Angels: Act One.

[twiststheblade]

The door opens onto a room, not small, not large. Bare, pale walls that could be made of paper, but aren't. There is a window, shuttered against the sun, pale light struggling weakly in to lie in stripes across the wooden floor.

The bed(futon) hasn't been made, white sheets tangled and draped half off onto the floor.

The only splash of colour in the room comes from a vase containing a single spray of yellow flowers, which sits atop a simple lacquered chest. Also atop the chest is a single, dog-eared book, titled 'Koshoku ichidai onna', and two small brown glass bottles, safety capped, labelled in japanese.

Miho steps noiselessly through the door, one finger to her lips, although of course she doesn't have to remind the others of the need for caution. She's all in her habitual black - soft jeans, well broken-in boots, tightly laced, the usual short-sleeved shirt and a loose kimono jacket over it all. There's a knife at each hip, and one at the small of her back. She has her forearm sheaths, as usual, and the bandolier of shuriken. There is a knife in each boot. No swords. Not. . . yet.

I can do this. It's not different than any other place. And I'm not alone. I don't have to be alone.

She raises her eyebrows to Goldy, and tilts her head to the door, a deceptively heavy affair, locked from outside.

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[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy is attired in her customary working garb: a black t-shirt, a short black leather jacket, dark navy cargo pants and sturdy ankle boots. In addition, there is a thin vest of Kevlar 3 under her top.

Fingerless leather gloves grace her hands. A small knapsack rests on a back devoid of its usual rifle. Through what is perhaps an imprudent force of habit, her hair is down, cascading over her shoulders from a rolled up balaclava. A silenced pistol is at the ready. Her expression is professional and serious.

She scopes the new surroundings out before silently acknowledging Miho.

Her room. She moves to one of the walls and tests its solidness with the flat of her hand. It's plain and minimalist, just like her place in the bar. Only this one has a bonus floral arrangement. She pauses by the chest and pulls a flower halfway out of the vase. Then drops it back in. Her cell.

Her gaze falls to the prescription bottles for a fleeting moment before she heads to the door and checks it out. Poor girl. From one prison into another. She walks over to the floor length window, footsteps soundless on the matted hardwood, and inspects the rain-streaked pane. Not for long though...

She turns back to the other girls.

"Plexiglas. Thick, but I think my laser tool will cut through it," she says in a half-whisper. A nod to the door. "Or we can try our luck picking the lock and hope that we don't run into anyone."

[the_lioness]

Alanna hangs back until the other girls are inside, patting the firm knot of red hair at the nape of her neck for what must be the tenth time. She too is clad mostly in black, her breeches, t-shirt and sweater all form-fitting. Her sturdy, soft leather boots are ideal for tracking and barely make a sound as she steps out on the wooden floor. Several weapons are stashed about her person, but it's the feel of the light fairy sword strapped to her back that lends her the most confidence.

Another world. It's an adventure.

Moving silently through the room, Alanna skims her fingers along the walls and over the chest, learning by feel as well as sight. She pauses briefly to examine the book, taking care not to rustle the pages. At Goldy's remark, she looks up with a grin.

"I know nothing of lasers," she whispers huskily, "but I learned how to pick a lock from the best."

[twiststheblade]

Miho's voice is a little less cautious. She knows how thick the walls are, how badly sound travels. Silent as the damned grave.

"We don't want to have to fight our way out. I say go through the window. there'll be enough men outside to cut through."

She glances around the room one last time, and heads over to the bureau. The book goes in her back pocket and, after a moments consideration, so do the bottles. Might as well as not.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

The labels were in Japanese. Goldy watches her stow the bottles with no change in her expression. Interesting. But now's not the time.

"I vote window as well," she says, delving into a thigh pocket of her own and bringing out a small pen-sized implement. "You might want to avert your eyes. I don't know how bright this thing is."

[the_lioness]

Not for the first time, Alanna wonders if she's in over her head. Only the thought that it's usually a fun place to be keeps her from frowning with worry.

"Be careful you don't sit down."

Balancing on the balls of her feet, she dutifully looks away from the window, lifting the yellow flowers from the vase and twirling them idly between thumb and forefinger.

[twiststheblade]

Miho turns her back on the window and wanders over to Alanna, smiling at the flowers. "They were my mothers favourite." And I swear they put them here on purpose.

But she does smile.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Having folded the shutters back, Goldy bends down onto one knee, points the end of the tool at the clear plastic and presses a small button to activate the laser. She squints her eyes as well. But as it turns out, the beam is quite faint, tending towards the infra-red end of the spectrum for most of its power. A tiny flame wicks up as the light almost invisibly burns through its target.

She slowly moves the tool upwards, an inch at a time, scoring a vaguely straight vertical line. "It looks like this may take some time. So... um... chat amongst yourselves."

[the_lioness]

Alanna returns the smile, watching Goldy for a moment before replying.

"My mother loved honeysuckle. It was her favorite,

(and mine)

Father said. He told us that much."

She treats the flower with more reverence now, offering it to Miho.

[twiststheblade]

Miho twirls the stem of the spray of little flowers between her fingers for a moment, before, with an odd sort of a smile, that is still a smile, tucking it into Alanna's hair. Might as well make someone cheerful.

Then, she takes a seat on the end of the futon, watching Goldy cut through the window with the same odd smile still on her lips.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy checks back over her shoulder, and her grave demeanor melts away a little as she spots the flower. She smiles too, just for a moment.

"Hey. If we're doing flowers, I want one too. We are a team."

[the_lioness]

A little surprised, Alanna reaches up to brush her fingers over the blossoms and grins. She's too anxious to sit, but she moves to stand beside the futon and absently practices reaching behind her for the sword.

"I don't think these are marigolds, but I'll give you one when we get outside."

[twiststheblade]

"There are flowers in the gardens. We have to head through them for the wall."

She slips her fingers under her legs, actually sitting on her hands. Not twitching.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy seems satisfied and returns to her meticulous work. She takes her time and cuts a three foot square into the window over the course of the next few minutes. Then, rather than push the piece out, she extracts her Leatherman, unfolds the larger knife blade and uses the tip to pry the perspex sheet back towards her.

She catches it as it topples in, and removes it to one side.

"Okay. We're good to go."

"Ladies first," she says to Alanna with a smirk.

[the_lioness]

Alanna rolls her eyes and crosses the room with her usual boyish stride.

"You've got me by a technicality," she grumbles good-naturedly. "Last one in, first one out."

Sobering, she quietly crawls through the hole with more grace than most would credit. Once on the other side, she moves to the left and keeps a watchful eye on the peaceful looking garden, hands ready at her side.

[twiststheblade]

Miho passes through, and steps to the side, not quite flattening herself against the wall. The garden seems ominously empty, but she knows it isn't. She also knows when the men watching that section of the grounds go past. She did have a window after all.

She waits for Goldy to make it through the hole before leading the way across the gardens, soft boots carefully noiseless on the gravel.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

It was almost everything Goldy could do to stop herself goosing Miho when she crawled through the window, even under these tense circumstances. She has her gun ready again as she pads along at Miho's right hand, hanging back a little. And not for the view this time.

She's not quite as stealthy as the other two, and her boots do crunch the loose stones a little. But it's hopefully lost in the steady drum of rain on the roof or in the more arhythmic dripping from the gutterways and vegetation.

[the_lioness]

The rain makes Alanna nervous. Not only does she hate to be wet, but it makes things slippery, distances difficult to judge. Her breathing sounds loud in her own ears, but she knows it's as steady as her sword arm.

Following Miho, she turns her face into the breeze, scenting the air like a hound. On any other occasion, she would find the garden delightful.

A noise sounds nearby, and in the blink of an eye, Alanna has a dagger ready and waiting, eyes trained in that direction as they continue.

[twiststheblade]

A noise, but it's just a branch in the slight wind. There's no one due to cross this part of the garden for a good few minutes yet. Of course, once they reach the high wall, it will be a different matter, but for now, there's just them, and the rain, and the small of damp greenery.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy had tensed as well, training the rain-slicked barrel of her gun towards the source of the sound. Noting Miho's advance, she drops it back to her hip and continues on, eyes flicking warily back and forth.

A bit further along the meandering walkway she spies a security camera positioned at the corner of the building. But their little leader seems to have them moving at a perfect lag behind its sweep. Goldy trusts this is the case anyway.

[the_lioness]

Blissfully unaware of security cameras and the like, Alanna focuses on the high, almost white wall looming in front of them. The dagger is quickly sheathed again as her eyes travel the length of the wall as far as she can see.

It's tall, but it's not insurmountable.

Smiling like the proverbial cat that caught the canary, she pauses just before they reach the wall, stooping to run gravel and dirt over her wet hands.

[twiststheblade]

"We've got. . ." Miho pauses, glances over her shoulder and looks at the camera, and the empty grounds. "About two minutes. Someone boost me? I think I'm the lightest."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy re-holsters her pistol and wipes her hands on her pants.

"I am most definitely not," she admits, suddenly feeling a bit porky.

She reflexively sucks her stomach in while knitting her fingers together, and stoops to allow Miho to put her foot in the makeshift stirrup.

[twiststheblade]

"Thanks, love." Goldy is rewarded by a swift press of the lips.

A slight scuff of her boot against the grass to get any dirt off, and a light push off Goldy's hands, and Miho has a grip on the top of the wall. A twist, and she's lying flat on her stomach, feet hooked on either side,under the tiled top.

She makes a long arm, reaching for Alanna, as the second lightest.

[the_lioness]

"It's only because you are the tallest," Alanna reassures Goldy as she takes the proffered hand. She tries to scale the wall without putting too much pressure on Miho, and once she's at the top, she mimics the other girl's position. After a brief moment to wipe the raindrops from her eyelashes, she reaches down.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy dries her hands once more, then stretches up to take both of the other girls' hands.

Almost clear. Walk in the park.

She tries to climb as well, rather than let herself be lifted. But her slightly less sensible boots don't get much purchase on the stonework, and they end up scrabbling around for most of the ascent. It is quite certain that her team mates know exactly how much she weighs by the time they heave her to the point where she can grab the top edge and fend for herself.

She looks a bit sheepish. "Sorry. It's slippery."