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.

Comments

[twiststheblade]

Miho is not only short, but crouched, and the gunfire goes over her head. She takes advantage of the dogs second spate of confusion to lash a neat foot at the side of it's head. The least neccessary amount of force, and the dog is unconscious. Miho likes dogs.

Not so her father's guards, and she has a shuriken out and whirling to his gun arm almost before the dog impacts the ground.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

That solitary shot sealed the deal for the hapless guard, poorly aimed as it was. As the shuriken flies, there's a soft whump from the right side of the thicket.

Whatever crippling damage Miho's star inflicts, there is no scream of pain to accompany it. Just a body, now useless, crumpling into the wet earth. Rain mixes with blood, forming a delicate river of pink trickling away from a small hole—center of the forehead, just above the bridge of the nose.

Goldy berates herself for hesitating and lunges for Alanna's arm to ensure that she doesn't shoot as well. Her revolver is unsilenced.

[the_lioness]

Luckily, Alanna had shifted her entire focus to the dog as soon as he charged, Gift at the ready. Now, however, she's feeling rather useless and scowls at the wet earth squishing beneath her toes as she regains her balance.

Gruffly, "let's go before they are missed."

[twiststheblade]

Miho nods at Alanna.

"We've got about two minutes before he's supposed to call back, I think. Stick to the edges of the bushes, we should be fine."

She looks over her shoulder at Goldy as she begins to walk off. "And shoot first next time, love." Her smile takes any sting out of the words - it's just advice, tailored specifically to this location, these enemies.

She ducks under the low, dripping branches, moving swiftly but neatly, boots almost silent on the damp ground. Behind them, the man is still and the dog almost as still, only the gently rise and fall of it's ribcage testifying to the fact that it lives.

In front of them is a low building, to the side of a wide set of gates. A few men are visible, but the majority are escaping the rain somewhere, less dligent than they would have bveen in good weather. This can only be to the little party's advantage.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy did not need telling. She has no excuse, and she's giving herself a hard time over the inaction already. It's a dark expression that meets Miho's smile.

She follows behind as silently as she is able, keeping to Miho's path and remaining vigilant as they approach the entrance.

[the_lioness]

Ignoring the byplay between her companions, Alanna follows Miho's lead exactly, expression hardening when she sees the men ahead. She is all business now, aware that things could get very sticky in the next few minutes.

Rain drips down her cheeks like tears, like sweat, like blood. It gets in her eyes, but she dares not wipe it away.

The dagger is back in her hand.

[twiststheblade]

Miho stops, within earshot of the men, if they were to raise their voices and the rain were to let up for a moment. There is a screen of foliage in front of them, thick and green, moving slightly in the gentle wind.

"If we can take them by thurprithe," she says quietly - the letter 's' carries further than any other sound - 'we can avoid having them trigger the alarm. The we can get tranthport and get out of here without any other trouble. I only thee three. . . You?"

She raises an eyebrow, looking sideways at them, keeping the building and it's complement of guards in her peripheral vision.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Still looking dreadfully grim, Goldy shades her eyes with a flat hand, then raises her thumb and first two fingers. She sees three as well.

Wiithout waiting for further instruction, she drops to one knee and takes aim on the closest guard. She isn't going to make the same mistake twice. Her gun sounds its low wmmmp three times in a row.

Two men silently fall.

The third grunts and stumbles, clutching his neck and vanishing from sight behind a crop of tall rose bushes.

[comm-npc.livejournal.com]

They saw three.

There were four.

Luckily, he's on the far side of the building, and hasn't seen the fallen men, nor did he hear anything out of the ordinary.

This is a state of affairs that may not last, however.

[the_lioness]

Slipping through the foliage, Alanna silently stalks the third man. He hadn't looked nearly injured enough for her peace of mind. Fingers closing tightly around her knife, she sticks to the shadows, nimbly leaping over puddles, and doesn't show the slightest surprise when the man reemerges with murder in his eyes.

The bullet had only scraped his neck, and once the initial shock passed, he had regrouped easily enough. Gun in hand, he shakes his pants leg free of clinging thorns and charges their hiding place.

Alanna is behind him, two knives in hand now. Her gun, after all, has no silencer.

Thump. Thump.

One on the shoulder, one in the ass. She's running as soon as the second one leaves her hand, quickly retrieving both.

It's a pity he cries out in pain.

[comm-npc.livejournal.com]

A pity, but a stroke of luck for them in the end.

It means that the fourth man comes around the corner of the building at a run, rather than sneaking, or, worse, raising the alarm.

He gives a surprised shout, and draws his gun.

[twiststheblade]

A surprised shout that is rather rapidly cut off when one of Miho's shuriken embeds itself in his throat. His hands fly to his neck as his eyes bug out of his face, desperately trying to keep the blood from pouring out of the gash.

Miho hadn't been trying to kill him, just to silence him, but it rather looks as if he'll die anyway. No real need to make it quick, is there? So after a glance to make sure he's not going to pose further threat, she gestures towards the far end of the building.

"Garage. I hope one of you knows how to ride a motorcycle. We could take a car, I suppose."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy is feeling much better already. She's not actually smiling yet, but it's amazing what a few dutiful kills can do for an assassin's psyche.

"Very funny, hot stuff. I thought you knew me better than that."

She slaps her hands onto her hips, somewhat indignantly, still keeping one eye on the guard house.

"Just show me where the bikes are."

[the_lioness]

Ride a motorcycle?

She hasn't yet connected the word with the remarkable machine that nearly clobbered Thom in Piccadilly Circus.

Although the look on her face when she sees it will probably be remarkably similar to the one he wore just after.

"I don't suppose it's anything like riding a horse?" she asks hopefully.

[twiststheblade]

"Not quite," she chuckles, and sidles along the side of the building, pausing at the end to look very carefully around. Nothing in sight, so far. The gates are still closed, the garage door is open. This is good - it sometimes creaks when it goes up.

Again, a careful approach to the garage doors, although faster this time. Don't want to get spotted. She slips inside, doesn't turn on the lights. It's dim inside, bu the shapes of several cars - an imported Rolls Royce, a Mazda MX-03, a purposely anonymous sedan, it's status as an armoured car given away by it's bulkiness- and four or five motorcycles -every last one a Kawasaki GPZ900R- can dimly be seen.

"Goldy, you take Alanna pillion, would you? You've got longer legs and more weight than I have and these are a bit big for me anyway." She keeps her voice low, and snags a helmet from the table, passing it over. A quick glance at Alanna, and another one is headed her way.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Advancing into the garage, Goldy nods and stows the helmet under her arm. Her face lights up as she surveys the pristine collection of Japanese superbikes.

"Ooh! Ninjas. Excellent!"

Grinning wildly now, she picks one out, flips the kick stand up and starts to wheel it towards the entrance.

"Come on, Alanna. On you get," she orders excitedly. "This baby's got a top speed of 155 and a standing quarter mile time of 10.55 seconds. We're gonna fly!"

[the_lioness]

Catching the helmet easily, Alanna gapes at the bikes, fighting off a dozen questions.

Where do your feet go? How do you balance?

Does it like sugar cubes?

A small, nervous laugh, and she climbs on, overbalancing slightly for a moment.

"I've always wanted to fly," she says in a brave sort of voice. "But shouldn't there be more between your legs?"

As soon as it's out, she turns bright red and jams the helmet down on her head.

Grumbling, "I only meant it feels like the skinniest horse known to man."

[twiststheblade]

Miho has her own helmet on her head, and has wheeled her bike out next to Goldy's - it really is a bit big for her. She'll manage.

"A couple of hundred skinny horses," she giggles. "Grab on behind you rather than to Goldy, she'll need to twist about. And just - let it move. Don't try and control anything."

Her toes barely touch the ground, but her balance is good enough that it's not a huge issue.

She turns the key.

Turns to Goldy.

Waits.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy winks back, reholstering her gun under the back of her shirt. She slips her helmet on as well, turns her key all the way and guns the throttle.

The engine roars!

She revs up, forcing the noise to an even louder decibel level. Without further ado, she grasps levers with each hand, drops the bike into gear and quickly lets it go of the clutch.

The back wheel spins and smokes, losing grip and fishtailing to the right before she releases the brake. Then Fable and Knight leap forward like a shot, the front wheel raising high off the ground...

[the_lioness]

Fable leaps forward more than Knight.

Knight lands on her back in the dust, looking rather like an overturned bug with her arms and legs in the air.

"...ow"

[comm-npc.livejournal.com]

There are a few shouts from inside the building, the little room behind the garage where the guards drink endless tea and watch sports, and where most of them are hiding from the rain.

[twiststheblade]

Miho doesn't swear, it's a waste of breath.

She'd started her engine as Goldy had, and not wasted time with theatrics - her bike had leapt neatly forwards. She was checking their getaway in her mirrors, and just caught the accident.

She slams on the front brake, pulls a perfect endo, rolls forward a few feet, then twistts the bike in the air, and drops it back down, gunning the engine and racing back the way she'd come.

Comes to a spray stop, ready to take any action that needs taking. Hoping she's not going to have to do anything other than head off again.

And it's her damned fault - Alanna wouldn't have expected the bike to be so fast, why did she tell her to hold behind?

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

The accelerating bike suddenly feels a lot lighter and the front wheel hits the ground again. Goldy looks over her shoulder and curses when she sees Alanna several yards behind now.

"FUCK!"

She hasn't ridden this type of bike before, and she hasn't carried anyone pillion for many years. But really, she's cursing the fact that she attempted to show off. To make matters worse, she catches a glimpse of the men now charging into the garage, guns trained on the downed knight and the little samurai on the giant bike.

"Fuck."

She reaches behind her with her left hand and hauls on the front brake with the other. Leaning forward and to the side, she executes a stylish turning endo to match Miho's. The only difference is that hers is one-handed, and she comes round with her Springfield .45 blazing.

By the time the stunt is completed, men are dropping with various wounds, and others are diving out of the way behind the cars. She speeds back to Alanna and skids the bike around so it's facing the gate again.

"Sorry!" she yells over the engine noise. "Grab hold of me this time."

[the_lioness]

Unable to move for several moments, Alanna treats the advancing guards to death glares and a lashing with her sharp tongue. It doesn't do anything useful other than make her feel better. Still cursing, she rolls to her feet when she hears the bike returning, careful to stay out of the way of any bullets.

"No worries there," she yells, leaping on the bike and wrapping her arms around Goldy for dear life. "Go!"

[twiststheblade]

Miho had never come to a complete stop, and as soon as Alanna's on the bike again, she twists the throttle viciously, and the bike jumps away. She also has trouble keeping the front wheel down, but at least there's only here on the bike, and she wrestles it down again, shooting off down the driveway.