Vacationer Meets Agent, Leisurely Hunt Begins

[Kami-Gaz]

Now this was a good place to be on an assignment! The Holy Remunun Empire’s capital city of Romano, the southern most city in the empire and one that took full advantage of its subtropical climate. There were beaches, bars, blood sports and hot people everywhere. It truly was a paradise in the usually cold north blue, something that should be treasured. The sun shone high in a cloudless sky and the entire city was alive with people bustling about between the cafés, beaches and bars enjoying life.

It was almost a shame that visiting here was an assignment, luckily it was one that had no time limit. Well, no time limit as long as the crew that needed to be exterminated stayed within the empire. The targets were currently disbanded and spread throughout the Remunun Empire, all exploring and doing what they wanted on some downtime. If anything, now was the best time to strike, whilst they were apart. That way they were not going to band together and make this difficult, from the intel and pre-mission briefing these people were all going to be difficult to take down individually.

A hollow *thonk* rang out through the warehouse, a splatter of blood coated the floor and the man who was tied to the chair spat some teeth and blood out with a harsh grunt. He looked like he had been sat in this chair for a short while now, being worked over for information by some one who was experienced in doing this sort of work. “Where’s Francis?!” A feminine voice bellowed at him, the metal pipe raising in the spot light that made her a silhouette to the poor man.

The man laughed, the symbol tattooed on his bare chest shaking with his the act. It made the skull look like it was chattering along with the laughter. “Captain will never lose to you.” He managed to get out between pained chuckles. “I’ll never give him up.” He finally said.

“You chattering Skull Pirates are just annoying gnats.” Mei-Lee whispered as the pipe came swinging down across the mans jaw and making a satisfying *Thwack* noise. “LAST CHANCE! WHERE IS HE?!” She bellowed again right in his ear. The pipe shifted and changed into a dark tanned hand as it fell down to her side. This was just getting her nowhere and she had been at it for hours now, he was just not talking what so ever.

That last hit had ruined the mans jaw something fierce and was something he couldn’t laugh through. The grunt of pain as he feigned keeping it together was evident that he was just too stubborn. “Bi’e ‘e ‘itch.” He replied with a fire in his eyes.

“Fine.” The agent replied as she turned to walk away, letting out a long sigh of frustration. The captain Francis Chatter of the Chattering skull pirates had been impossible to track down. He was somewhere in the empire but had not been spotted in weeks. “Well time to get your little sister.” Her tone just as cold as it had been before.

“She’s s'ron'er than you! You’ll get killed by h-UGH” There was a moment where the man looked in disbelief with dead eyes before his head slumped to the side. There were a series of new punctures on his bare chest, each dripping blood.

Mei-Lee blew at the tip of her finger which was now a pipe. She had shot a series of ball barings into the man’s chest to finish him off. He had outlived his usefulness in this situation. Really now… what did he expect? That being beaten for info and not giving it was going to get him brownie points and make her want to let him go? She wasn’t that sloppy an agent, he was a loose end and had potential to screw up this operation.

The bright light and warmth of the tropical afternoon washed over the woman as she left the warehouse, slamming the door shut behind herself as she did. This was somewhere she wasn’t going to return to and the owners had abandoned it years ago. It was the perfect place to do something this sort of shady. Not far from the scene of the crime Mei-Lee spotted some surfers on the beach and sighed. ‘They shouldn’t be a problem…’

She set off down the side of the warehouse and made her way from the small industrial dock towards the city proper, it was time to take a break and let off some steam before finding the sister… a Miss Elaine Cark.

[Mr. Moon]

Michael #1

It was beautiful day one of few, the lawyer experienced thus far on his journey around the world. The sun was high on the cloudless sky, keeping the streets warm and somehow lazy as no one really wanted to work during a day like that. Yet there he was, sitting in a small cafe with young lady of good pedigree yet questionable manners, who invited him there on a gunpoint, quite literally.

“I...am sorry...I am terribly sorry...”

She was shaking all over her body, which was the only reason he didn´t break her arm, the moment she drew her weapon.

“Yes, I can see that.”
Michael sighed without slightest interest in his voice, almost as if everything that was occurring around him didn´t concerned him.

“So why don´t you put that gun away, before someone will notice and call the guard?”

Startled, she looked on her hand as if she completely forgot, what she was holding there.

“What? That…? I am sorry!”
On verge of tears she put the gun on the table, before realizing how unwise the idea was, hiding in her handbag.

“That...it isn´t even my...it...it belonged...belongs to my boyfriend.”

Thinking about it for a moment, Mr. Gladio had to admit that she wasn´t the type who would own let alone carry such crude weapon. She was young, eighteen, maybe twenty years old, with pretty, naive looking eyes and nice dress of someone from the upper class.

“And the reason you are carrying it is…?”
He asked with the patience of someone who wanted to be somewhere far away very long ago.

“BECAUSE I AM AFRAID!”

Her sudden outcry immediately drew attention of everyone else towards them, not only in the cafe itself, but also outside on the street.

“I...am sorry, I didn´t meat too...he...I think something bad happened to him, you have to help me.”

She sobbed.

Only very callous person wouldn´t feel any pity towards here, yet Michael didn´t seem to care.

“I am sorry”
He said wearily.

“but I think you mistook me for someone else. If your boyfriend disappeared, than you should contact the guards or Marines, not point gun on random stranger on the streets.”

She sobbed again

“But...but...but I can´t..you see...my boyfriend he...he is pirate”
She lowered her voice to almost unrecognizable whisper.

“well, he isn´t...I mean, they framed him! He told me everything. He and his sister stood up against some very evil and corrupted marine officer who was kidnapping people and selling them to slavery and he and his sister stood against him, so they were framed and...and…he said he have a family far away...we were supposed to run there together...but...but he didn´t came and I...what if they found him? What if they did something terrible to him? Please...I know who you are...you...you are good person right? You are helping people who were wrongly accused to get justice...please...will you help me? I...I can pay...look!”

She pulled jewelry box out of her handbag, showing him an impressive collection of gold and gems.

Michael sighed. Usually he would turn her down and walked away but...her performance already attracted too much of unwanted attention and...he hated swindlers who were lying and deceiving someone that loved them, from the bottom of his heart.

“Alright, I´ll help you”
The lawyer sighed.

“But, you have to promise me, that you will return this...”

He pointed to her box

"back to your mother, alright?”

She slowly nodded.

[Kami-Gaz]

Mei-Lee walked through the populated tourist area of the city, taking in the sites and sounds and following what was now a beaten into her skill. She was blending in with a crowd and becoming a part of the mass. This was something she was taught to do before she even went on her first mission as a Cipher-Pol Agent. The art of becoming a ghost, it wasn’t her speciality but it came in useful and it helped the woman focus on her thoughts.

‘So now I have to get the sister… I think the corpse had a girlfriend too…’ She thought, a hand drifting to the pocket on her hoodie and slipping out a photograph of what was now a dead body, his sister Elaine Cark and his girlfriend. ‘Well. I should be able to use the girl before offing her.’ The agent finally thought before slipping the paper back into the pocket.

She had wandered far from the main tourist area into what was considered the old town of Romano, here had the least brass piping and open-air gears turning. It was a place that was back in the past. Full of quaint hotels and nice quiet cafés. Nothing exciting really happened here… or maybe it did, like it was just now. A young woman sobbing with a gun, holding a man hostage at a table… Now that is a sight…

‘THAT’S THE GIRLFRIEND?! WOW MY LUCKS ON FIRE TODAY!’ The agent thought as she picked her jaw up off of the floor. Was she seriously holding a man at gunpoint? No not anymore, she had placed it down and began sobbing, explaining her life. Then ding ding ding! Bingo, she just put herself on the kill list there and then. She is just as stupid as her boyfriend.

Mei took a moment and walked over, stopping by their table feigning a panicked look before kneeling down to the girl. Time to play a role-playing game, her part? The worried friend of a friend. ”You’re Elliot’s girlfriend! Have you seen him? Have you seen Elaine? I’ve been looking everywhere for her! I think the navy sent people to get her! Is Elliot ok? I think I saw him going into the warehouse district this morning…” She asked faking the panic in trying to sell her situation to the woman, mostly ignoring Michael who was at the table.

[Mr. Moon]

Michael #2

As Michael agreed to her request, the girl started to cry uncontrollably muttering some incomprehensible words of thanks among seemingly endless line of sobs. It was rather shameful display. One, that made Michael disgusted rather than compassionate, so it was no wonder, that when the other girl came he felt hint of relief.

She just walked to their table, uninvited and knelt down in front of his wannabe client. All worried and caring, asking about that girl´s boyfriend Elliot and someone named Elaine. Their common friend? His sister maybe?

The girl found herself dumbfounded for a second. Looking at Mei with her mouth open, before she swept tears from her eyes and carefully nodded.

“I...yes...who are you? Is...is Elliot alright? Did something happen to him?”

That was the moment when any sensible person would excuse themselves and leave. Letting someone else to handle the messy situation that had nothing to do with them. Even Michael, being everything but sensible person was thinking about this approach. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing wrong with it. He owned her nothing. Less than nothing actually as only few moments ago she was threatening him with loaded gun. Yet there was one tiny problem that stopped him from leaving the scene. The other girl was lying. She was good in her act no doubt about it, but someone as Michael who was hunting literally hunting liars and fraudsters for sport could tell the difference almost immediately.

“Good try, but my client, won´t tell you a single word from now on, unless she´ll discusses it with me beforehand.”
The lawyer said with enthusiasm of someone who was deep inside cursing himself for this nonsense.

“What? But she...”

The girl tried to protest, but Michael silenced her with tired smile.

“She is the reason your boyfriend didn´t showed up. Unfortunately, she didn´t get what she wanted from him so now she is trying to locate his sister. Am I right?”

The last question was simply rhetorical, however there was something he wanted to ask for real.

“However I have to say you are too good actress to be Marine in disguise, so what are you? Some rival? Past lover?”

Although his voice sounded distanced and uninterested these were honest questions that made him think.

[Kami-Gaz]

Mei-Lee remained kneeled near the young woman, doing her best to remain in this false sense of panic to sell her part. It was working, everything was going her way. The mark had begun to take the bait and was about to be hooked on Mei-Lee’s story, it was almost too easy for the agent. That was when the suited man interjected with his opinion. He was good, too good.

Who was this man that was sat consoling the mark? He could see through her story and was pointing out the issues in it as if he was a professional in it. As if he was a lawyer or something… there’s no other agents in this kingdom. Her eyes watched the girlfriend get confused and question everything, she didn’t know what to believe. ‘If I can just get rid of this bozo I’ve got this mission solved issue free.’ She thought, her concerned face shifting slightly as she ground her teeth in annoyance.

“I’m an official sent to sort the situation out, Elliot is in a warehouse for his own safety.” Mei-Lee spoke as she stood up right and changed her entire demeanour on the fly to a more official and commanding one. Standing tall and letting her well maintained physique help sell the story. On a shift of her heels she held a hand out to the suited man looked him up and down.

“I’m Mei-Lee, Relations agent. I’ve been trying to track down the Chattering Skull Pirates to get their side of the story.” This wasn’t untrue, she had been sent to see what they know. She was just not letting on what the rest of her mission was. “I am being obtuse with my approach because I do not know who is watching, this is a very serious matter and I am trying to keep this from attracting unnecessary attention.”

The agent shifted and pulled a chair over from a vacant table and sat down with the back of it towards the table and being used as an arm rest. She was straddling it and in prime position to jump back and react to any attacks. “Sir, I have a deep operation budget, would I be able to hire your defined serves as a lie detector?” She asked whilst pulling out a wallet from her pink hoodie pocket and flashing a considerable amount of Beri. She was going to get this girl to disclose Elaine’s location but that was going to be impossible with the lawyer standing between the two.

[Mr. Moon]

Michael #3

As if she was completely different person, the up until now kneeling Mei-Lee got up on her legs and straightening her back. She put quit the effort to show herself as figure of authority. But it had very little impact on Michael. Be it king or beggar, young or old, male of female, once they lied him like this, once they tried to deceive him like this, they became his prey as soon as the rain started.

Well, luckily for the agent the rain was still very far away, so the lawyer could enjoy this spectacle a bit while it lasted.

“So Elliot is safe, thanks goodness.”

His client whispered in tears as Mei-Lee continued with her story. Listening to it, it sounded very plausible, but if dealing with other lawyers, criminals and similar sort of people taught Michael something it was, never trust anything you didn´t saw with your own eyes.

“I am sorry, but as far as this case goes, I already agreed to work here for miss...”

He looked on the young lady with silent question in his eyes, only to receive silence in return.

“Miss...”
He pressed on her with a hint of frustration in his voice.

“What...ah yes, Martina. My name is Martina.”

The lawyer nodded in agreement.

“miss Martina. And as you surely understand, I can not represent two sides during one case.”
He didn´t even looked on the money as if he wasn´t interested in them at all. Which, given the fact, that he previously declined payment from that girl could be very possibly true.

“Now if you don´t mind, my client would like to see her boyfriend. They were separated so abruptly that it caused here serious psychological trauma and the least you can do to correct it is to let them see each other. Am I right?”

No, that definitely wasn´t question.

“Really? Can I really see him?”
Martina asked the agent with puppy like eyes. Honest thing would be to say her no. That her boyfriend was probably already dead, but...Michael didn´t know why he should repeat himself and so waited for Mei-Lee´s reaction.

[Kami-Gaz]

Mei-Lee examined this man and his responses, he was frustrating, and good at his job. Of course, it would happen that the targets girlfriend would find such a competent man to help her, just as she was being hunted by a government agent. She didn’t even know that her relationship to the dead man was enough to get her put on a kill list. It took a moment but Mei-Lee considered all the options and let out a long sigh.

“Martina was it? Sure, I can take you but I cannot bring you along as long as your friend here is with us. Top Secret information and mission security being a risk.” She said waving a hand around to make it seem as if this was all stuff that would be getting in the way. “Honestly, I probably shouldn’t even be taking you to see him. You should be put in a safe house of your own.” The agent explained to the woman, ignoring Michael for the time being.

Once the proposal had been stated the woman leaned into a comfortable posture, fingers pointed at Michael in case she needed to use her fruit to silence him. Her posture was now more relaxed and open, still tall and commanding but in a laid-back sense that invited people to feel safe in its presence.

“I mean if that is all okay with your lawyer friend here? If not, I’ll let him see you into protective custody while I go and fine Elaine and make sure she is safe.” She carried on, twisting her goal but not totally lying. Mei-Lee had gotten the sense that the dark haired stranger had stopped trusting her after the first lie failed, which is fair but now he was being extra careful around the agent and it was making an easy job just frustrating.

[Mr. Moon]

Michael #4

Sitting silently on his chair, Michael was watching as Martina silently nodded in agreement, when the agent asked her about her name. Second later, her face covered with tears brightened, when Mei-Lee agreed to take her to her probably already dead boyfriend under one condition, she will go alone.

“Really?”
Martina asked as a puppy that was offered a tasty treat.

“Can I really see him?”
The lawyer sighed for himself. How stupid could one person really be? Didn´t he say her directly just a few minutes ago, that her boyfriend is probably dead and she will be tortured and killed herself by this very woman whom she trusted more than the very lawyer who she wanted to hire under a gunpoint. It was frustrating, but not enough for him to abandon her completely, at least not until it starts to rain. And so he got up on his feet, taking his cane as if he was getting ready for a walk and shook his head in disagreement.

“I am sorry, miss Mei-Lee, but you will have to take both of us with you. It´s my duty as her lawyer to make sure you will treat both my client and her boyfriend justly and according to the law. Of course, you can try to put her into protective custody, but than…”

Michael smiled, letting a tiny glimpse of his predatory nature to reflect in that smile.

“I would be forced to object your action very loudly. And what do you think will happen if I´ll start yelling that you are kidnapping my client?”
He was talking silently so none else could hear them, but with enough determination to make sure she´ll understand how serious his words were.

“You are agent, but without uniform and I have few friends among local guardsmen. Enough to have you arrest until your identity will be proven. And who know, perhaps they´ll try to investigate your activities on this island in meantime.”
His smile became wider.

“I can only imagine that level of humiliation you would receive from your colleagues if they ever learned that your cover and mission blew up because of some second rate lawyer.”

His voice silent, his eyes fixed on her as if he was challenging her to do something stupid.

[Kami-Gaz]

The agent stood listening to the man, doing her best to hide the frown. He was infuriating, picking up on the small things and running with them as if they were the golden stickers his parents gave him when he spelled a word right as a child. He has to go, Martina was just a bonus point on the mission card, consequential in terms of information. She likely didn’t know squat about what was really going on and had nothing on Elaine. Killing her was a just in case, the world navy didn’t care about single civilians along as they still looked good in the end.

“Alright Mister. Either you come with us and follow my specific orders to make this work. Or neither of you come with me at all and you sort Miss Martina’s protection out. It is no issues to me as long as she is protected.” She said, stretching out and taking a step back to watch what was going on, seeing how Martina was responding to her. This all depended on the Lawyer, he either followed up on his predators smile and engaged the game properly… or he folded his hand and walked away.

Her own predatory smile emerged as she locked her eyes with Michael’s. She was goading him, she had plans in mind, abilities that no normal person could take into account and training as an assassin of the world government. What did he have? A potential devil fruit, a keen eye for details and maybe some self-defence course at best? This was an easy win for her if he really played this gamble. “And if you do come it’s my orders or I call it all off and Move Elliot to a new safe house, outside of the city. You may have made a contract to work on Martina’s behalf, but there is nothing written or signed on Elliot’s.”

The agent dropped her smile as she looked at Martina’s pleading eyes, she had obviously bought into all of this… and had not actually signed any legally binding contract.

[Mr. Moon]

Michael #5

The lawyer was watching Mei-Lee as she was weaving her webs of lies and half-truths around them like if it was her second nature. And probably it was, just as hunting and killing her kind was for him. For a second he was thinking about actually following her, only to put her down in some side alley, before she can lead them into ambush or whatever the pesky little agent prepared for them. But then, there was no rain outside and if he wanted to live among normal humans he had to be thorough in enforcing his own rules. And so, he had to play his hand differently.

“Very well, it was fun until it lasted, but honestly, I don´t care in whatever custody you will put Elliot´s dead body. The only thing I care about here is safety of my client, so she won´t go anywhere with you.”

Martina blinked in surprise as he was slowly getting up on her feet.

“W...what, but...”

The lawyer rolled his eyes in annoyance. Honestly, how could anyone be so stupid or naive.

“Silence.”

His tone, cold like a naked blade put her back in her chair.

“But...but...she told me he is alright! And I...I want to go with her!”

Choosing beautiful fantasy instead of harsh reality, that was something Michael never understood and as she looked in his eyes he understood, that no matter his next words, she will never understands until she´ll experience the cruelty of the world herself. And so he pulled back, shrugging his shoulders as someone who didn´t care anymore.

“Well in that way, be my guest. As your former employee I am in no position to stop you.”

Putting much emphasis on the word “former” Michael found his old chair and sat back on it, while Martina got up on her feet and uncertainly walked towards Mei-Lee.

“Will...will you really take me to Elliot?”
She asked with pleading eyes.

[Kami-Gaz]

The agent watched the interaction between the pesky lawyer and the mark, he was relenting! Mei-Lee had won this battle of the mind and had forced him to stand down. His nature to push his way through the half truths and lies was something the agency could use, he would be a real asset to her group.

“I’ll take you to Elliot straight away.” She said turning on the spot and taking a step forward with Gusto as she moved away from the café. “Martina, if you have any information regarding Elaine, please tell me as we walk. She must be kept safe at all costs the World Navy is out to get her as well as Elliot after all.” She said, not caring to be in the earshot of the now defunct lawyer.

The pair walked away and through the streets into the crowd of people that were now finishing their lunch breaks and heading either to work or to the beaches to enjoy the sun that this specific part of the empire had. Leaving Michael alone in the café to finally enjoy his alone time.

The clouds had begun to move in on the island from the west, chasing the sun as it arched through the sky. These were some thick and heavy clouds ready to burst and douse the island below in a heavy rain. Maybe an hour or two before they were properly overhead and covering the steampunk paradise in a heavy rainstorm. That was plenty of time to get Mei-Lee and Martina to the warehouse.

---

The clouds had just started to blot out the sun as a hooded figure approached Michael, hear a mess of neon colours and poking out from the darkness that the hood was providing. She stopped mere inches from the man and placed her hand to her side, resting it on the handle of a weapon that was hidden under a cloak.

“I was told Martina was with a Lawyer, a man in a suit. Where is she?” The woman asked as a gust of wind blew through the street, knocking her hood down to reveal a face covered in a skull tattoo. This skull tattoo being the obvious calling card of the Chattering Skull pirates and this woman being Elaine.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Elaine}

[Mr. Moon]

Michael #6

Michael was silently watching Martina leaving, knowing that next time he will see her, she will be body left in an abandoned warehouse or local sewer. Her problem, not his. Slowly finishing his coffee, the lawyer was watching clouds slowly coming from the east. They were dark and heavy. Not enough to bring thunderstorm, but sufficient for a nice rain. That was good, he never hunted trained agent in his life, so it would be shame if he was forced to pass such great opportunity because of his own rules.

After finishing his first coffee, Michael ordered next one, together with a piece of cake. He had time. Eve went shopping together with Christina and he wasn´t exactly compelled to help Magnus with his fatherly duties.

“I will pay!”

The lawyer called for a waitress as the first few drops hit the pavement in front of the cafe. He left there the right amount together with generous tip for her. She was pretty girl. Maybe little bit too slim for his tastes, but with beautiful smile and didn´t objected against the shameful episode with Martina and Agent.

The rain was getting stronger and with it Michael´s mood improved. His back straightened and his face took on ferocious expression of hunter who caught a smell of his prey. The heavens however was standing against him that day, because right after he left the place another troublesome woman appeared asking for a Martina.

Hood and hair with neon colors together with skull tattoo over her face. Definitely not his type and compared to the agent not even worth his time.

“Yeah, she is probably dead.”
Said Michael, quickly raising his cane to block her arm with weapon.

“She walked away with a Cipher Pol agent so if you want to find her, look around abandoned warehouses or walk through sewers I don´t care. Now if you excuse me, I´ll have important meeting to attend.”

[Kami-Gaz]

“Dead? Shame.” Elaine hissed as the rain slowly started to sprinkle the streets, the warm smell of fresh rain hitting hot stone was melding in with the scents of the cafés and restaurants. The neon haired woman grasped the cane that was used to repel her hand and narrowed her vibrant eyes on the man in front of her. “You expect me to believe that rubbish?” She asked, he low yet soft voice cutting through the chatter of people running away from the rain and to places to keep dry.

The drops started to get heavier. “Friend, for not protecting her you have made a great enemy.” The hood of the cloak went up and the neon skull faced woman shifted to start walking away, pushing the cane away. “You failed to protect a lady in need. If she is dead then I’ll make you pay for it as well as her and my brothers’ killer.” With that she walked off into the ever more torrential downpour that was washing over the island.

---

“Quickly!” Mei-Lee called as she ran through the last few empty streets between the warehouses leading Martina to her eventual doom. As she got to the door she pressed into it and forced it open, allowing the wishful woman that was following her into her boyfriends tomb.

“It’s so dark in here!” Martina called as she walked in, shaking water out of her own hair and patting down her cloths to at least stop them from soaking more water in. “Elliot?!” She called out as the door was shut behind the pair with a heavy clang. “Elliot?!” She called again to get nothing but the echoes of her own shout returning muffled by the sounds of ever heavier rain pounding on the metal sheet roof of the abandoned warehouse.

‘Wow she really is an idiot…’ Mei-Lee thought as she stood up tall and pulled down on a heavy lever. With a heavy clunking noise the lights turned on to reveal the dead Elliot, sat in a pool of his own blood with a now dried bead of blood coming down from his head. This was quickly masked by the blood curdling scream of Martina.

“ELLIOT! NOOOO!” She screamed, running over to fall on her knees. Tears pouring out of her face as she shook his body hoping to get some signs of life from him. “Elliot! Please wake up! Please!”

The agent slowly walked up behind the woman and sighed. “Where’s Elaine?” She asked coldly as she pressed her finger, already transformed into a pipe, to the back of the woman’s head.

“I DON’T KNOW!” She screamed out as she clung to the corpse. The sobbing quickly stopped with a pained gasp as a ball baring was shot into the back of her head, it was followed be three or four more, each impacting with a sickening thud.

“Well… back to square one on the Elaine search…” The agent coldly said as she turned around, putting her now back to normal hand back in her pocket as she started to walk for the door. This entire mission was a ball ache. The crew was all over the empire, and she was expected to do this solo? She might have to pull in a favour with Jack.

[Mr. Moon]

Michael #7

The lawyer tilted his head to the side as the neon haired woman was bragging about making him pay for Martina and Eliot´s fate as if he was somehow responsible for their foolishness and irresponsible decisions. More than that, after speaking her mind and threatening him, she really thought he will let her go freely? Preposterous! This was his time and she reeked with blood and treachery.

Without single word he patiently waited for the moment her grip on his cane relaxed before he struck. As her eyes turned away from him, his head descended through the water curtain that was separating them in vicious headbutt aimed at the root of her nose.

Not satisfied with anything but a lethal blow, the killer stepped backward with both hands on his cane twisting it so the hilt of his sword would be pointing towards him, far away from her reach, while it´s end would travel in a short arc against her head.

Michael was moving incredibly fast, seemingly unbothered by the wet and slippery pavement under his feet as this was actually his home turf, conditions under which he was hunting for most of his life. And although the heavy rain was limiting the visibility, each of his two strikes was aimed with surgical accuracy on the weak spots on her body. Yet his predatory instincts were warning him, that this probably won´t be enough. That the girl standing before him, whoever she may be is very dangerous person. That´s why he didn´t stop but. Instead as the end of his cane finished it´s arc he pushed it forward with one hand while at the same time pulling with the other one located on the hilt of his sword. Drawing the slim blade of his weapon in one smooth, seamless motion.

[Kami-Gaz]

As the headbutt came in Elaine fell backward to pull away making it a glancing blow at best. Well, this man had shown his true colours, he was attacking someone who was clearly not a danger to his life at the moment. In actual fact she was ignoring him as if he was inconsequential. She kept moving backwards and instead of falling to the floor she flipped aiming to catch the Lawyer with a quick double kick in an effort to not waste a single movement.

Se righted her self as the two swift blows from the cane came at her, the first was simply pushed to the side and the second dodge with a simple movement of her torso. As the movement finished, she unbuttoned her cloak, twisting to throw the heavy soaked material at her attacker to blind him. “Poor choice of actions little man.” She hissed.

A skeletal tattooed fist came from Michael’s left hand side as the cloak obscured his vision. In the moment it flew from Elaine to the target the thrower had used her Inhuman speed to dash to a perfect spot to make a very heavy attack with intent to kill. “Muerte Impacto.”

---

Mei-Lee had started her walk in the rain heading back to her safehouse and was making a good pace due to empty streets and the fact she was moving fast so she could get out of the rain quick. The corpses of the Pirate and his dumb lover were still in the abandoned warehouse and would probably remain there until some poor sod or stupid brats ventured in there. The fact she was making such a good time was just another bonus in the many internal games she played with herself to keep entertained.

The rain was really coming down now, it was a testament to the areas climate where it could go from a nice summer’s day to a massive storm in a short space of time. The fact the entire population virtually vanished in a few short moments was proof of it.

As her mad dash to dry warmth continued, she started to take a turn down the same street where she left the Lawyer, what would he do if he saw her? Thoughts of him losing his shit and getting angry or following up on his threats continued to play in her mind and then she saw it. The target was fighting him… Elaine was in her sights! This was perfect.

She stopped in the shadows and transformed her fingers into pipes and waited. There was going to be a chance to take both of them out… soon. She just had to wait for the correct opening.