The Brilliance of Secrecy

Kio had found himself completely bored within the past few days. His life had been going completely according to plan, in the Kristoph factor of things, but the Underground? Nothing had been done in weeks. He was slowly beginning to lose his mind, and he was about to go insane and do something on his own, a job without contract, which would likely just lead to him getting caught, killed even.

So there he stood, holding a lit cigarette between his lips and occasionally puffing out a cloud of smoke. He looked around the shadows, waiting for something, anything. His patience was wearing thin...

Sage looked about anxiously as she moved through the Underground network of all places. It was really no place for someone affiliated with Scotland Yard to go, alone even. But as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures, and for Sage this was especially so.

Only recently had she come across a man by the name of El Diablo. He had thought she hacked into his computer, and even threatened her not to contact her police friends for the fear of receiving another visit from him. But Sage was naive, ignorant, and she figured if she couldn't receive help from Scotland Yard, why not help from the criminal spectrum of things?

"If this doesn't get me fired, I don't know what will." She muttered to herself.

In all honesty, she didn't even know how to start about this help seeking business. She couldn't talk to just anyone... Maybe the man smoking over there? Was it too risky? All the while, she just kind of stood there, staring dumbly at the man, as if wanting to say something but unsure of what to say.

"Why would you willingly go somewhere that would put your job at risk, Miss Metro?" Kio hummed from the shadows, letting a smooth stream of smoke come out with his words. "Are you desperate for something?" With the light drop of the words, he slipped out of the shadows and stepped before Sage. "Because even if you're desperate, staring at a stranger in the alley," he flicked the cigarette away from him once he hit the filter. "Isn't the best way to get something like that done."

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his skinny jeans, then looked her over. "It isn't safe for a pretty young thing like you to be wandering around out in these parts."

Sage shuddered when the other spoke. She didn't think that the other would take notice of her. But then again, they were the only two people in the alley. Out of instinct and anxiety, she put a hand in her coat pocket. She must have some sort of weapon on her, mace or pepper spray seeming most likely.

"I-it depends." She straightened a little, trying to make herself seem void of fear, "Are you the kind of person to... get things done?"

Just act like those guys in the movies. She thought to herself, You got this.

"I could say the same for you." She gripped whatever it was in her pocket tightly.

Upon seeing her movement, he carefully put his hand on his hip, fingers slipping around the gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans. A soft chuckle broke free of his lips when she attempted the turnaround line. "You think this is Hollywood, miss? Lines like that won't work. Now get your hand away from whatever that is, and we won't have an issue, yeah?"

"What do you need to get done, mm?"

"Well... no." She pursed her lips slightly in disappointment and defeat. Then without a word, she withdrew her hand from her pocket. In her hand was nothing but a sonic screwdriver replica. "Careful, it's loaded." She said with a nervous laugh, going so far as to turn the thing on just for the sound effect. If anything, it was just to ease the tensions, or at least ease her own anxiety.

"There's this guy... El Diablo. He thinks I hacked into his computer or something, and I just want him to leave me alone." With a pitiful sigh, she inquired, "Do you think you can help me?"

His hand gripped the gun tighter until her "weapon" had been drawn, at which point, it fell and he shook his head. "Gesu Cristo," he murmured. "You're kidding, right?" His eyes rolled and he rubbed his forehead. Well, he did find it a bit funny, yeah, but he wasn't about to admit that to her. So instead, he straightened his posture and looked at her again.

"Depends on what kind of help, again. You want him scared, or do you want him gone? I can do either, just... One's gonna cost a lot more."

Sage put the toy back in her coat pocket, glad she wasn't killed for her bout of silliness. "Yeah." With a more relaxed sigh, she put both hands in her pockets. She really had no other gags up her sleeves, nor any serious threats for that matter.

"And I just want this guy to leave me alone, is all. You don't need to hurt him or anything... Just ask him nicely, I guess? I don't know. He's a scary guy, and I don't want to get myself into any deeper trouble." She must not have known she was rambling, for she went on with her vague request for a good few minutes without stopping.

He furrowed his brow again, his eyes becoming a bit concerned. "You don't even know what it is that we do, do you..." He shook his head and stepped closer to her, his eyes slowly becoming less cold, more curious. "You really don't. Listen, Miss Metro. I'm not here to play nice. If you want a peaches and cream confrontation, you have to do it yourself, bambina. If you want me to get something done, I will. If you want to sit by and hope to kill him with kindness, I'm not in."

Sage frowned a little, having known this to be the case for a while now. "I know, but I'm not entirely for it." But seeing as though her way wasn't exactly going to fly, she was reluctant to comply with the man's methods of making her problem go away.

"Okay, just make him go away. I don't care how you do it..." She reached in her pocket and got out a few US hundred dollar bills. It totaled in five hundred dollars. "Is this enough? Or do you need more...?"

He looked her over again and exhaled. It wasn't enough, no, but he was currently weighing his punishments. He knew she was with the Metro, he knew that without a doubt. He exhaled and rubbed his forehead. "Well... That'll do." He sighed. He didn't want to push the limit more than he already was. It wasn't worth the possible punishment to take the money, but it wasn't worth it to deny her request.

"Give me one week, alright?"

"Okay." She handed him the money and stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Uhm... One question though... How did you know I was with the police?" She was genuinely curious, and she didn't find herself to give off that particular vibe.

"If this doesn't get me fired, I don't know what will, isn't that what you said?" He cocked his eyebrow. "It was a lucky guess from that, but Metro seems like the most likely option, based on the way you tried to carry yourself. You're new, though. Try to stay a bit more stoic next time."

Sage flushed with embarrassment, "Oh, you heard that?" She pushed up her glasses tentatively, "Well, thank you for the advice and for... yeah." She took a nervous step back, "So, that's it then?"

"That should be it, except.. Do you have any more information on the man, other than just his handle online? Hell, an IP, email, anything?" Kio knew this wasn't going to be easy at all. so he was fighting for any bit of information he could possibly get.

"Oh!" Sage reached in her messenger bag, and got out a case file, handing it to him. "Here's a copy of his file. Just give it back to me when you're done? Or destroy it? Again, I don't want to get in trouble..." After a pause, she handed him a business card as well. All there was upon it was an email, thesage@tormail.net, "In case you need to contact me..."

He smiled and pocketed the card, the cash, then flipped through the case-file. "Hmm. Alright. I'll have it taken care of within the week. Don't reach out to me, I'll reach out to you." He stated, then closed the file and tucked it under his arm.

"Thank you." She said with a relieved sigh. Hopefully, this will be the last time she'll have to turn to the side of demons for help.

[ I suppose we're done here? ;u; ]

(( I suppose so. Now what, is the true question.

Go bug Theodore Gillroy xD or just take Sage's money and run ]