Touching Scenes
Churel slowly made her way to Vicious' office. Knocking on the door, she waited a beat, and then entered with his permission. Stepping in, she approached his desk. "Vicious-sama."
Vicious set down a report he was reading and looked up to see the teenager enter the room. He was busy, but he set aside his work for a moment in order to see what she needed. His mind hadn't been focused on what he was reading anyway - his recent conversations with Spike and his future conversation with Julia were much more prominent on his mind. "Yes Churel?" he replied.
Her eyes focused, watching him steadily. "You are were going to assign me to something...." She thought he looked uneasy, but wouldn't say so.
"Sit," Vicious said motioning to a chair in front of him. "Tell me Churel, do you think you have the potential to be a leader of this syndicate?"
Sitting at his command, she then folded her hands neatly into her lap. Waiting a moment to answer that question, Churel answered it with a steady and confident- but not too confident voice, "Yes, I do believe I have the potentital that it takes to be a leader of the syndicate. The final decision will be up to you of course, Vicious-sama."
"Leadership, albet a lacking on, runs in your veins. Your grandfather was at one time a great leader, until he lost his teeth - and the beast inside him." Vicious stood, and walked around the side of the desk. "I do not wish to see you lose that side of you. You must always remain ruthless and on the edge." Loyalty was from the days of old. "You of course, will need training." He turned to her. "Until then, I have something I'd like you to do for me. A secret, between you and I."
"Thank you, Vicious-sama. I will never lose that side of me, ever. I couldn't bare to see that happen, not like my grandfather." Ooooh, a secret. She liked the sound of that. "Yes, Vicious-sama? You know I can keep a secret." She could have giggled at the aspect of a secret, but of course, this was an inapprioate moment.
Vicious leaned against the desk, "Julia." he said, a slight softness in his voice. "I fear Julia will do something that would make me unhappy." His eyes turned to look at her. "Things I do not wish her to do. And I have a feeling she will fail to tell me about these things," as she did once in the past...
Churel nodded, completely understanding. If that bitch were to ever to do something against Vicious-sama's wishess, he would know about it the second after it happened.. "Yes, I understand. Are there any specific wishes Vicious-sama?" Shifting in her seat, she waited for his response. Churel didn't want to be the one to break his heart if she did something, but she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret either. Wether she liked it or not, she would complete the task to the best of her abilities and think nothing. Business was business.
Vicious smirked, "I have but one real wish in this world, Churel. Revenge." His eyes seemed to see through her, as though he was looking at someone else. "But that will come in due time. First, we must play the game as it was meant to be played."
She wanted to fix that... If only Churel could make him come back to her.. To look at her, and not someone else. Someone, she would change that.. Change that wish. "Mmm, yes and we shall play it well." She smiled then, ever so slighty, just a smill twitch of her lips.
"There is nothing more to life than the game of death," Vicious said, his mind still thinking about Spike, and their recent conversations. He looked at Churel, "Tell me child, have you ever had an enemy so hated that you would give anything to see the pain on their face as they died at your hands?"
Just by looking at him, she could tell who he was talking about. It wasn't a big secret... There were the rumors, the gossip, and well, the assignments. "Yes, I have.. Vicous-sama. I know what you are feeling, except I have all ready slain them." Her memories wandered back to that occasion....... And the expressions on their faces.
Vicious smirked, "Yes, I suppose you have." He turned back to look at her. "It is a good feeling. I would die for that feeling." He pushed his hand into his pockets and pulled out a small bag, containing bird seed. In an instant, the large black crow who traveled with the dragon was seated atop his shoulder, eagerly eating the food from the bag.
"I think he would die for it two." Vicious continued, as though he felt the need to share his feelings with the child who was so similiar. "We are too alike."
Watching the crow for a moment, she let them sit there in slience. She was deeply surprised that Vicious-sama was sharing his feelings with her, and she loved it. "Yes, Vicious-sama..we are. I'm sure your wish will be granted." Churel had never been good at conversations, especially ones like this..
Vicious smiled. The child has mistaken his words - he had been talking about Spike. He would not correct her, it would not do to belittle her when her task was of such importance to him. He stopped feeding the bird, setting the food on his desk. He contined to think in silence - the thought of Spike dominating his mind.
Looking at Vicious-sama just sitting there.. she feld the desire to end this meeting. "Vicious-sama... may I go now to prepare?" It was the only excuse she could think of, but it would do.
Vicious nodded, and then turned his back, too lost in thought to reply.
Leaving it at that, Churel then left.
---------------------
For a few seconds, Spike held his leg high in the air, paused in the last move of his workout. Gradually, he lowered it, then picked up a towel and draped it over his lightly-sweating shoulders.
Barefoot and silent, Spike padded across his room and paused in front of the mirror. The sound of his breath, still heavy from his workout, was the only sound against the background of the Bebop's familiar rumble.
The figure in the mirror looked the same as always. Tall and wiry with a spreading mass of moss green hair. Naked from the waist up, Spike briefly attempted to count the faint scars marring his body, but then surrendered the cause as lost.
He still remembered, though. Each line, mark, and hole bore its own story - many of them quite similar. The majority were the small round marks where, at some point in his history, a bullet had entered his body. Some shots had been from strangers ... and others, from friends. Here and there were the marks where s u perheated metal or steam had seared his flesh. And a very few of them were the clean, regular slashes of a sweeping katana.
There was a time when Spike would never have thought he'd receive those.
Now, he was ready to receive more.
It was interesting, he mused. An entire history written out upon his flesh.
Spike let the towel slip to the floor. Leaving it where it lay, he left the mirror and sat down at his desk. With a relaxed sigh, he switched on his desk lamp then carefully lit up a cigarette.
Rather ironic, what he'd told Meifa about smoking ...
Now to work. Spike opened up his toolbox and carefully disassembled his faithful Jericho 941. Laying the individual pieces out across his desk, he picked up a small rag and began to clean and oil each of them in turn.
Footsteps.
Spike put down both rag and piece, then turned.
"Faye," he snapped, "what is it?"
Faye paced up and down the hall. She could hear S pike working out in his room. Part of her wished to barge in and demand he tell her what was going on and part of her wanted to throw in the towel and walk away, knowing that he would be nothing but difficult. She banged one fist on the wall. Since when had she begun to care about him so much?
She smirked to herself. She had to admit that even though they fought all the time, she couldn't imagine what life would be like if he was suddenly gone. She had come to enjoy living on the bebop more than she had enjoyed any place in the past - at least the past she could remember.
A small light dawned on her, and with that she turned, determined to talk to him. She realized, he was talking like a man on a mission - one that did not have a happy ending.
She walked into his room, and when he turned and called her name, she gasped slightly at the tone of his voice. "Spike," she said softly a look of concern on her face, before harding up and crossing her arms. " Look, I'm not letting you go do this unless you tell me what you're up to."
Spike looked up. Faye was, as usual, trying to bury her concern underneath a facade of toughness. Draping an arm over the back of his chair, he fixed her with the cold and steady gaze that had cracked dozens of men before.
"Something came up that I can't hide from anymore," Spike said simply. His already-harsh stare hardened, although its intensity was no longer directed at Faye but at some unseen opponent. "It's just something that I have to do. I'm sorry."
He turned back to his workdesk and picked up the rag again, and set himself to cleaning another piece of the Jericho. He wanted the gun working as smoothly as possible. In a firefight, every millisecond counted.
Faye shook her head, "Don't give me that Spike." She walked up behind him and peered over his shoulder. "Look, shit comes up all the time for you, me, everyone on this ship. That doesn't make us any less of a team. And the fact that you're sitting here fixing your gun, makes me believe whatever this is it's very important to you."
She reached down and with one hand turned his face towards hers. "Spike, I'm not asking you to tell me. I'm telling you that you need to." The tough facade was gone, at least for the moment, and Faye's eyes held a look of real concern.......... It was not unusual for her to care about Spike, but it was for her to show it. But this time, she had a horrible feeling about what he was going to do, and she couldn't help but show her feelings on her face.
Spike blinked, his features softening as conflicting emotions swam across his face. His enduring philosophy of don't-mention-the-past insisted that he continue to shrug her off, but some inner part of him reminded him that Faye did have a point......... They'd been through enough together that now, like Jet, she could be something of a confidant.
Fine. He'd tell her, but he wouldn't let her stop him.
"I got a message from Vicious," Spike said softly. "It's been too long already, and I can't just ignore this. I have to go."
"Who is Vicious?" Faye asked, relieved that he had finally answered her. He'd never spoken of his past before, and she had never heard the name before, although as she spoke it, it made her shudder. "He doesn't sound like a nice guy........."
She was suddenly aware that she was still touching his face, and she brought her hand down slowly. "Look, Spike, I didn't come here to stop you. I came here to help you." She could help but wish he'd change his mind.
Spike reached up and took Faye's hand, then regarded her with miscolored eyes. "Help me?" he said, perfectly serious. "And how can you help me?"
He released her hand and looked away. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth - a genuine smile, the first he'd worn in days. "I told you the truth the first time," Spike said sadly. "Vicious is an old friend. Was. Now ... I don't know anymore. It's something I'll have to find out."
Faye felt her heart stop beating when Spike looked at her. She hadn't expected the tone of his voice and it surprised her. She was silent for a moment, as though absorbing what he had said. She looked down at her hand, the one he had touched only moments before. Had there been an understanding between them? Faye couldn't be sure. Not with Spike.
"Yes, help you," she replied slowly. "Whatever happened between you two isn't my business, but what happens to you now is. I can back you up. Be your partner." Faye wished he hadn't turned away. His eyes had seemed to speak more truth than his words.
She felt confused. This was so unlike her, not to care about him, but to tell him. But the melancholy he felt was affecting her, in ways she hadn't expected. Why were men so difficult?
At the sound of the word "partner," Spike froze. And then, like a snowflake on a hotplate, any indication of the emotion vanished as his eyes grew steely once again. "Nothing's going to happen to me that I'm not ready to accept," Spike said. "And this is about getting rid of an old partner, not finding a new one."
With that, Spike turned back to the disassembled Jericho. The cleaned pieces were on the left half of the desk, and the much larger group of uncleaned pieces was on his right. He snatched up the rag and started on a new piece with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary.
Faye stepped back, surprised by his sudden change of attitude. She wanted to hit him and hug him all at the same time, and she couldn't determine which emotion was stronger - the wrenching of her heart as she watched him willingly walking into death, or the anger that he refused to simply accept that she was there for him, for better or worse. "Spike, you're impossible!" she cried, finally giving hin to the latter. She stormed up next to him and slapped him across the face. "Wake up, or else you'll die out there."
Spike's hand shot up to grab Faye's wrist. One moment he was sitting, and the next he was standing. With a single, fluid motion, he ensnared her other wrist and transferred it to his first hand. With the now-free hand, Spike grasped Faye's chin and tilted her face up to meet his, eyes only inches apart.
"I guess this is where we part ways, then," Spike hissed, so softly that his voice was nearly inaudible. "Because unlike you ... I'm not afraid to die."
Faye's eyes widened. She had never seen him quite like this before. She always knew he was passionate, although he hide it behind his nonchalant attitude, but this was different. "Spike," she said softly, pain glinting in her eyes. He was not physically hurting her, but her heart was pounding nonetheless.
"It has nothing to do with fear," she whispered, closing her eyes.
Spike released Faye's chin and let his hand drop to his side, although he kept his tight grip on her wrists. All those times that he'd wished she'd just go away ... Well, this time, she wasn't going anywhere.
"What, then?" Spike shot back, eyes burning. "Because right now, you look pretty damn scared to me."
Faye struggled to break free of his grib, but her minimal efforts afforded her nothing. Spike had a secure grip, and she wasn't going anywhere. "I'm not scare of going with you, Spike." Faye replied, her eyes taking in everything he gave - yet for once, giving nothing back. She simply accepted that he was angry, more likely with his situation than her. "I'm scared of what's going to happen when you get there." She continued, her voice soft. It held no malice or anger, just acceptance. "I'm scared that I can't stop you from doing this. And I'm scared that you're not going to come back. And I never thought I'd say that to you - that I, the Faye-who-needs-no-one, would be scared if you didn't come back..."
Abruptly, Spike released her, almost shoving her away. Conflicting emotions waged war on the battleground of his face, flickering past too quickly for anything more than a semblance of confusion to ensue. He started, "Faye, I don't -"
As though a near-perceptable string had been cut, Spike's shoulders drooped and the anger drained from his body. He sighed, a hollow sound mingled with resignation and regret. "I'm sorry," he said at last. "What just happened - that wasn't about you. Look ... I know that you're worried, but I have to go. I should have done this three years ago, but instead I ran away. Vicious was right. It's time to stop running."
Spike fell into his chair and stared down at the Jericho. The faithful gun could be construed as a metaphor for his life. It was beautiful and it was deadly, and now it lay in pieces.
Finally, he looked back up at Faye. "If it helps, I don't think I'll be doing anything just yet," he said quietly. "I'm just going to find out where Vicious is. That's all. After that ... I plan on staying alive, but I can't make any promises. Look, if I don't go after Vicious, then he'll come after me and put you all in danger. That's not what I want. This is my fight, and I'll fight it alone."
The Jericho silently called him. Ignoring it, Spike got back up out of his chair and took Faye's hands - this time gently, in stark contrast to only a minute before. "I care about you, Faye," he told her. "And maybe that's also part of why I have to go."
Faye didn't move as she watched Spike move to the chair and then back to her. It was surreal - the way he talked, the way he looked, the way he told her he cared about her. Her eyes seemed to shimmer, a small hint that tears were threatening to stain the face of the woman who never let her emotions take control. Everything he had seemed laid out in front of her, and she fought with all her might not to take it for herself. He was giving her something special, a look inside himself that most people rarely had the chance to see.
"Spike," she said softly, her head tilting just slightly to the side. "I care about you too. Maybe that's why I insist so much on going with." She was doing the same, although she tried to convience herself it was otherwise. Faye did not share her emotions. "I.. I know that you can take care of yourself..." she paused, biting her lip for a moment, "But I want to take care of you too." She softly squeezed his hands, a small indication that she was not ready to let them go.
The brown of Spike's eyes bored into the green of Faye's. He blinked slowly and deliberately, leaving his left eye closed a fraction of a second long than his right. "You know I can't take you with me when I go to see Vicious," he told her. "So how about this. When I finally stumble out, I'll know you'll be there to haul my bleeding carcass back home." The ghost of a smile danced before his face. "Does that sound fair?"
Faye nodded, although she would have preferred a different answer. He would not change his mind about her going - she knew that. The worst she could do would be to go anyway. A small smile crossed her lips as she realized that, inevitably, she would do just that. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, as though she needed a small respite from the intensity at which he stared at her. Opening them up, she replyed, "Alright Spike. I will wait, outside. But if you don't come out, don't think for a moment that I won't go in after you."
A line creased Spike's forehead. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't stop her from doing anything - all he could do was hope that, for once in her life, she'd obey his wishes. "Just ... you be careful, okay?" he said, giving her hands a final squeeze before dropping them. Acting on an impulse, he added, in a perfect imitation of Ed, "Faye-Faye."
Faye smiled as he said her name the way Edward did. She felt him drop her hands, and once they were free she resisted the urge to take his again. She turned her head aside averting her eyes to the floor, afraid that her face spoke too much. "You be careful, Spike - I think you'll need a lot more luck than I do." She felt transparent, in that moment, and she hated it. Why did he have to invite death now?
Spike nodded. "I will," he said simply, then gestured to the disassmbled Jericho. "And there's still some stuff I have to take care of before I'm ready for tomorrow." He displayed a neutral smile, and let his eyes flicker towards the door.
Dammit, the last thing he'd needed was Faye getting involved in all this ... but somehow, he couln't deny her. Spike reached down to the desk and idly picked up the rag once again.
Tomorrow would bring ... whatever tomorrow brought.
Faye watched him for a moment, before walking out the room. She'd need to prepare too, because no matter what he said, she would be there this time to back him up.
---------------------
Rua sat in the living room idly plucking notes from Jin's acoustic guitar. The tune was one of the first songs they had ever written, a love song about themselves. "How did it go with Cloria?" Rua asked without ever turning around. She had always been able to tell when Jin entered a room and could easily find him in a crowd; it was like she was always drawn to him.
Jin smiled, he'd missed her these past three years. "Not well," Jin said sighing as he joined her on the couch. "You should now better than anyone that I have no sense of diplomacy nor delicacy."
Rua chuckled at that and set the guitar aside. "So did you confess, or did you turn her down again?"
"Neither,"' Jin said trying not to blush. "I actually accomplished very little probably, but I hope to rectify that as soon as she gets back--"
"And you'd like me to leave?" Rua interrupted. She wanted him to get to the point. He had forgotten about her completely and she could feel the tears burning behind her eyes. She had done nothing wrong, but still she had lost him.
"That's up to you Rua," Jin said grabbing her hand and positioning himself so he was facing her on the couch. "But I think I'm really in love with this girl. I probably shouldn't have brought you back here, it only opened up old wounds."
"It was good to see you Jin," Rua said standing up and stretching. "You should come back to Valhalla again soon. Hang out with the guys, maybe play a set with us, they…I would really like that."
"I'll bring Cloria," Jin said smiling awkwardly as he stood up and ruffled her hair playfully. "We're going to be here for awhile still, stop by anytime, little one."
Rua only nodded wiping at a single stray tear. She gave Jin a long hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, and made her way towards the door.
Goodbye, my love…
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Faye paced around her room. She pulled out four different outfits from her dresser, tossing them all over the room. She needed to wear something that would make her stand out less - her normal clothing was far too flashy, and with the debt she owed Gordon - well, she didn't need him seeing her there. To top it off, if she got picked up, it wouldn't help Spike's cause at all.
She paused for a second, still holding a shirt, and looked in the mirror. She wondered for a moment, why she was doing this at all. Spike could take care of himself, couldn't he? She sighed, watching the confused expression of the woman in the mirror for a moment. Faye was sure that something would go wrong - she just hoped it wouldn't be her fault. Spike would never forgive her for screwing things up, something she was good at.
A moment later, she resumed her search, pulling out a pair of gray slacks from the closet. "These might work," she said to herself.
Paris poked her head around the corner into Faye's room, "Hey Faye I was wondering -- whoa! What happened in here?!" Paris' eyes wandered over Faye's scattered clothes which littered various parts of her room. "What are you doing?"
Faye whirled around. The sudden voice invading her thoughts had surprised her. She smiled when she saw Paris. She hadn't seen the girl in a few days. "Hey Paris," Faye said, holding up the gray, bland pants. "What do you think of these?"
Paris laughed a little nervously, as she wrinkled her nose. "Well... I can't really imagine you in something so... dull, Faye. Why would you want to wear those?" Paris took a few steps into the room and paused before a shimmery pink tank top. She bent down to pick it up, and held it against herself. "There - this would look much better! But where are you going anyways...?"
Faye watched Paris pick up the shirt. True, it was much more fitting for her personality, but that wasn't important on this mission. "I'm going somewhere where the last thing I need to do is stand out. Hence the reason for the boring pants." She set them on the bed and began rummaging for an equally boring top. "Why don't you try that tank top on and see how it fits you?"
Paris' eyes widened. "Sure!" She turned her back for a minute, raised her own shirt over her head and slipped the slinky pink top on. It seemed to hug Paris in all the right places, and she twirled around, so the beads on the bottom could fly out. "It looks great! Can I come where you are going? I promise I won't make a fuss or anything - I'll even help hide you, if you wish." Paris looked around Faye's room again. "Hey what about this one?" She walked over to Faye's bed and picked up a white T-shirt. "This has, like, nothing on it..."
Faye shook her head. "No. You, and everyone else, has to stay here. This isn't even my mission, but I fought to go." She sat down on the bed. "No, he knew I wouldn't stay behind anyway." She glanced at the t-shirt. It was one of her tighter t-shirts, but coupled with the gray pants, she should blend in well. "I think that would work," Faye replied, taking the shirt.
She quickly changed clothing. "Why don't you keep that top," Faye said, as she watched Paris twirling.
"Thank you!" Paris gasped. "Hey... what do you mean 'he'? Who are you going with? Spike? Jet?" Paris eyed Faye up and down and nodded slowly. "Yeah I don't think you'll get noticed in that outfit!" She giggled, although she had to admit that Faye looked good in pretty much anything.
"Spike," Faye said softly. Her eyes seemed to see through Paris at that moment. When she refocused she smiled, "Yeah, and since that's the idea." Faye stood up, and shimmied out of her own clothing in exchange for the pants and white shirt. She did a quick turn for Paris, mimicking the girls movements. "And how flashly do I look?" She a laughed a little, using the joke to take her mind off what might happen.
Paris smiled. "Well... whatever you guys are up to, be careful ok? And that outfit is good... I don't think people will notice you too much." Paris picked a few loose strands off her new pink shirt, and pulled the shirt down to straighten it up. "Well, hey I'm going to go see what Ed is up to.. or maybe just go to bed. It is getting kind of late." Paris took a step toward Faye and hugged her. "Have fun tonight!"
Faye hugged Paris in return. "I wouldn't call it fun." She picked up her bag, and put it over her shoulder before walking a few steps, stopping in the doorway, and looking back over her shoulder at Paris. "See you soon," she said sincerely. She really hoped that would be the case. "Keep them out of trouble, ok?" With that, she disappeared down the hallway.
---------------------
Vicious walked down the stairs to Julia's office. He would normally take the elevator, but he was still thinking about what he was going to tell her. Spike was and always would be a sensitive subject - for both of them. Since Spike's betrayal, nothing had been the same between the three of them. Once there, he knocked softly on her office door, then simply opened the door and walk in. "Julia," he said softly, his normally hardened eyes softening.
Julia had her coat on, her back to the door and she was leaning on her desk, hands flat on the surface. "Thats me." she said quietly. She didn't turn around and stared straight at the top of her desk. She didn't know what else to say. She was stunned.
She hadn't turned around, nor had she greeted him. His features darkened a bit - she couldn't see them anyway. Vicious walked up behind her and softly wrapped his arms around her waist. "I know, I should have told you sooner. But I didn't think it was the right time."
Turning around Julia held her hand, she was bleeding, but not a lot. "I suppose your right, though there would never be a right time to bring up this subject." his hands still placed on her hips, she removed the towel and folded it a differnet way to obsorbe the blood.
Vicious took her hand and held it up and using his other he took the towel from her. "What happened Julia?" he asked, concerned.
"I was using a knife." She said "It just slipped." there was a gash acrossed the palm of her hand. "This'll make a nice scar." she said with a slight chuckle. It didn't really bother her anymore, it was like that for a little while. "So about that dinner ..."
Vicious tilted her chin up slightly, so that he could look her in the eyes. "Tell me the truth, Julia. What were you really using the knife for." He wasn't going to let this go that easily.
"You know, I'm not quite sure." she said "Vicious, I need to go. I can't be here anymore." she slid her hand away from his slowly and the towel from his hand at the same pace. She carefully rapped her hand back up. "I don't want to go, but I feel that I must."
Vicious shook his head and wrapped his arms back around her. "Please don't leave. We haven't even talked, or had dinner yet." He pulled her closer, and hugged her desperately. "Let me take you out somewhere - ask me anything, and I will tell you."
Julia looked into his eyes. She wanted to be with him, but ... Spike was still alive. If he was, NO. She wouldn't think about that. She convinced herself that this is what she wanted, she had power, money, everything, and Vicious. "Dinner sounds very good."
"Good," Vicious said, taking her hand and leading her to the elevator. She seemed hesitent in her answer, and he wasn't sure what she was thinking. "Julia," he said as the elevator descended. "Tell me the truth. Do you still love him?"
Julia looked up at him. "Spike?" she asked and looked down to the floor, "I suppose there is a part of me that might, but I'm not so sure anymore." she couldn't believe she just answered his question. She then fell silent.
Vicious said nothing as the elevator stopped. He was sure she was keeping something from him, but he didn't press her this time. "Julia, you do still love me?" Vicious could tell these were questions she didn't want to answer, but he had to ask - if anything, he had to know. Spike would use everything, including Julia, against him in their game.
Looking back up to Vicious she smiled. "Yes, I do." These questions were starting to make her feel sick. She wasn't sure if it was his prying or her wound but she had to lean against the wall of the elevator door.
Vicious reached out to steady her, "I can stop. You just made it sound like there were things that you wanted to know. And there are things I needed to know." Maybe he had been too rash - brought Spike into the game too quickly. He shook his head. No, he lived to see Spike die.
"You don't have to stop I guess." but she wanted him to, though she was also curious, "I just had one question, why? Why keep this going? Spike was out of our lives, I thought he was dead and then now you have this thing going on. It doesn't sound good. And if it's what I think it is I don't think I'll be around to much later to find out."
Vicious paused for a moment. "You want the truth, so I'll tell you. Spike took everything from me that day, and I want my revenge."
"But what he took from you, you have gotten back, so why bother?" she pulled on his sleeve "Vicious, don't do this. Just leave it all be, please just stop." she was pleading with him but her eyes burned into his. "Why do you need revenge so badly?"
"You were not the only thing he took from me that day, Julia." Vicious replied, taking her hand and leading her from the elevator to the parking garage. He could not look at her while he spoke of these things. "He betrayed me and he betrayed who we were." Vicious lead her to the car, opening the door for her and helping her in, as he continued to speak. "He chose to leave, Julia. And he chose to do so, with you. It was not the fact that the two of you were lovers behind my back, that I feel I need revenge for."
Julia fell silent as they got into the car. She just watched out the window, not moving, and breathed calmly. "Well if it is not that. Then I don't understand, if he left, it's all the more for you. But I suppose it's a partner thing." she left her emotions out of everything, but couldn't help but be angry. How couldn't she be? She loved Spike, she did, but something told her that she shouldn't care. She should stay with what she had and be happy. She couldn't. She had a hard time with that concept, but she remembered one thing, running was not the answer. She shivered, it WAS cold. Maybe she should stay, just because she was curious.
Vicious simply nodded. A partner thing. He reached over and let one hand rest on top of Julia's while he drove, thinking about what she said. It didn't matter, however, because nothing would change his mind. Spike was an enemy that had to die.
"Kade!" Jin called out. "Are you ready yet?"
He was pacing out in the living room. He wanted to go out and search for Cloria, but Kade had insisted on going with him. He was impatient, anything could happen to her in the middle of the night in this city.
Kade pulled on his second boot, lacing it up as fast as he could. He could understand Jin's concern. After all, he was worried about Cloria as well. He just didn't see how they were going to find one small woman in a city as huge as Estoria. Maybe after they got her back they should leave here. "I'm coming," he said, standing up and heading out into the room where Jin was pacing. "Come on, let's go."
"Finally!" Jin said heading past Kade and straight out the door. They made their way down to the Prancing Pony, they'd start by asking around there. "I'll leave the questioning up to you. Your the charming one."
Kade shook his head. "Buddy, this is something we both gotta do. " As they walked, Kade's eyes scanned the street for anything that could prove to be useful as a clue. He noted the shops and other buildings in the area, trying to connect any of them to Cloria.
"Yah," Jin agreed as they steped into the tavern. "But if I start asking people there's going to be a few more black eyes than the ones that we're both sporting."
Kade smiled, "Alright, I'll take the wheel," he said, as they stepped into the bar. The man behind the bar was washing glasses and the bar was relatively empty. "Hey," Kade said, taking a seat. "Two double scotches on the rocks please."
Jin took his seat next to Kade and downed the scotch the second is was placed in front of him. He'd been drinking a lot more than usual today. "Another please," Jin said looking at Kade and waiting for the interrogation to begin.
Kade took a sip of his own scotch. Jin might need to get wasted, but one of them had to stay in control. He had only ordered the drink to try and get in good with the bartender. "So, last night, do you happen to remember a pretty blond girl in here?"
"Sir, there are tons of pretty blond girls in here every night." The tender replied.
"I'm sure there are. We're just looking for the one. She would have been sad last night, maybe cried a bit, and probably had way too much to drink."
"Yeah, now that I think about it, I do remember one like that."
Kade nodded, this was good. At least they had a lead. "Do you know where she happened to go."
The bartender glanced outside. "She talked to that damned guiter chick outside for awhile after we closed. As I was leaving, I think I saw her enter into the hotel across the street. I'd be damned to know if she was still there though."
Jin had perked up from his inspection of his glass, when the bartender spoke of Cloria. "She went to a hotel with another girl?" he asked increduously staring down the bartender with slitted eyes.
The bartended stepped back. "Chill out buddy. No, she went alone. The other girl left in the other direction."
Kade took another sip of his drink. They'd head to the hotel next, and hope that she was still there - or at least still had a room there.
Jin tossed back the second glass of scotch and with a last glare at the bartender made his way towards the door. He'd leave Kade to do appease the man and pay for the drinks. He stepped out to the cold air and took a deep breath as he scanned the area for the hotel. He needed to find her, his chest ached just thinking that she was alone, drunk, and probably crying now. All because of him.
Kade watched Jin go. He debated paying the bill and following, but Jin had made a point of not inviting him, and he wondered if Jin wanted a chance to find Cloria on his own. He turned back to the bartender, asking him about the lastest football game.
Jin stepped into the lobby of the closest hotel. "I'm looking for a girl."
"We are not that type of establishment sir," a stuffy looking man behind a desk replied trying hard to look down his nose at the much taller man.
Jin considered rearranging the man's nose, but knew that wouldn't gain him any information. Instead he lightly ding'ed the bell and smiled devilishly at the other man. "I'm looking for a girl who might have come here," Jin said leaning in towards the man. "She's pretty, a blond, was probably either drunk or crying or both when she came here."
"Yes, sir," he said nervously fidgeting with his tie. "There was a girl of that type who is staying here, but unfortunatly she asked not to be disturbed so if perhaps you come back at a later time..."
"Now, the way I see it," Jin said reaching across the desk and tightening the man's tie so it was just tight enough to be uncomfortable. "You can tell me which room the girl is in or I break down every door in this hotel until I find her."
"Room 243," the man said reaching under the counter and producing a key. "Have a lovely day."
"Thank you," Jin said giving the man a cold smile. He took the key and ran up the stairs and down the hall until he found the room. He took a deep breath to calm himself and knocked gently on the door. "Clory?"
Cloria was laying on the bed. She hadn't slept at all the night before and she was exhausted. The knock on the door surprised her, and she rolled off the bed slowly. The voice behind the door was familiar, and she realized that Jin had found. "How did you get here?" she asked, as she slowly opened the door.
"For some reason people find me intimidating enough to give me information," Jin said smiling as he produced the key to her room from his pocket. "And a few other things."
Cloria sighed, "They shouldn't have done that." She turned her back and walked into the room, giving him no indication that he should stay or go. "I suppose our legal system doesn't really work anyway though." She was mad at him, but part of her was relieved he was there.
"That's why we bounty hunters exist I guess," Jin said stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him.
"What are you doing here, Jin?" Cloria asked, her back still turned. Unconsciously, her hand moved up to grasp the rose necklace that hung from her neck and she played lightly with the small flower.
"You didn't come home last night," Jin said stepping up behind her until they were only inches away. "I was worried that my Princess and had been taken away by a pack of wolves."
"I suppose I should have said something." Cloria replied, "But I just... didn't feel like it." She could feel him close now and resisted the urge to turn around and look into his eyes.
"Why are you hiding from me Clory?" he asked. He seperated the gap between them wrapping his arms around her midsection and resting his cheek upon her head.
Cloria tensed slightly as he touched her. She hadn't expected it. "I thought it was what you wanted Jin. You told me you were leaving the SeaDog." She continued to play with the necklace, only this time around, she was aware that it was he who had given it to her.
"I was leaving because you said you could never smile around me again," Jin said sighing. "I wanted you to continue to live on the SeaDog and be happy.
Cloria sighed softly. "Jin, the only way I could live happily on the SeaDog is with you." She finally turned around, and looked up at him. "Don't you see that?"
Jin let a small smile play across his face at her words. "Do you promise?"
"Yes." Cloria replied, although she wasn't 100 sure as to what she was promising. It didn't matter. As long as she was in his arms she was happy. "What about.... her.." Cloria said softly, looking down.
"Rua?" Jin asked tyring to figure out what she was saying. "She's back at Valhalla by now, she told me to bring you to a concert there sometime."
"That's not really what I meant by the question, Jin." Cloria said looking back up at him.
"Then what do you mean Clory?" Jin asked running a hand through her silky hair.
"Do you still .... love her?" Cloria asked. She had to know. Things would not be right between them if Jin still had feelings for someone else.
"To tell you the truth," Jin said looking down at her with a smile. "There is this girl, that I have loved for awile. Unfortunatly I was just to much of a fool to realize it."
A small smile broke out on Cloria's lips. "And who might that girl be? I think I'm a little jealous of her."
"Oh, well she's this good girl," Jin said his heart expanding at the smile on her face. "Perhaps I should introduce you to her, she's the type that always smile and laughs and would never run away."
"She sounds wonderful," Cloria replied, leaning slightly on his chest. She was exhausted, although her heart was racing. She couldn't believe that only a few days ago he had told her to move on and now here he was, telling her that he had changed his mind.
"I don't think she likes me very much though," Jin said lifting up her chin so he could look into her eyes.
"Well then, I don't think she deserves you. I think you should leave her for me." Cloria said softly as she stared into Jin's eyes. The moment was intense, but nothing could have pulled her away.
"And why should I choose you?" Jin asked bending down so his face was only a few inches from her own. "I can only love a true princess."
"What happened to Princess Clory of the rustbucket?" Cloria replied softly, as she unconsciously tilted her head slightly as he moved closer.
"She tried to run away but the prince of the rustbucket came after her," Jin said softly.
"And what was he planning to do when he found her," Cloria replied.
Jin only smiled and bent down to kiss her. It was a long, sweet, gentle kiss but it sent Jin on fire. She tasted better than he had ever imagined. "Clory, he whispered when the kiss finally ended.
Cloria closed her eyes and Jin's mouth touched hers. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull herself closer. "Yes, Jin," she said softly as he pulled away.
"You're not going to run away again right?" Jin asked happy with her response to him.
"No, Jin," Cloria replied. She reached up and kissed him again. She'd never leave as long as he loved her.
Jin held her tighter to him this time, enjoying the feel of her soft body against his own. "We should probably find Kade," Jin said reluctant to let her go. "He'll think I'm mucking this up as usual."
Cloria smiled, "I'll need to check out first." She let her arms around his neck. He'd have to let go first.
Jin leaned down and gaveher one last quick kiss before stepping back out of her arms. They wouldn't go any further today, these new emotions were too fresh for both of them. "Come," Jin said extending a hand out for her.
Cloria took Jin's hand, letting him guide her. "So where did you leave Kade?"
"At the Prancing Pony," Jin said. They quickly checked out, more from the intimidating gaze Jin kept trained on the man from behind Cloria, then by any normal speed on his part. "He'll think we're fighting again."
"Only because he cares, Jin," Cloria replied, feeling like she was walking in a dream. Was this really happening?
They made it to the Prancing Pony at their own pace. They entered the tavern hand in hand and Jin made his way up to Kade. "Surprise."
A smile broke out on Kade's face as he stood. "Did you two finally talk things out in a sensible fashion?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Yah," Jin said a bit sheepishly. "Now hurry up. I want to get back to my ship!"
"About damn time," Kade replied, paying the bill before turning to leave. "Then let's get going. Does this mean that the Man of the SeaDog is finally going to stop this rubbish talk about taking off and running around the galaxy?"
"Only taking off I'm going to do is in the SeaDog," Jin said smiling. "Now stop annoying me and lead the way!"
Kade laughed, "As if you needed me too." He stepped out of the bar and headed down the street, turning around occassionally to see Cloria leaning on Jin, her arm wrapped around his waist.
Jin put his arms around her shoulders. He would take it slow with her. Go on a few dates first maybe. He'd try his best to make her happy.
Rocko stood in front of the Deli that he and Jade had decided to meet at, and leaned against the wall. He lit a cigarette, and took a few puffs, blowing the smoke out slowly as he waited. He had been a few minutes early and considered getting them a table, but the place wasn't busy. There was little to no reason to feel rushed, and instead, he had settled on having a cig while he waited.
Thinking she was late, Jade rushed to the deli. Turning the corner, she quickly straightened her green blazer and skirt with her hands. Spotting Rocko, she walked up to him, her long straight black tendrils cascading down her back, resting perfectly. Her feet wore a pair of simple stilettos, matching the outfit she was in. "Hi Rocko, sorry I'm late."
Rocko flicked the cigarette onto the street and smiled. "You're not late. I was early. You feeling hungry?" His eyes scanned her body, taking note of her choice of clothing. He was dressed in his Sydicate uniform, and looked much more formal than he had the day before.
"Ah, okay. I'm a little hungry, I suppose." Smiling at him in return, Jade observed he looked much different in his Syndicate outfit. "Shall we go in?"
Rocko nodded. "Let's." He opened the door for her and after she entered, he followed. The Deli was a seat-yourself type of joint, and Rocko lead Jade to a table further in the back. He wanted to make sure their conversation was not overheard by anyone, although for the most part, they would speak in code anyway. "Menu?" he asked, handing Jade one of the small sheets of laminated paper that had been placed on the table.
"Thanks." Sitting down at the table, she looked dismally at the laminated paper. There wasn't much of a selection, but it'd have to do. They were there for business anyway. "I think I'm just going to get a salad.." Jade wanted to get things moing along, and start discussing the assignment.
Rocko selected a sandwich, conveyed their order to the waitress, and then indicated they wish to be left undisturbed. He turned back to Jade. "Alright, I tried out the candy last night. It's good stuff, high quality. I'm not sure exactly, but I think it could be coming from a similar stock to what we use."
"Hmmm, okay. So when are we going back?" Jade took a sip of the water that the waitress had brought over shortly after taking their water. "I'm thinkking we should do some side research.." She wasn't normally used to this aspect of the job, normally she all ready had this imformation and just had to take out the assignment, for she was an assassin.
Rocko nodded. "Side research would be good, and if we go back too soon it will look suspicious. I do think we'll need to head back at some point in the near future though, and start slowly buying larger quantities. We need to get in good with him, but what we really need to do is find a way to move up his chain of command so we can figure out who the big boys are. What were you thinking for that side research?"
"Well, considering we're supposed to be digging into their candy manufactoring, that's only one small piece of it. As for the side research, we could put out a couple probes, and keep everything on a very low profile. Someone's bound to know something, and we should check with Alaura on her status..." Jade stopped, wondering if she should the last piece or not, "I also might have some connections," she said, mumbling the last bit.
Just then the waitress appeared with their orders. Placing them down she smiled and asked, "Do you need anything else?"
"No, but if you could leave the check.." Jade replied to the waitress, impatiently.
"Sure thing, sweetheart." Leaving the check the waitress then scurried off to deal with some other customers.
"Sweetheart...." Jade said sharply, and growled.
Rocko watched the scene between Jade and the waitress and resisted laughing. Jade obviously didn't like being called sweetheart. He'd have to remember that for the future. "Alright, you'll check out those connections, and I'll see if I've got any down in that area. I think we'll need to find out where the stuff is made as well as who's in charge."
"Yes, we will need to know where it's made. So, the leader is the only one we're focusing on?" Jade couldn't help but get onto the subject of the take out.........
"The leader was the one we were ordered to kill, but I think we need to make it clear that they should shut down their operations alltogether and get the hell out of Mars." Rocko replied, after taking a few bites of his sandwich.
Using her fork Jade pushed around her salad.. It didn't look very pleasing. Taking a small bite, it wasn't the top quality she was used to, but it wasn't awful. "We should be able to make it clear rather easily," she said with a smirk.
"Oh yeah," Rocko said, already dreaming of the massacre they could hold in the factory. He loved shootouts. The last one with the Van had been amazing. He decided to mention that idea to Vicious. "I love killing those fuckers," he said.
"Yes, me too... It was such a shame I had to miss the an one." She smiled at Rocko, clearly amused by his response.
"You should have been there. I don't know why Vicious didn't include you. I suppose he had a plan though, and he used that new Mei girl to get to the Van with ease. You could have done it though." Rocko didn't really like how Vicious had given the new girl so much status.
"Oh no, I was specifically assigned to stay with Churel, and I probably would have anyway. They were unsure of how she would react. The new girl, Mei, is interesting.. But I don't trust her." All though, Jade hardly trusted anyone.
"Did he assign you to that or was that your previous assignment?" Rocko asked, curious as to how much interaction Jade had with Vicious before.
"No, I do not normally take care of Churel, but that doesn't mean I haven't in the past when specifically asked by the Van or Vicious. She is pretty much capable of taking care of herself.. Vicious just told me to watch her that time." Jade wasn't keen on him questioning her like that, but she accepted it.
"I was just wondering," Rocko replied. He mentally made a note to find out why Vicious hadn't choosen Jade for the air condition duct job he had given Mei. He finished his sandwich and put down some woolongs for the bill. No sense in killing for dinner that day. "You ready?"
"It's all right. Yes, I do believe I'm ready." Standing up with him, they headed out the door. Jade wondered what Rocko thought now that he had his answers, but she wouldn't push it. She had some questions about him also.
As the walked out onto the sidewalk, Rocko stretched, then pulled a cigarette from his pocket. "Want one?" he offered as he lit up his own.
Shake her head she declined, "No thank you." Jade wasn't a huge fan of it, but she had smoked before.
"Suit yourself," Rocko said, putting his smokes away and continuing to puff on the cig he had lit. "Alright. Where to then? Did you want to talk to those connections now or later?"
"Actually, I'd prefer to contact them alone..." There were several reasons for this, ones she wouldn't get into. "You're welcoming to contact yours with or without me."
"Fine by me." Rocko replied. "I take it then I'll see you later?"
"Yes, when do you want to meet again?"
"How long will it take you to reach your contacts? I think it would be best to discuss what we've found when we're done."
"Well, most likely a day, maybe two. There's another one I'm not sure about though... but we can meet again soon." She paused and then continued, "I would like that.."
"I would too." Rocko smiled down at her. "I'll see you then, alright?"
"Okay," she replied. She smiled back at him before turning to leave and attend to other matters.
Rocko watched her walk away for a moment, then without warning, he reached out and took her hand. "Wait," he said softly, as he pulled her around close to him. "Don't go just yet."
She blinked at his sudden moment as her body went limp against his.. "W-why?"
Rocko stared down into her eyes. "Because there was something else I wanted to do." He leaned down and softly kissed her on the lips.
"Wha--" She was then cut off by the kiss as her lips responded to lovely little kiss without realizing it. Blinking, she drew her lips away.. Jade was unsure of why she hadn't seen that coming.. "Rocko..."
He pulled back and looked at her for a moment, "Yes, Jade." Hopefully, the kiss had been wanted.
"Uh, nothing.. I'll see you.. later." Confused with her actions, Jade quickly pulled away and headed back to the syndicate's office.
Rocko bit his lip as she fled. He stuck his hand in his pockets, reaching for another cigarette. He hoped he hadn't made some horrible mistake. After all, he and Jade still had to work together.
