Description: Target: Fancy pendant and expensive pocket watch. Obstacle: There's a catch. Alias: None possible. Summary: For once, someone actually wants to be robbed. It's a set up and Ayame can't help but take the bait. Then she finds out there's a catch. She can just have the fancy shinies, but she has to take Aislinn up on a very unexpected offer as well. Then Aislinn walks off with one of her knives. Hey thief!!
Seijyun High School has just been blessed with the return of one of its more prominent members--on the fighting scene, anyways. Aislinn obtained special dispensation to leave school for as long as it took to do the Jinchuu thing, and now she's back. She's back...
And she has a mission, courtesy of Blackjack. Remembering Elle's words, Aislinn's decided to accessorize her usual outfit with some 'bling'--a golden pendant around her neck, and some silver bangles. Looks way out of place on her, but they're flashy and hard to miss for sure. And she's just hanging out on the school grounds--alone, as she usually is, without even Yurika in sight.
She walks a meandering path that's never quite the same, and she stops, every once in a while... the intent isn't obvious, really, but it's there all the same.
She's trying to draw out a certain someone, for certain purposes...
Last time 'Amy' was on campus her true colors were revealed due to the interference of a pink haired hero. She hates when that happens since it means more hassles for all future visits to Seijyun. But considering the amount of money most of the students at this school have and what oblivious suckers many of them are, it's still worth stopping by now and then all the same.
Last time her hair was strawberry blonde. This time it is black. Last time it was hanging freely down her back. This time it has been tied into a thick braid that hangs over her shoulder and hangs down over her chest, tied off with a giant red bow. Finding the right uniform didn't take too long. It seems skinny girls of her height are hardly a rarity here. The blazer is a little large, the cuffs reaching down over her wrists a bit too far, but it's close enough... Maybe her parents were anticipating a growth spurt.
Over her brown eyes she wears a pair of frameless glasses, circular cuts, that accentuate her irises. All in all, it's fairly easy for her to walk right by the very students she stole from on her last visit without them suspecting a thing. Just another new face, another rich transfer student most likely.
It only takes a while for her cusory inspection of students out and about this afternoon for her to notice the bait. "Hmn." Shifting the black bag she carries over her shoulder, the girl moves toward Aislinn, a friendly smile adopted easily. "Hello!" she chirps, one hand coming up to wave at the rich looking student the moment she has her attention. "Sorry to be a bother. I'm new here and, ah, so sorry," she shakes her head, rocking on her heels a little, looking a bit sheepish, "Could you point me toward the theater room? I'm late for drama club." She moves in close, just outside what most people would consider their 'personal space', but stops there. From behind her fake glasses, she glances over Aislinn quickly, but for the most part, her eyes seem focused on the other girl's face.
Aislinn is no hero. And while she suspects, the moment that 'Amy' opens her mouth, that this may in fact be her quarry... well, she plays along, as best as she can. Her tone is, well, it's her usual. That is, she's blunt and to the point and her voice hardly carries a lilt. She regards the newcomer for a brief moment... and something about her eyes may hint at Aislinn's belief. Or maybe she just isn't that easily fooled. But...
"Of course," she says, softly, and turns towards a path--one that's secluded, away from the main campus. "The quickest way to the theater is this way," she says, moving off without looking to see if Ayame is following--she assumes that she will be. And she adds one more prop--
--she reaches into a pocket and withdraws an expensive pocketwatch, checking the time... and then slipping it back in. "I believe the drama club has only been active for ten minutes. You will not be that late."
Ayame manages to hide her surprise quite well. She had expected a rude brush off, or at the most, a vague wave of the hand in the direction she was to go. She had anticipated merely hoping to steal one of those shiny bangles. A little sleight of hand during a handshake of gratitude would have done the trick. The pendant was tempting, but too difficult to take in the open. But now that their route takes them in a direction that leaves them out of sight of the other students, she begins to consider maybe the pendant and bangles and whatever money the younger looking student has on her would be worth the visit for today all by themselves...
And then the pocketwatch comes out and it's all she can do to keep from widening her eyes, recognizing the make and model at a glance. A pawnshop will give her a lot of money for that timepiece alone. Oh yes, this is definitely worth it.
Poor girl, she ponders as they move out of sight of the more open areas of the campus. Oh well, as long as she doens't make a fuss, she won't have to get hurt. "You're too kind. This is so nice of you. I feel so bad, having troubled you so. I hope it doesn't divert you from where you needed to be by too much. I will make sure to get a map from the office after drama club as to not be a bother in the future."
As she prattles on with a gregarious demeanor, Aislinn might hear the click of a butterfly knife safety clip being slipped off the handle, this "new girl's" hand in the outside pocket of the blue blazer she has on. What comes next happens with the sort of speed one might expect from someone who's done this very thing countless times.
Her right hand slips out of the pocket, flicking the knife open while her left arm comes forward, the girl seeking to wrap it around poor Helpful Student's neck so she can pull her back and bring the blade in close to her cheek. "This is exactly what it looks like," she murmurs even as she tries to move into position, "But you don't have to get hurt over it."
Ah-ha. Well. Part one of the mission is a success. Identity confirmed. And while she certainly heard that 'click' and understood it for what it meant... there's still a role to be played. First, though, Ais has to control her impulses. Very few people are allowed to just -touch- her. It sets off battle impulses immediately. Ayame might misinterpret, as her target goes stiff for a few moments. It might look as though Aislinn is, of all things, afraid.
But... I'm afraid not.
Her voice retains her cool disposition even as she's pulled back and the blade brought to her cheek. "A common thief... and mugger." She sounds almost, dare we say it, disappointed. "Is this fun?" She turns her head into that blade, pressing it into her cheek, just short of the pressure necessary to begin slicing.
"Or are you a poor girl who steals to survive?" Her voice is devoid of inflection but even in that there's an undercurrent of pity and almost... derision. Her attitude suggests nothing less than utter dismissal of Ayame's threat. But she doesn't tip her hand all the way -just- yet. She wants to see if Ayame has the guts to do it.
The girl stiffens beneath her hold and at first Ayame is certain that she's going to struggle - but instead she just stays perfectly still. Maybe scared stiff. All the easier to work with. But then comes the reply she hadn't expected. Calm detatchment from her intended victim. Not scared of knives, it sounds like.
As she leans her cheek against the blade, Ayame keeps it perfectly still, as if leaving it up to Ais to cut her own cheek on the knife if she wants to, but not relaxing it either. "It's complicated, best not worry about it," she continues, tightening the hold she has with her left arm as she moves in tighter against the girl that's pretty much the same height as her.
"Besides, doesn't much matter. It isn't personal." she continues, her own body tightening as she tries to hook one leg in front of Aislinn's and ankles and then shove forward, attempting to drop the other girl to the walkway face-down while trying to keep the hold around her neck as well. Her right hand pulls the knife away from Aislinn's cheek the moment she tries to trip her down, moving her right arm out to her own side as a measure against stabbing herself or the other girl with it during the fall. Maybe she's a softie, or maybe she thinks getting her blade dirty over someone who can't defend themselves is just an unnecessary hassle.
Ah ah ah! Careful there. Aislinn shifts her weight and, while she's not the ace at dealing with sudden shifts of momentum that aren't caused by herself, she manages this one capably. She spins a little more, separating from Ayame's grip, and then her gaze meets her would-be assailants.
That gaze is ice-cold, her lavender eyes seeming almost crystalline. And now she seems almost angry... again, almost the key word. She's still ice-calm. But her eyes are speaking for her.
"Do you have the ability to use that knife?" she asks, and while it may sound like a taunt it really isn't... but that's for Ayame to determine. Aislinn draws herself to her full height and ... well, just gets eye to eye with Ayame.
"You're the girl known as Ayame," she says. No disguise or alias necessary here. Aislinn -knows-. Reaching up, Aislinn casually rips off the pendant she's got on, then slips her hand into the pocket of her skirt and slips out the pocketwatch. "These are the items you want," she states.
"You can have them," says the purple-haired girl, holding them up so that both drop by their chains and *clink* together, "if you do two things."
"The first thing is, prove to me you will use that knife. The second is, accept my offer." Her left hand slips up into her jacket and withdraws an envelope, sealed. But Ayame won't get that unless she agrees.
Slippery, and also strong enough to stay on her feet it seems - Aislinn slips out of Ayame's hold and the girl catches herself, regaining her balance swiftly in order to stay upright. At first she starts to lunge forward, attempting to regain control of the girl - if she were to go running off, flailing, or even use this moment of freedom to scream, then Ayame will have no choice but to abandon this afternoon's plans in order to avoid being caught.
But there's something about Aislinn's eyes, the expression she gives her in return, that freezes the girl mid-step. "In my sleep," she replies as to the inquiry about her ability to use the bladed weapon. And it looks like she's about to give the difficult girl a demonstration in order to soften her up as she starts to move forward again. It's then that she hears her name spoken - or, at least, the name she considers 'hers' in recent years, and she stops again, immediately glancing back and forth while taking a couple of steps back. This is some kind of set up. An ambush maybe.
But no one else seems to be near. Brown eyes focus back on Aislinn as the girl seems to waver for several seconds. The strange offer is spoken of, the deal on the table. The two most valuable items on her target's person without any hassle, as long as she does two things.
"Are you filming me?" she snaps back, left hand coming up to remove the fake lenses from over her eyes. She doesn't need vision correction and if she's about to get serious, they'll just be in the way. The glasses are slipped into a pocket inside her blazer, but otherwise she remains silent. Maybe Aislinn is just trying to get her caught on tape in a crimnal act. Then hopes to blackmail her or something. Maybe that's what's in the envelope. Ayame wonders, since she's done that to people before.
"No matter if you are," she replies, her expression shifting. She's fairly disguised from her normal appearance after all. What would be the point of the filming? "Nor do I care who you are. But I don't like being toyed with." The knife is flipped over once in her hand, the weapon taking to the air before being snatched by Ayame's fingers. And then comes the flick, the knife send flying toward Aislinn's left foot as if Ayame intends to pin her foot to the ground for her audacity.
"Filming? No." God's honest truth, there. Well, she is -recording-... just internally. But it'll just be added to NESTS's files... and Blackjack's. But she isn't filming, no. And she hasn't yet seen any sort of actual threat yet... ah, wait. Here we go. Aislinn doesn't even look down--just shifts her foot out of the way, though she's sure her boot would protect her. The knife clatters against the ground... and Aislinn nods.
Once again her gaze trains on Ayame. "And the second part?" That is to say--her offer. The envelope is flipped in Aislinn's fingers and Ayame, being likely sharp-eyed, will catch the glimpse of the Blackjack logo--a logo that's been seen around, for sure.
Aislinn almost seems to take pity on the girl. "This is a job offer," she says, bluntly. "You can continue to be a petty thief or you can join Blackjack and put your talents to use in a productive manner." The words aren't -really- hers--they're Elle's, filtered to come out the way Aislinn would speak them--but the offer is true. Her right hand blurs--and the pendant and pocketwatch are flung for Ayame. Not hard, mind you---it isn't a hardball pitch. But it's one smooth movement that has her throwing, then bending down, then picking up the knife Ayame threw. And still she holds the envelope. Needless to say, if Ayame takes the goodies and runs, Aislinn -will- be forced to hunt her down...
Aislinn's foot moves and Ayame pauses again. She didn't even seem to need to follow the trajectory with her eyes. This girl is more than she seemed at first. The two trinkets are flung and the girl catches them out of the air easily but remains where she stands, partially because she's curious about what that envelope contains. It's the second envelope offered to her in a week. And partly because she wants her knife back.
The name is offered. Blackjack. She's not clueless as to who they are. That they've noticed her, on the other hand, has thrown her off. "Really," she states, the two items of value hanging from her fingers by their chains. She looks torn between bolting and sticking around - The offer is a puzzle to her and she does like challenges like that.
Her hand comes up to brush against her hair, used to it being long and free hanging, only to bump against the braid and remember the attempted disguise. Lowering her hand, the girl stares at the envelope now. A job offer. It's been a while since she was last employed. "What kind of productive manner," comes the inquiry, eyes blinking slowly. "Need something stolen? I'm not sure what's in it for me if I get something and just hand it over." This is a very different job prospect from her last one, to say the least.
"You'll work with me," says Aislinn, still flipping the envelope between her fingers, slowly. "I operate one of Blackjack's strike teams. We operate as enforcers, as mercenaries, as thieves. We do whatever it takes to get our job done--fighting, or stealing, or protecting."
Blackjack -is- a merc group, after all. "Your skills came to Elle Belmounte's attention. She wants you to work with me. We will form a team." Her gaze shrewdly goes over Ayame once more. "You'll be paid regularly plus commissions."
And, of course... "... and you can do whatever you like as long as it does not conflict with Blackjack business." Aislinn herself has other agendas she pursues as well. Everyone does. Blackjack isn't a military organization. Her gaze remains locked on Ayame's. This is the most diplomatic she's ever been! Were this a NESTS operation, Ais would've beat Ayame into submission, not talked...
As Aislinn continues to talk, Ayame becomes less guarded, relaxing a little. This doesn't seem like the trap she thought it was, anyway. No people leaping out to arrest her. No blackmail tape. No anything but an envelope flapping in the breeze as the other girl holds it out toward her.
Taking a couple steps forward now, she still seems a bit suspicious but not quite so tense. Regular pay for a very irregular job seems to be the offer on the proverbial table. Working with this strange, lavender haired girl. Hrm. Ayame hasn't ever really been a team sort before. But all the same, going along with the offer seems like something worth pursuing for a bit. Perhaps something more rewarding will come of it for playing along with it for now... She certainly can't see a downside yet.
Close to Aislinn now, her hand comes up as she reaches out for the envelope. "So outside of whatever jobs I... we would be doing, my business is my own business?" She inhales then exhales slowly. "Okay. I'm interested." Any reluctance that had been in her voice moments before is gone now. Whether she's sincere or not, she definitely desires to come across that way.
Aislinn takes her at her word. The envelope is handed over. "Don't open it now," she says. And with that, she simply turns on her heel and begins walking away. Oh yes, though. She keeps the knife. It's only fair to have it for now.
Once Aislinn is gone... well, Ayame can open the envelope whenever she wants. And what's inside is simply a map of the Harbor area, with a route leading to one particular warehouse, and a time and date written in a neat, precise block hand. 7:30pm, this Sunday. That's it.
No, wait, there's one thing more written along the edge of the map. It simply reads, "Come prepared."
Don't open it now, Aislinn says. That's no fair! How can she /not/? Grr. She manages to enforce a bit of will power to keep from ripping it open right on the spot, merely focusing on the strange girl who's made this offer. Aislinn turns to walk off and Ayame bristles as she realizes she's keeping her knife. If she wasn't holding more than enough in valuables to buy a new one she'd be a lot more likely to want to assault the girl and get it back... Taking something from her IS personal!
But with the envelope in hand and the pendant and pocket watch to go with the deal she lets Aislinn depart without so much as another word from her. The valuables are shoved into an inner coat pocket and the girl turns to leave in the opposite direction, eyes studying the envelope in her hands before eventually slipping it into another pocket, out of sight. With that logo on it, she doesn't care to have anyone see it in her posession.
A backwards glance is cast over her shoulder in the direction Aislinn left in before she shakes her head and continues on her way. Rent is covered now, albeit a day late. Her landlord will be happy to get paid though she ponders with a faint grin. Now time to pick the best pawnshop... probably the one that she's stolen from the least recently.
It won't be back until she's hidden in her dark cave of a studio apartment that she finally opens the envelope. The map is studied, memorized, then folded up tightly. The message on the edge is not missed. Come prepared, it states. Ayame never leaves her abode without being prepared. It just isn't always immediately obvious, of course. Though she thinks she might take along a few extra things this time. Just in case.
Log created on 22:46:58 11/02/2007 by Ayame, and last modified on 13:02:04 11/03/2007.