Cast:
Rifka Dushane – Local Hero for Hire. Code name: The Hellcat
Thancred Waters – Rifka's Handler/Intelligence. Code name: The Bard
Urianger Augurelt – Healer/Researcher. Code name: The Dreamer
Estinien Varlineau – Mercenary/Assassin. Code name: The Dragon
Aymeric Borel – Estinien's Handler/Intelligence. Code name: The Prince
Shits & Giggles: Ishgard drives Rolls-Royces. Black Phantom drophood for Estinien, cobalt blue Wraith coupe for Aymeric, white Dawn for Thordan's guard.
Thancred Waters was sleeping in a large bed when an alarm went off on the bedside table. It was his phone, vibrating and buzzing and reading 7:30am. His peaceful expression became creased with irritation, and he fumbled drowsily for his phone until he could shut off the alarm. With a heavy sigh, he flopped backward onto the pillows and rubbed his thumb and forefinger over his eyes.
"It's bloody morning already? Augh, it can't be!"
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Purred a playful voice.
He inhaled in surprise and looked toward the voice, seeing a woman stretching on a yoga mat, the morning sun shining over her figure. She was wearing white shorts and a matching cropped camisole, both of which accentuated her muscular figure and rich, dusky skin, and caused her scars and tattoos to stand out vividly. She had broad shoulders and a sleek, toned waist that flowed smoothly into round hips and thick, powerful thighs. Her dark, brown-black hair was tied back in a long braid, which showed off her ears. They were pointed, but unlike Elven ears, hers rose straight upward, indicating mixed heritage. She looked over at him with a smile in her soulful brown eyes.
As he watched, she shifted poses smoothly, arching her back until her hands reached the floor. She held the bridge easily, then lifted one leg, then the other, shifting into a headstand. Shifting again, she pushed up into a handstand. Breathing deeply, she held the pose again before slowly lifting one hand off the floor in a casual display of her strength.
He swallowed and stared as she reversed each move, until she was at ease on the mat again, and she grinned at him, liking the look on his face. "You're due at the bar today, Than. Do you have any errands you need me to run?"
Thancred exhaled, his cheeks flushed. "You wicked Minx… It's far too early for you to be so sexy."
She leaned her head back and her delighted laugh flitted attractively through the room. "I've already made the coffee. Go grab a shower."
He grumbled, flicking back the sheets and swinging his legs off the bed, revealing his muscular frame and white shorts. "Oh, I'll grab something, alright…"
She pursed her lips at his threat, snickering happily. He strode over to her, and she hopped up to her feet when he showed he was serious, gasping softly when he tangled his hand in her hair and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him, moaning softly and swirling her tongue around his as their kiss slowly deepened.
His free hand slid down her side and grabbed her hip, pulling her against him, and she arched her back slightly, grinning up at him. "Mmmm… Good morning to you too, Lover…"
"How are you always so lively in the morning, Riffie?"
"I have to be, Thancred. It's my job to protect you when we're together." She smiled at him, rubbing her hands over his sides warmly. "I also have the advantage that I've already been awake since sunup."
"Oh, is that why you smell so good? You showered already?" He brushed his lips over her neck, which made her shiver.
"Mmm, no? Apparently, you just like the way I smell. Why would I do sweaty yoga after I showered?"
"You just wander around, smelling this good all the time? You're too powerful!"
His teasing made her laugh again, and he smiled. She pulled him into the kitchen and poured two mugs of coffee, passing his to him black, while adding cream and sugar to hers. They enjoyed breakfast together, simple eggs and toast, then moved into the bathroom where they shared a shower. In the course of getting clean, his hands slowly traced the old, faded scars on her body, until she moaned softly and pressed against him.
"Thancred…" She turned toward him, and his hand slid down to her thigh, pulling her knee up over his hip. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to him, and they kissed heatedly as they made love against the shower wall.
When they were finally finished, they got dry and dressed, and Thancred kissed her tenderly as he headed for the door. "It's been pretty quiet," he told her as he put his boots on, "so your task list is fairly small. I'll call you if something comes up, though."
She smiled at him. "Alright. See you later, either way."
He glanced back at her, smiling, and winked as he stepped out.
Rifka came back to the apartment later that evening, moving slowly. She closed the door behind her and leaned back against it, panting softly. She was sweaty, and her shirt was torn in a few places.
"Task list is small, he says… Everything's been quiet, he says… Then explain to me why that whole apartment building was infested!" She pushed off the door and staggered into the bathroom, running the shower. She removed her clothes and put them all into the washing machine for later. Taking her hair down from her braid, she stepped under the water and carefully got clean, checking herself for wounds. She had a few small cuts, but otherwise she was fine.
Once clean and dry again, she tended to her little cuts and scrapes with a first aid kit from under the sink. Sighing, she glanced at herself in the mirror, and favored herself with a small smile, brushing her hands fondly over her tattoos.
The vivid ink displayed a dragon on one shoulder, curled around a crescent moon, with stars drifting down over her bicep. On the other shoulder, a black jaguar was curled around a burning sun, with embers going down in a meaningful mirror. She twisted open a small jar of lotion and cared for each tattoo dutifully before moving into the bedroom and getting dressed.
Her phone rang and she recognized the ringtone as Thancred's, so she answered quickly. "What's up?" She went back to the washing machine and added soap and stain remover before hitting START.
"We have a situation at the bar, Riffie," Thancred's smooth voice teased her ear, and she closed her eyes, smiling at first, but growing serious as she considered his words.
"Oh? What kind?"
"The band's singer is missing. She isn't answering her phone or anything."
Rifka frowned softly in concern. "Hmm… And? Are you asking me to go find her?"
Thancred paused. "Actually… I wanted to ask you if you'd take her place tonight."
Rifka's mouth fell open, and she blushed. "Thancred… I'm not a professional singer!"
"You are good, though! Will you do it? There's an outfit waiting for you backstage if you agree. Will you think about it?" He paused and the line became muffled for a moment. "Sorry Darling, we're packed to capacity, and I have to go."
He hung up, and Rifka put her phone down and pushed her hand through her wet hair. "Well… it'll be a nice way to unwind after work… Singing for a bunch of drunken strangers…" She let out a nervous laugh, then got up and finished drying her hair. Moving into the bathroom again, she looked at her wild, wavy hair, and smiled slowly. If she was going to be performing… She was going to need to look cool.
Her waves were carefully detangled with a wide-toothed comb, and then she tamed them with strategically placed braids. From the braids she hung silver jewelry, including beads, mirrored disks and handmade feathers. She did her makeup in a glowing red that complimented her dark eyes and dusky skin, and painted her nails gold to compliment. Thancred said an outfit was waiting, so she put on a simple pair of shorts with a tanktop and sneakers.
Heading back to the door, she grabbed a black leather jacket from the coat rack and checked the inside pocket to make sure her wallet was secured inside. Assured, she slipped out and locked up behind her.
"Alright, let's see how this goes."
The bar was down the street, so she was happy to walk. The night air was clear and clean, and she breathed deeply, smiling to herself. She passed a few people on her way, and she was pleased to see they either minded their own business or gave her polite nods.
There was an engine roar from behind her, the thundering growl of a souped-up muscle car. Rifka turned her head and saw a black convertible racing down the street at break-neck speeds. The driver left a lasting impression, as all she saw was a wild mane of long, white hair and a flutter of dark blue silk.
"Wow," she murmured, "hot car… Who in the hells was that? Some new rich boy in town?"
She saw the bar's sign glowing in the fading light, Everything Bar & Grill, and when she arrived, it was to see that the parking lot was full. She walked around back and spotted Thancred's Chopper hidden away by the back entrance. She made her way inside, silently slipping backstage.
Immediately, she saw a garment bag hanging obviously from the rack, with a sticky note on it. She saw it simply had her name on it, written in Thancred's handwriting.
She lifted the garment bag off the rack and heard a gasp from behind her. "Riffie! Are you really going to perform with the band tonight?!"
Turning, Rifka smiled at the tall figure and youthful, excited blue eyes of Alisaie, one of her closest friends. The young woman had recently come into her own and was currently working at the bar in various capacities, mostly backstage making sure things ran smoothly, but also helping out at the front of the house, picking up waitstaff shifts to cover when needed.
"Yeah, I guess I really am. Thancred asked me so nicely, after all."
"You're an amazing singer, Riffie! You're gonna knock their socks off!"
Rifka blushed and smiled at Alisaie. "Thanks, Ali. I really hope I can… but I also hope their regular singer is okay."
Alisaie nodded. "I hope so, too." She frowned then, glancing to the side. "She better not be just fucking around."
Rifka chuckled and took the garment bag into the changing room and opened it up. It was a sleek red dress, figure-hugging and slender strapped, so her tattoos were going to be visible. She had to remove her tanktop but was thankful for her shorts, which would save her thighs from being rubbed raw. She smoothed the dress over her body, appreciating the way the fabric softened the tone of her muscles and emphasized her womanly curves. Looking into the bag just to be sure, she found a strappy pair of heels at the bottom. Stepping out of the changing room, she sat down at the vanity to exchange her sneakers for the sandals.
She got up, and found Alisaie staring at her, her cheeks pink. Smiling secretively, Rifka turned to the mirror to check her hair. "You're staring, Darling…"
Alisaie gasped, and her blush brightened. "You look really good in red I have to go back to work have a good set bye!" She said the words in a rush and fled the room.
Rifka snickered quietly, and snuck toward the stage, flagging down the bassist. She grinned and strolled over to her, glancing her over with a low whistle. "Shit, Riffie, you're singing for us tonight?"
Rifka grinned up at her. "I'll do my best, Dola. You still starting the night with Good in Red?"
Dola thumbed her nose thoughtfully and flicked back her wild, orange hair with a fierce grin. "Hell yeah we are! Even if we hadn't planned to, with you in that dress? We have to now!"
That made Rifka laugh. "Alright, game on! I'm ready to go when you all are."
Dola grinned again. "Sweet, I'll let the guys know." She turned and shouted over at the disheveled blond sitting behind the drumkit. "Aren! We got a new singer! You'll never guess who!"
The easy-going man grinned through his fringe, which was hiding the worst of a large, ugly scar on his forehead. "Really? Who?"
"Fuckin' RIFFIE!"
Aren's mouth dropped open in surprise, and then he grinned broadly. "Oh, sweet! This is gonna be a good night!" He twisted to shout at the other guitarist. "Coult, guess what! Riffie's taking Livia's place tonight!"
"What?! Rock on, Mate!"
Rifka leaned back against the wall, hiding her face and blushing deeply, grinning as her belly fluttered. It was nice to hear how excited her friends were to perform with her. She just hoped she was able to live up to the hype.