Setting
As with everything in the City of Liars, not all is as it seems. On the northern end of the Nashtons lies the most secure community in all of Van Leugen: Millsburin. A heavily secured neighborhood, Millsburin is the central domestic residency for Van Leugen's most distinguished citizens. Police commissioners, mayors' families, CEOs and big-bang politicians all make their homes in the lavish, obscenely ostentatious mansions of this high-end community. It is from here that the rich and corrupt launch their nefarious schemes for power and dig their corporate hooks into Van Leugan's already failing economy. All in all, it's a viscous contrast: the safest, nicest district in the city houses its most evil, deplorable characters...
- 116 posts here • Page 5 of 5 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Several Confessors broke from Chloe and Ariadne, muttering into their earpieces as they spread out, moving among the crowds of people to find the man they were charged with protecting.
Chloe was growing increasingly nervous as she looked around in the darkened room for Prince, and then she turned her gaze back to Ariadne.
"Who says I don't already have people in my corner." Chloe said, still nervously trying to look for Prince. "I think my date just ditched me." She whispered. "Oh gods if anything happens to him here, they'll fry my ass on national television." She muttered.
She let something slip.
"I don't do well in the dark surrounded by confessors, help me find my man, and then we'll talk whatever business you have." Chloe said quickly, letting her gaze bob and weave around the guests.
--
"Maybe you should lose the little boy and get with the man." Prince said to Hikarii, as he seemingly slithered up to her out of nowhere, two drinks in hand. "We'll go back to my place, I'll show you a good time." He said, the alcohol it seemed was loosening the otherwise tight man up.
The strange men in dark suits were still bobbing among the crowd, searching for Prince while he kept just out of sight.
"I'm really rich." Prince whispered, before he produced a golden square coin. Easily recognized as Aschen currency.
"I'm so rich, this whole place, all these people; are bums compared to what I'm worth."
With that though, he bowed, vanishing with a sudden explosion of smoke, only his echoing voice left behind.
"Remember, dear partygoers. Wishes can come true, but sometimes what you ask for is not what you get." Seemed like the perfect cheesy exit line for him. And it allowed him to hang around long enough to pull off his last little stunt. "Slipping" a business card into Ariadne's pocket. More or less it looked, too the letter and font, like something an Invictus accountant might hand out, except it had funky little skull-doodle, and Byron's name with a single statement under it.
"If you ever change your mind, just call."
No number, no other instructions, just that. Assuming she even found the card before abandoning her suit and sending it to the cleaners, it would just be a curiosity, he hoped. Someone she might be willing to try someday, down on her luck. She had real, real potential for the kind of wishes and pacts that could break a planet. Byron was not about to let that just slip away.
He walked out of the fancy galla, hopefully unseen. Swinging his cane as always, a cigar between his lips and a bottle of spiced rum in hand. It had been a job well done. Maybe he'd check on the first wisher's ex-wife. Lord knows she'd just be a bloodspot in a back alley by now.
Man he was right. VL was the place for him.
She was hoping to stand out, but everyone in the place seemed dressed to perfection. They were serious about taking advantage of those photo ops.
"I need a drink." She muttered, making her way over to a waiter with his back turned to her. "Got any drinks for me?" She asked, "No." He said, gesturing towards the nearby Sarai with his head.
The woman had grabbed the last few glasses, downing each one faster than the last. "This is fun, you see? All it took was some guy making you angry. Channel that anger into epicness!" Oded told his sister, barely noticing that Prince approached Hikarii.
The moment he did, he wasted no time in putting an arm around her waist.
"Barking up the wrong tree. The elderly home is in the other part of town." Oded said to Prince, prepared to beat his chest and establish his dominance as men like them tended to do.
"He should be easy to find." Ariadne told Chloe, "I'll keep an eye out." She said, stepping away from the woman to move through the crowd. Thoughts were going through her head.
She'd heard what Chloe said about the man. That information was going to come in handy in some way. She wasn't sure how just yet.
The nauseous feeling heād instilled at the start only grew stronger by his proximity. But he made her feel sick before sheād noticed that.
She listened to his words through ears that had already decided to tint everything with disgust after the first line from his mouth. Her expression remained mostly the same. A picture of politeness.
She did, however, examine the coin briefly. Something in the back of her mind started to shift uneasily.
It always felt like defeat when she accepted her gratefulness of a man who had defended her against such incidents. But she leant into Oded, anyway. Her smile became more apologetic.
Then; that uneasy thought that was lurking stood to attention. That coin was Aschen, and she wouldnāt put it past being buried in Odedās skull.
The situation was bound to spiral.
She laughed shortly, more shrill than sheād intended.
āPlease excuse my partner, heās had a little too much to drinkā was all that she said.
He turned to Hikarii, pressing his luck even further.
"His insults are plebeian at best, typical for a man so very insecure about his place in society. He's beneath you my dear." Prince said calmly.
Though his outside demeanor was smarmy and calm, he was calculating, his gaze briefly moved to Oded, before he put the facade back on.
"My apologies, perhaps it was rude of me to intrude on your little date, for your efforts I might consider a brief pause before signing your warrant of execution." Prince let slip, grinning mischievously at Oded.
"Keep the coin, he'll need to pay Charon when he crosses into the afterlife." Prince said, unaware that Chloe had spotted him, and she quickly grabbed his arm from behind.
"Isambard what on Zeus' green Kobol are you doing!?" She hissed into his ear. Then she smiled to Oded and Hikarii
"I'm sorry, he can be quite melodramatic when drunk, pay him no mind."
Prince jerked away from Chloe fairly abruptly, sneering at her. "Unhand me at once!" And then he raised his hand to strike her but Kesslee came up from behind and grabbed him.
"My lord perhaps it's best we step outside." He whispered, gently ushering the Emperor towards one of the more less crowded balconies, leaving Chloe with Oded and Hikarii
Chloe was red from embarrassment, swallowing hard her lips made a thin line before she spoke.
"I'm sorry, his actions have no excuses, are either of you hurt?"
"I was hoping to see a fight." Mary said, "As was I. My brother may be pretty, but he knows how to handle himself. Our parents made sure of that. Where we grew up was not safe." Sarai told Mary, the smell of wine coating her breath. She was well on her to way to blacking out.
It was surprising to her that she hadn't already. It was like something inside of her was keeping Sarai upright.
"Keep an eye that one for me." Ariadne whispered into Mary's ear, causing her to jump. "Jesus! Why would you do that?" Mary asked, "It was funny." Ariadne admitted, "But, really, keep an eye on the blonde. I'll tell you why later."
'Let's see if you still do what still I need of you, little image', he wondered to himself. It bore a little play to see. Cruor flexed the hands rubbing one thumb and forefinger together. There was a latent edge to it though like the hand wanted to do something else. It still did what he needed it to however the nagging adrenaline of someone nearby in a panic left him having to focus on counting lest the warmness of someone's suffering embarrass his party-goer. He eyed the woman absently searching it for the movement twitching under his skin. Strings of thought pulled as they should to fake a drink of wine while he pondered,'We can't have that, now can we dear? There were security around here recently, there might be a murder yet!'
There definitely was something fundamentally changed but he couldn't put his finger on it quite yet. It was like the muscle that tensed to keep the simulacra existing no longer did so. Now odd ticks remained where it was not used. The woman stood up and led the way as Cruor padded on behind her. His scales flowed as he moved a matte backdrop to the black and red suited woman with a faint slit-eyed gleam. A good sense of where there might be blood might lead him into danger but he wouldn't get to see someone murdered sitting at a party listening to some musician. It took some doing to find somewhere near to where the angry fellow had gone off to. He picked something interesting and had the woman faking sips at her drink while he looked around to see where prince had gone off to. He kept thinking he heard someone familiar crying about something or other but not in his direction. Not quite who he'd gone looking for anyway.
āNoā she replied to Chloe. She should probably be asking her the same question, but she wouldnāt embarrass her any further.
She gave Oded a small squeeze and tried a smile with a welcoming nod to Mary.
āI canāt promise weāll all age as gracefully as myselfā she joked.
Graceful was one word for it. It was in fact just top-tier cosmetic surgery.
Clasped, hidden in her hand was the gifted coin. Something told her to wait before indulging in her new gossip material.
Sarai was getting a little wobbly. She looked as though she needed a glass of water and a pep-talk. It didnāt surprise her ā sheād known the requests would work. She finished her own drink with disappointment. Wishing she had more.
āIām going to the restroom, Iāll be back in a moment. Sarai?ā she invited her with a tilt of her head in the direction of the toilets.
"The man's some big wig executive from the Aschen Empire that's looking to buy up some land." Chloe said, making up an excuse on the spot.
"I think he works for Tech Con, wanted a tour of the city and all that jazz, they have a different culture maybe where he comes from women are easy." Chloe said, shrugging. "Either way, I apologize for his actions, there's no excuse. I'll try to keep him confined to the more... Aschen section of the party." She said; eyeing some of the PKs in the corner.
She hoped the plausibility of the Tech Con statement would draw attention away from his true identity.
"Can I get you guys some drinks?" She asked, but frowned when Hikarii was excusing herself to go to the restroom.
Chloe simply slipped away, quietly excusing herself to go find Ariadne once more.
---
Outside on the Balcony; Prince and Kesslee could be heard arguing in Anquietas, Prince's words slurred, as he had been drinking that entire night; a moment later; Chloe emerged onto the balcony.
"Mr. Kesslee, Mr. Prince, perhaps you should rest, shall I arrange for a motorcade back to your hotel?" She asked, while Prince frowned.
"Take your motorcade and stuff it, I was trying to get some more of these Terran women I keep hearing so much about. I think I want to go back to the Empire, Mr. Kesslee; I've got death warrants to authorize." He said, glaring at Oded.
"I want him dead, Mr. Kesslee, I don't care if you have to nuke the damn city to get results, I want him dead!"
Sarai was going to voice her objection, but she had to admit that she wasn't exactly herself right now. She couldn't figure out why, "You owe me another." She told Mary, nodding to Hikarii as she began her wobbly walk towards her. "We'll be leaving once you return. I'm bored of this place." Oded told the women.
"More than just a businessman." Ariadne whispered to Mary, "Clearly someone from the government. That woman, the blonde, mentioned Confessors. You and I both know what that means." She continued, "Someone's execution being ordered and the rest of us laughing at them?" Mary jokingly asked.
"Nah, I'll keep it in mind. For now, let's drink."
She pushed her way into a space. Quite rudely, instilling some dirty looks. It was busier than sheād thought it would be, so decided not to indulge in her sight. Besides, it didnāt take any kind of special powers to know that something wasnāt right with Sarai, beyond what was expected.
Hikarii held out a glass of water that sheād snatched on the way.
āDrink it all, you should pace yourself. How are you feeling?ā she said to Sarai, trying to tuck away a piece of the womanās hair that had escaped.
It was probably best that they leave. Oded's big mouth had yet again done them no good. She then opened her fist to reveal the Aschen coin. She didnāt accept the Chloeās apology, but this, she would.
āAny idea how much this is worth?ā she asked casually. Far too casually, most likely.
"I think my guest is going to head home for tonight, he's had a very long day and you know how temperamental those people can be." Chloe said, before smiling.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, though." She said, while Prince and Kesslee could be seen coming up behind Chloe.
"I think I've had enough for tonight." He said flatly. "I want to turn in for the night, I also want you to arrange travel back to the Spaceport so I can return to Langara." He said calmly. "I have an Empire to run." He let slip, brushing past Chloe with Kesslee and the rest of the Confessors in tow.
"Excuse me." Chloe said, turning to slip away with the current of Confessors that were making their way towards the front door, brushing people aside, forcibly if the situation required it.
She let her eyes rest on the coin as she drank the water, "I do not know, but I recognize it from somewhere." Sarai answered, "The blonde said that man was Aschen, it could be from there, yes? I never did business with them." She continued, downing the rest of the water in one swig.
"I need to dance this off. I am restless. Let's go to The Nillies." Sarai suggested.
Her brother was on the same page, going through social media on his phone to find out where the parties were. Prince had soured his mood a bit. Nothing loud music and drugs couldn't cure.
Oded glanced up from his phone to look at Prince, grinning smugly at the man before returning to his phone. "Temperamental? Senile." He muttered, "Or both." Mary joked, "It was a pleasure while it lasted." Ariadne said to Chloe, smiling politely at the woman as she turned to walk away.
"I'll have someone look into her." Mary told Ariadne, "But, you'll owe me."
Once Sarai had finished, she got rid of the glass then swiftly inspected herself in the mirror. She made faces as she did, sure that the mirror would love it as much as the camera. The makeup melting hadn't really began yet. That'd start soon, though. The Nillies weren't really her thing. She thought herself too old for all of that these days. But if Sarai was there, then so was she, it seemed.
"Let's go before one of us gets cursed or stabbed."
Her tone fizzled before she'd finished the joke.
She started to lead the way out, waving towards Oded as she did, making straight for the exit and fresh air without wishing anyone farewell.
"Systems check." The Driver said into his radio, as the engines in the motorcade began to fire up, engines roaring to life, while bright blue-white LED headlights cut through the thick van leugen darkness.
The Confessors checked the perimeter around them, and then they checked their weapons.
"All secure, let's move out. We'll be heading to the Spaceport for extraction." Kesslee called into his radio. "Alpha Raptor is on the move, all sections prepare for embarkation."
The Motorcade started to move, pulling away from the mansion and into the streets, moving at a slow, but steady pace, the Motorcade set off towards the spaceport.
"Go in. Take a right and head down to the basement levels." A voice called out from above. "Thanks." Mike said, looking up to see an eerie man clad in a dark blue trench coat. Your typical mob enforcer type. Or assassin.
Either way, he was clearly the gatekeeper. Mike gestured for his people to follow him, heading inside towards the basement. There were a few people from the different mobs scattered throughout the halls. There was some tension in the air, likely because they were keeping eyes on each other as much as they were on the venue.
The steps down into the basement were dark, but eventually one could hear Hip-Hop music playing the further down they went. It was muffled, but it was very clearly there. At the bottom of the steps was a single metal door, a light shining above it and a man in a black suit standing in front of it.
"Michael." He said, "Heston." Mike responded, "Have fun." Heston said, pulling the door open to reveal what appeared to be an underground nightclub.
It was dimly lit, but the room was lit up by lasers, strobes, and black lights giving white and neon paint a certain glow. There were women and men dancing in cages, people dancing, a DJ on a stage, and more than a few drugs floating around.
"Holy shit. I need to get out more." Mike joked, maneuvering his way through the crowd. He laid eyes on Yves and his crews seated in their own huge VIP section with some of the gangsters they were more friendly with. Guys from the Rockford Drive Villains, BSK, even a few Money Gang lieutenants that had arrived before Michael.
"Yo!" Mike called out as he approached, dapping up everyone he knew before moving to take a seat with them. "Impressive, isn't it?" Yves asked, looking towards a woman seated beside him. It was almost as if he was asking her, "No one knows who runs this place, but they do know it's one of the few places we have that are neutral ground." The mob boss continued, turning his gaze on Michael.
"You can drink, get high, and fuck in peace here. Consider this a gift from me to commemorate our alliance. You're part of something bigger now, Michael." Yves said, nodding approvingly to the biker.
"I'm glad to be here." He said, eyes drifting to a woman standing stoically near Yves. He recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn't place it. There was a fire on her eyes, he wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
- 116 posts here • Page 5 of 5 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5