2980/Bad Deal Interrupted

Bad Deal Interrupted
Date of Scene:	07 September 2015
Location:	Slum Urbania
Synopsis:	Yari Takane meets some gangsters for a deal in slum urbania. It attracts attention from a recently rescued Union elite, Eve!
Cast of Characters:	385, 691, 857

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Yari Takane (691) has posed:
It's a rainy day on the edge of Slum Urbania and the more technologically advanced areas. Cyberware and rusty laser pistols are as common as shivs and swords here, with just enough organized crime that it's not completely lawless, and the occasional techno-urbanian going slumming for cheap thrills is hardly uncommon.

And it's a hotspot for clandestine meetings, and those who prey upon them. A local mob boss has gotten a little too big for their position, and has managed to get their hands on an expensive piece of advanced weaponry. The Confederacy's information network picked up on the impending sale, and rather than actually buy it, has sent one of its operatives in.

In a slightly ruffled suit typical of several mafioso in the area, Yari Takane pulls her raincoat over her clothes and ducks into one of the many dingy alleyways. Three men meet her, one with a suitcase matching Yari's own. The other two have long coats and barely concealed sub machine guns. Eyes meet, and words are quietly exchanged.

"Got the goods, Sista'?"

Yari offers over the case of money, it's checked. The other is handed to her. She opens it, and then makes a gesture with her magitek armlet.

A fake. A clever one, but a fake.



"Thank you, gentlemen." Offers Yari quietly, before pulling a red and black pistol.

In the alleyways, two shots ring out, and screams fill the air. Close enough that anyone nearby can hear them. But who would be intrepid enough to actually investigate!?

Eve (857) has posed:
    This isn't Sapidor. Actually, the rather gritty urban streets are quite different from the generally-clean and aesthetic streets of the city she grew up in. Not that she actually saw much of that city really. Most of the time she remained inside the manor, completely unaware of the greater world outside. She's making an effort to rectify the situation however, making a point of getting out and learning as much about everything as she possibly can.

    A small, apparently helpless girl really shouldn't be out in such slums alone, but then it's unclear whether Eve realizes that or not. Arguably she could be inviting trouble just so she could smack someone down for attacking the helpless, setting herself up as bait. What she's doing out here however ends up being mostly irrelevant. Hearing shots ring out, she immediately goes into action.

    Of course what she intends to do about the situation is another question. Eve's completely unarmed, at least to all appearances, save for her silvery umbrella. She skids into the alley, and she's completely out of place. Just a small skinny girl, perhaps 11 or 12 years old, dressed slightly fancy in a seifuku-type outfit. "Wh-what is going on here!" she demands, wide eyes darting around to try to take in all details at once.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
As Eve dashes in, it's a grisly scene: the two big mobster guards are slumped over, weapons fallen near them with clean holes in their foreheads. Small calibre weapon, likely the one that the somewhat short suited figure is currently pointing at the remaining gangster. Yari stands atop him, the far scrawnier mafioso shivering in the rain with a booted foot to the back of his neck. A case of money lays open, fallen in the sudden violence, with the other case not far away.

"..less you want to join your soldiers, I'd come clean. As your kind are fond of saying, this is 'just business', and we do not tolerate being cheated. Do not swindle an opportunity. I'd rather this not devolve into further unpleasantries." Comes the Au'ra, voice even and almost bored. Then Eve speaks up.

Yari pivots, points her weapon, and looks over the intruder. She actually lets out a tiny little gasp. A /child/. And one that's fairly well-to-do. Her jaw sets, and she's silent a moment.

A better operative would just kill the witness. Yari likes sleeping at night.

"Nothing you want to be involved in, little one. This isn't a safe place for you. Run along. You'll find nothing but very dangerous people here. Run away, and I'll forget I saw you." Her voice is sharp and quick, trying to shove enough authority into it to get the girl to run off.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve's jaw firms at the words sent her way. That and at the weapon aimed in her direction. Sure she's scared. Terrified might be a better word. She's had to fight and kill in the past, but never by her own choice and never against someone who might fight back.

    "Maybe it's not safe." Eve agrees, lowering the umbrella and holding it like it's a shield. A pathetic shield against firearms, surely. Only... it begins to change. The silvery surface retracts, thickens, hardens. Within moments, a crude metal shield is covering most of the girl's vulnerable center of mass. The rain comes down, beginning to soak her hair and clothes, but this seems more important than that. She could have just as easily armored her skin instead, but she figures that in this case an overt declaration of threat might be better than a subtle effect. Well, not threat exactly. It's just a shield. Quite the opposite of threat really... but it's an obvious declaration of Eve's intent. "But you're wrong when you say it's nothing I want to be involved in. I don't want to see anyone killed." she claims boldly. Which probably begs the question why she charged into a scene filled with gunfire... but oh well.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari is once again silent, her almost casual display of intended violence shifting into focus and readiness asthe girl causes her umbrella to turn to metal. A small frown creases her face. Questions run through her mind. Is this girl an Elite? Is she merely holding onto a piece of magitek? Or is something else afoot. The bawling mafioso isn't forgotten, but Eve has gotten Yari's attention.

She's an unknown, and that alone makes her dangerous.

"...You're certain? You do know you're risking your life right now, little one?" For all of her callousness towards the mafioso, seems Eve's appearance is proving an advantage.

A rain-slicked tail runs through her hair.

"I really am soft. Still, you're too late. I don't miss at this range. And it doesn't have to end with this guy dead too, if he just plays nice." She digs her heel in this time.

"...Where's the prototype, Mister Joseph? I'm getting impatient, and as you can hear, we're not alone anymore."

"Gah...just kill me...not gonna betray the boss..."

Yari shrugs. "I'll just tear through your little gang of thugs then. So that's how it is." Her attention turns back to Eve.

"Five seconds to decide. Are you going to do something about this, or do the smart thing and run away? Trust me, this man's continued ability to breathe and that of his friends makes the multiverse a worse place."

A breath, and she counts. "5...4..." She stands straight, pistol still aimed at the girl as the tension in the air only rises, the rain falls, and the mafioso begs for his life.

Eve (857) has posed:
    The smart thing? Eve's not sure what's smart. She does know though, that if she runs away... she might as well have never been freed. She shakes her head, moving towards the gang of thugs in a sideways shuffle, not taking her eyes off Yari for more than a moment.

    "This... this isn't something I can just run away from." Eve says shakily. It's not like she actually WANTS to be here, but now that she is she has to take a stand. "Do you really want to do this? If... if you kill someone, it's not something you can ever make up for or undo." she claims. Not that Yari has any shortage of kills under her belt... but Eve's speaking up for herself as much as for the Confederate soldier.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari stops her counting. The little, young girl, impossibly brave, refuses to back down. A smile blossoms on her face. She almost laughs. What would Hydaelyn be like, with kids like this, grown to lead?

"No. No I don't. I'd rather be home, with the people I care about, in a peaceful world where bullheaded little kids don't charge into alleyways in the slums. But words and feelings don't make peace. Brilliant leaders, and scum like me who do the dirty work to clean up garbage like this make real, lasting peace."

She nods, slowly, in agreement. "Only a psychopath forgets lives they've taken. Their memories, the sacrifices and pain of enemies and allies alike are only worth it if you have something in the end. That's why I'm finishing this mission. Sorry you had to get tangled up in it. Goodbye."

She aims for Eve, and pulls the trigger until the clip empties!

Right at the girl's umbrella-shield. Her accuracy is keen, and she's used to quick targets. But it's all a feint. That tail of hers, even as she fires, slips into her boots. A duo of shuriken are silently tossed towards the girl! Right at her ankles! Not enough to cut a vital artery, but enough to sting.

And should she be vulnerable by the paralytic poisons on their edges should they hit, she may well feel her legs going numb.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve has taken shots from a powerful pistol before, and not had the bullets break her skin. Granted she'd layered her skin with nanometal armor, but even so the attack was a lot more deadly than some concealable little popgun. It also had considerably more muzzle velocity than this gun has, and her dermal armor was nowhere near as thick as her current shield. The bullets pancake into the shield or ricochet off. It's quite clearly made from a tough metal, not some quicksilver alloy. Eve's balance is knocked about a bit. She's tiny after all, and masses little. Still she bears down, holding her defense steady even as she continues to edge towards the 'victims' defensively. It's an advantage of being tiny, really. The only parts of her that show past the edges of that shield are small and potentially fast-moving. Not at all good targets for gunshots.

    She's caught completely unaware by the shuriken nicking her ankles. She was just about ready to congratulate herself on having weathered the storm of bullets when she feels the stinging pain. Pain itself doesn't really bother the girl. She's not exactly a stranger to such things, though most of her pain has been emotional rather than physical. Still it's enough to make her gasp and glance down. She sees what happened, realizes what Yari must somehow have done... and there's steel in her eyes as she looks back up.

    Eve takes one hand away from her shield, holding it out to the side where her hand quite visibly and obviously extends another long thin metal pole... a lot like the shaft of a second umbrella perhaps. No shield blossoms out from it however. She's used much of her available mass of nanomachines to produce the shield that already exists, and she hardly wants to weaken it just to extend another shield that provides little additional protection. No, the spike of metal becomes tipped with its own spike of pointy gleaming silver. An obvious weapon, and an obvious attempt at a threat.

    "I don't understand what you mean by forgetting. I couldn't ever forget such a thing." Eve says, with perfect sincerity. She has blood on her hands. There's a certainty to her, a truth in her voice, that makes those words unmistakeable in their implication. But she doesn't have murder in her eyes, only an implacable resolve.

    Abruptly her legs wobble, the paralytic beginning to take effect. Eve trembles, fights for balance, then collapses. Used to her body being a perfectly reliable instrument, doing everything she wants without her even thinking about it, she doesn't know how to deal with it when it's not behaving. A terror crosses her face, one that has nothing to do with the woman looming over her with a weapon. A terror of something, somehow, being fundamentally /wrong/.

    She masters it quickly, brings it under control, though it's still there in her eyes. It overshadows the resolve that was there moments before. She raises her arms, shield in one hand, sharpened silver rod in the other, ready for whatever's to come. Even if she can't move, she'll stay her course and continue to struggle...

    and then she reverses the short spear, jabbing it backwards into the thigh of the man she's defending. "Come ON you moron." she hisses. It's possible her strike could draw blood, but the rod isn't all that sharp. She's distracted and she's not really trying to cause harm, just pain. "Whatever it is she wants to know, she's going to KILL you! That's it, no more life! No chance to make up for anything! Just give her what she's after, then make up for it with your boss, whoever he is." she says, gritting her teeth and scowling, not looking at the man. She's relying on her memory and precision to deal with him, keeping her eyes carefully on Yari. SHE is the threat here, and Eve instinctively knows she dares not look away.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
The underpowered bullets plink away, but they serve their purpose as Yari notes the fear across the girl's face when the poison starts to sink in. And yet, her words, that odd extended spike of metal from her very body, and how her resolve so quickly forms in those eyes of hers? It all sends a chill down Yari's spine. This is no normal girl.

Teeth grit. There's no way this little girl hasn't killed before. The gun slips from her hand into a pocket as her hand clenches in frustration. Another youth, soiled by the multiverse and its many worlds. It's infuriating to the core. A breath, and she calms.

"Someone as young as you shouldn't know that. But I believe you. Still, you don't have the eyes of a killer. What happened to you?" Another breath, and she holds up a hand.

"Don't. Sorry, I get sentimental on jobs. It's a bad habit."

Then the girl whacks the guy in the thigh with her spear-point, drawing just the tiniest bit of blood and a scream from the mafioso.

He sits up, spits on the ground, and glares pure venom at the pair.

"Idiot! Don't you think I know that!? Look in her eyes! She's the real deal, a real hitwoman! She'll just kill me after I tell her! I'm not stupid, either way, I'm gonna die! So I'll take her to hell wtih me! I'm no traitor!"

It draws an actual smile to her face, for the second time in the night.

"Oh? Loyalty in a mafia soldier? How rare. I don't think you're lieing either." As the mafioso tries to reach towards one of the soldier's fallen guns, Yari shrugs, and lets another larger gun fall from her belongings. She kicks it over towards the mafioso.

"Child. Get out of the way. Let this man die a warrior's death instead of what his superiors will give him. Otherwise, I really will have to cut through you to ensure his honor is maintained."

She reaches behind her, and pulls a concealed katana from her suit, and sets the sheath in a belt loop. The mafia man reaches out, leaping towards Eve from behind as that gun slides towards his hand. The one-armed Au'Ra makes several handseals, and her entire body goes tense as veins pulse. Her already top-notch reflexes swell with aether right in the veins, and then she leaps towards the alley walls. She moves like a spider, utterly defying physics as she runs along the wall in a wide arc, hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword. Her gaze never leaves Eve even as she pauses, and then leaps towards the mafioso!

Her sword flashes, aiming to take the man's head in one clean blow!

Eve (857) has posed:
    If Eve weren't partially paralyzed, she might have been able to at least try to stop Yari. It doesn't matter to her that he's probably doomed, or that he's no doubt killed before. Her actions, in trying to save him, are slightly more selfish than they seem. It's not him she's trying to save... it's herself.

    Eve's quicker than anyone her build has any right to be. She's tougher, stronger. But in the end, she's not inhuman. She has nanomachines that make her unique and effective, but they don't quite violate the laws of physics. Realistically, her ankles paralyzed and her legs all but useless, there's absolutely nothing she can do to stop someone as fast and as skilled as this woman.

    That doesn't mean she isn't going to TRY, of course.

    With a cry, half of anger and half of frustration, Eve thrusts out one arm at the last possible moment. Obeying her will, the spike of metal in her hand juts out another meter. The metal spear consumes the edges of her shield, but her will in this matter is absolute. The spear lances out, and its tip goes precisely where she aims it despite the weakness in her legs.

    She's not, however, aiming for Yari. No, the spear moves into the arc of the sword. Futilely, of course. Even if it were strong enough to parry that blade without being cut clean through, it's extended well beyond the point where the tip can exert any leverage. Doubtless it won't even slow the katana as Yari swings and knocks it clear out of the path of her strike.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
The act that the brave little girl works towards bears fruit, though perhaps not what she was going for. Yari lands, blade whistling towards the man's neck! Nanomachine-minted metal grinds against that of a weapon meant more for stealth than durability. It's just a few moments, but the clash of weapons gives the gangster time to turn and aim with the gun Yari tossed him. Three things happen in the space of a few breaths.

The mafioso howls as he pulls the trigger, Eve's spear of metal is roughly shoved aside as Yari pivots in her landing, putting her hips into the strike with enough force to break through the party and sever the man's head.

Just in time, for as the mafioso falls dead, the concealed sword's blade shatters. Yari stumbles back, dropping the now broken blade as her suit goes red. Her tail wraps around the case carrying the money for the deal. She breaths hard. The bullet wound is clean enough, and not instantly fatal, but she'll need to get patched up. Her eyes are on Eve, and she chuckles weakly.

"You're a bit green, but you have talent. Let me guess. Are you a reformed killer? Good luck. Still, even if that's the case, you'll probably get killed or worse in these slums if you just lay there. Do you have any friends? Here." She rolls a small vial towards the girl.

"That's the antidote to the poison I used. It'll take half an hour or so. Give me a name, child. Stubborn little girls like you do not deserve to die here, especially when they actually show some bravery." She's smiling again, real respect in her eyes. Yes, this girl has talent, and more than that, heart. But will she learn conviction? She taps her radio, awaiting a name from Eve.

"Hurry up. I cannot afford to just bleed out right here. Even my mercy has limits."

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve watches in horrified dismay as her interference leads to Yari being shot. she hadn't wanted the man's death, but neither did she want him to shoot his attacker. There's actually relief in her eyes when she sees that the shot didn't do too much damage. She's not upset over the blade, but the wound is another matter.

    The relief fades somewhat when she realizes her efforts meant little. The man lies decapitated, his killer... injured, but not fatally. She's not sure if what she knows about human anatomy counts here, but the place where Yari was shot is not a place she was taught to target.

    Eve allows the spear to collapse, and it shimmers into a thousand crystalline shards. The shards glow with a faint blue light before they too vanish. Unless Yari can see subcellular details, she won't be able to see the motes of microscopic dust returning in a gentle aerial dance to Eve.

    Eve doesn't answer that first question, once she's realized she's not to be attacked for her temerity. She isn't sure how to tell that story, or if it's something she SHOULD tell. Regardless, the truth is probably fairly obvious. She winces and shakes her head. She looks down at the antidote, not sure if she should take it. Then again... if this woman wants her dead, what chance does she have against that level of speed and power, with her own legs useless?

    One hand, the one without the shield, reaches out to close around the antidote. "Eve." she finally says. "No, it's okay. I'll do it." she says, reaching up to shake loose a little pendant on a chain about her neck. A multiversal radio, it seems. "If you're here when they come, I... I'm sorry." she says. Not apologizing for interfering so much as for getting the au'ra woman hurt. Or perhaps she doesn't care about the injury, and is only apologizing for getting in the way in such a futile manner.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
From the bleeding alone, the anatomy might not be too far off. There's also a relatively nice suit being ruined. Not her best of weeks for clothing being torn to shreds, is Yari's.

Despite the wound, she stands tall, having drawn her smaller calibre gun as her tail keeps her upright. Blood slowly drips, the woman making her way back towards the shadows. Sweet, comforting darkness that she all but fades into as if she were some kind of ghost. She's no master, but Yari Takane is no stranger to hiding.

"Don't worry about that. I've been in situations like this before. Eve. Call me Yari. I'll look forward to seeing what a reformed killer looks like, if you actually manage to walk that path. Let me give you some advice: killer or not, a person is nothing without convictions. Find your way of life, struggle, and defend those you love no matter what's in the way. All morals and high-minded things aside, to live is to fight for something you love." She actually smirks, and tosses a little wave. She settles, lurking, watching in the dark, but not attacking Eve as she awaits for the girl's backup.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve would argue about being a reformed killer, since she never chose to be a killer in the first place. She was a weapon, that's all. An instrument of death. When she finally learned she could choose, she chose to not kill. That choice is beginning to solidify for her, but she can't really put it into words yet. It's easy to say she refuses to kill, but harder to express why. So long as she never chooses to kill, she can still claim some innocence for the deaths on her hands. More than that though, her path is becoming something of a repenetance for whatever guilt she might harbor over the use she was put to.

    Eve sits, looking quite bedraggled in the rain, with her legs pulled up and tucked under her. She's treated the injuries, minor though they are, and would probably be just fine if there wasn't a strong paralytic numbing her legs. She has a lot to think about, not the least of which being Yari's words. Something in her agrees with them. She'd feel much the same way really. Her choices mean little without convictions. Choice is important, yes, but so is finding one's path in life and clinging to it, even when things get difficult. To live is, indeed, to fight for what you love.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
If Yuna had known it was raining in Slum Urbania, she most likely would have grabbed an umbrella or a raincoat or something. As it is, though, her sundress gets soaked within a minute of emerging from the warpgate, and the best she can do is have Elner activate her Light Suit. So while she's still in relatively form-fitting attire, at least it's MEANT to be form-fitting and will be somewhat less likely to give her a cold from running around soaking wet.

Elner is actually leading the way, too, since the robo-faerie can match up coordinates with reality better than Yuna can. Once they're close enough, Yuna can see Eve, and she just pours on the speed. "Eve!! Are you - what happened?!"

She comes to a halt next to Eve, crouching beside the younger blonde and checking her injuries before turning her attention to the rest of the scene. A corpse nearby, and the lady over there in the shadows (more 'visible' to Elner than to Yuna, really) who presumably was the one to call for help on Eve's behalf. She's visibly more worried about the little girl than the crime scene, though.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve's injuries really aren't that bad. Shallow little slices near her ankles, delivered by shuriken to in turn deliver a paralytic poison. She's wet and bedraggled, but she's at least out of the rain by virtue of having made herself a nanometal umbrella to keep the worst of the wet off. She had been fighting without rain protection though, not to mention she'd sprawled out unintentionally on the wet alleyway when her legs gave out. So even though she's out of the rain now, she's cold and wet and shivering.

    She puts on a brave face though, clearly happy to see Yuna even if she's a bit embarrassed at her helplessness. "I'm okay." she insists. "I just need some help walking. And..." she looks around. She can't see Yari, but there's just something. "... Be careful." she warns. "I smell blood."

    This warning may be a bit silly, given there is one decapitated corpse and two more with gunshot wounds in their heads. Even with the rain, the smell of blood is likely more of a stench. "She didn't want me to be left here. Helpless, she said." Eve explains, scowling at that. It's not like Eve's helpless, she just can't feel her legs or reliably move them, that's all.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Unfortunately for Yuna, Yari isn't one to give away tactical information. She'd make a horrible weatherwoman, really. The lizard ninja has fallen silent, except for perhaps the faintest of occasional gulps of pain. Yari's well trained, but she still lacks in the experience of other stealth operatives, and staying still while wounded for this long is taxing. In addition to her heat signature amidst the darkness for Elner, there's a growing pool of blood from where she's been hiding.

But with first the robo-fairy, then Yuna's arrival and such concern from the woman? Yari's pain evaporates in an instant. She gives little consideration for the dead men, but seeing genuine from Yuna puts her at ease. There's no lie in the Paladin's eyes as she sweeps over her hiding spot.

The opportunity is taken, however, Yari's no fool. The suitcase is quietly picked up, and she 'rounds the corner with as much stealth as she can muster in her condition. Another handseal, and she leaps towards the rooftops with ninja-aether, a trail of blood easily followed by anyone willing to pursue. She's opened her wound, even as she ducks down two alleyways away, and barges into a seedy nightclub. A quick, silent bribe, and she's amongst the dancing throngs, already working towards a safe exit to the Confederate Citadel. She'll have to 'clean up' later.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"You're a mess," Yuna remarks under her breath; again, Elner notices Yari's departure, but does not pursue. Yuna doesn't seem to even care - Yari called in help for Eve, that's the important part. And speaking of help for Eve - well, she doesn't have anything to bandage Eve's ankles with. She should have Elner start carrying a first-aid kit in her 'inventory' for emergencies like this ... she DOES have one on the Mike-maru-go, but that's not a lot of help.

Yuna settles for trying to physically pick Eve up, princess-carry style. Eve's roughly small enough that even the fairly petite Yuna can probably lift her, with some effort (and the Light Suit's modest strength boost). "Let's get you back to Njorun. Elner, teleport us back to the warpgate?"

If Yuna CAN'T lift Eve, teleportation will still work.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve's a tiny slip of a girl, though a bit heavier than she looks due to the mass of nanometal within her. Still not enough weight to really burden Yuna, not over short distances at least. She clings to Yuna, as much out of a desire for comfort as to be carried. "I heard guns. Tried to stop her from killing that third man... failed." Eve explains. "My legs won't move, but Yari said this would make my legs better soon." she says, half-opening her hand to reveal a small vial. An antidote, it would seem.

    Without a doubt, Eve's angry and upset. The anger's not for Yari though, but for herself. Her failure.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"You did what you could," Yuna reassures Eve. "We ..."

And there's the sorrow and the pain that Eve would remember from their chatting over hot dogs, coming back full force. "We can't always save everybody ... but that's never an excuse to do less than our utmost to protect those whom we *can* save."

And with that, she passes through the warpgate, back to Njorun Station so Eve's injuries can be treated.