Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-5999656-20190205035159/@comment-5999656-20190206220043

Sorrel and Alyxia meandered towards the jewelry stage, buffeted slightly by the thick masses of people around them. As they made their way across, however, their attention was caught by a singular, masked figure, who strode across the floor with a purposeful gait. This was hardly a cause for concern alone - plenty of people scattered throughout the venue wore face-concealing, and yet highly decorative masks on this night. No, what was far more eyebrow-raising was the growing gaggle of onlookers which trailed behind this individual, whispering nervously among themselves like a pack of excited fans after a star performer.

"... the hell?" Alyxia muttered underneath her breath. The pair watched from afar as the masked individual stopped before a market stand, leaned forward, and exchanged some inaudible words with the nervous shop owner, while the gaggle of followers stopped a few meters back and continued muttering amongst themselves. After a moment, the masked person scooped up two land mines and continued onwards, with their entourage following quickly after. There was something else that caught their eye at that moment.

''She didn't buy the bombs. He gave them to her.''

What kind of profit-seeking criminal supplier gave away his own hard-earned wares for free to a random passerby? The only situations where Alyxia could think of such a thing happening were 1) if they wanted something in return, or 2) if their life was being threatened in some way. Neither of which appeared to be happening in this scenario, and that was suspicious. She squinted, peering closer at the stall owner, who adjusted his tie with trembling hands. Too scared. He looked too scared.

A soft nudge against her shoulder drew her attention to Sorrel, who was signing something subtly next to her. It was the Hei'An crime family's personal hand sign language, perfected over decades of use.



Alyxia raised her hands in response.



Sorrel nodded.



Alyxia nodded and let her arms fall, and Sorrel began threading his way through the crowds and towards the stall. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out what looked like a curved metal rod, and pressed it against his chin. A small whirring followed, and a featureless acrylic visor extended over his face, wrapping around his head like a racer's helmet. Alyxia, meanwhile, turned away and resumed her steady pace towards the jewelry stage.

The undercover officer was trying to calm himself with deep breaths when another stranger approached, this time alone, but with black headgear over his face looking like something out of a cyberpunk movie. The stranger stopped, and looked down at the humble display of explosives spread across the table. In reality, however, his eyes were carefully tracing the officer's outfit, and stopped when the glint of a circular lens shone from underneath the man's lapels.

"Hey, buddy," Sorrel said, keeping his tone light. "Do I get a free sample too?"

The plant frowns, clearly annoyed by the friendly jibe in such an unforgiving environment.

"No, I don't think - " He was cut short by Sorrel leaning forward, bringing the helmet close enough that the cop's own breath fogged the visor.

"Listen, buddy. I know who you are. I see that camera right there," Sorrel says, his voice still eerily warm. The cop pales immediately, and quickly reaches for his belt. The movement was stopped by Sorrel seizing ahold of his sleeve, and he shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Calm down. I'm not your enemy. I'm an undercover Huntsman in search of a rogue engineer," Sorrel lied smoothly. His other hand reached into his pocket, and he produced a laminated Hunter ID, flashing just enough of it to convince the officer before sliding it back into his pocket. The officer swallowed hard, and moved his hand away from the gun on his leg. Sorrel released his sleeve a moment later.

"You look terrified, and I can't let our cover get blown after all the work it took me to find this place. Why is the MPD here? Can we speak somewhere else?" Sorrel asked, hands resting lightly on the counter. The officer nodded, clearly relieved that he wasn't going to be mobbed, and pointed behind him to the right. On the wall was a dimly light bathroom sign.

"O-over there."

The officer pulled a thick corrugated sheet slid over the counter and fastened it tightly, entrapping all the dangerous devices within. The two men set off towards the bathroom, one following quickly after the other.

____________________________

Meanwhile, Alyxia trailed a good distance after the masked woman, noting that they both had the same destination in mind. The woman stopped there and began admiring some gems. Just a few paces away from her, Alyxia noted with distaste, Diaboli was engaged in conversation by a snake-faced gentleman. And there, yet another few feet to the side, was an eyepatch-wearing young lady standing primly beside a cadre of heavily-armed guards. Brunhilde Engelnacht.

In any other situation, Alyxia might have laughed out loud at the coincidental gathering of so many deadly people of stature in the same marketplace, collectively worth more in value than any of the pretty, vapid baubles surrounding them. In this place, however, the overall danger level had just spiked in the last two minutes. Who was an ally, and who was out for themselves? That was something Alyxia needed to figure out, and that meant she had to keep her eyes wide open. Without further ado, she sidled up to Brunhilde, and gave the woman a light tap on the shoulder.

"Yo, Hilda. Fancy seeing you here," she said, with a cocky grin that was amplified by the jagged scar stretching across her entire right cheek.