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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 28, 2017 0:43:43 GMT -5
She didn't particularly like how she was being treated. The whole idea of being rich was unfamiliar, and the way this man was scurrying about was making her feel back. Every time the young woman stood up to help, the cleaning service shushed her back to the book in her hand and went about cleaning, his hands piled with objects. The girl obeyed, although rather guiltily - she grew up poor, always doing chores for herself. Of course, that was before her father died just a few months earlier and her mother got custody, the gold-digger she was. She married a man richer than anyone she had ever heard of - Oliver Danine - but never spent time with him. Definitely just for the cash.
"Juniper?"
Speak of the devil. The girl practically jumped out of her skin as she whipped around to face her mother, chest suddenly tight. Her mother was dripping glitter - the diamonds on her arms, her dress, her ears and even her shoes. "What silly nonsense are you reading now?" Her mother sighed, waltzing forwards in two-thousand-dollar heels and jerking the fantasy novel from the girl's hands. "A Spell for Chameleon? Oh, what a dreadfully dry title," Mrs. Danine complained, tossing the battered book onto the large couch Juniper was sitting on. The girl hid her fisting hands behind her back. "It's a brilliant book," she shot back quietly, sky-blue eyes glaring at the ground as her mother began fussing with her shiny curls of red hair. "And you must straighten these tangles! My, if your step-father were to see this-"
"He'd accept what she'd look like without feeling the need to force any unnatural substances onto her?" It was Mr. Danine himself this time, coming into the library. Byt he way he held a Barnes And Nobles bag, it wasn't to see his wife. Juniper smiled at Oliver - he was doing his best to be a father, and she appreciated everything he had done. Especially since he didn't know about her existence in the first place... Thanks, Mom. "I only meant that when the humidity sets in, the curls will be unmanageable," her mother said in a doll-like voice, eyes wide with faux innocence. Oliver just shook his head and handed the bag of books to his step daughter. He didn't seem upset that she was wearing one of her fathers old flannel button-down shirts - again. He knew she loved her father dearly, and would never take away anything that reminded her of him.
"Here, take the Maxima and go for an adventure," the man smiled and handed the girl a pair of keys on a ring - one to the house, one to a car. "Really?" Juniper asked, beaming up at him. He chuckled and patted her shoulder affectionately. "Of course, my dear! Try going to the arcade - every teen goes there, especially right before school starts again." The moment he finished speaking, the man felt the pale red-head hug him tightly. He chuckled and returned the embrace, patter her head affectionately as the man who was cleaning took the new books to her rooms. Her mother said nothing, her lips a thin, irritated line.
~~~
The arcade was, as promised, full of teenagers. It wasn't just an Arcade - it was clear where the wealthy kids went to hang out, with a five-star buffet and crystal glasses next to the bougie pops and juices in mini fridges in front of massive TV screens. Juniper was dressed more simply than many of these kids her age - sixteen years old, wearing an old flannel that fell to her knuckles and a pair of blue skinny jeans with Vans. Her sleek red curls were pulled back from her face, a pair of headphones over her ears as she relaxed in one of the overstuffed recliners.
She ignored the people, preferring the listen to My Chemical Romance as she flipped pages in her book quietly. Many of the other kids were in groups, partying with their friends - she was obviously new and obviously different. Red curls weren't common in these parts of the city! She seemed alright with her and her music, but a group of guys seemed to have other plans. They didn't seem aggressive - curious, perhaps. One of them hesitated before waving a little awkwardly. Looking up, Juniper pushed her headphones band around ehr neck and blinked at him with large, crystal blue eyes that made him fidget in his shoes. "Um, Dan," he introduced himself awkwardly, holding out a hand for her to shake. His friends snickered at his attempt, but Juniper seemed friendly enough. "Juniper," she responded softly, shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Dan fidgeted again - those eyes were going to get him good. "Uh, never seen you before. New?" He asked. Juniper told him that she moved in with her mother, although she didn't say why. "Oh, so you're the Danine's girl! Well, welcome to the unofficial official teen spot," he said with a grin, handing the girl a Coke. "These are my friends - only a few bite." Juniper smiled in amusement at that, turning towards the others and giving a shy wave. "Hi... I'm Juniper. The new girl."
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 28, 2017 8:25:43 GMT -5
{ Ah I'm going to type up a response, but it may be a little bit unconventional? I hope it's ok, feel free to let me know if you want the rp to go in a different direction, though, I'll be happy to change it (: Just trying something out }
Elias had been in this line of work for nearly a year now. He was still naive, but not enough to believe that anything good could come out of fraternizing with the target's daughter. He was still a teenager, after all, eighteen coming on nineteen, and he was self-aware enough to know that, when given the chance, his mind always unwittingly handed the reins over to his hormones. To those pesky feelings.
He'd been in this town for three days and practically inserted himself into a random group of friends by sheer willpower and charm alone. He needed friends, after all, if only to help solidify his identity. And being at the arcade just about 24/7 wasn't bad, either -- he quite liked ski ball. It was at that very arcade when Elias first laid eyes on the girl. He didn't pay much mind to her, only snickering good-naturedly at Dan's attempt to make introductions. His interest, however, was piqued when Dan said (much too casually in Elias' opinion) "Oh, so you're the Danine's girl!"
No freaking way. He wasn't sure if he should be feeling lucky right now or shooting himself in the head. The girl said hi.
Her name was Juniper. He raised a hand in greeting, just barely managing to keep a frown off his face. Silver-dyed hair, kept too long in the front for his personal liking, fell in front of his left eye, and for once he made no move to brush it away.
As annoying as it was that he had to change his entire appearance after that last job, Elias was thankful for the shield. The eyes were windows to the soul, after all. And with someone like him, it was dangerous to let someone see that far in.
Oliver Danine was a nice man. He really was. But he was also a very rich man. And when you're a very rich man (or woman, the rules don't discriminate), there's always going to be someone after your hide. Someone after your money, your jewels, your wife. Elias didn't bother with the details. Honestly, he didn't even know who had sent him on this mission in the first place. All he knew was that he was getting a big fat pile of cash for...well, to put it nicely, for eliminating the Danines.
Seeing Juniper almost made Elias feel bad. She didn't seem like a stuck-up rich girl. In fact, she kind of reminded him of his sister, way back when, just minus the red hair. And the 'being alive' part. And hey, look at that. Her eyes are blue. Like mine right now. His eyes should be brown. They were brown when he was born. But wearing brown colored contacts would've been a terrible disguise.
The number one rule of this job was to not get attached to anyone or anything. Elias might be naive, but he wasn't that stupid. He had chosen this life, he was very much aware of his duty. He shouldn't even talk to her. Yet he sat forward anyway, brushing that stupid silver hair out of his face, and asked, "Where're you from? You don't seem like the rich-girl type."
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 28, 2017 9:20:24 GMT -5
You're kidding! This is an amazing idea! By all means, keep it up!)
Where was she from? Wonderful, that was exactly what she wanted to answer. All sarcasm intended of course. She pulled a book mark from the back of her novel and tucked it into the spine of the page she was reading, closing the hardback quietly in her hands. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs - a classic defensive movement. She didn't want to answer. "Well, I wasn't born into the Danine family. I used to be a Smith, with my father, but my mother changed my name to Danine when I moved in with her and my step-father a few months ago. I moved from Canada, actually."
"Canada? Explains the paleness," Piped up another boy, his green eyes roving over the girl. "Jason, rude!" Dan said although he couldn't help but agree. She was very pale, almost like a porcelain doll. A splattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose didn't help, either. the tiny flecks of color made her seem even paler, her eyes even bluer. "No, he's right," Juniper said, and amused smile crossing her face as she looked down at her hands shyly again. "Pale and dying in this heat. I'm glad Oliver can afford air conditioning - my father couldn't." She didn't mean to let that last part slip out, but she did an okay job ignoring the slip-up.
"Well, you wanna stick with us, 'Nip? Looks like you could use some friends before school starts again." It was Jason again, arms crossed over his chest in a way that made him look defensive, but it was really just comfortable to him. Juniper smiled at him, brushing a stray curl from her face and tucking it behind her ear - unlike many of the girls here, her nails didn't shine with manicures or nail polish. She didn't have on any jewelry except an old, thick leather cord around her neck with what seemed to be a plain silver ring as a charm, obviously a mans. "C'mon, I'll show you where the best stuff is. How do you feel about shooting zombies?" Dan asked, a grin stretching over his features.
"Only if the graphics are good," Juniper replied, standing up and tucking her book under her arm. The group of friends chuckled, and Jason lightly cuffed Elias's shoulder as Dan slung his arm over Junipers shoulders, being surrounded by the rest of the group. "She's cute," he mentioned, although anyone with eyes could see it. "You 'atta try with her. New guy and new girl, I can see it already."
He grinned at Elias before telling the group he was gonna get snacks, walking past the gourmet buffet and placing an order of several different things, the best of the menu. Juniper didn't seem to notice, carefully timing her steps so that she lagged just slightly behind the group. Slowly, she managed to find her comfort zone - and no one pulled her forwards again, although they still interacted with her. She seemed to like her personal bubble, Elias now being the closest to her. When they all took a seat at a wrap-around booth, stacked with plates and food, she slid in at the end after Elias and smiled softly at him in greeting.
She blended in almost flawlessly, despite being the only girl of the group. She wasn't shy of eating, like a lot of girls - she was obviously very fit and strong, making it clear that she did more than a half-mile jog in the mornings. She needed all the calories she could get. Not only that, but her sense of humor went right along with the guys - stupid one liners, many horrible puns, and several knock-knock jokes later, most of the guys had figured out she was raised by a single father.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 28, 2017 10:09:12 GMT -5
{ Ah, yay ^-^ I'm glad you like it }
In this town, Elias went by the name Leo Crawford. He'd had a fake ID made and everything. There were certainly mercenaries who had long since stopped worrying over fake identities, had stopped changing their appearances with every job gone wrong (sometimes because they were just that good, most of the time because they'd stopped caring about their lifespans). Elias was young and naive, but not so much that he was willing to put his neck on the block like that.
He'd read up on the Danines before coming here, had researched them and pulled all the information he could off the Internet. For the most part, he'd actually ignored Juniper Smith/Danine, figuring that a teenage girl wasn't worth his time. Teenage girls, after all, were known to just sit around and gossip and talk about clothes and boys. They didn't pose a threat. And Mrs. Danine was even less of a threat. A gold-digger, at best. And Oliver Danine hadn't had any special training as far as Elias could find, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that the man had taken some sort of self-defense class or other -- a lot of wealthy people did that.
Jason's comment had Elias rolling his eyes, but he said nothing. If he were actually Leo Crawford, then he just might hit on her. But for the sake of the mission, he couldn't.
Or could he? I mean it's not like she lives with Oliver or anything.
Maybe Elias Lindholm could benefit from a girlfriend as much as Leo could.
Juniper was sitting right next to him. He took her smile as an invitation to speak. "I'm Leo, by the way. Forgot to introduce myself earlier." Maybe I should start thinking of myself as Leo. Can't afford slipping up, not with the Danine girl.
So El--Leo. Leo. So Leo found that, surprisingly, Juniper was able to fit right in. Her banter was right up there with the best of them and he found himself laughing more than once at something she had said. Different. She was different. Becoming less like Marja by the second. Good thing, too. He'd never really liked his sister anyway.
"Man, you've been here for what? Half an hour? And you're already fitting in better than I am." Ever consider going into the espionage business? "What's your secret?"
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 28, 2017 11:57:36 GMT -5
"Okay okay - how do you kill a vegetarian vampire?"
"Uh," Dan and Jason looked around at the table - everyone was already grinning from the dad-jokes Juniper was cracking, impatient to hear the answer. "Okay, just tell us!"
"With a steak to the heart!" Juniper laughed at her own joke like any man would, turning away from the group slightly and covered her smile with the back of one of her hands. The group exploded into stupid laughter as the girl popped a fry into her mouth, grinning at the group as she folded one leg over the other underneath the table. When Eli- Leo introduced himself, Juniper smiled at him again and offered a casual shoulder cuff. Definitely raised by a single dad. "The secret is hating my own gender," she made a face at the other boy, all trace of shyness gone, "and being raised by a single dad in a one-bedroom apartment."
"Whoa, wait, one bedroom?" One of the others asked, sitting forwards in his seat. "You said your mom married Mr. Danine years ago. Didn't she send funds to help raise you?" Juniper was already shaking her head, giving a shrug. "Nah, 'course not. Oliver never wanted kids, so she pretended she didn't have any for years. It was only when my dad die- um, couldn't take care of me any more a few months ago that she admitted it. I'm lucky that he was willing to let me live with them, or else I'd be in foster care right now."
The group glanced back and forth at each other a little guiltily. They were all raised by rich, caring parents and got whatever they wanted - the fact that this girl was raised most likely in poverty her entire life made them remember that not everyone had what they did. "Well, you're with the group now!" Dan said, leaning backward with a goofy smile. All tension melted. "You ain't gon' want for anything as long as you stick with us."
"I don't want anything else, but if you feel inspired..." she jokingly flipped her book upside down, showing the list of the next ten books in the series. "I need all of 'em."
The guys laughed and rolled their eyes. "Oh god, we have a nerd!" Jason laughed. "Please tell me you play Dungeons and Dragons too. Come on. Say it." The moment the tabletop RPG game was mentioned, Juniper shut her mouth and leaned back, blushing brightly. "Well... yeah. Anyone up for a campaign?" She asked weakly, and the table exploded. "Oh my god, yes! So many jokes on you now, bro," Dan laughed, punching her shoulder by reaching behind Leo.
"Shut up!" Juniper laughed, pushing the fist away and rolling her eyes playfully.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 28, 2017 16:20:40 GMT -5
One bedroom apartment? Even Elias had grown up in a larger space than that. Not that it counted for much considering how he remembered his childhood going, but at least he'd had a space to retreat into. Stupid Marja had to exist, though.
But Leo had been born and raised in a place of wealth. Leo was from New York, where he lived in a large, multi-floor penthouse and now he lived in a house that was even bigger. 'House,' by the loosest of descriptions. And Leo hadn't already known about the tragic death of Mr. Smith which placed his daughter into the (rather incapable) hands of his ex-wife and a man who's name had appeared one day on a gold card.
"What!?" Leo snatched Juniper's book from her hands, examining the front and back covers. "You read for fun?" So did I. "Come on, Juju, is Canada that boring?" He pouted in an expression of false pity, "Don't worry, now that you have us, you won't have to entertain yourself with the fantastical adventures of others anymore." Sweet smile. "You can have your own." Aw, Elias...not everyone is as desperate as you to escape your own skin. But the thought didn't deter Leo. What did turn him away and make him drop the book back on the table was the sudden realization of what he had just said (and he'd smiled saying it!).
In an attempt to negate what he'd done, Leo reached for the open pizza box at the center of the table. "Hey, anyone gonna take the last slice of that pizza?" Redundant, considering the slice was already on its way to his mouth. "No? Thanks, guys, you've really been spoiling me rotten these past three days."
Three days down, only eleven to go. If that gold card wasn't returned and scanned by the end of two weeks, Elias wouldn't get a dime for this job and that would be truly unfortunate, considering how much this dye-job had cost him.
Ok the dye had cost maybe $50 dollars and he had more than enough in his bank account to cover that without feeling an impact on his lifestyle nowadays, but that wasn't the point. He wanted his 20k. The payment would cover his living expenses while on the mission in this foreign town and then at least a couple months rent back at his own place.
Man...if these guys saw the dump that Leo was currently occupying. Both here and in his home-city. He could almost see the disbelief, the instinctive disgust, in their faces.
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 29, 2017 8:34:39 GMT -5
Juniper rolled her eyes again, eyelashes casting shadows over defined cheekbones, and cuffed Leo's shoulder again. "I happen to enjoy my fantasy novels, young man," she said in her sternest voice - which, to be honest, wasn't that stern. She drew herself up and placed her hands on the table in a sophisticated manner - mockingly. She was obviously mocking one of the girls from a few tables over, with her hair obviously dyed black and her heels matching the tiny skirt.
"It's not my fault that you aren't an intellectual like myself," Juniper said in faux haughtiness, pretending to flip her hair. She let the act melt, smiling as she grabbed her book back, looking at the back cover. "I want to be a writer," she confessed, turned the book so that the cover was face-up again. "And my dad used to say that the best way to find your favorite genre was to read anything and everything you could get your hands on." As she spoke, Dan slid a plate with a few mozarella sticks - still warm - over to her with a little jar of marinara. Without thinking, Juniper put two of the four snacks onto Leo's plate - it was first nature to share, specially when she grew up with almost nothing.
"Um, yes, hello, who is she?"
Juniper was greeted by the same girl she had been mocking, too-dark black hair falling in perfectly straight sheets. "Oh, you must be new," she said with a little scorn, glancing from the corner of her eyes at the other two girls at either side. One rolled her eyes on cue - the other was busy on her cell phone. "My name's Cassandra - Cassandra Mullins. You may recognize the name from Mullins electronics," she said with selfish pride, smirking slightly as she offered her hand to shake, her nails sparkling with her glitter manicure. "Juniper - Juniper Danine," She introduced herself with a cautious smile, shaking the girls hands. Cassandra's eyes widdened a fraction. "Oh, Danine?" She said hesisantly with a little bitterness in her voice. She was clearly used to be the 'Queen Bee' of the money game around here - not anymore.
"Well, welcome to the Hangout," Cassandra said, wiping her hand on her skirt. Juniper did the same with her jeans, although under the table. "Thanks?..." Juniper half-asked in a confused tone as Cassandra sashayed away, hand on her hip suggestively. Juniper shook her head. "I don't like her," she muttered.
Dan and Jason snickered. "Yeah, none of us do. She's a spoiled brat who thinks Daddy and Mommy can pay all her bills for her, forever."
Juniper rolled her eyes, then felt a buzzing in her pocket. Cell phone. She was still getting used to having one, never having enough money before to have even a prepaid flip phone. As her new friends continued to banter with one another, Juniper excused herself quietly and stood up, pulling the smart phone from her pocket and answering it a few feet away. "Hello? Oh... Hi mom... No, I made a few friends.... Okay, yeah, I'll come home soon... Mhmm, bye."
She ended the call and rolled her eyes. She hadn't even spent an hour at a time with her mother before these months - not the older woman was dragging ehr around, trying to get her to wear fancier clothes, use fancy makeup. Juniper was perfectly happy with her dollar-store mascara. "Hey guy," she said, rollng ehr knuckles on the table in a very masculine fashion, "I gotta go home. Here," she grabbed Leo's hand and scribbled her number on the back of it with a pen. "Text me, guys. See you around!"
And with that, she gave a smile and a wave, then flounced off.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 29, 2017 9:24:28 GMT -5
Leo couldn't help himself. He couldn't help smiling. The pizza slice, half gone now, fell with his hand to his plate, his eyes watching Juniper as she (seemingly unconsciously) placed half the share of mozzarella sticks next to the half-eaten pizza. Still not used to having enough for everyone? Elias had already grown out of that state of mind. Sure, he lived in a grimy, less than desirable apartment, but he had money to spare, now. He had money to splurge on pizza that he couldn't finish on his own, on bags upon bags of family sized chips that were too often left open and scattered across his apartment floor, even on drinks in that sketchy, underground bar he frequents, Sister Margaret's. He'd gotten used to having enough. Juniper was still a Smith on the inside.
"A writer, huh?" He liked the sound of that. Granted, most writers ended up being stoners, but Juniper seemed...pure. He hoped she never stopped being this way. "That's...cool. Really."
Cassandra Mullins was the type of girl Elias had expected Juniper to be. He had expected this stuck up rich girl with no concept of the value of money, someone who flaunted their status in posture and in dress. Oh how he hated this girl. If ever he saw her daddy's name on a gold card, he might just take her out, too. Call it collateral. Juniper handled the girl's rude introduction politely, calmly, and Leo wondered how she did it. His skin crawled watching the Mullins heiress saunter off, looking for all the world like one of those waitresses who carted drinks at Sister Margaret's. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
When Juniper grabbed his hand, Leo's first instinct was to yank it away. Ok maybe his first instinct was to marvel at the contact and latch onto it, but pulling away was a close second. He ended up doing neither, just stared dumbly at the number on his hand. It wasn't until after Juniper had gone that he frowned and looked up, holding up his hand to show the others what was scribbled onto it. "Uh...guys? What just happened?"
Leo was blushing. Leo's heart was racing. Leo wanted to call the number as soon as possible.
Elias, on the other hand, was scared out of his mind.
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 29, 2017 12:15:54 GMT -5
"Well," Dan said in an I'm-spreaking-to-an-idiot voice, "My best guess is that she, Juniper Danine, just landed you her number." Jason chortled and high-fived Dan as the group laughed, slapping hands and trading shoulder punches. Jason grabbed Leo's hand and stole the number into his phone, shooting a text and labeling it as Juneberry. It seemed they had already adopted her into the group with the nickname. Dan stole the number from Jason's phone, labeling her as JuneBug. "You should text her, get her address. She seems to be the kinda chick who likes little things like surprise visits."
"Use this as an excuse to go over?" Jason suggested, pushing A Spell For Chameleon over to Leo. "Looks like she already left. Might as well return the book A-S-A-P."
Meanwhile, Juniper was already on her way home. She noticed that she left her book, but she figured she would ask one of the guys to keep it until she managed to join back in the group and claim it back. Still, her phone was buzzing - and not from Dan and Jason anymore. Her mother was hollering for her, and she didn't dare answer while driving. Shaking her head, the sixteen-year-old flicked her blinker and pulled off the highway.
The driveway took a solid five minutes to drive along, a curving stretch of paved road that was leveled perfectly, no hills. Reaching the garage, the girl pressed a button that was clipped to the sun-shield above the steering wheel and watched as the doors slid open to reveal the two maid cars, a Corvette, a Toyota truck, and one empty spot for the Maxima. Carefully pulling into the spot, the girl closed her eyes and sighed as she shut off the car. Her phone buzzed again - the sixth call from her mother. "I'm coming I'm coming," she sighed to no one in particular as she denied the call for the sixth time and opened her door.
Fifteen minutes later, Juniper was inside the huge mansion-like house, avoiding her mother and helping the cleaning service pick up around the fourth floor. The man and she seemed to get along fine, cracking jokes as they talked about each other. He was from Germany, trying to make some money for his family. Mr. Danine had heard of their plight and hired him immediately, giving him free room and board as well as sending his $85,000 salary straight to his wife and twin boys at home. He sympathized with the loss of her father - he had also lost his father at the same age - and Juniper seemed to bond very quickly with him after that.
"Juniper Cierra!"
Of course, Juniper mother wouldn't have her daughter spending so much time with the staff. Mariana (Or "Marinara", as her daughter bitterly called her) saw the staff as below the household and demanded that Juniper stayed away from them. Her daughter argued for a while, but then just threw her hands up and stormed into her room - which was really just the entire fifth floor, with a lock on the staircase door. She stormed into the game room that was given to her and angrily turned on Netflix, putting on The Walking Dead and grabbing a book from her over-stuffed shelves. It was like a tiny library.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 29, 2017 13:14:08 GMT -5
This is the luckiest day of my life, thought Leo. And in the back of his mind (for somehow the gold card had been crowded into the backseat sometime between Juniper's arrival and now), Elias buzzed with a different kind of excitement. "Yeah. Yeah good idea."
He added Juniper's number to his phone as...well, as "Juniper Danine." It wasn't some cute nickname, but he thought it was great step up from "Danine Daughter." Tapping out a quick text, Leo picked up the book that Jason had pushed his way. Damn...this is like Christmas morning, how did I get so lucky? But he didn't dare give that too much thought. Life was a general trainwreck broken up by brief, commercial breaks of 'I-guess-this-isn't-so-bad' and Leo wasn't about to jinx the moment by calling it out.
Hey Juniper. It's me, Leo. You left your book back at the arcade, I can bring it to you if you'd like?
But what if she just tells him to hold onto it? No. No, he needs her to invite him over. It wasn't so much the address that mattered (he had that already, from reconnaissance) as much as the opportunity to actually step inside the house and map out the inside. He could certainly finish the job without that advantage, could certainly spend a few more days checking the place and its security out, but this would make his life so much easier.
Ok, and maybe he just wanted to see if she would touch him again because that was nice.
I don't have much to do for the rest of the day, it would be no trouble.
That was a lie. Elias had been planning on going around trying out all the ice cream places around town this afternoon, but he supposed that could wait. This...this was just too good. He would be an idiot not to take the bone he was tossed. Besides, he had taken up residence in some old abandoned warehouse not far from town for this mission and, crazy as it might seem, he was starting to miss his gross little apartment. Maybe he could coerce Juniper into letting him stay over at the mansion tonight. Not only would he be able to get some quality shut-eye, he might even be able to finish the job today! Over a week early! Might even be able to negotiate a bonus for that. Just bam!, bullet in Oliver's face, and then he would skip town and it would be as if Leo had never existed. Elias would be home, safe and sound, sharing a drink with the mercs who had been placing bets on his life. He knew of three people who had bet on him to die before his twenty-first birthday. Jokes on them, he was living to 102. His own bet didn't seem so reliable at the moment, as the guy's birthday was coming up in a few days time. Dang...really wanted that cash.
Oh... Ignoring the fact that his life was probably going down the dumps after such a stroke of good fortune, Leo couldn't help but indulge himself in the endorphin rush going through his system. How did I get so darn lucky?
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 29, 2017 14:51:01 GMT -5
Juniper didn't notice the buzzing of her phone at first. Well, that was a lie - she assumed it was her mother again, trying to make her come back downstairs to go shopping for a thousand-dollar pair of shoes or whatever. So, she ignored the dings for the moment, flipping a page of Daughters of Smoke and Bone before realizing that hey, that wasn't her mother's text tone.
Curious now, the teen placed the book down on the couch next to her and picked up her cell phone, noticing the unfamiliar number. Hey Juniper. It's me, Leo. You left your book back at the arcade, I can bring it to you if you'd like? Awe, how thoughtful. I don't have much to do for the rest of the day, it would be no trouble. Bless the guy's heart, what a sweety. With an uncharacteristic half-smile, Juniper quickly typed back a message.
My hero.
She sent that one before typing 184 Avalon Ave, almost sending the address before the half-smile melted into a blank expression. That was her dads' address... An image of a truck slamming into the nose of an old, cheap car flashed in her eyes - flames and blood followed. Juniper jumped with a shriek, her heart racing as her phone clattered to the floor. After a moment, Juniper took a deep breath and pushed away the flashback of the wreck that killed her father and left scars all over her shoulders and chest. Picking up her phone, Juniper erased the other message and put in:
9937 West Street - it's just my driveway, keep going. Don't both with the front door either, the Monster might answer. There's a weird old elevator around the back - take it to the fifth floor, that's where I'm staying. .
The girl sent the message before standing up and walking towards the bedroom she slept in, where the door to the elevator was locked and barred shut. She pushed the bar from the enforcement and unlocked the two deadbolts. The elevator was meant for the cleaning services to get up quickly and leave just as fast. Her mother and step-father trusted her not to sneak out - which was good judgment. The girl was a calm teenager, more interested in reading at home than going to party and drink. She liked keeping it locked - but since it was a new friend who was coming to drop off a book, she didn't mind undoing it. Still, as she laid on her bed, shivers kept going up her spine.
Her father had only been able to afford a cheap one-bedroom apartment, and it was in the worst neighborhood. That meant that she always locked doors and windows, slept with one eye open in case anyone tried to break in - the feeling of a door unlocked made heat go up through her arms and chest. She unbuttoned the flannel shirt her father liked to wear, shrugging it off and leaving her in a tank top that showed horrible, freshly-healed scars on her shoulders and upper chest. She could only stand it for about twenty minutes. Maybe a distraction?... The girl rolled off the bed and went over to her vanity, sitting down on a chair and undoing the band from her hair. She pulled it down, letting the flame-colored curls tumble around her shoulders. She braided it over her shoulder slowly, looking down at the book on her desk. She was so absorbed in her book that she didn't notice the door opening, tying off the pretty braid at the end.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 29, 2017 16:46:53 GMT -5
{ Aw that flashback ): Poor Juniper }
The Monster? The what now? Leo chose to ignore that little pseudonym for now. He could ask about it later.
Got it. On my way (:
The other guys had left the Arcade by now, had asked if he'd wanted someone to stick around and give him a ride or something, but he'd declined. Partially because he just didn't want to spend any more time with them (no offense...or maybe yes offense). When Juniper sent him the directions to her place, complete with instructions on how to get inside, Leo called for a cab.
He instructed the cab driver to drop him off at the end of the driveway. With how long the driveway was, he was certain that going up it would cost him an extra five dollars. At least. So the cab drove off and Leo began his trek up to the mansion. He'd been here a couple times already, but never in broad daylight. The greenery was nicer to look at in the light of day, he decided.
Usually, it took no more than 15 minutes to get up to the mansion, but usually he wasn't taking his time. Usually he didn't have the luxury of taking his time. This time, it took him a solid 30 minutes (if not a little more than that) to make it to the mansion and around to the back where he found the old elevator. He'd figured before that it was for servant use, but had decided it too risky to try and use it without being certain of his attack plan. Well, now he had a reason to be here. How wonderful.
Stepping into the elevator, Leo did what a little kid might do and pressed every button. 1 through 5. If he was here, he might as well take the opportunity to see inside the house, right?
The first floor was nothing special. He took a cautious step out into the hall, took a quick peek around to check for any security cameras, then darted back inside. Floor two was similarly uneventful. The elevator opened to the sound of footsteps on floor three and Leo was quick to close the doors again. Floor four went by, and then the elevator stopped at his destination.
Leo pushed open the elevator door, book in hand and ready. He saw the red hair first, it was hard to miss, and he saw that she was putting a braid in. Funny the first thought that came to mind was: I know how to braid hair, too. "Hey, I--" And then he saw her shoulders. The scars looked...well, they looked relatively new. From experience, Elias would guess that they'd been there for a few months at least. Mr. Smith died in a car accident. His daughter was a passenger. But Leo wasn't supposed to know that. Elias could only guess that there were more scars in the front, where the impact would have been the greatest.
"I brought your book." The words came quietly as Leo willed his feet to move, willed himself to approach the vanity Juniper sat in front of. "Nice place you got here." Nicer than anything he'd stayed in.
Ok, well...there was that one time he snuck into some rich douchebag's hotel penthouse and stole a nap on the guy's king sized waterbed while he waited for his target to come home, but that could hardly count as "staying." It was only a four hour nap. Ok, maybe he ended up staying the night, too, after the deed was done. In his defense, it would've been a waste of a perfectly good waterbed otherwise.
"So who's 'The Monster'?" The scars were still there, but Elias had seen worse and he didn't want to come off as the rude or nosy type. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure if he was supposed to (and if he was, how he was supposed to) address them in the first place. It wasn't like he could just treat her like another mercenary, like someone who's day job included the risk of serious injury and death.
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 29, 2017 17:11:28 GMT -5
Juniper jumped in surprise, hand flying to the drawer on her vanity. When she lived with her father, he taught her how to shoot the 22 he kept loaded at all times - in case someone broke in after all. Now, there was nothing inside the drawer - only a few bottles of mascara and a small bottle of painkillers for the days her scarring acted up. She forced her hand to drop, turning around to look at Leo. Ther scars were even worse over her chest - dark and white both, and it was obvious the stitches had only just been taken out. "Hey, sorry," she said automatically, getting to her feet and walking over to her bed.
She grabbed her fathers old flannel, shrugging it on over her tank top and folding it closed to hide her scars again. Those scars were the only things about her body that Juniper truly hated, and not because they were ugly. They were, but it still wasn't the reason. It should have been me. "Yeah, they aren't pretty," she said with a small smile, buttoning up her shirt with quick fingers. When she was finished, she took A Spell For Chameleon from his hands.with a kind "Thank you."
When he mentioned her place, she looked mildly embarrassed. "Thanks, but it's not mine. Well, it doesn't feel like mine." She stood with her back to the wall, her body language clearly uncomfortable - a vast difference from how she acted at the arcade. She was obviously not used to the grandiose rooms and the technology - the Apple laptop, PC, iPad, and iPod looked completely untouched. The only thing that hinted she used any of the technology was the cell phone on her bed and the headphones o the nightstand, the metallic blue shining under soft lamplight. Another strange thing - the girl kept her windows covered, the lights low. As if she were hiding from people.
For the first sixteen years of her life, she was hiding from people. It was a hard habit to erase.
"To be honest, I'd trade it all for a small apartment. It's safer." She said, sitting on the padded chair in front of the unused PC and spinning cheerfully. "But it's nice to have my own bathroom for once. And honestly," she grinned wide, "the monster is my mother."
"Juniper?" Mr. Danine popped his head into the room, blinking when he saw Leo. "Oh, sorry, but this just came in and I figured you'd want it as soon as possible, and then I also have this." He came in after Juniper motioned an invitation, and placed the small plastic jar of pain-relieving scar cream on the desk and a Barns and Nobles bag filled with books on the ground. "You love books as much as I do." Noticing the untouched electronics, he put his hand on her shoulder affectionately, smiling. "You should break into your gadgets. Maybe this young man can help you. I'm sorry, I don't think we've met - my name's Oliver Danine. Junipers step-father. I take it you're a friend she met at the arcade today?"
Unlike most teens, Juniper didn't seem to mind that her guardian asked questions and poked around a little. She rather liked Oliver - it was clear how she smiled at him admiringly. He was a great role model.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 29, 2017 17:37:27 GMT -5
Leo wanted to say that her scars weren't too bad, that once they healed they would be less noticeable, but he held his tongue. She probably didn't want to hear something her doctors had likely already addressed. He moved to sit on the edge of her bed and was about to respond when, lo and behold, Oliver Danine waltzed right into the room.
Oh my god it's like payday. Both figuratively and literally.
He watched the interaction between Oliver and Juniper. It...was strange. If he didn't know any better, he might even think that Oliver was her birth father. He's a good man. A nice man. But Leo couldn't let knowledge affect him. Someone out there wants him dead. Not my place to question that.
Leo raised a hand in greeting, offering Oliver a small smile. "Yeah, I am. Nice to meet you, Mr. Danine. I'm Leo." Out of the corner of his eye, Leo could see the way Juniper's face was all lit up, smiling at her step-father. Strange. It was all too obvious that she liked this man, admired him, even. For some reason, that observation made Leo's chest tighten.
"I can definitely help with the gadgets, yeah." Hopping off the bed, and moving closer to Juniper. "I mean, if you want me to. I wouldn't mind staying longer." Not like this town has any ice cream parlors rated 4.9 stars on Yelp or anything. "Though I'll warn you that I'm by no means an expert in any of this." He waved in the general direction of the pile of technology.
The first computer Elias ever came in contact with was a MacBook Pro. That was back when he was fifteen, when this man named Wade had pulled him off the streets and given him shelter and a purpose. One of the luckiest days of his life, actually. Who knew where he would be right now if it wasn't for Wade? Sometime later, Wade had given him an iPhone. With his first paycheck, Elias had bought himself his own Apple laptop and from then on, he'd become more or less independent from his mentor and benefactor.
He had a funny feeling in his stomach as he recalled that the way Juniper looked at Oliver was eerily similar to how Elias had felt about Wade. When was the last time I spoke to him?
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 29, 2017 22:37:21 GMT -5
Mr. Danine smiled down at his step daughter again, cupping her face in the palm of his hand affectionately. “Fantastic that you made friends. I told you you’d be a natural at it.” She looked mildly embarrassed, and he chuckled. “Well Leo, I’m going to assume that you’ll take care of June for the time being. She’s completely hopeless with electronics,” he stage whispered, and Juniper hid her face in her hands in embarrassment. “I like books,” she mumbled into her palms, although she was smiling when she looked up again. “Gadgets just make a lot of beeps that distract me.”
Mr. Danine chuckled, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his strong chest. “Well Leo, it was good to meet you. I expect you to treat her decent, you man.” He pulled out his wallet and rifled through several green bills, eventually dishing out a short stack of one hundred dollar bills onto the desk. He didn’t seem to notice the shock on his step-daughters expression, how she paled dramatically. What he just casually pulled from his wallet would have paid three months rent with her father. “This is for helping the cleaning service all the time - but Doctor Bianchi called. He said no more working out until the incisions on your spine finished healing. Spinal injuries are no laughing matter, young lady. No more dance class until he approves, and I locked the gym.”
Juniper muttered something under her breath, but her step-father just ignored it. For now. “I have that conference tonight, June. I’ll be leaving soon, and your mother is coming with me to pick you up some clothes. I don’t see a problem with what you have on, but - well, your mother is your mother and I suppose she has a finer eye than I. Have anyone you want over, but no drinking.”
Juniper gave him a droll expression, already dazed from his long rants. She admired her step-father, but he was a long talker. He chuckled and clapped her shoulder carefully again, making sure to avoid the worse of the scarring. “If you need to anywhere, I’m leaving the keys to the Maxima.” He nodded to Leo before finally leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. Juniper looked at a loss for words for a few moments, taken back by the sudden drop of information. “…Okay?” She finally said, then spun herself in the skinny chair again once before facing the computer, setting the unopened iPad and iPod to the side, unboxing the MacBook Air. She opened it, faced with the blank but fully charged screen.
“I’ve never even had a computer in my house. What am I supposed to do with this?” She sighed picking up the laptop gingerly, glancing hesitantly at the stack of green on her desk. She ignored it, turning towards her bed and laying gingerly on her stomach, brushing loose curls from her face as she turned the screen and keyboard towards Leo. “Help me Obe-Wan Leo-bi, you’re my only hope,” she said jokingly with a small smile, leaning her head on her hand casually. She was tense - the surgical wound on her back was killing her, but she wasn’t sure what to do about it. She already had her dose of painkillers for the night, so she chose to simply ignore the pain as best she could.
If Juniper sensed anything odd about Leo - as if he had two parts of himself battling for dominance - she said nothing. She carefully rolled onto her back, arms stretching above her head. Her flannel was pulled by gravity, showing just how scrawny she was - not just slender, but scrawny. Either she wasn't used to the proper food, she worked out too much, or both. Either way, she didn't look like she was at a healthy weight.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 30, 2017 8:31:48 GMT -5
Watching Oliver Danine just casually pull a stack of bills out of his wallet, Leo took a moment to wonder if it would be in bad taste to negotiate with a target. If Mr. Danine could compensate him for the money that he'd be losing for not completing the job, Elias would be happy to cut his losses and go home. He'd find another job in no time.
Leo barely heard the rest of the conversation, but Elias perked up at the mention of a conference. So Oliver wasn't going to be in the house tonight, and neither was Mrs. Danine. So much for wrapping up tonight. Even so, Leo found that he didn't feel...disappointed. The reason as to why that was was beyond him, but the still rational part of his mind seethed at the implications.
He laughed at the Star Wars reference and settled back onto the bed, beginning to go through the set-up process for the Mac. Juniper's form was tense beside him, he could almost feel it. Was it because of him? No, that wouldn't make sense. There was no way for her to know who he was. The scars, then? He knew the discomfort that came with healing wounds. And even after the scars healed, there were moments when the old injuries would act up, when they would itch or sting with some horrible, phantom pain. Leo did his best to ignore the sudden wave of sympathy that came over him. Feelings like that only made his work harder.
"Alright, now we just gotta wait for the software to finish updating and you'll be all good to go." Leo turned to look at Juniper, his eyes betraying nothing as he looked over her form. Looking at her, he would never have guessed that she was rich, or even middle class. She was too skinny, looked as though she never had enough to eat, and with the scars... Even Elias couldn't help the words that came bubbling up from his throat. "There isn't much you can do about the pain. Just make sure you're taking care of the injuries properly and they'll heal. Distraction helps, though. Like reading. Or watching TV." He paused, frowning slightly. "You should eat more, too. Healing requires energy and nutrients. The way you look now, it's almost as if your body doesn't have any more energy to spare."
Maybe that came out a little distant, and Leo was vaguely aware of that, but it wasn't every day that he had to (or felt the need to) give someone else...advice. Guidance? He didn't know what he was doing. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this. It was wrong. It was so wrong. And yet he was still sitting here, on the bed of his target's daughter, talking to her. Just talking, not even attempting to glean any information off of her. I need to leave. I can't let her distract me.
"I, uh...I can leave, if you want to get back to your books. Distraction, to help with the pain, yeah? I don't wanna...you know, intrude."
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 30, 2017 9:30:43 GMT -5
Juniper crossed her arms behind her head, her ankles crossing at the same time as she turned her head slightly to look up at Leo with her signature amused half-smile. Something always seemed to make her amused - easily happy, easily content. She was a simple person in a room and a life meant for those who needed to be lavished with stimuli. "Computers are confusing," was all she said about her software, looking up at the ceiling again. Above her bed was a blotch of artwork - paint, applied to the ceiling to look like the ever-popular "Galaxy' design. There were a large palette and several small bottles of paint the room, paintbrushes in a jar - so she was an artist too.
"Meh," she huffed at the comments about her scars, sitting up and wincing slightly. The smile came back after not long, turning around so she was facing the guy with her legs crisscrossed in front of her. "I'm trying to get used to being able to just walk over to the kitchen and get something. Even water - it blows my mind that people can just casually drop a twenty at the store and pick up enough food for the week. Or drop a stack of hundreds on a desk for vacuuming and dusting." She glanced over at the money on her desk again, shaking her head again in disbelief. "Either way, I'm glad I don't have to count pennies anymore."
The computer beeped at her, and Juniper glanced at the screen in confusion. "iTunes account?.... Uh, I'll deal with that later," she muttered half to herself, shutting the laptop carefully. She knew that she would probably never open it again, or at least not until she needed to google something. She didn't say anything about the scars - tactfully avoiding the topic. Whatever life she had left behind, she was used to changing subjects and avoiding certain things.
"Nah, I like having you around," Juniper said plainly, smiling at Leo with her strange sort of charm. She faintly heard the sound of the garage opening - her mother and step-father were about to leave. Honestly, she was still antsy about being home alone. A young girl, alone, in the worst part of the city in an apartment that could barely keep out the bitter chill that inhabited Canada? Being alone anywhere, anytime, was dangerous. The instinct of living in poverty was still strong. Her mother may have changed her last name to Danine, but she was still a Smith through and through.
"Tell me about yourself," Juniper requested, moving to lean forwards to relax into her usual posture - arms on her legs, lank and relaxed. The stitches on her back pulled, and she stopped and pulled back into a normal sitting position. Already, the braid she had pulled her hair into was beginning to unravel a bit - she tucked some loose curls behind her ear, ignoring the almost-mess for now. She didn't really care about her appearance that much, it was clear. "Where are you from? What's your family like?"
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 30, 2017 15:59:13 GMT -5
Leo knew he should press the idea that he had to leave, should make something up, like pretend his mother wanted him home right now, but no words left his lips. Instead, he seemed to settle more comfortably into his spot on the bed.
In his defense, it was a nice bed.
The garage, five floors below them, opened and then closed. His target had left the premises. There was no reason for him to be here any longer. But he was going to stay. Leaving would be suspicious, right? I did say I had nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon. Yeah, he was an idiot for that one.
"Tell me about yourself," Juniper said. Leo shrugged. He had a whole backstory ready to go, he could do this. Honestly, Juniper? I'm not that different from you. Or at least I wasn't. But he couldn't say that. Because Leo was from a rich family who lived in a big, big penthouse with everything they could possibly want in the world. Because Leo was privileged. The exact kind of privileged little scumbag Elias was often sent to kill. The exact kind of privileged teenage boy who couldn't possibly sympathize with the girl sitting in front of him. Except...he could.
Elias was breaking character.
"Me?" Leo pursed his lips, "Well...ok. I'm from New York. The city." Not a lie. Elias lived in New York right now, just...hidden. "My parents...my dad runs an insurance company and my mom works in the entertainment business." Elias' dad was dead and his mother was either dead or really close to death (most likely). "I...have a sister. She's older, in college, I don't talk to her much anymore." Marja had been his twin. They'd never gotten along, but he'd still cried when she died. Was killed. "That's about it, really...Well, my parents aren't home a lot so my...my tutor, Wade, is almost like family to me."
He nodded, eyes wandering over the duvet. He hadn't meant to talk about a sister and he had most certainly not planned on mentioning Wade. But seeing Juniper with Oliver had put the man in his mind and now he couldn't seem to shake the memory. The slip about his sister? Leo didn't know why he had felt compelled to keep talking after he described his parents, it was a strange display of garrulity that Elias hadn't experienced in months, not since he'd stopped living with Wade. Come on, it's not as if she's gonna use this information against you. She's just a civilian. She has no motivation. You're safe. You're...safe.
He didn't feel very safe, but he did feel weird, fuzzy sensation in his stomach.
"That's about it. Not that exciting, just your typical 17 year old." Seventeen, because if eighteen coming on nineteen was too old to still be going to school. "Anyway...back to what you said about food. Ever order a pizza?"
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 30, 2017 16:19:34 GMT -5
Huh. Strange for such a cushy-living guy to know about scar tissue?... Juniper questioned to herself, watching him talk about himself. Well, his father did work for an insurance company. Maybe it was just something he picked up from a case. The sixteen-year-old settled on that answer comfortably, looking up at the paint she had carefully blotted onto the ceiling. She remembered how she had to stand on her bed, reaching up as high as she could - she must have looked quite silly when she was working on it. The thought made a little smile tug on the edge of her lips. Dad would have waited in ambush under my cot to grab my ankle.
"Seventeen?" Juniper glanced at Leo in mild surprise. "Huh. Would have assumed a year or two older." She put her feet on the ground and stood up, walking over to the elevator entrance and locking the two deadbolts. "Sorry if it makes you nervous," she apologized bashfully, sliding the bar into place. "Old habits die hard and I'm getting shivers for it being open." She twisted the bolt, making sure it was secure, then pulled a curtain over to conceal the door. It was just dark blue lace - matched the carpet, the chairs. Her room was hued in a pretty dark blue and elegant cream-white.
She found herself back in her spinny chair. "Would you believe me if I said I never really could afford it?" Juniper asked, her tone half bashful and half curious. Surely, someone who lived in luxury like Leo would doubt such poverty existed. "Anyways, my dad and I lived miles away from any pizza place." At the mention of her father, Juniper twisted the ring around the leather cord looped around her neck, an old ring that was her fathers. "Anyways, I was in the hospital until a week or so ago anyways. No time." He claimed he wore it because it was the last thing he still had of her grandfather, who died when she was very young.
How fitting that I have it to remember my father, too.
"I'm pretty sure Oliver has the pizza hut on speed dial," she noted, shrugging her slender shoulders. "He's a sucker for their pepperoni. Feel free to order one if you'd like, I'm fairly sure he has a running card number with them." She shook her head fondly, spinning herself in the chair again just because she could. She did childish things - like spinning in her chair and making dorky Star Wars jokes - but it was all in a manner of strange maturity. She had to grow up fast, but Juniper didn't seem to mind.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 30, 2017 17:51:52 GMT -5
"Yeah I get that sometimes. Guess my face just looks older." What...No one else batted an eye at my age.
Watching Juniper bolt the door shut reminded Elias a lot of how he'd lived as a child. Though his motivations for locking his bedroom door may have been different from Juniper's. "No problem. I...I don't mind." He almost said "I get that." His tongue was becoming looser by the second.
"Oh." The first time Elias ordered pizza had been...two, three years ago? He'd never had the chance to do it before that. "Can't imagine what that must've been like, I mean...there's a pizza place around nearly every corner in New York."
Again. There it was again. That smile, when she talked about Oliver. Can she stop doing that? It was making Leo feel all sorts of uneasy. Despite what seemed like an invitation to order a pizza using Oliver's card, Leo pulled out his phone and searched up the number for Pizza Hut. He'd feel kind of bad using his target's money to get a pizza...especially while that target was still alive and still in belief that Leo was just his step-daughter's friend. It was kind of like a stab in the back and Elias tried his best not to do that kind of thing. "What's your favorite type of pizza?" A pause. Then he frowned and looked up, "Don't tell me it's spinach. Or herring. We might have to terminate this friendship if it is."
Friendship!? The still logical part of his brain screamed bloody murder. Rule number 1, don't fraternize with your target's loved ones, Elias, because you're weak and it'll affect your ability to perform.
Leo ignored that part of his brain and pressed the call button. As the phone was ringing in his ear, he patted the denim jacket he was wearing in front of a white t-shirt, looking to see if he brought his wallet and discovering something he'd completely forgotten about. He'd brought a handgun with him. It was a small one, barely noticeable to him at this stage in his life, and he'd forgotten about it. Stupid... His hand lingered a bit before dropping into his lap. Leo schooled his expression to be neutral. Right...he'd brought the gun because he'd thought that Oliver would be in the house all night. Pretend it's not there. It's not there. If it's not there, Juniper won't have to ask questions and if she doesn't ask questions you don't have to get rid of her.
There was a knife on him, too. That he was aware of. He never left home without a knife and this one was a small pocket knife, so even if Juniper saw it he could at least explain it away. But the gun?
Fu-- "Hi, Pizza Hut, what can I do for you?"
"Oh. Uh...I'd like to order a pizza, please?"
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 31, 2017 14:57:02 GMT -5
Juniper made a face at the voiced toppings. "I'm from a rich family, but I still can't have fancy food," she joked, rolling her sky-blue eyes and spinning in her chair again. "I like peppers and olives, but get whatever you'd like. I'm not picky." I couldn't afford to be that way.
The girl spun once in her chair again as Leo answered the nice-sounding lady on the other side of the phone. The phone he was calling from was one of the many landlines in the house. Oliver was a firm believing in calling his own house to ask her to fetch something - when he was two staircases down. He thought he was hilarious, just like her biological father did. No wonder she got along so famously with Mr. Danine - he was almost exactly like her father.
Oh, is this the Danine's? Sorry, this is a new voice - anyways, we'll be right over with your usual. Two larges, one pepperoni and one special with peppers and olives, right?.
Juniper snickered. She would make sure to tell her step-father this his almost bi-weekly order had been memorized by the entire staff there. Her eyes suddenly caught on something - a flash of metal, making her heart freeze in her chest. Leo had been patting along for something - probably a wallet or cash - when his jacket went crooked, showing what Juniper instantly knew was a small gun. She lived in the worst part of Montreal, where shootings were plentiful and danger was everywhere for a young girl like herself. She knew a gun when she saw one.
With Leo's back to her, Juniper shook her head and rubbed her face. Surely there was a reason he would have a gun?! I mean, he IS from a wealthy family, her mind frantically sought for answers, her breath cold in her chest. Surely that would make him a target for kidnapping? It's gotta be for self-defense. It's gotta be.... Right? She was frantic on the inside before she mentally shook her paranoia off. Leo isn't a bad person, she scolded herself, relaxing again and leaning back in her seat before Leo turned around. Just ask him, Juniper. Just ask him. Just do it, it's okay, you're in a safe area.
She didn't ask. Instead, she just smiled and spun in her chair as Leo turned around, hanging up the phone. "Still not used to being able to just call for food whenever I want," she admitted. "I only moved in a week or so ago, so I guess it makes sense I'm not yet." She glanced down to where his gun rested in his jacket, but her eyes were back to his face when she stopped her spinning.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 31, 2017 15:49:45 GMT -5
"Actually, I was wondering if you could send over just one large pizza. Half peppers and olives, half pineapple and olive. And don't charge it to Mr. Danine's card this time, yeah? I'll pay for it at the door." Think of it as an apology, Oliver. A thank you for your hospitality. He ordered just one pizza for two reasons. One, there were only two of them eating it and two, he didn't want to waste too much money on things that weren't a real necessity. Sure, back home, he would order large pizzas just for himself, but those pizza slices he was able to freeze overnight and save. Those pizzas were also some of his main forms of sustenance.
Setting the phone down after a quick "Thank you," Leo turned back to face his hostess. "Yeah? Must be a pretty big adjustment, I know this kind of lifestyle can be a bit daunting to people." Did she just...no, I must be paranoid. No one just assumes that people are armed, anyways, and when people don't think that someone is armed, they don't look for it. And if they happened to catch a glimpse of something suspicious, they tended to ignore it. Don't make yourself a target, Juniper. Please. For my sake as much as your own.
He really was paranoid at this point. The gun, which was pretty light, felt heavy as a shotgun where it sat inside his jacket. He was hyper-aware of its presence and the fear that Juniper would find out (that she already knew) made his stomach turn. Elias could still remember his first kill. There are mercenaries who get so far gone that they enjoy their job, every part of it. There are mercenaries who enjoy their job because they were born to enjoy knowing that there was blood on their hands and seeing the life drain from a person's eyes. But aside from those psychos, every merc has felt guilty, has felt remorse, regret. Yet none of them quit.
Some of them can't. They have too much on their ledger to quit now. Or they don't have the skills necessary to land a good and proper job outside of this field. Or they're like Elias and they can't quit because this is the only place where they've ever belonged. He didn't know if he could handle it if he had to go back to the streets, this time having known what it was like to feel safe, this time having known what it was like to have people he trusted.
Well...no, he didn't exactly trust his...uh...his "co-workers." But they were as close to family as he was going to get and he could always count on them to be there, being rude and crude in Sister Margaret's Bar, when he goes home.
Elias had regrets. He had people he wished he didn't have to kill, people he still had nightmares about. But there were also people he didn't mind killing at all, people who had managed to be such blundering, idiotic ******* that Elias had genuinely enjoyed shutting them up for good.
He hoped he didn't have to kill Juniper. Not now and not ever in the future. But he also hoped that if indeed he did have to kill her, maybe on this job or maybe if her name appeared one day on a gold card, that she would become a recurring figure in his nightmares.
"Promise me something, Juniper. Even as you get used to this life, never forget where you come from. Don't lose yourself in all this luxury, in the false belief that all this wealth makes you invincible. Don't forget what it was like for you before. Promise me that." He was blowing his cover, most likely, but he couldn't find the will to care. Leo didn't want the burden of letting someone lose their humanity and Elias didn't want to have to deal with Juniper becoming an ****** that he might be sent after. As much as it pleased him to kill people like that, he wanted Juniper to be someone he would remember.
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 31, 2017 16:20:41 GMT -5
Juniper had undone her hair just moment before, trying her best to unthread the braid. Her curls weren't wild - rather, they were neat, tidy, and shiny. It was something she was born with, and she was grateful for it as she pulled her hair over her shoulder subconscious. The red framing her pale, freckled face made her seem younger, more innocent - her blue eyes seemed to tint green.
Promise me something, Juniper.
That's all it took. Before she knew it and before she could stop it, those four words slammed her backwards into her memory. Suddenly, she was in Canada again - riding on the passenger side of the cheap, rattling car her father drove. He was there again, with his red hair shaved military-style to show a strong, handsome jawline. She looked a bit like him. Promise me something, Juniper, he had said over the quiet radio. She had looked up from her book immediately. Anything, she had replied without hesitation. Promise me that no matter what, you won't forget where you came from. If something happens and you... and you have to live with your mother, promise me you won't forget this. Our little family in our ugly-ass apartment. She had been startled, reaching over to hold his hand on the steering wheel but careful not to press too hard. I promise, Papa, she had said quietly, settling back into her seat and placing her open book against her chest, over her heart. He looked over for a split second, smiling from behind a tired face. Thank you, Juniper.
Turns out, that book saved her life. Not two seconds after, a huge truck swerved into their lane and smashed into them, head-on. Her hardback book prevented a piece of shrapnel piercing her heart.
She suddenly stood up, looking at Leo with wide blue eyes. People didn't say things like that unless they understood. Unless they knew. She took a few cautious steps forwards, coming towards Leo. "Who are you?" She asked hesitantly, a hand holding her fathers' ring tightly at her chest. "Why are you lying?" She wasn't angry - no, Juniper didn't get angry at people she cared for. She had bonded with Elias - not Leo, but Elias. The man behind the younger mask, who was slipping. "People just don't say things like that, not unless they know what it's like to be struggling." She stopped an arm's length away, looking up slightly at Leo's face.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 31, 2017 17:41:01 GMT -5
If Elias was surprised when Juniper stood so suddenly, his face revealed nothing. His eyes followed her movements, but nothing in his body language suggested any kind of unease.
"Who are you? Why are you lying?"
"Lying?" Elias tipped his head to one side, raising an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm lying?" He knew exactly why she thought he was lying. A person born into a life of luxury would never say what he just said. A person born with a silver spoon in their mouth didn't know what it was like for the other half. They could speculate, but they would never know, and they would not know the value of those experiences that one gains from never having enough. Elias smiled.
"I didn't lie to you about who I am, Juniper. I wouldn't do that." He held her gaze with those blue eyes that weren't his own, reaching up to move away silver hair that he despised. "Maybe you're overthinking all of this." It would be so easy to just tell her the truth. It would be so easy to drop his facade entirely, to drop this "Leo" character and finally get the chance to speak to someone who understood who he fundamentally was, where he came from. While he was comfortable around other mercenaries, the unspoken rule of those relationships was that you never showed that you cared. As much as Elias appreciated that rule for giving him his space, for making it hurt less when someone just stopped showing up, it was also the reason for so many long and sleepless nights spent sitting in that chair by the window, knees pulled up to his chest, feeling as though he were going crazy.
But if he broke character, he would have to kill her. No civilian in their right mind doesn't call the authorities on someone who reveals themselves to be a killer for hire. He's only eighteen, he can't risk that.
He reached out, squeezing Juniper's arm lightly as though reassuring her of the thought that he was trustworthy, that smile never leaving his face even as he tried to change the subject. "You ever been on YouTube?"
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 31, 2017 18:25:24 GMT -5
"No," Juniper said, pulling away before 'Leo' could touch her. Her blue eyes looked at him with a whole new level of anxiety, green-tinged from the vibrant red hair around her face. "No," she repeated more firmly, taking a few steps back and raising her hands almost protectively in front of her. "I'm not overthinking this."
Juniper was positive about it now. When she was still in Canada, she had taken art classes her entire life. She knew the human face by heart - knew every bone, every eye shape, every hair color-skin tone-eye color combination. She came forwards again carefully, slowly reaching out as if he was going to lash out, hurt her. She touched his hair, pulling it away from his eyes to see the faux blue. Her touch was shockingly gentle for a young woman raised by a rough-housing single father. "Your eyes aren't blue," she said quietly, with certainty. "Green, maybe," she pulled back her hand, letting silver strands fall from her skin as she recoiled again, running a hand through the ends of her hair stressfully. "...Brown, actually," she whispered, turning her back to him and running both hands through her hair.
"People just don't say that!" She finally said, turning around to look at him with an expression crossed between exasperation, fear, and desperation. "People don't say that unless they spent their lives choosing between food or heating your home when it's negative twenty outside, or when they have to miss their best friends funeral to go to work because they won't be able to afford the medicine they need to keep breathing." She wasn't angry at all, her voice wasn't raised. She was calm - anxious, but calm. "People don't carry handguns unless they're planning to use them," she added, motioning towards his jacket before recoiling back into herself, arms crossed over her chest.
"Why are you hiding from people? Why are you pretending to be younger? Who are you?"
She came forwards again - she kept coming forwards, withdrawing again. She was confused - but desperate for connection. She needed someone there. This was more than wanting to know the truth - this one someone who needed someone to know her, needed someone to understand what her past was like. A legitimate need for someone to know, for someone to care about. She reached out and grabbed his arms softly - her grips were feathers, soft and barely there. "You can trust me. I know."
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Jul 31, 2017 19:14:49 GMT -5
Elias fought the urge to pull away when Juniper pushed his hair aside, fought to ignore the chills that ran up and down his spine when she told him (correctly, he might add) that his eyes were brown. How? That's not possible... What kind of demon was she?
He listened as she went on with her monologue, declaring that "People just don't say that" and he knew that she was right. He knew that she was right and yet he couldn't tell her that. So he stood there and watched her and breathed. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Even when she pointed out that he was carrying a gun, he just kept breathing. Because how did she know? How did she know that? The only possible explanation was that this was all a dream.
He pinched himself. Nothing happened. He frowned. Before Elias could try pinching himself again, Juniper had come forward, had taken his arms in her hands, and he swallowed hard. His jaw worked uselessly, words bubbling in his throat but not daring to come forth. He felt like he was drowning.
"No" was the first word Elias said, his voice hoarse and barely there. "No...you don't know." He knows what she thinks. He knows that she thinks he's just like how she was before her father died in that car accident. He knows that she knows he's just a poor boy posing as a rich one but she doesn't know (there's no way she could) that he's here to kill Oliver. "I'm sorry."
There was a silence, then, a pregnant one that seemed to stretch on for much too long. Elias licked his dry lips. That sick feeling in his gut told him that he was nervous.
"I'm sorry." His voice was firm this time, out of desperation more than confidence. "You can't just tell me that I can trust you and expect me to do just that. I'm sorry. I wish I could trust you. I do. But even without me telling you, you somehow...you found out that I'm wearing colored contacts and that I'm older than I say I am. You know that I'm armed. These are dangerous things for you to know." Just leave me alone. If she kept pressing, Elias feared he might actually break.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, it was never my intention, but you've come far enough. You can have a good life here." He pulled his arms out of Juniper's grasp, pulling out his wallet and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, handing it to her. "For the pizza, when it comes." He stuck the wallet back inside his jacket, nearly flinching when his fingers brushed against the hard metal of the handgun. "If Dan and Jason and the others ask about me, don't tell them that I was here. I'm sorry for all of this. I promise you won't see me again."
A younger Elias might have felt the sting of tears in his eyes as he said goodbye to a friend. But Juniper (he had to remind himself of this) was never meant to be a friend and he was too old to cry. It took more willpower than he was willing to admit for him to smile, for him to say that he would show himself out, for him to accept that he won't see Juniper again. Oliver, yes, and Mrs. Danine, maybe. But not Juniper.
As he turned away to head back towards the old service elevator, he prayed that Juniper would let him go quietly. It was already taking everything he had not to let his guard fall.
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Jul 31, 2017 21:15:00 GMT -5
Juniper watched as Leo left, unlocking the elevator entrance door with tears beginning to gather in her eyes. She didn't dare let him see, so she looked away. "Okay," was all she said - all she could say. Her voice would break, showing just how much turmoil she felt as he stepped into the elevator. The flimsy door shut behind him, and the device started going down, back towards ground level.
The rest of the night, Juniper felt a strange sort of daze. The pizza man came - she apologized to him, shook her head as a denial. He saw how her eyes were red from almost-crying and refused to let her pay him, still letting her keep the pizza. She left it in the fridge without it even being opened. She showered. She braided her hair. She read through A Spell For Chameleon but didn't find a lot of pleasure in the words. Hours and hours passed - she didn't leave the house. The next morning, Jason called and offered to pick her up and hand out for a while. She politely declined.
Oliver and her Mother came home. Her mother didn't even step into her room to say hello - instead, she went directly into the kitchen for some pricey red wine. It was Mr. Danine who went up to see his step daughter. He expected her to be reading, maybe painting her ceiling - it was only four o'clock, after all, the sun still up and bright. What he found made his heart clench with worry - Juniper was laying in bed, in complete darkness, listening to music that sounded like depression itself. He tried to get her to talk, but she confided in him that she honestly had no idea why she felt like this. She really didn't - she didn't even know Leo - "Leo" - for more than a few hours, but here she was, feeling as if he had punched her in the gut.
A few days later, Mrs. Danine finally came into her daughter's room, turning on her lights. Juniper blinked, having been seated in her computer chair with her hair still damp from a shower. "We're going out," her mother informed, and Juniper didn't put up a fight. Wearing plain black skinny jeans and her father flannel over a high-cut t-shirt, the girl went to the huge mall with her mother as Mr. Danine relaxed alone at the house, watching a football game on TV as he sipped on a beer. He hoped that his step-daughter wasn't being forced to dye her hair black like her mothers - he knew just how forceful Marina could be about appearances. He rubbed his faint stubble along his jaw in amusement - she would have made him shave it off, had she been there.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Aug 1, 2017 7:38:51 GMT -5
For the next few days, Elias more or less kept to himself. He made up excuses about having to go shopping with his parents for furniture and paint and whatever else people needed when they moved. He spent a lot of time cooped up in that abandoned warehouse, just sitting on an exposed beam, leg swinging, staring off into space. He'd missed an opportunity with Juniper, but there was no other way that encounter could have gone.
When he wasn't just moping around and feeling empty, Elias was at the Danine's. Outside, of course, looking in. Mostly at night, but he stayed close by, off property of course, during the daytime, waiting for an opening to strike. When Mrs. Danine took Juniper out to go shopping, Elias knew this was it. For some reason he couldn't get excited about it. He was going home after this, he should be excited. He was going back to Sister Margaret's and he was going back to an apartment with a bed instead of the hard concret floor of the warehouse. But he wasn't excited. He wasn't even vaguely happy. All he felt was an indescribable weight in the pit of his stomach threatening to drag him down.
Normally, Elias would have mobilized the second he realized his target was going to be left alone. That heavy weight kept him virtually paralyzed for what he would guess was at least an hour before, by the sheer force of will, he got himself moving.
Sneaking into the house was really rather easy. He took the service elevator. Oliver was watching a football game, just an everyday man, step-father, relaxing while his wife and step-daughter were out of the house. A rich man, step-father, Elias reminded himself. Well...
He'd brought a pistol (silencer equipped, so that he wouldn't notify every maid and butler in the house of his presence) with him and a knife. Just two bullets. One to finish the job, the other in case the first one missed. The knife was for any unfortunate servants who might walk in before Elias could escape. When the deed was done, Elias would skip town and it would be as though Leo never existed. Because he never did.
Silence was a dear friend of Elias'. It's been there for him through thick and thin, adamant, unwavering. In his childhood, it was the most valuable of gifts his parents could give him. In his teenage years, it hid with him in the shadows and guarded him even as blood roared in his ears and his heart pounded through his chest. With Wade, it represented the most intimate of moments, the rare moments when his mentor was willing to just sit in comfortable silence. No jokes, no small talk, no lectures, just silence. And when Elias chose this life, silence had embraced him, had become the reason for his every success.
Now, standing there behind Oliver, the barrel of his pistol leveled at the back of the man's head, the silence roared in Elias' ears, resonated through his conscience. The man was still just sitting there, watching TV as though nothing could possibly go wrong. If Elias pulled the trigger now, Oliver could die in peace. He grit his teeth. If he pulled the trigger now, could he trust his own legs to carry him away from here? The weight was still there, painfully present, and Elias was scared. He was scared of what that weight might do to him, scared that it might keep him planted here until he was caught.
That can't happen.
So for a long time, Elias just stood there, silently, painfully. His arm trembled minutely. Why are you like this all of a sudden? Killing has never bothered you before. If it's because of that Juniper girl...she's not worth it. "She's not worth it." Elias whispered. He saw Oliver's head turn at the sound, just ever so slightly. "She's not worth it."
And he pulled the trigger.
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Post by Strawberry Scream on Aug 1, 2017 8:43:11 GMT -5
The last thing Oliver Danine saw was his favorite football team scoring a touchdown, a picture of him with his wife and stepdaughter on the stand next to the couch.
Mrs. Danine had no idea anything was wrong. She was lost in a sea of money, hoping to drag Juniper down with her as she flicked through racks of two hundred dollar dresses. "Dear, could you hand me that one? The cherry one, right next to you." Juniper bit her tongue, just taking a dress off the rack and handing it over. It's vermillion, mom, she thought bitterly to herself as he mother sashayed to a changing room, stop trying to look good in front of me. Juniper was smart enough to know that Marina wasn't trying to look good in front of her because she wanted to be a good mom - she wanted to look good because she was obsessed with looking that way. The woman couldn't stand to be ugly.
Juniper glared fiercely at her mother from behind, following her reluctantly into a high-quality hair salon. She pulled one of her brilliant red curls in front of her, looking at the gleaming tones of ginger and copper spiraling together in a beautiful wave of warmth. She loved her red hair, but her mothers' was black and her step-fathers was too. She already looked nothing like either of them, and her mother was adamant about changing it. "I want my daughter's hair as black as you can make it," she demanded, pushing her daughter forwards. The young man behind the counter looked stunned. This girl had such beautiful hair. Why damage it with black dye? "Is... is this what you want?" He asked Juniper, who immediately shook her head no. Her mother looked enraged, jaw clenching. "I am your mother, you will do as I say."
Juniper scowled, then dipped her hand into her mother's purse and withdrew the keys quickly. Her mother took the Corvette. Of course, we had to take the flashy one. Her mother wasn't fast enough as Juniper speed walked away, ducking into the crowd and turning invisible despite her shock of red hair. Her mother was wearing heels taller than the empire state building - she didn't dare even try to speed walk.
Juniper took the car home, ignoring her mother's phone calls. Go waste some money, she thought scathingly, then shut her phone completely off. She drove up the drive way, opened the garage door, and parked the car before shutting the garage again and heading inside. Silence. The girl froze in the doorway, immediately aware that something was wrong. Quietly, she stepped inside and shut the door, withdrawing her switch blade from her jacket pocket and flipping it open. "Oliver?" She called out cautiously, edging into the living room.
What she saw made her freeze, the drop the knife. It hit the ground as loud as a grenade explosion to her, but she didn't jump. Her step father laid dead on the couch, a commercial running on the tv and blood dripping from a bullet wound on the back of his head. "Oliver!" Juniper screamed, running over to the couch and shaking him, although she knew it was pointless. She wiped tears angrily from her face, morphed into an expression of grief and depression. She lost another father figure in her life.
Time passed, but the storm came. The city was partially shut down - no flights were leaving, no cars were permitted to drive without significant reason. Thunder shook every building, including the church that Juniper was seated in. Her hair was twisted and braided, woven into a simple but pretty bun on the back of her head. She wore a black A-line dress, a simple velvet piece of that covered her scars and ended at her wrists and the floor, hiding the pair of black flats. Her fathers silver ring hung around her neck. She was fighting tears, that was obvious, as her Mother gave a seemingly heartfelt speech at the front. Juniper wasn't listening. Oliver Danine's coffin shut, and Juniper watched as it was lowered into the ground. She stood alone by the grave long after everyone else left, just staring emptily at the headstone. The keys to the Maxima seemed heavy in her bag - she didn't want to leave, at the same time she wanted to get as far away as possible.
A lawyer came, spoke to her for a few minutes, left. She barely heard. Something about his will saying he wanted her to have almost everything. She could have his pent house at the top of a skyscraper in the city. She wouldn't have to worry about paying rent ever again - he owned the skyscraper. His business profits would be hers too. The only thing left for her mother was a few million dollars, the Corvette, and the house they lived in now. Juniper didn't care. She couldn't make herself care. Oliver was gone and there was nothing she could do about it.
The thought made her brilliant blue eyes tear up again. She knelt in front of the gravestone, touching the smooth surface with a pained expression on her face. "I'm sorry," she said, voice cracking. "I should have been home. I should have-" her voice gave up then, tears falling from her eyes as she curled her hand into a loose fist. She didn't move, even as more thunder rolled across the sky and a torrent of rain came down, soaking her immediately. An alarm could be heard from the city. Another flashflood warning. Still, Juniper did not move even as she shivered fiercely from the ice-cold rain, feeling the stitches on her back becoming more sensitive from the chill.
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Post by נσкσмαтσ on Aug 1, 2017 9:21:46 GMT -5
It was a true testament to Elias' stupidity that brought him back to the town where he'd killed Oliver Danine. He'd returned home after the job, had turned in that gold card, watched as Ivan, the bartender at Sister Margaret's and middle-man for all these mercenary-related transactions, scanned the card, confirmed that Oliver was dead, and counted out a stack of hundred dollar bills in front of Elias. Twenty thousand dollars for a rich man's life.
The colored contacts were tossed and he cut his hair short again. Now there was just a little bit in the front, enough for him to style, but not so long that it would be annoying without the gel. He dyed his hair again, this time back to dirty blonde, erasing any sign that he had ever been Leo Crawford. He hated Leo now.
Days spent back home in the city melded together, each one more similar to the last, drowned in the spinning vortex of alcohol consumed under the pretense of celebration. Screaming laughter and mindless violence were the routine and Elias gladly gave himself up to that abuse. "Soldiers of fortune, next round's on me!" And the bar erupted in cheers and the sound of broken glass.
He wasn't quite sure how he found out about Oliver Danine's funeral, but then he wasn't quite sure how many days had passed since the man's death. "You're an idiot, Lindholm. If they catch you, don't come crying back to us."
"Oh perish the thought, Ivan." Elias had smiled wearily. "Never been caught before, never will."
"Yeah? That's what Wade said before--" There was a sudden ringing in his ears and Elias saw red.
The plan had been to get into the city where Danine's funeral was being held, witness the ceremony, then slip away before anyone could notice the hooded figure who had no connection whatsoever to the man being placed six feet under. He got in before the storm, but then the storm kept him there. The storm canceled his flight back home, trapped him in this cursed city.
He wore a black hoodie to watch Oliver Danine's coffin be lowered, hiding in the back, by a tall oak tree, his face half hidden underneath the hood.
Elias wasn't sure why he felt compelled to stay long after everyone else had left. Everyone except for the girl with the brilliant red hair and even brighter blue eyes, the girl who's tears flowed down her cheeks as surely as rain poured down from above. He watched her. He waited for her to stand, to leave, for surely no one would subject themselves to this kind of torture. Surely, she must be freezing.
Yet she didn't move.
Another flashflood warning. Still, she didn't move. Her scars... Elias set his jaw. He should leave. He should leave her here. That would be for the best.
But he found himself walking over to her anyway. What are you doing!? She's going to know that it's you! Don't be silly, Elias thought to himself, she won't even recognize me. Are you kidding? She knew your eyes were brown and you know how convincing those colored contacts are, she'll know! He walked on.
He stopped behind Juniper looking down at the back of her head, the same way he'd stopped that day behind Oliver, leveling a pistol at the back of his. "It's dangerous to keep staying out here. You should head home." If you get caught because of this, you know no one's going to be willing to help you. Could the voice in his head just be quiet for once?
"This would be a horrible way to die."
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