found herself laughing as she said this, simply because she had never found herself uttering this sentence before in her life.
"Um..." Jess started, as she was still recovering from the onset cuteness attack.
"...Okay, full disclosure...you two are probably the cutest couple that I have ever seen. And I'm not talking 'omg rawr xD' cute, I'm talkin' like 'basketful of puppies and baby pandas' cute. It's THAT friggin cute"
"Yeah, but...um, the thing is..."
Alexia began to resume her normal shy behavior, rubbing the back of her neck as she smiled nervously, her cheeks again turning a rosy red color.
"What is it, Alexia?"
Jess moved closer to her, wanting to hear what Alexia was concerned about so that she could quickly dispel it.
"I've...I've never been on a date before. I don't know what happens on them or even what I'm supposed to do. You think you could...help me out?"
She patted her shy, stammering friend on the shoulder, a gesture of comfort that indicated that she could indeed help her prepare for the big night.
"You can leave it to me, my darling. I've been on hundreds of dates...practically. I think I can show ya' a thing or two."
She ushered Alexia inside her car, where they could find solace in the air conditioner against the blazing heat outside.
Jess adjusted herself in the driver's seat, making herself comfortable in preparation for the advice she was about to give her confused friend.
"Okay, Alexia," she said with a newly-energetic voice, provided by the refreshing sensation of the A/C. "You may recall that I told you I used to date Damien back in my, uh...younger days. So I can tell you with confidence that you two...actually have a lot in common. So the whole dating process will be that much easier."
Alexia nodded enthusiastically at her teacher, Jessamine.
"I mean, you're both kinda quiet and sensitive. He might appear tough, but he's actually a big ol' softie. Just, like, not in front of his guy friends...Also, you're both straight-edge. Like, you don't do drugs. Damien normally has a beer every now and then, but most of the time, he strays far away from that type of stuff."
Jess looked at a far-off object for a while, smiling as if she was suddenly hit with nostalgic memories of the past.
"Y'know, that's largely the reason we broke up. Me and him are just...completely different people. His main focus is work and getting things done, and mine is to have fun and enjoy myself...Well, that and he didn't really like all those shady drug dealers dropping by his house at all hours of the night. Er...our house, that we shared while we dated. It's his house now, though."
"Alright. So, uh...what would I have to do, like, on a d-?"
Jessamine suddenly clapped her hands together and perked up, as if she had suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh, sorry. I nearly forgot that part."
Jess couldn't help but laugh at her clear divergence from her intended topic.
She then started her expensive muscle car, the engine roaring to life as she turned the key.
"Um...to be honest, girls really don't have to do much on a date. The guy drives you around, pays for your food and shit. We don't have to do anything but just look cute and keep the conversation going...Which, I know you're introverted and all that, but I know you can talk to someone if you really connect with them. You have virtually no trouble with me, and we haven't even known each other for that long."
This advice was given as Jessamine craned her head behind her, backing out of the tiny Ammu-Nation parking lot and accelerating onto the road.
"Wow...that's all there is to it?" a bewildered Alexia asked her experienced friend.
"Yeahh, pretty much. Damien's a good guy, he'll be really nice to you and...he won't try and make advances on you or smooch you or anything unless you consent to it. But...if it goes really well and you do decide to engage in that way, then..."
Jess paused for a minute, again remembering something from her past romantic affair with Damien.
Then, the blonde-haired girl in the drivers' seat burst into a sudden loud spell of devious laughter, brought on by one of the more tempestuous, NSFW memories of their time together.
"Th...then, you are in for a treat. I'm telling you, he is amazing in bed. Like, he really knew his way around my..."
Jess managed to stop a potential tirade of sexual reminiscing when she took notice of her friend, who was looking down at the floor of the car uncomfortably. She looked as if she was thinking heavily about something, quite possibly about what Jess had just mentioned.
"I-I mean, not that I'm pressuring you into having..."
Jess backtracked for a moment, seeking to ease her friend's discomfort on this topic.
"...Y-you really should wait and have sex when you're ready, Alexia. Whether it's with Damien or someone else you're into...Just don't be completely stupid like me and just hook up with whoever is offering it. Literally, I have had, like, 4 STDs because of all my poor choices over the years...Damien wasn't one of those poor choices, he's completely clean, but still...If you're compatible, then you're compatible. It all depends on your feelings, really."
Alexia gave a slight nod of the head to her friend, directing her gaze back upwards.
This sudden change in tone had surprised Alexia greatly. The entire concept of engaging in intercourse with someone she loved was not something that had previously come to her mind's attention. And for someone who had neither been on a date nor had her first kiss, it all felt much too sudden. She was sorely afraid that perhaps her lack of experience in this field would cause her to screw something up on their very first date, effectively ruining any chance that they would have of being together in the long run.
These unpleasant thoughts stayed with her right up until Jess pulled up on the curb outside her luxurious apartment complex. Jess courteously helped her in transporting all the guns and ammo she had bought inside, where she could store them and keep them clean and functional until she needed them.
