|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 19:35:51 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Paroxysm on Jan 30, 2018 19:35:51 GMT -5
Crane frowned, eyeing the crowd, and pointed out a tall, strong looking man who was wearing a jersey of some sort. "That one."
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 19:57:21 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by |0+u$ f@ɳԍ on Jan 30, 2018 19:57:21 GMT -5
Aleenya marched across the street, gun in one hand (so that no one would bother her) and cannister in the other. "Hey, you," she said. "What's your name?"
He looked up and surveyed her for a second. "Moss," he stated.
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 20:23:20 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Paroxysm on Jan 30, 2018 20:23:20 GMT -5
"This is the one and only Moss," Ash said, cheerily placing an arm on Aleenya's shoulder. "She asked who you are."
Within moments, Crane was near them with his mask on. Well, near enough to be noticed. Not as friendly as Ash was acting though.
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 20:31:15 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by |0+u$ f@ɳԍ on Jan 30, 2018 20:31:15 GMT -5
The man's eyes darted between them for a moment, and then he lunged at Aleenya, knocking the gun out of her hand.
She let him do it, using his distraction to take a deep breath and then spray him in the face. She backed away toward some gas-free air.
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 20:34:30 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Paroxysm on Jan 30, 2018 20:34:30 GMT -5
Ash backed up as well, laughing, as the man started to crumple. Crane had a mask, so he didn't bother. "Idiot," he scoffed just loud enough to be heard.
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 20:36:06 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by |0+u$ f@ɳԍ on Jan 30, 2018 20:36:06 GMT -5
Aleenya turned to both of them. "You're the experts," she said. "Pain or fear?"
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 21:09:04 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Paroxysm on Jan 30, 2018 21:09:04 GMT -5
"Not fear," Crane said definitively, with a challenging glance towards Ash. Ash just grimaced, not wanting to be seen agreeing with Crane, but also not wanting to be wrong.
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 21:10:02 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by |0+u$ f@ɳԍ on Jan 30, 2018 21:10:02 GMT -5
"Pain?" Aleenya asked Ash.
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 21:13:37 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Paroxysm on Jan 30, 2018 21:13:37 GMT -5
Ash scrunched up her lips and sighed, "Yeah. Seems like it. First time I've ever been disappointed about it too."
|
|
|
The Tavern
Jan 30, 2018 21:19:09 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by |0+u$ f@ɳԍ on Jan 30, 2018 21:19:09 GMT -5
"Well," Aleenya said. "That answers that."
|
|
|
Post by Paroxysm on Aug 16, 2018 9:48:26 GMT -5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a frantic pounding on the Tavern's door twenty minutes before opening time. "JESUS," Aleenya shouted, "you'll get your booze soon enough!" She cracked open the door. A heavily tattooed man in his mid 50's pushed open the door and barged into the room. Aleenya flipped open a switchblade and put it to his throat. "We aren't open yet. You wait. Understand?"
"No, wait, please," the man panted. "Look. I'm a tattoo artist. Lenny Hoffstaeder -- you know the guy? Head of the Backwater Bandits? He came to get a tattoo last night. I don't care who I tattoo as long as they make an appointment and pay well. He was dead sober I swear, but this morning he woke up and decided he'd changed his mind. Won't name names, but one of his men warned me and I bolted. I've heard good things about this place. Please, can I get some safety here? Otherwise I'm dead." He paused. "The name's Ivro, by the way."
Aleenya looked him over ore closely. His arms and legs all had sleeves of tattoos. His face was a bit weathered with age, his gray hair buzzed short. He had several earrings in one hear, and none in the other. Finally, she pulled the door wider. "I'm going to look into this, and if I find out you wronged him or there's something you're not telling me, I'll kill you, understand? So if you're hiding something, you'd better turn around and leave.
Ivro let out a long breath. "You won't find anything. Thank you." He came inside and sat down in a corner.
Aleenya grinned. "There's going to be a great fight tonight, isn't there!" she said to no one in particular.
~~~~~~~MISSING BIT I THINK~~~~~~~~~~
Ash clapped her hands together. "well, today got much more interesting! Do you expect that he would send people over here to attack you? Tonight?"
Ivro shrugged and raised his hands. "I don't know. I know the Backwater Bandits have shadier customers, but I don't know anything about how they do business. I just do my work."
Ash nodded. "I'll make sure we're prepared for a rowdier crowd tonight, if it happens." She turned away and looked at her phone. "In the meantime, let me see if your story has any evidence to back it up."
"Go at it," Ivro said, and took a seat.
Ash did so, speaking to three different people including a text towards Calculator. After a few minutes she nodded. "Looks like they're pretty riled up over there."
"Yeah," Ivro said, gratefully accepting a glass of water from Aleenya. Ivro had told her he didn't drink. "Thank you. If all goes well you've probably saved my life. So if anyone wants a tattoo..."
"Oh, that is likely to be taken up very quickly, Ash said, grinning.
"Good!" Ivro said cheerily. "I like my work."
"Let's set you up in one of the back meeting rooms for now. Then if they come to find you, we can hide you and/or defend you," Ash said.
"Thanks," Ivro said, brought back from the artistry of tattoos to remember the danger of his situation. "Thank you," he repeated.
~~~~~~~
|
|
|
Post by Paroxysm on Aug 16, 2018 10:06:23 GMT -5
It was a few hours before the Backwater Bandits and their leader, Lenny Hoffstaeder decided to search the Tavern. A couple thugs kicked the door open, followed by Lenny himself. "I'm looking for a guy named Ivro," he yelled to the Tavern. "Seen him?"
"Jesus, you're paying for that door you know," Ash snapped at him. She looked him over for a second as the bar quieted slightly at the sudden commotion. "...Who are you?"
Crane, being present, stood to watch whatever happened from afar.
Aleenya giggled at the look on Lenny's face. People did know who the Backwater Bandits were, but it was fun to make them look like nobodies.
"Answer my question, and I'll answer yours," Lenny growled.
Ash gave an affronted look and said with a mocking tone, "Agree to fix my door and I might talk to you."
Lenny tossed a hundred dollar bill on the floor in front of him and looked at her pointedly.
Ash looked at him with her best Teacher look and tone. "Pick that up, and be polite now."
Lenny and his thugs pulled out their huge ass machine guns because why not. "Who do you think you are? I know he's here. Give him to me or we open fire and you can pay for the damage and cleaning up the corpses yourself."
Ash sighed, raising her hands. "Who said this guy is here anyway?"
"None of your business," one of the thugs snapped.
Ash rolled her eyes. "Okay, say I do know where this guy is? If I tell you will you tell me who gave you this info?"
"I'll tell you after we have him," Lenny said. "My word on it." The Backwater Bandits had a bad reputation in many ways, but they were not known to lie. Their business relied on a reputation for honesty.
Ash shrugged, leaving her hands up. "Fine then, but only you," she pointed at Hoffstaeder.
Lenny laughed. "You don't have the leverage here." He opened fire, not at anyone, but the warning shots put holes in the walls and ceiling.
"Mmmyeah," Ash snapped. "You've made it clear, but all those big tall people of yours aren't gonna fit in my back room, [i[so...[/i]"
But the negotiation died as instantly as Lenny, who suddenly crumpled to the ground bleeding from a small hole in his head. Ash was genuinely startled, backing up and staring at the body with wide eyes.
Aleenya was staring up at the ceiling, where Haymich was sitting on a rafter. "Haymich, how long have you been up there?" she said, even as she directed her own weapon at the lackeys in case they tried to avenge their boss.
Haymich shrugged. "Jus' avoidin' work. Thought I was avoidin' a stick up too, but he nearly got me!"
They did not. "Look," one of them said -- he seemed to be the second in command -- "I've heard good things about this place. I don't want more trouble. You keep Ivro." He seemed to accept Lenny's death easily, and did not seem either upset or relieved.
Ash scoffed. "Fine, but also you need to make your goon tell me who got the word out about Ivro."
The thug nodded at his fellow thug. "Some guy named Jordan."
Ash nodded. "Thank you. Don't cause trouble next time. Our ways of dealing with trouble are much more.. prolonged than yours or Haymich's."
Haymich gave an audible shudder that was somewhere between genuine and comedic.
"Noted. And the Backwater Bandits will respect this place from now on." He looked around. "In fact, we'll pay for a round of drinks for everyone."
Aleenya cheered, even though her drinks were already free. Haymich and the rest of the bar cheered louder, and Ash smiled. "Alright, what'll I get you then?"
The man grimaced. "Actually, I better go sort things out, but I'll be back."
Ash gave him a casual salute. "Cool. Seeya. Take the corpse with you please."
"Noted." The two men lugged the corpse out the door.
|
|