Trigger Finger

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:53 pm

"You were gonna...Mick does all the time. Tells me to deal with things...nothing to deal with, I say..." Tristan muttered from the couch. He was lying flat on his back, one leg out straight and the other drawn up so his knee pointed up to the ceiling. Absently his hand stretched out to touch the butt of his gun and the thin layer of rubber that padded the very end of it. There was once texture there, a fine, criss-cross diamond pattern, but that was now worn away from years of use.

"You're leaving?" Amber's interest piqued; whatever he'd said, he grabbed her attention fast. As she entered, he pulled himself into an upright position and grinned at her, not the sort of smile one wears out of joy but instead it almost had a touch of....what was it? Venom, malice, like one day he intended to take revenge for all the awful things Nate made him do. "Yes," he said, dead serious. "One day I'll leave, d---it. Leave and never look back, because every day that I'm here, working under that bas---- Ricaean, is another day i waste my time, another day I poison my own kidneys with bloody mojitos and wait to die. I'm through, I'm done, and i want out....out!" Surprisingly enough, Tristan laughed--cackled might have been a better word, because it wasn't a jubilant sound. "Out, out, out! I want out!" He was yelling now, but not at Amber directly, rather, he was more yelling to her. "I don't know how I'll do it or where I'll go or...or...oh!" Tristan was ecstatic about it now and he was showing more energy than he had since Amber met him. Partly he was looking forward to doing it, partly he was drunk, and partly he knew it was distracting him from his previous episode and was keeping him from dwelling on anything awful, so he decided to just run with it.
"W-where's my phone?" Nix reached out and scrabbled around for his phone and searched for Mick's number.
"Hey Nix."
"Mick--"
"How drunk are you, exactly, Nix?"
"Very, now--"
"What happened?"
"That's...th-thats irrelevant. M-my point is, I'm dddone. I want out."
"Oh...you are wasted, aren't you? Okay, Tristan. Out of what?"
"Oouuut. I don't wanna kill people anymore, Mick I don't--"
"Shh, shh. Okay. Not over the phone. I can help you....tell you what..I'm up north right now and If i catch a plane tomorrow I can be in...Chicago, was it? By late afternoon. We can talk it over then. Okay?"
"Mmhm."
"Good. Now go to bed."

Both men hung up and Tristan sagged back into the couch. "I'm doing it," he said, his tone a little softer and calmer this time. "Forget this job. I'm leaving. Too-moo-rooww."

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:33 am

Amber ignored the first comment, as it help no interest for her now. She had heard word out and knew in which context it was used. Out of the business, out of this life, out in general, away from this place, and this way of life. She took a seat, in a way, resting on the ground with her legs tucked under her as she set her hands in her lap, studying the man trying to decide if he was serious. As his voice became louder, to the point of yelling the words rather happily she decided he was. Once he finished his call she gave a faint smile. "You plan to find a way out, tomorrow?" She watched him. Now was the chance, and she had to hope for the best.

"I want in." She said softly. "I will do whatever i have to, but please..." She was prepared to beg if need be. "I want in. I have to get out of this business." She turned her eyes on the leather bag still in the middle of the floor. "I have money, if you want." She said. "Hell, i'll help if i can." She went back to looking at him. There was a pleading tone to her voice, though it wasn't completely obvious yet. "Anything. I will do anything i have to get out. Any favors, any sort of amount of money. I could help." She said again.

Amber went quiet then, hoping for the best. She was prepared to beg. She was already on her knees. She would offer money, anything else she had to in order to get out of the business. She was just hoping at this point that maybe he was drunk enough and in a good enough mood to agree to her pleas.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Sun Feb 05, 2012 3:04 am

I. Want. In.
Three words he never expected to hear and three words he almost didn't want to. Nix had an acerbic disposition and used it to separate himself from people--as far as he was concerned, most relationships weren't worth the time it took to keep them and so he never bothered. Besides, it was always the same thing; Tristan would spend a week or so in a city, avoid everyone like the plague, and then move off to some other city somewhere in the vast country of America. He never had the time to actually cultivate relationships beyond a bristly 'g'morning' or 'thank you' to whomever he came in contact with that day--a barista or clerk, for example. What's more, Tristan knew exactly what it felt like to leave everything and everyone important and never see them again--he couldn't do that, not again. So he kept to himself. He pushed others away and refused to bond with anyone but Mick, who he shared a special relationship with considering the man knew him long before his move to America.
So now that Amber was desperately asking to come along as though her very life depended on it, Tristan hesitated to answer.

Nix sat up again, narrowing his slate-gray eyes at her, studying the woman on the floor. She was absolutely beging to go with him and he didn't doubt that she would literally do anything if he'd allow it. He thought back to the way Charlie treated her, back to what her job really was, and shivered once. He'd want out too, if it were him in her place. At the same time, however, he couldn't allow himself to so readily agree to let her come with him. What he was abou to do was dangerous--perhaps more so than he realized at the time in his drunken stupor--and would be very hard. Could she handle life on the run? She said she'd do anything she could, but was she actually able to do what it took?
Tristan opened his mouth to tell her no. Even as he drew a breath, the word caught in his throat and refused to go any further. He couldn't do that, he couldn't tell her no. He couldn't tell her no because he was once the one begging and he honestly didn't know how he would have fared if the pilot of that small cargo plane refused him a ride to London. Tristan would have been stuck in Reidan still and he doubted he'd ever get out...
"I don't know," he said, his tone solemn but honest. "Y-you should talk to Mick first...see what it takes." And give me more time to think, he thought. "Even I don't know how to do this...I don't--I dunno. I can't think straight now...." Again he sank back into the couch, though this time he turned on the TV without even caring what channel it ended up on. As the Discovery Channel played a program about deep-sea exploration, Nix came down from his sudden spike of energy and allowed himself to relax. It occurred to him then that he was actually able to legitimately relax after he'd come out of a deep flashback. He'd never been able to do that before. Ever.

Maybe this escape-partnership wasn't such a bad idea.

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Sun Feb 05, 2012 3:31 am

Amber listened carefully, on the edge of a seat she wasn't sitting on. What would the answer be, a yes? A no? In the end, it was neither. She got a sort of maybe. Well, it was better then a no, and a certainly gave her hope. She smiled softly and nodded. "Alright." She picked herself off the floor. "I'll do that then." She walked to the leather bag and bent t pick it up. Turning to face nix she bowed her head once more. "Thank you." she said softly. "I know how easy it would have been to just say no." She then walked to the bedroom door and paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder. "I'll leave you alone now, then." She said simply, before pushing her way into the room and clicking the door shut.

In the room Amber turned the bag over, letting the contents spill out. There were stacks of photos, all of the same boy she had a framed picture of. All of different ages from infancy up to his current age of a year and a half. He wasn't old, but he was smart. She knew that from the phone calls. Mixed in with the photos was a tape, or more accurately, a few different kinds of tapes. There was a small tape player, for the audio ones, and a cassette tape. She would have to watch it later though she could imagine what it contained. A small child's steps, words, all things that no loving mother would want to miss. For once Amber was happy that Melissa had included things like that.

If granted the go ahead to join Nix in escaping, she wouldn't ask to bring the boy, but for once she had hope that she could find a quiet place, settle down, and then send for him. If she was lucky she would be able to leave with the man in the other room, get away from this place. If she was really lucky, she would manage to find a place where she wasn't afraid of being found.
With those thoughts she packed all the pictures and tapes up, save for one and dropped the bag with her other one. She then laid down on the bed and held the picture to her chest. All she had to do now was prove she had what it would take to get out, and hope the men would allow her to join.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:06 pm

Tristan spent a good 45 minutes on the couch before sleep finally took him, and peacefully, too. Apparently he'd had his quota of incidents for now, because he slept straight through the night without any mishap. That is, until a brisk knock on the door woke him up. Nix's eyes blinked open to find a ray of sunshine spilling into the hotel room over where he was sprawled out and he was very warm. He would have liked to lounge there a while but the person at the door wouldn't let him. Tristan stood slowly, knowing if he rose too quickly he might get dizzy or maybe even throw up last night's mojitos. Opening the door, he found a dark haired man, shorter than he and more lithe, too, standing before him with a suitcase at his heels. Nix blinked at him a few times, saying nothing.
"Tell me you at least remember why I'm here..."
"I do...sorry Mick, I didn't expect you this early..." Tristan told him, rubbing his eyes.
"It's one in the afternoon," Mick teased, letting himself inside. He parked the suitcase by the wall and made his way into the kitchen like it was his own hotel room. He knew it never bothered Tristan--in Reidan, it was common for neighbors to invite themselves over and borrow a few cups of milk without even consulting the owner of the house. Of course, most times they generally said hello and informed the owner of what they were up to, but that was only courtesy. It was less common in the upperclass districts because most people had what they needed, but in West-Reidan, it was an everyday thing. Of course, Tristan's acceptance of that practice lessened of late as he spent more time in America and became ever more antisocial, but he always let Mick into his home without question. "So, is the girl still with you?"
"Amber? Yeah."
"And how's that been for you?"
"I'm reminded of why I don't let company into my home besides you..." Tristan said.
"Because of--"
"Yeah, that."
Mick pulled out a glass pitcher from the cabinet and, pointing to one of the barstools on the other side of the kitchen counter that separated the front door from the kitchen, said, "sit down, Nix, I'll make some tea for your hung-over a--. So...how serious were you about...last night?"
Tristan shrugged. "I don't know, Mick...you don't realize just what that means, you know?"
Mick laughed. "Oh, but i do. Don't you remember how I used to make my living? I'm not exactly new to the rodeo, Nix. Now, granted, it's not the mafia that's after me, but it's the same idea." He poured three glasses of iced tea--one for Amber for when she showed up. "I can't tell you what to do here, Nix, because this is your call and you have to own that decision. But if you asked me, I'd say getting out would do you some good if you know what I mean. And if that's what you want to do, I can help you."
Nix paused. "Lets say I do break free...what then? All I know how to do is...well, you know."
"I wouldn't worry about that yet. You and I both know you have enough money to support yourself for a long time as it is."
"But what if--"
"Nix, do you want this or not? Answer me honestly."
Tristan hesitated. "I do," he said quietly. "I want out."

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Sun Feb 05, 2012 3:49 pm

Amber woke much later then she normally would. She groaned and rolled over, seeing the time. How she managed to sleep that late she didn't know, but she did feel well rested, so she wouldn't complain. She sat up and brushed her fingers through her hair, tugging out a few loose knots from sleep. The photo was on the bed next to her, a little crumbled from getting stuck between her and the blankets when she tossed or turned, but otherwise appeared untouched.

With a stretch Amber stood. She made her way to her bag and pulled out some fresh clothes. She wasn't going to get dressed up, but cleaner clothes were always welcome. After a quick change into some simple jeans and a dark sweater she left the room. The other man was already there as she found the two speaking in the kitchen area of the hotel. She made her way over there, taking a seat on an empty stool. She nodded to the other man and gave a faint smile. "Hello." She said quietly. She glanced at Nix, hoping it was still a maybe about her coming along as well.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:24 am

The brunette glanced up at the approaching figure and a smile beamed on his face. Instantly it was obvious that this guy was friendly, warm, welcoming and hospitable--everything Tristan wasn't. Nix sometimes wondered in jest how the two could even be friends if they were so opposite, but somehow it worked quite well. "And you must be Amber?" He extended a small hand towards her. "Mick Locke, I've been a friend of Nix's for many, many years. Aye, it's true, this cold hearted sonnovagun has friends!" he teased, casting a grin towards Nix. "Have you told her your name yet? Or is it all business?"
"Thus far it's been business but..." he shrugged and sipped at his iced tea; the cold liquid felt good and was a much better sensation than his headache. Not looking up from his glass, he said, "Tristan Nixon. You may as well know."
"That's a privilege, you know. He keeps his name secret and so does Nate...for security purposes. So you two are working on the same job, then?"
"There is no job, Mick. Not anymore. I'm done. So is she."
"She wants in?" Mick paused, leaning forward on his elbows to get a good look at her. "Miss, have you ever tried to run from powerful people? It's dangerous business. This isn't like skipping out on school, you know. But I'll tell you what I told Tristan: If you want this, and you want it with all your heart, then I can help you. Now, do you plan on doing this separately or...?"
"No. Together." Tristan flashed Amber a quick, subtle glance that said, 'don't disappoint me' and then pretended like it was something they'd discussed and decided on together previously.
Mick's eyebrows rose measurably at that--he expected his friend to break off and fly solo like he always did, but frankly he was relieved that he had someone with him. For his sake and for hers. Mick trusted that Nix knew what to do, despite how he said he didn't, and he knew that if it ever came down to it, Tristan would protect Amber with all that he had. That was the Reidanian way; that was Tristan's way. In return, Mick was certain Amber could, in time, offer him something he would never admit he needed. She could give him an open ear when he needed one (and goodness, did he need one) and keep an eye on him when things went south. If all went well, Mick hoped Tristan could find in her a friend.
"Good," he said. "Very good. First off, you two will need clean identities; brand new names, ages, birthplaces--everything. And you'll need the paperwork for that, too, which I can take care of."
"Mick spends his 'retired' life forging important legal documents like licenses," Tristan explained, though the man didn't appear to be anywhere near old enough to be retired. He was older than Tristan, yes, but couldn't have been any older than his mid-thirties.
"Mmhm. But keep that a secret, eh? I don't need the police knocking on my door for anything else, now."
"He was also an art thief," Nix added.
Mick nodded proudly. "That's another story for later. Anyhow, the two of you will have to come down south with me to my home in Florida...and i'll take care of the paperwork for that, too, so you don't have to put in either of your names and alert your former bosses. Then once we get the papers sorted out, we can discuss what to do from there. What do you say, you two? Amber? Are you sure you want to do this?"

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:26 am

Amber smiled warmly and accepted the extended hand. "Yes, i am Amber." She nodded. "It's a pleasure." She said in greeting. She glanced at Nix and gave a small smile at the other mans words. It seemed they were very close friends and there was some healthy ribbing between the two. She could already tell Mick was a nice guy and could see why someone would want him as a friend. When the subject of Nix's name came up she turned and looked at him.

"Well it's a pleasure." She said softly upon hearing his full name. It seemed she was certainly allowed in the loop now. Her thoughts were confirmed by Mick when he mentioned Nix's full name being top secret.

When the questions turned to her she nodded. "I did. 5 years ago." She said softly. "I was in a similar business in England. 5 years ago i got the chance to escape and fled to America. I was found over in new york, on the docks by the man i now work for. He knew i was here illegally, and had it on good authority i knew how do a few certain things he needed. He swore he wouldn't call immigration on me if i did as i was told. Sadly, he was a better boss then the man i worked for over seas, so i did as he said." She glanced at the two men. She saw no reason to keep much a secret at this point. Not if it meant freedom and safety. "Up until a year and a half ago, i didn't really care. It was better then England and i was taken care of, at least fairly decently. A year and a half ago things sort of, changed." She said softly. She wasn't sure how much to give away so quickly.

"I know it's dangerous, and that it poses a lot of risks, but i have to get out of this business. Not Just for me." She locked her hands together on her lap. "I am prepared to do whatever it takes to get away from here and this job, help in anyway i can." She said softly.

She looked up at Nix when he said they were doing it together. She caught the look on Mick's face, then the one on Nix's and figured this was an incredibly surprising thing. She gave a quick nod to Nix to show she understood. She wouldn't be a disappointment.her attention snapped back to Mick and she nodded. They would have to completely rewrite their lives. A thought struck her and she looked at Mick. "If there was something here, in Chicago that i didn't want to leave forever... would there be a way to get it back later? Or would i have to get it now?" She asked softly.

"Forging important legal documents. Like... A visa? Something that would make someone a Legal US citizen? or at least appear so?" She asked. If she had to change her name and everything else about herself, it didn't matter much now, but it was something she felt she had to ask, simply because immigration had been held over her head since she arrived.

"Florida? Sounds warm." She smiled softly. She gave a quick nod. "I'm sure." She glanced at Nix, for his answer.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:11 pm

(Sorry for the delay, spring semester just started today so i'm sort of busy)

Mick's eyebrows raised at her explanation of her experience in the business. "You aren't new to this, then? Well...that will be useful to you, i hope." His tone suggested that he understood what she meant when she said it wasn't just for her, but he wasn't about to bring it up further. "Some things you'll have to leave forever, like your home, wherever that lies, so before you do this you'll have to grab anything and everything you can't live without. Aside from that...it depends on what exactly you plan to come back for and where it is. If this item is something you have in say, a safety deposit box, I'd say you ought to get that now. If it's...somewhere else, somewhere that can't be directly traced to you and there will be no record of you accessing it...then i'd say that's plausible with the right precautions. Do you...do you mind me asking what sort of thing you intend to reclaim?" Mick asked cautiously, knowing full well that personal business was personal business.

When Amber mentioned visas, Mick gave her a sly, cheshire smile and said, "oh, my dear, I can do much better than visas...passports, records of citizenship...birth certificates....you name it." Mick was getting excited about all this business--he considered forgery as much of an art as painting or sculpting and it was his version of a good passtime.
"To give you an idea," Tristan said, "I've been in this business for four and a half years and no form of law enforcement has ever come knocking on my door, and it's not from any work of Nate's or my boss'. It's because of Mick and Mick alone that I haven't yet been executed...the best part is, Nate doesn't know about Mick. He's my ace in the hole."
Mick nodded. "Yep. You're safe with me, Amber. So when were you supposed to do this job of yours?"
"Tomorrow evening," Tristan replied.
"Then you'll have to leave tonight. I'd tell you to pack, Trist, but i know you already are."
"Always."
"That just leaves you, Amber. We'll have to head to your place and get the things you can't live without. I suggest taking only one suitcase if you can; it makes traveling easier, and you'll have to do a lot of traveling. Who knows, your travels may take you out of the country."

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:29 pm

((ahh it's alright ^__^))

Amber listened To Mick and nodded slightly. "I don't care about the apartment." She said softly. "I didn't spend much time there anyway." She leaned back slightly as he continued on. "It's.. well it's sort of hidden, but not very well." she sighed. When he asked what it could be she thought about answering, decided it was best to just come out and say it. She stood and returned to the room, coming back out with the leather bag. she pulled one of the pictures from the bag and set it on the counter. "My son..." She said quietly. "He is with a couple, They have been watching him until i could find a way to get him back. Lately they have been pushing me to come get him. He's no safer with them then he would be with me." She said softly.

She smiled slightly as he listed all the things he could do. When Nix jumped in to explain a little more she smiled brightly and nodded. "Well that is handy." She said softly. "And no one else knows?" She looked at Mick. "Very Handy..." She said with a light smile. She knew it was still going to be hard, but as they all talked it seemed less and less impossible.

Amber nodded. "I don't need anything there. Anything that matters to me fits easily into a bag which i usually have on me." She said softly. "The only thing i don't have is Jace." She glanced at the Photo she had laid out. "I don't need to go back to the apartment for anything." She gave a faint smile. It was a good thing she had gotten her things the day before apparently.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Sun Feb 12, 2012 1:17 am

Tristan watched as Amber crossed the room and found a leather bag filled with several items; among them, a photograph of a child. A very young child that she then explained was her son, and she someday intended to reclaim him. Sighing, Tristan shook his head.
"Oh...." Was all Mick said at first. "You have a son...? I was under the impression it was something like an expensive painting or....oh boy."
"There's no way you can bring a kid on the road, Amber. And I'm not talking about now--even when all this boils over and calms down a little, you'll still be on the run and they'll still be looking for you, for any way to bring you to your knees," Tristan told her, his tone honest but a little harsh. "If Charlie's anything like Nathan, he'll do horrible things to keep you in line. Horrible things. And if he finds out that you have....b-besides, the road is no place for a kid."
"I think..." Mick cut in, massaging his chin in thought. "I think it's viable so long as he's well hidden, is never discovered by your boss or even Nathan--geez, if your boss won't exploit that, Nate will. But keep in mind....it'll be a long time before it's safe enough to reunite with him. Even remote contact--letters, phonecalls, emails--will have to be kept to an absolute minimum until things cool down significantly."
Tristan's gray eyes caught Amber's for the first time in a while and they begged for her to heed his words. "Amber, listen to me. Whatever you do, don't let Charlie find anything to hold over your head. Nothing personal. Because believe me, he'll take it and he'll haunt you with it until you do his bidding, until you're his prisoner again. Don't give him that chance..." Tristan realized that he was being more transparent than usual--if not in his words then in his expression and tone--but frankly he didn't care. He felt too strongly about this. He'd been there before and he wanted no man, not even his worst enemy, to endure the kind of torture he'd been put through, to endure seeing his will whittle away with the sands of time at the hands of some bas----. That was a fate no one should have to see. No one.

Mick glanced at the clock embedded in the stovetop. "We should get going if you have all you need," he said. "We can discuss...this matter later. For now, it's best if you two put some distance between you and your former bosses."

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Sun Feb 12, 2012 1:52 am

AMber listened to the men speak. She gave a shallow nod when both we're done speaking. "I thought that might be the case." She glanced at Nix. "I'm aware the road isn't a place for a child, and i have no intention of uprooting him constantly. I was just hoping that some time in the future it might be safe enough to send for him." She gave a small shrug. "I will do whatever i have to in order to keep him safe. Even if it means leaving and cutting the ties i have to him. I only wanted to see if there was a way around that before i left. I have money, enough to give them. I can tell them to leave, and not tell anyone where they went. That would get Jace out from under Charlie. Charlie knows he exists, just not where i stashed him."

She took the photo back and slipped it back in the bag. She gave a nod to both men. She was more then ready to leave. Amber had seen and heard the feeling behind Nix's words. She had known when she brought it up this might be the time when she was told she had to leave her son and cut contact. She had been preparing for such a time for a while. Now,that she had a chance to leave, she would. Cutting ties with the child could even turn out better for him in the end. "I am prepared to leave, and had always assumed i would have to at some point. I just needed to ask." She gave a small, though weak smile.

Amber turned to the bedroom, fetching her other bag. She slipped the strap over her shoulder and looked at them both. A thought occurred to her and she looked at Mick, then at Nix. "Is there anything i can do to repay either of you? I know very well it would have been all to easy to tell me no, and probably much easier to leave without me tagging along. I don't want to seem ungrateful."

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:53 am

((I'm back! Ha, sorry for the delay--my life got ate haha))

"If i were you," the blonde said, turning to go and pack his things. "I'd move that boy somewhere far away. Somewhere secret and safe and completely random. Don't let Charlie know how to find him. Ever." His eyes were dead serious as they bored into Amber's before they flitted away; Nix turned and exited into the bedroom to (quickly and skillfully, like he'd done it a hundred times over) pack his things, including the rifle that still lay on the table. Everything he owned fit into a heavy-canvas duffle bag the color of a dark, withering rose save the silver embroidery that read, just like his gun, "T.D.NIXON". Dirt had been rubbed into the stitched letters and so now they closer resembled a brownish-gray color. All of his gear used to fit in that bag, and Tristan remembered its much heavier weight gripping his shoulders and pulling at his back. Now it carried mostly clothes, three guns, and a great deal of other toiletries and personal effects that were all that remained of his home. He even carried a single stone that was once a part of the yellowy-beige walls of his destroyed house. It was the size of a small lime; It was all he needed.

Tristan reemerged and scanned the rest of the hotel suite for any personal belongings he had scattered around (which were few and far between) while Mick finished putting all the dishes that belonged to the hotel into the sink. "No need to repay either of us. This isn't a job, it's life, and back home....well, back home, we had two beliefs. One, you take care of your neighbor. Two, you never ever leave a man behind. C'mon then, let's be off." With that, Tristan grabbed the electronic hotel keys and made his way downstairs to begin the checkout process. Before Amber could follow, Mick caught Amber by the shoulder with a small, gentle hand.

"There is something you could do...but Tristan doesn't need to know. I...I'm sure you know the man has his....demons and he out-drinks a college frat-boy. If you could keep an eye out for me...just take care of him, could you? And...don't tell him I said this, but keep asking him questions. About anything, everything. Tristan shuts himself up and he really needs to open up to more people. He'll hate you for it at first and he'll be angry if you push too hard, but he'll break eventually. Do that for me in my absence, please?" Mick's soft brown eyes met Amber's, pleading gently for her to take his words seriously.
"Anyway, we've got a plane to catch. C'mon," he said, moving to join Tristan downstairs.

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:42 am

(haha don't worry about it ^^ welcome back!))

Amber gave a slight nod. Secretive, far away and random. She could do that, though it might be difficult. She had to think of a place, somewhere nice, but untraceable. Her real plan was to just give them a good sum of cash and tell them to go, far. If even she was told where they went it could be traced somehow or another. While Nix was packing Amber found herself a pen and bit of paper. She scribbled a note and tucked it into an envelope the hotel provided. She then slipped the note in her bag and turned back to face the two men.

She nodded. She was about to follow after Nix when she felt Mick stop her. She turned to face him and listened. "I've noticed." She said in response to Mick's comment about the drinking. She gave a faint smirk. "Ask questions? Thats exactly what i was told not to do." She smiled. "Last time i pushed to hard the kitchen counter and i became close friends." She pulled her bag over her shoulder. "I'll do what i can." She agreed. "I'll keep an eye on him, and if i can get him to talk, i will." She glanced at the door. "Though i wouldn't expect result very quickly." She thought for a moment before facing Mick again.

"Pardon my saying, and i hope you don't find this out of line. In the short amount of time i have seen the two of you in the same room it seems apparent to me, that man would be much worse if he didn't have you around." She spoke softly. It took her another moment to speak again. "What your doing for me, It's very kind. I will do what you ask." She flashed a light smile. After she turned and walked out of the room to join Nix in the lobby.

She caught up to nix and bit her lip. "Would it be to much to ask to borrow your phone once more? I need to tell Melissa it's time for her to leave." She said quietly.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Sat Feb 18, 2012 8:42 pm

"Well," Mick said, grinning. "For one thing, it's different now that he's letting you come with him of his own accord. He has little patience for forced circumstances. Anyway, stay strong and use good sense in what you do." When she said Tristan would be much worse off without his friend, Mick gave a soft, saddened smile and said, "You don't know the half of it, hon. Not to sound arrogant, but if he and I weren't so close...he would have left this world a long time ago. Don't tell him I said that."

Downstairs, Nix hardly turned to face her when Amber asked for the use of his phone again. Instead he plunged his fingers into his pocket and fished out the rectangular piece of glass and aluminum that he then held out for her to take. "Mmhm," he murmured. In his own way, he was being hospitable, though by Reidanian standards, he was being cold. America, it seemed, had rubbed off on him. Oh, what his father would say.

With the other two in tow, Tristan headed outside, but he paused when he realized Mick's usual car--his cherry red mustang--wasn't anywhere to be seen. "You got a new car...?"
"No," Mick chuckled. "Don't you remember? I told you I'd catch a flight up here. How...how drunk were you, exactly?"
"Very," Tristan deadpanned, having a vague recollection of the events that transpired the night before. He remembered speaking to Mick about leaving and deciding resolutely to do so, and he also remembered falling back into his life as a soldier, remembered calling Amber Sota and feeling ashamed for his failure to present his weapon. He also remembered, vaguely, telling Amber more about his flashback than he really wanted to; the thought of that memory made his cheeks burn.
"I have a rental car for now, the blue one there." Mick pointed to a shiny CRV parked along the sidewalk; He unlocked it with his key fob and waited for his two friends to load their bags into the back. "I'm gonna call in a favor from an old friend to make sure none of this is on record," He said from the front seat. Tristan sat behind him in the back seat, giving Amber shotgun. "Have you ever flown on a private jet before?" Mick grinned. "An old...er...associate of mine--"
"You mean thief?"
"No, she's a fence. Or was, anyway--who knows what she's still doing. Anywho, she and I go back a ways. Actually, she's the gal that got me to Reidan way back then, you remember that? Her name is Kai. Did you meet her?"
"I did. She let me sit in the cockpit..." Tristan cracked a small smile. "And she gave me ice cream. There en't no way in he-- that I'd ever forget someone who gave me ice cream. She's still flying?"
"Mmhm. Still got lots of spark. She owes me a favor or two, so why not call it in now?"

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:58 pm

Amber nodded. "That was a surprise honestly." She gave a faint smile. "I asked out of hopes that i could leave, but i didn't expect to actually be allowed to tag along." She shook her head and gave a quick nod to Mick. "I will." She said. She gave a small laugh. "I don't doubt it." She said softly. She heard his request not to say anything. "I'll take it to the grave." She added.

Downstairs she accepted the phone and punched in the memorized number. She waited as it rang twice. Melissa answered and let out a surprised sound.
"This is a new record Amber."
"Do you remember the account numbers i gave you, that you said you would never use..." Amber said, ignoring the comment.
"Yes...." Melissa trailed off.
"Use it. Pack up the car and take a road trip. A long one. Hell, go cross country then take a cruise when you reach the ocean. Don't tell anyone where you're going and move to where you end up."
"What about Jace?" Melissa asked. The tone of her voice suggested she already knew the answer.
"Take him...."
"You're leaving then?" The woman sighed.
"I am."
"We're in danger?"
"Always were." Amber said quietly.
"Anyway to keep contact?"
"I don't think so."
"I see..."
With that the two women hung up. Amber knew Melissa had been waiting for this just as long as she had been. She knew it had to be done if Amber was letting go. With a heavy sigh Amber returned to the phone. "Thank you." She said softly.

Amber listened to the two men talk as she put her bag away and took her seat. She was interested in what they were saying and cracked a small smile at the bit about the ice cream. She listened to them go back and forth as they spoke. She could tell they must have a lot of stories between the two of them.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:26 pm

Mick smiled. "Tristan's unpredictable. Which, of course, can work to your benefit or prove to be maddeningly unhelpful and...sometimes a little terrifying...which, I'm sure you've seen. My apologies for that, if he hasn't already. But for now, consider this a stroke of good luck."

In the car, Mick turned on the radio. He was about to tell Tristan to change it to whatever he liked, but then he remembered that Tristan rarely cared what was playing on the radio, so long as there was actually something playing. Instead, he asked, "Amber, you probably know the local stations better than we do, what's a good one?" he asked, keeping one hand rested on the knob while the other sort of loosely gripped the leather steering wheel. Nix, well rested but somehow still exhausted, leaned back so that his head was resting against the headrest of the seat and the window; for the first time he actually appreciated the cold. Currently he was a little up-tight about what he was doing--shirking off the mob wasn't exactly something done lightly and it wasn't anywhere near close to safe--and was thus a little bit flush, so the cool touch of the glass on his burning face was a welcomed sensation. Shutting his eyes, Nix reflected on just what he was doing. Nate was going to kill him. Probably literally. Either that or sell him out to some lead-hungry cop and get him sent to jail and then killed. Either way, Nix was convinced he would never live to see his fourties, and some small, strange part of him was okay with that. More than okay. Expected it. Wanted it. Often times he felt like everything he'd ever loved had been lost and that, frankly, there was nothing left for him on this earth. His resolve had crumbled like his home and he had little left to give anyone or anything. Too much time on this earth like that would be too grim to bear, he decided.

"You'll learn that we may be a sorry bunch of criminalistic bas-----, but we've got more resources than you'd think," Mick explained. "I mean, who expects a relatively young retiree in Miami to run an under-the-table forgery business? Or to steal art? Nobody! And who expects such a nice old lady to be a fence? Nobody!" He gave a light chuckle as he pulled into a small airfield. On the premises was a small plane, unmarked save for a few alphanumeric characters that served as its identification painted on its back end. Already there was a small party of men and women in crisp suits and uniforms waiting outside parked cars.
"I thought you said you were calling in the favor....they're already here?" Tristan wondered, sitting up to peer out the window.
"I called Kai last night when you called me."
"You didn't know i was serious, how did you know i wasn't just drunkenly spouting things off?"
"Because you've wanted out for years, Tristan Nixon, and i knew the moment you were desperate enough to admit it was the moment you couldn't take it anymore."
Nix had nothing to say then. A heavy silence pervaded the vehicle until it was parked and the two men in front stepped outside as they were greeted by a grey haired woman in a woolen peacoat with a magenta scarf. She had a warmth and a cunning air about her, but she seemed well-meaning.
"Mick!" She grinned. "You look well!"
"As do you!" The two embraced like old friends.
The woman cast a glance to Nix and said, "my my, how you've grown! You aren't the skinny young man I met in the desert those ten years ago; you've filled out! Do you remember me?"
Nix cracked a small smile. "You gave me a whole pint of strawberry ice cream and I drove you and Mick around Westie in a..borrowed car."
"Ah, you did indeed. How have you been?"
Tristan hesitated slightly, then answered softly, "Dei jahaiv'e." ((trans: literally, "i am present" but it reads sort of as "Eh, I'm alive"))
Kai paused, turning over the meaning of the foreign words for a moment before understanding and then turning to Amber. "And you must be the young lady Mick told me about...Amber? My name is Kai, I've been a friend of the Locke family for ages, it seems, and that's brought me to cross paths with this dapper gent," she said, smiling back at Tristan. Nix flashed a cordial smirk back. "Have you flown before?"

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:45 am

Amber gave a slight nod of agreement at that. "Terrifying... Aye that's one way to put it." She said lightly. Her words were serious, but she was smiling. While she had been quite frightened a few times in the last few days, it still wasn't the worst she had been through, and her gratefulness for what they each were doing trumped her fears. "Either way, i do consider all of this a stroke of good luck."

"Hmm?" Was her response to the question about the radio. She wasn't one to listen to much radio and gave a slight shrug. "Oh uh..." She trailed off as she thought. She did know some of the stations, she just had to remember. "Try 98.7" She said softly. "I think it's a decent station." She gave a slight shrug. She knew the station played more classical music. It was a decent sound, if one only wanted background noise.

Amber did crack a smile at that. "I find the world isn't all that black and white. It's not uncommon that the Criminal Bas----s are actually the nice,decent people, while those upstanding citizens of society are really the scum of the earth. As for whatever your chosen professions may be, I'm not one to judge." She glanced out the window. She smiled as she listened to him, turning her gaze on the people in front of the car. She vaguely listened to the two men, getting out of the car to join them. She was far mote interested in the people and plane before them. Clearly when Mick has said resources she had underestimated the word.

When the older woman addressed her Amber gave a light bow of her head. "I am Amber, yes." She said softly. "it's a pleasure." She added after the woman introduced herself. She smiled at the woman, glancing towards Nix as the two spoke. "Me?" She asked when the older woman spoke again. "No, never." She shook her head. It was an odd thought, but Amber never had flown. When she came from england she was a stow away on a ship, and any time Charlie wanted her moved, he just stuck her in the back of some unmarked car. Planes had never come up. "I can't say that i have flown anywhere." As she spoke, her voice was soft, though clear.

Blackfridayrule · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Blackfridayrule** on Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:52 pm

"Never flown before? That's quite a pity! I think it's a lovely experience, personally."
"I tend to disagree, honestly, but don't let me color your view..." Tristan growled. Nix hated flying. In his mind, it was worse than driving, regardless of the fact that he was able to stand up in a plane and not a car.
"Oh?" Kai turned to him, her head cocked to one side. "You were so fascinated by my plane ten years ago...you begged me to take you flying--don't you remember?"
"I do. It's just...you don't look at planes the same way after you jump out of one."
"Mm," was all Kai said to that. She put her smile back on and, hand extended, gestured for Amber to follow her to the steps leading up to the little door in the front. "I assure you, I'll be extra careful to make you feel safe--no loops," she teased. "It's a bit like riding in a train...only much higher up and I daresay a great deal smoother. Come, let's be off."
The four of them, followed by Kai's staff, boarded the plane as someone moved to deal with the two cars on the tarmac and the rollable staircase used to enter the plane. Inside, the plane was furnished with simple, minimalistic and yet elegant seats with small tables for playing cards or setting down drinks. "Make yourselves comfortable. If you need anything, I'll be up front."
"Thank you, Kai," mick said, taking a seat beside Tristan.
"Anything for you." With that, the aging woman smiled and disappeared into the cockpit.
"So this is your first flight, Amber? Take the window seat--it's more fun to watch the takeoff," mick said, gesturing to the seat across from him.
"Just get me a drink and lets get this over with," tristan growled.
"You're staying sober. No buts."
"Fine, but just get me a bloody mojito or something..."

rizzyrat · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rizzyrat** on Sun Feb 26, 2012 8:14 pm

Amber nodded. "Never. The people i've worked for so far were against my flying anywhere." She shrugged. She smiled lightly watching the others go back and forth. "I'm sure it will be quite lovely." She said softly. "I've always wanted to fly." She eyed the plane as she spoke. Amber then followed the older woman onto the plane and looked around. It looked quite cozy and comfortable, better then a car and certainly better then the ship she had crossed on.

She glanced at Mick when he offered her a seat, which she took without question. She looked out the window and smiled lightly. She watched the two men discuss drinks and gave a faint smile. She kept her attention out the window, watching the ground. She was a bit eager for take off. She had always wondered what flying was like. She hoped it was smoother then crossing the ocean by ship. Her stomach turned just thinking of the way the ship had rocked.

Trigger Finger

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