A Step out of the Norm [Open]

[Leon]

The early morning air was sweet with the scent of early summer. It was still somewhat dark, but with a warming glow coming from the East, foretelling of the coming dawn. The path that ran between the two towns was surrounded by a sea of green stalks, easily swaying in the cool breeze. All around, the sounds of night animals and insects filled the air with an ambient symphony of life. Thrills, chirps, and many hundreds of other sounds clashed, rose, and fell as things found their ways into their homes and dens. All the while, a steady, repetitive beat echoed through it all. The slow tramp of footfalls on cobbled stones. A black shape moved along the path, a darker shade in the night, heading parallel to the rising sun. As the shape moved along, creatures quieted and hid from the unknown being, fearing a predator or enemy. But, the figure ignored all of this, moving along at an unvarying pace.

The figure knew where it was, how far it had come and how far it still had to go. Knowing that walking at this pace would take it a while, even with its other methods of transportation, the figure enjoyed being in the open air, the smell of dew in the air and the sound of life surrounding it. It would continue this method for almost an hour more, as the beams of sunlight slowly rose and began to cover the land, warming it with the sun's ever-present warmth. As the veil of night fell away, and the stars retreated into the darkness that waned, the figure was revealed. A man, with white-blonde hair that caught the morning light and glowed like silvered fire. walked along, his form revealed to any who would witness him. Clothed in a long black coat, with two nearly identical swords on his hip, the man walked with an amused grin on his face, the glare of the sun muted in his sunglasses.

He had been walking for nearly two and a half hours at this point, knowing full well where he was and how long it would be before he reached the next village. But, in some cases, it wasn't the destination that held the adventure, but the journey before. The man's goal was to reach the next village and link up with an informant on a target that had gone underground in the area. So, having no need to cause alarm, the man continued on as ordinary as everyone else, walking to his intended goal.

~

It would be roughly half an hour more before the village that the man was heading to came into view. Coming over the crest of a small hill, the land played out before him. The rolling hills of the region surrendered to both human and non-human hands. Races of all kinds nestled in the various valleys and gullies that dotted the landscape, and homes cropped up around fields. The village that the man was heading to was a fairly sizable one, having a stone wall perhaps ten feet high surrounding the center of the village, which held a chapel, a large common house, what looked to be the town hall, and an open air market. Outside of the wall was arrayed many houses and other buildings, ranging in sizes of all types and configurations. Some where squat and plain, others were towering and brutish, and still others were reserved and elegant. Shops, stores, and stalls stood in many places, homes warehouses, and pens stood in others. Already, forms were moving about below. going about the rituals of preparing for the coming day. The sounds of animals reached the top of the hill, as livestock were roused and fed, and the sounds of life began with a different pace.

The grin on the mans face deepened as he went on his way down the hill towards the gates of the village. The man surmised that there were probably eight or nine hundred people living in the town already, possibly pushing the thousand mark. It was difficult to say, but at the moment, that was rather outside the cares of the man. His location of interest was a small pub within the inner walls of the village, named the New Landmark. He was to meet a man there who had information on his target. Supposedly, the man had worked with the runaway before he went rogue. Now, there was a fairly substantial price on his head to keep some information quiet.

Whatever the case, it wasn't important to the man. Only the job before him was his focus. Reaching the gates, the man was almost through when four men walked out from a small building off to the side and asked to stop.

"What business do you have here?" Said one of the men.

 Each of the four were dressing in similar fashion. Matching uniforms, kaiser helmets, and sabers on their hips told the man that they were members of the local guard. Two were human, while one was an anthropomorphic wolf, and the other an anthropomorphic cat. The one who had spoken to the traveling man had been the wolf. He, in addition to the a-fore mentioned gear, had a sidearm on his left hip, and had several different medals pinned to his chest.

"Just heading into town to check into an inn. Nothin' unnatural about that is there?" The man replied, the grin on his face never faltering.

The wolf looked from the man to his men and the back. He wasn't certain how he should react to the answer to his question, that much was obvious. Seeing a man walk to his town, obviously armed, was something that wasn't a normal thing. But, at the same time, the man wasn't acting hostile and didn't have a mannerism bespeaking violence. Deciding that it wasn't worth stopping the man, the wolf nodded and moved aside, giving a short order to his men to return to the guard house. The traveler nodded his head and continued on, his destination now much closer than before.

Within five minutes, the man had reached the New Landmark. He walked up the short series of steps onto the small outer porch, across it, and to the door, which swung open easily. The interior smelled of breakfast being cooked on an open griddle. The smell of curing meats and of a fire wafted through the open reception. Before the man was a small counter with an older gentleman standing behind it, his back to the door. The traveler walked calmly to the counter, with the older man turning to the sound of the approaching footsteps.

"Hello! Welcome to the New Landmark in. Are you looking for a room or to eat today, sir?" The elder asked, a warm smile on his face.

"I'd like both actually, sir." The traveler responded, his own grin broadening.

"Excellent! You're just in time for breakfast. Could I have your name for the room?" The elder replied.

"Certainly. My name is Leon Deltova. A pleasure." He responded, offering a handshake to the elderly man.

[Vivid]

Day break settled over the village after many hours of darkness, some that for once, Aysel actually slept through. In fact, the only reason she was up now was because of the glare of the sun coming from the small wooden framed, clear glass window that she had unfortunately forgotten to close the drapes of the day before. Now, she was unfortunately awake, and with a pounding headache after having the sun literally shining directly into her eyes as she awoke. What a great start of a day. She mumbled to herself, sitting up in bed and rubbing her temples to try and quell the throbbing.

The beam of light lit up the room she was staying in, a rather normal hotel set up with a desk, bed, night stand and closet. On the floor beside the bed lay a pile of clothes with a medium sized, worn beige backpack leaning against the night stand a foot or two away, a bottle of water standing tall on the night stand beside a piece of folded paper. The desk was moved in front of the door to block it off and the window latch was locked, security a large go-to whenever Aysel did decide to sleep in a village or city. Or anywhere with people, really.

Being awake so early really didn't suite the woman, but like hell she could go back to sleep with her head doing the Congo and sun-spots taking up her vision. Her hand swung out rather moodily and she grabbed the bottle off the night stand, undoing the cap and taking a long drink before sighing out a breath and picking her clothes up off the floor, deciding to at least spend the day being productive while putting her water bottle back on the red wood night stand. Once dressed, the shifter grabbed her bag off the floor and slung it over a single shoulder after double checking to make sure she had everything, moving the desk quietly away from the door and back to where it belonged, up against the opposite wall.

She locked the door behind her as she headed out for the day, planning to stay a while longer in the village, having booked the room for a little over a week. The food here was amazing, the villagers not to bad, and over all the shops were rather cheap, and their selection was fantastic, having fruits and meats from all over the Continent, among other foods and treats. Albeit a fox, she still adored the sweetness of fruits and some different vegetables, making the market in this place heaven for her.

Aysel wandered down the stairs into the main lobby area of the inn, her headache slowly fading as a “Good morning” caught her attention, sharp green eyes flicking over to the counter where behind stood an older male stood doing a little bit of cleaning up, a warm smile on his face that Aysel matched after a moment.

“Good morning, sir.” She replied with more politeness than she couldn't have mustered five minutes earlier, the sound of her own voice rattling her poor head. This is worse than a hang over. I need to remember to shut the drapes next time...

“Would you like breakfast this morning? We'll be cooking in about an hour.” The man asked her, going back to his cleaning duties now that he knew he had her attention. Aysel pondered the question and gave the air a sniff, trying to figure out what exactly “breakfast” was here. The scent was stale and hard for her nose to pick up in her human form, but she got the faintest hint of what she thought were eggs, and some kind of meat. Bacon, perhaps? Or maybe ham, it was too hard to tell, it could have been anything for all she knew. With that in mind, she nodded to herself, eventually voicing her decision.

“Yeah, I should be back by then. Do you need anything from the market? That's where I'll be for the while.” She decided asking, figuring why not, since she was headed there any way. The inn keeper gave her a sort of odd look before seeming to understand that it was a serious question, looking around for a moment. “No, thank you. I believe my wife went out just yesterday to fetch groceries. But thank you for the offer.” The woman smiled and nodded, sauntering out the door which smoothly swung open for her, taking in a deep breath of fresh air, shivering in pleasant anticipation as she thought of what delightful foods she might find today.

Her stride was smooth as she walked, her pace not too fast, but quicker than most due to her long legs, a trait inherited from her fox half. Her steps were quiet and carefully placed, her eyes shifting frequently as she looked around her, amazed that already so many people were up and about. The market wasn't too far of a walk, and she reached it within maybe five minutes, the smells of hundreds of foods growing and growing the closer she got, until finally she could identify where several of them were coming from directly as she entered the beginning of the stalls.

Fruits seemed to be the most common, and she took her time browsing the shops, picking up things that would last two or three days, and a few that she could just finish later, doing the same with cooked and smoked meats. By the end of her adventure, it had been about forty-five minutes and her backpack was quite heavy, debating if perhaps, she had bought too much food, and if she should skip breakfast at the inn today. But could she pass up a possible home cooked meal of bacon and eggs? No, never.

Aysel finally decided to return to her temporary home after looking around a little more, eventually coming to the main road, where up ahead she noticed a strangely dressed, if only the swords on his sides, man walk into the inn, her curiosity piqued. Within a minute she followed him in, the tantalizing smell of breakfast prompting her stomach to growl quietly, resulting in a hand darting over it awkwardly, though doubting anyone heard.

"Certainly. My name is Leon Deltova. A pleasure." Was all she heard from the two conversing, trying to judge if “Leon” was really his name or not. Did a sword wielding man really give out his full name like that? On an empty stomach however, was quite pointless, as her thoughts kept instead turning to food. With a scoff,  she left the two to head up stairs and put away her bag of foods with a lingering glance at the man, grabbing some money and shoving it into her pocket to pay for breakfast once she got back down stairs. She took her time going over the room to make sure nothing was out of place, grabbing a drink of her sun-warmed water which she crinkled her nose over before leaving, back out into the inn lobby where she took a seat at one of the few tables set up, eyes ghosting over the newcomer, strangely intrigued by what she could see. White hair, dark glasses, swords, and a build that, if caught in a back ally with, she'd be fleeing from.

[Leon]

The elderly man took the handshake with a smile.

"A pleasure, Leon. My name is Gerald. My wife, Anne, and I own this small hotel. Now, what kind of room are you looking for?" The gentleman responded, taking out a reservation book from beneath the counter.

"I would prefer a room on the top floor, one with plenty of windows and room to walk around. Would you happen to have anything like that?" Leon asked, bringing out his checkbook.

Gerald opened the guest reservation book and flipped through the first few pages. The book itself was wrapped in a light leather binding, which had a design hot pressed into the front and the back of the covers. They were of a Fleur-de-lis over an Irish knot. The leather was a warm brown color and looked to be well taken care of. The pages of the book were slightly yellowed with age, bespeaking of the book having been in the possession of the family for many years. Gerald had flipped though nearly a dozen pages before stopping on one spot and running his finger down the list of names. Finding a blank space with the number 14 next to it, he looked up and smiled at Leon.

"It would seem that room number 14, on the top floor, is open at the moment. I will warn you, however, that the room itself is rather expensive." He commented to Leon.

"Think nothing of the price." Leon said with a genuine smile. He took a pen out of a pocket in his coat and began to write some information on a blank check. "What do I owe you for two days and nights fare, plus a meal every now and again?"

Gerald seemed slightly taken aback by the notion of someone not hesitating to rent the room, but quickly shook his demeanor of it.

"Well, the normal rate for that room for two days is two hundrend and ten dollars. Then, for meals we generally only charge a small bit, enough to cover expenses of our own. It also depends on the consistency of preference by the renter, so that can vary the price. For two days, I would see another thirty dollars as fine, just to cover the bill on anything special that we might need to get." He responded, pulling a small piece of laminated paper from below the counter and looking at it.

The paper was a print out of an established rent system, plus a general listing of the costs for daily living among the renters and the family. Leon, standing nearly a foot over the other, easily gleaned information from the page and smiled. He quickly wrote a check for four hundred dollars and signed it. Then, he took the check and handed it to the man before putting his check book back into his pocket. Gerald picked up the check and looked at it quickly, and then back at Leon.

"Keep the change." Leon said with a smile and a nod. "I'm going to go and drop my things off at the room, then be down to have something to eat. I'll be back." He said, picking up the key that Gerald placed on the counter with a slightly amazed look in his eyes.
~

The room was very impressive. The sun was shining through two large bay windows set into the eastern wall, both of which had a pane open to allow the fresh air into the room. There was a large, four poster bed, neatly made, and a nightstand beside the right side of the bed. On it sat a small candle with a box of matches. Smiling, Leon went over to the closet set into the western wall and opened it. Inside were hangers for coats and a shelf for smaller items, such as hats and the like.

A nice room. Leon thought.

Closing the door and walking back into the middle of the room, Leon reached into his coat again and pulled out a small cube. Placeing it onto the floor, Leon stepped back and snapped his fingers. The box opened without a sound, revealing a small tripod within. The tripod extended upwards, slowing spreading out until the prongs were roughtly two feet apart from each-other. Then, in the middle of the prongs, energy began to swirl, a small disk beginning to form. Soon, the disk was well formed and visible, the center darkening as shapes seemed to begin to form in the middle. The shapes quickly grew in definition and a familiar face appeared above the disk.

"Hello Leon. Been off the grid for a little while, haven't you? I was beginning to run computations on whether you had managed to die or not." The face said, a smart grin on its digitized face.

"You're a riot, Harvi... Now, then. I'm going to need some of my things warped over here. I'm going to extend the disk to a portal, so send the observation gear over." Leon said, his grin not diminished in the slightest.

"Sure thing." HARVI said. The disk began to taper out and tilt, quickly moving towards the floor.

The prongs of the tripod receded back into the base of the small cube and then laid flat on the floor, as the now obvious portal began to take on a more door-like look. The edges had come to a squared off shape and the area inside of the portal looked now like the interior of a very large and expensive home. Through the portal, one could see the floor inside of the home open up and a box come up via a small lift. The box was black in color and was roughly the size of a briefcase. It was pushed forward through the portal and arrived in the rented room before Leon. Stooping quickly, Leon picked the case up off the floor and chuckled.

"Thanks Harv. I'll be in touch when the mission is over with." Leon said, flashing a thankful grin at the portal.

One the other side, the digitized face gave a wink and faded into one of the panels that dotted the interior of the home. The portal wavered and vanished quickly, and the small box closed itself up, returning to the small cube that it had been only minutes before. Reaching down, Leon picked the cube up off the floor and placed it back within the confines of his coat. Turning to the closet, Leon placed the briefcase within and then proceeded to take off his coat. Reaching inside once again, Leon pulled out a small hipflask and placed it in his pocket. He then removed his combat harness and his swords. His swords he rested on the bed behind him, and the combat harness went into the closet with his coat.

Now, simply dressed in his long red overshirt, a white thermal, his dark blue, faded jeans, and combat boots, Leon left the room and locked it behind him. The entire time he made his way downstairs to the parlor, Leon thought about the fox-girl who gave him a pondering look as she herself went upstairs before him. An interesting patron of a small hotel in a small town, but then again, people went to many places for a myriad of reasons, and her's landed within that uncountable number. So, passing it along as curiosity, Leon arrived at the small dining area. The fox-girl was already there, as well as two other patrons of the hotel. Leon found himself a table by the door and made himself comfortable. On the table was the morning news for the area, telling of weather patterns, of the local goings on, and of small town news.

Leon busied himself with the paper, only taking his eyes off of it as a younger woman came by with a small notepad, gathering the patron's orders. Leon asked for a plate of bacon, eggs (scrambled), toast, and coffee. He then thanked the girl and smiled at her before returning to his paper as she walked to the next table. The waitress went about fairly quickly, having a small conversation with one of the other patrons, before returning to the kitchen and reading off the orders.

The orders came out within ten minutes, and Leon happily ate while he read. Even with the paper before him, Leon knew full well what was going on in the room. Not even thirty seconds into his meal, a man had entered the room casually, looked about, and sat down across the table from Leon. The man was younger than Leon, his physical appearance telling Leon that he was from either a farm for crops or cattle. He had a farmer's tan and wore a loose collared shirt with boots and jeans. The boy had short brown hair and green eyes, but they held a light in them that told Leon of vigor and intellect.

"Mornin' son. Care for a cup of coffee?" Leon said, folding the newspaper and setting it to the side. de. Leon picked up his own cup and drank slowly, watching the youth from over the rim.

"No thank ya, sir. You wouldn't happen to be a Mister Leon, would you?" The youth asked him.

Leon nodded his head and placed the cup back on the small saucer before him. He then picked up his fork and took a bit out of his food before him.

"Iffin' you don't mind, sir, my pa would like to have a word with you. He mentioned you two know eachother from a time ago." The boy remarked, his face seeming to become nervous as he talked.

Leon smiled at the boy and nodded his head. "Let me just finish here and we'll head out, son."

Leon, while not hurridly, ate the remainder of his food quickly, as decency would allow, and drained his still somewhat steaming cup of coffee. Standing and indicating that the boy should lead, Leon made ready to leave. The boy quickly got up and walked out the nearby door and into the parlor. Leon followed close behind the boy, one hand in a pocket, and the other at his side, an amused grin on his face.

The boy led them out the door and down the road that he had come up not an hour before hand, turning towards the fields that lay at the exterior of the town. All the while, Leon kept thinking that the day was only going to get more and more interesting...

[Vivid]

Aysel returned downstairs just about in time to hear the two discussing a room, catching a “Keep the change” before sitting down at her table, a leg slung over the other as she leaned her back into the chair, looking nonchalant as her foot tapped the air in a smooth pattern. Keep the change? She rolled her eyes and chuckled inwardly. So he was that kind of dark shades, sword carrying bad grr, huh? She watched his fingers grip the key and turned her eyes away as he turned and left for the stairs she had just come from, not wanting to get caught staring. Certainly it would be dangerous to do, by no means did this man look like one you could just get involved with, even a simple conversation, in her eyes, could get you involved in something nasty. She didn't have any plans of being skinned in the near future.

Auds swiveled to catch the sounds of the mans footsteps on the stairs until they became too faint for her to hear over the growing bustle of the inn, which had gained two new people or so, both presumably here for breakfast or a morning coffee. The woman placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, only perking up as a young waitress came by a second later to take her order, deciding on a simple meal of bacon, coffee and eggs. Which she requested sunny-side-up, with as much yolk as they could keep, and still legally serve without the threat of food poisoning. With the smell of food saturating the air and the sounds of it being made in the kitchen – mostly bacon she guessed, as not everyone had had their order filled yet – her attention was slipping, only noticing the sounds of steps by the time the man was on the last few of his returning down stairs, a few feet away from where she was seated.

With her chin back in her hand, she gave him another once over, not surprised to see him changed, but a little intrigued to see him without his weapons, and still wearing his sunglasses. Indoors? Can he even see? She pondered silently, rolling her shoulders absently and letting her forest eyes slip away as the man went to a table, losing interest in him again as the waitress brought her her food. Aysel ate cleanly, using her fork to dip the bacon into her yolk, saturating it before taking a bite, almost purring in delight. The food here really was good.

The inn doors opened and a young man stepped in, the woman keeping her eyes down, but still watching with piqued curiosity as he looked around, bee-lining it directly to this Leon fella who sat near the door. She continued to dip her bacon, and took a sip of her coffee, giving a faint hiss of breath as the liquid burnt her tongue, trying not to pry into others' business as the room was filled with light chatter from the four other patrons, as interested as she was. Unfortunately, she had very little else to focus her ears on, keeping them faced forward and to the sides a little, not specifically angling them to hear the odd mans conversation, but by no means angling them away.

He's here to meet an old friend? That seemed logical. Sure, lots of people did that. She rationalized to herself as she caught bits and pieces of (if not most) words. But then again, who came to visit a friend armed to the teeth? Was that common? Also, she could hear the strain in the young mans voice as he spoke. Was it because he didn't know this man, or was it because he knew too much? Aysel shook her head and nibbled at the whites of her egg, her tail thumping softly against the chair leg.

The two didn't seem to speak more after, and instead they sat or ate in silence, the other two patrons of the lobby still caught up in small talk about some sort of boat, nothing of interest to the woman, who was now deciding whether or not she wanted to follow the boy and man. And possibly get into some trouble doing so. But what was life without some excitement, right? Not wanting to draw attention to her self – more than ears, a tail, and strange hair would already – Aysel remained seated, sipping her coffee as the two got up and left in silence. It wouldn't be hard to pick up their scent, especially if she could get out of sight and Shift, after all, her fox nose was a lot stronger. She dipped the rest of her bacon and finished her eggs within two minutes or so, drinking the rest of her coffee and heading over to the counter to drop off some money for the meal, plus a tip. The bacon had been superb.

She thanked the man behind the counter and flashed a smile before wandering out of the building, letting the fresh air fill her nose in a deep breath once she reached outside, acting normal while still getting her direction set. She began to slowly trail after the two, keeping about two minutes between them, judging by the ever so slight change in scent, unable to, or rather not wanting to, Shift as of yet, in the middle of town to get a better, more accurate time frame.

Oh, the adventure.~

[Leon]

The path that the youth was taking definitely interested Leon. Going down the main street of the town, they passed many different small shops and stands, all of which were in the swings of the beginnings of a business day. The road next to the sidewalk was already populated with people leaving their homes and going to work, of children going to the small school that was in town, and of people hurriedly moving about. Leon suppressed a chuckle. This reminded him of the city where he normally did much of his business, except on a vastly smaller scale.

The two walked in practical silence, Leon following the boy as he lead him through town and then out towards the fields. Already, there was a bustle of activity out there. Since it was the beginning summer, farmers were out in the fields tending to both the planting and to the growth of their already established crops. There were patches of corn, standing small but strong, rippling in the early morning wind, bathed in the glow of the sun in the sky. The sound of cattle and other farm animals reached them quickly, as the town limits receded behind them. Yet, still the two walked.

~

It had been perhaps twenty minutes they had been walking, Leon already lighting up a cigarette. They had passed quite a few farms at this point, but it seemed that their destination was finally within reach. The boy, growing more confident that he was closer to home, picked up his pace a touch. Leon kept pace with the boy, taking note of his more determined stride. Leon smiled at the notion.

The farm before them was certainly large, speaking of a well to do owner. There were five barns, all long and tall, the sounds of cattle coming from the open windows and from the doorways. There were also quite a few silos, one of which was being filled with silage. Behind the barns, Leon could see an extensive field with planter equipment going about, readying the farm for a late season harvest.

Well, the contact certainly has the resources to finance this little venture... Leon thought.

The youth again quickened his pace as they reached one of the outlying buildings, turning near the door and asking Leon to wait outside for a moment while he gets his father. Leon shrugged and walked over to the wall. Leaning on it, Leon took a small pull from his cigarette, letting the smoke play about him as he released it into the wind. All the while that Leon was waiting, tactical data was rolling across the screens on his sunglasses from the satellite orbiting overhead. Real time data was being recorded and transmitted to him, such as positions of the people near to him, information regarding his business, and the change in weather in the area.

While Leon was going over the information before his eyes, a group of men came out of the building that he was leaning against. The men were of different races. One an anthropomorphic fox, a wolf, and three humans. All of which were fairly well built, having done time on the farm for quite a while, and each standing roughly the same height, or taller than Leon himself. At the very back, was a middle aged man, who wore nicer clothes than his compatriots, but still held the build and height of a man who had worked on a farm for quite a few years. Leon smiled to himself and pushed himself up from his leaning position.

“Mornin' gents.” Leon said, his smile playing across his face.

“Morning, sir. There something I can help you with?” The man in the back asked.

“I'm here to meet a friend of mine. Got some business to discuss with him.” Leon said, moving towards the small group.

“Well, if you're the man that I hope you are, we can discuss matters in a minute. Now, to PROVE that you are the man whom I'm expecting, I ask that you can show my fellows here that you aren't an imposer. Just to be on the safe side.” The man said, nodding towards the other men.

At that, the men around him moved forward towards Leon, all intent on either scaring him away with their presence, or to beat him to a pulp and drag him to the curb.

As expected... Leon though with an inward sigh.

To the defense of the men, they were indeed physically strong and quick, but Leon was a hardened combatant and soldier, having more than ten years to practice his craft. The first to reach him was the wolf-man, who made an attempt to grab Leon by the shoulders. Leon side stepped him and grabbed his outstretched arm. Lifting the man into the air with one arm, Leon spun him around and threw him into one of the two human men moving towards him. The two collided and were sent sprawling on the ground. Seeing their comrades tossed about seemed to fill the other two with anger. Both redoubled their charge and came at Leon together.

Knowing that he could kill both of the men with a single punch, Leon simply met their grapples and tossed them both in different directions, both hitting the ground and flipping over themselves several times before finally coming to a rest, perhaps twenty feet from Leon. The four strong men who had been certain that they could take a lone fighter now lay on the ground about the area, slowly picking themselves up and trying to ascertain what had just happened.

“Is that enough for you? Because I can keep going if you'd like.” Leon said, placing a hand in his pocket and reaching up to his cigarette.

[Vivid]

While she followed, Aysel took the time to look over the town more, slowing her pace just briefly to look over a few more market stalls she hadn't noticed before. These ones seemed to be filled with clothes and jewelry, odds and ends that surely were set up more for travelers and tourists. Some of the jewelry she noticed carried stones she hadn't seen before, deciding that later, she'd have to stop by and check them the stalls out, one in particular catching her attention. The stall wasn't very large, but carried a small variety of weapons, several fine looking daggers on that list. Without much more time to look, the woman continued on her way, ears swiveling to catch the different conversations going on about the town, looking for any information on a possible job before her hotel time was over, liking to have a good deal of cash before moving towns.

She continued to follow the scent of the two men out of town, the sun warmly beating down on her, making it already a pleasant day, though she decided that the afternoon might be quite the hot one, if it was already this warm so early. She noticed the plots of land filled with corn and wheat, and in the distance, she thought she may have seen an orchid, possibly where the towns fruits came form. She giggled mentally at the wording, wondering just how many 'fruits' this town really had. Judging by the fresh produce, the people who lived here had other farmlands, or maybe they grew their foods inside their houses, it wasn't very likely that it was shipped here, unless a neighboring town was very close.

Finally feeling safe enough, Aysel Shifted into her smaller, more agile fox form, leaving the road and trailing into the ditch down wind, still able to keep track of the scent while jogging along, able to keep hidden, but gain plenty of ground on the man and boy. Eventually she came to where the road took a turn, leading into a large property, judging by the barns, a farm of sorts. She left the ditch but stayed in the tall grass and out of sight, the wheat plot right next to the road giving her ample cover. She watched the two exchange words and the boy run off, finding a nice place to settle down and watch, ears perked forward to catch their voices. The wind was in her favor, and it was easy to hear, although the smoke choked her up as it drifted along the breeze, cursing the man for having such a horrible habit.

As she thought, the strange man mentioned meeting a friend, though it was under strange circumstances. Who got stopped by guards to see a friend? Wouldn't they recognize them? The more thought she put into it, the more she figured this was some just of possible meet up. A job, maybe? She herself had gone through such a thing, though she was usually sly enough to get through the guardsmen of her clients, making them hire her most times simply for proof of her skills. As she thought, she watched the men converge on the smoker, and she watched intently as he took them all on. And as they all hit the ground.

Suddenly, she wasn't so sure if following this man was such a smart idea, not sure if she could face off with him if need be. Especially unarmed. Her curiosity got the better of her though, and she stuck around, curling her tail up around her as she got comfortable watching.

[Leon]

Seeing his men so handily taken care of, the middle-aged man took a quick step back. Mostly out of awe, but also out of fear for his own life. A single guy being able to take out four other men in the space of ten seconds? What was this guy? And why did he want to see the owner? This was totally out of his pay-grade, but his instincts screamed at him that something was going to go down. There was also the overwhelmingly glaring subject that four of the toughest guys on the farm were just tossed about like children's toys. So, swallowing his resentment towards allowing this man further onto the property, and seeing as his boss was expecting him anyhow, the man cleared his throat and gave a shaky smile.

“No, no. Please, you've more than proved who you are. Please, this way. I'll bring you to the owner.” The man said with a slight bow.

Leon simply took a pull from his cigarette and looked at the four men. Three of them were on their feet, looking at the man who had just soundly defeated them with a mixture of feelings in their eyes. Anger, resentment, awe, fear, and curiosity in equal parts. The last of the four lay on his back, staring up into the sky, his mouth slightly slack as he pondered if he should get up from that position.

Leon started to follow the man towards a different building, but stopped. He took a quick look about, then turned slowly, gazing out over the area that he had just come from. With a visible smirk, he simply looked back towards the road, took a pull from his cigarette, and turned back to the waiting man.

~

The man led Leon to another barn like building. It was identical, save for the fact that it was a different color, a cool metallic silver, had several antenna coming out of its roof, and that one side had an office look to it.

Must be the main office of the farm. Converted from another barn, I assume. Leon thought.

There were several farm hands about the area, going about their normal daily routines, and hardly paying any attention to the strange man who walked behind the general manager. To them, he must be a contractor for a business or whatnot, coming to see the operation and check up on how things were progressing. But, being so early in the season, it was probably just a contractual deal that he was going to be going to.

Leon put the end of his cigarette out at the door, and threw the extinguished butt into a trashcan. Then, he followed the man inside the building, through the small waiting room, and towards the back of the building. The interior was nicely furnished, several different offices having been set up, with doors into the rest of the barn. Really it was a machinery house, also a garage for the work equipment and the vehicles that were owned by the family. The sound of metal work could be heard, dampened by the walls and insulation.

Leon arrived with the general manager at a fairly lavish office, the door having the title of James Harding, Owner. Inside sat a man behind a desk in his fifties, roughly, having a neatly cut beard on his face, silvered hair, and a jolly expression on his lips. He was chatting with a secretary about the current plans for the crops when he noticed the two men walking down the hall towards his office. At this, he thanked the secretary and stood. Moving towards the door, the man laughed and extended his hand.

“Leon! By God, its been a while! How are you?” James said enthusiastically, his already prominent smile getting wider.

Leon grasped his friends hand and shook firmly, his smirk becoming a smile as well.

“Its good to see you, James. I'm good, thanks. Been working a lot as of late, but as you know, ain't no rest for the wicked. How about yourself?” he said.

“Oh, you said it brother... Anyhow, shall we talk business? I'm certain that you didn't come all this way for just a chat, ha ha!” James laughed his response. “ Sarah, Mike, if you would, I'd like to talk with Leon alone for a while.”

The secretary nodded her head and picked up a file that had been sitting on the desk, and the general manager looked from Leon to James quickly, the awe never leaving his eyes. But, he nodded his head as well and turned towards the door. Once the door was closed, the two men in the room laughed.

“So Leon! What brings you to my neck of the woods?” James asked, returning to his desk chair.

“Trust me James, this ones a whopper...”

~

It was about two hours later when Leon and James parted ways. The range of topics that they had covered was immense, ranging from the normal discussion of business, all the way to the current point of interest and contention: Leon's target. Supposedly the man that Leon was after was hiding out to the northwest of town, on a small farm that grew hops. A fairly lucrative business venture, but that covered the real scope that the man was dealing with. He was a weapons trafficker, supplying weapons to a local group of city-dwelling thugs who had robbed a fairly well defended bank in the city. They had used high-end weapons that took out their targets with little difficulty, but also left remarkably little visual evidence. Leon didn't share that part with James, just giving him enough information that the man was wanted by different groups for different reasons. James was a military friend of Leon's back in his enlistment days, so he knew that Leon was a trained fighter, and good with weapons.

Leon learned of the mans activities because of competition between James' farm, and the targets. James liked to dabble in all kinds of manners, seeing as he had plenty of room. But, the target brought up a dispute, claiming that there wasn't enough room in the area for two farms who dealt with such a niche item such as hops. A legal dispute went forward from the target against James, which ultimately failed due to his inability to pay the legal fees. But, James had such a sour taste about growing hops that he left the idea behind and focused on his primary crops.

That point of contention allowed Leon for an idea of how the man would work. He would try and get others to do the work for him, faking the money to consolidate for himself. Greed. It was always about bloody greed... But, now that he was outside, Leon could begin his plan of action. But, there was also one extraneous thing that was on his mind, and he was about to take care of that one small detail. Leon walked around to the side of the building. Looking down the row, Leon saw that the window of James office was open. Chuckling to himself, Leon pulled another cigarette out of the pack and placed it between his lips, lit it, and took a slow pull. James was out of the office for the time being, so this was the perfect opportunity.

“Alrighty now. I know you've been sneaking abouts behind me. C'mon out and let's talk.” Leon said somewhat loudly, so anyone sneaking about in the area could hear him.

.: Note: If this last part (the last bit of conversation) doesn't work for your response, let me know and I can change it to something less direct.:.

[Vivid]

Aysel watched for several more minutes while the men regained their composure and offered to bring her stalkiee to the owner of the establishment, watching as the cherry of the cigarette burned a bright red as he took another drag, the smoke visible even from her location as it was wafted with the breeze, which was warm like the day itself. Finally, something seemed to happen, and she picked herself up to carry on through the wheat, following the men at a slow pace as they went from the main building to what appeared to be an office or machinery building of sorts, judging by the silver walls and strange objects on the roof. She kept her distance and kept alert, her green hues shifting constantly to watch all the workers as the odd man walked inside, leaving her to grow bored after several minutes of sitting there waiting.

Judging that it was safe to leave for a while, the vixen sneaked deeper into the crops, taking advantage of her keen nose and immaculate hearing to pounce on several unsuspecting mice and other rodents. Having just eaten earlier, she didn't kill or harm any of them, just pounce and release. Her pounces were high and her tail waved out behind her, entertaining herself for quite some time before once again becoming bored. Finally, she gave up her hunt and wandered back to where she left the man, taking a quick sniff to make sure his scent wasn't fresh, knowing that he was still inside. Having wasted an hour at most, the woman nestled down in the dirt, concealed by the crops, and tucked her nose under her tail, resting quietly despite the farm noise. Half way through her wait, a large crow came and pecked at her side, the bird getting a startling swat to the head and a low growl, its wings carrying it away as fast as they could as it squawked, warning the other birds of the predator.

After what seemed like forever, the meeting seemed to be over, and the curious fox poked her nose out from under her tail, getting up and leisurely stretching, her jaws parting in a wide yawn, fangs bared briefly. She sat quietly and watched as her prey lit another smoke, his attention seemingly on the window, until he spoke. Her heart jumped and her hackles raised, her tail tip twitching while her ears fell back. Did he know about her? Was it someone else he saw? No, that wasn't possible, she would know if someone else was stalking him like she had been. Crap.

"And who might that be?" The sound of her voice would come from inside his head as the fox remained in the field, the tone smooth and unwavering, confidant. In this form, she couldn't speak out loud, but she had the ability to speak none the less, straight into someones head. That was the extent of her power though, unable to read their thoughts, or give them the ability to speak to her in the same way. Surely if this man was serious, he wouldn't mind talking to himself.

"If you can tell me where I am, I'll come out, and maybe we can talk. But no funny business."



ooc: Works fine! Hope mine works for you. Just lemme know what you'd rather her talk as. Or more so, if Leon wants to talk to himself (Aka a silent fox) or a person when she comes out.

[Leon]

"And who might that be?" Said a voice in Leon's head.

Interesting... A telepath eh? Leon thought, his interest piqued.

“If you can tell me where I am, I'll come out, and maybe we can talk. But no funny business.” The voice warned.

Leon chuckled quietly to himself at the prospect of someone trying to give him orders about what he should, and should not do. The idea also entertained him as he had no idea the scope of power that this telepath had about them. Whether they could use any other form of telekinetic powers, or what-not, Leon knew that he had to keep his guard up, even though he knew that against a possible telepath, the odds were not rightly in his favor.

Checking the display on his sunglasses, Leon noted the locations of all those nearby to him. There were still a few farmhands within the local area, but well outside of earshot, and the building hid Leon's location from prying eyes. Taking note of the area about him, the time, weather conditions and various other things, Leon focused in on the thermal image of the area about him. Leon took a pull from his cigarette and hid a smile with his hand as he saw two distinct signatures, his own, and that of a small creature, roughly ten yards to his right. Thanks to the advances he had made with the artificial intelligence HARVI, Leon was kept informed about all kinds of possible people of note in his general vicinity, and that included this small creature. HARVI had been tracking the path of the creature, now identified to Leon as a fox, for roughly ten minutes now, thermal imaging tracking the creature based upon its general path. That, and the fact that the creature had shifted to its present form from a human-like one before.

Leon turned towards the area where the creature rested and smiled a touch wider. Then, he called upon his innate ability to warp from one place to another. He knew that this seemed a touch overt, but he hoped that this could help to dissuade whoever it was from following him in foolishness. This was a job that he didn't want to involve anyone else in, just in case things got hairy. The location that Leon was warping to was also of interest, and that... was to the right of the fox, roughly three feet seperate.

“I would believe, that you are right here. Unless I am mistaken and should believe that another creature has been following me for the last ten or so minutes... at the least.” Leon said, crouching down. "Now, I don't know if me moving about in the manner that I just did constitutes as "funny business", but if it does, please, forgive me. It's just a manner of transportation that I utilize in various cases. Now, shall we discuss business?"

.:Note: I apologize if this seems a little disjointed or lack-luster. Just haven't had much chance to work on this for the last two days. Work and the like... Let me know if this doesn't work for you!:.

[Vivid]

The vixen remained seated after talking to the man, and tilted her head curiously as he seemed to display no real reaction. He had looked over her spot, but perhaps that was just a fluke, maybe he couldn't hear her. What could prevent that? She wondered, an ear swiveling to try and catch any sound he might make. Was this man just paranoid? Did he even know he was being followed, or was he just taking a guess? She watched for another few heartbeats before the man came out of nowhere to stand beside the small fox at a slight distance, startling her half to death as she jumped back, snarling with her fur puffed up.

Three things ran through her head; instinct as it were. One was that this man towered over her in this form, and although tooth and claw was a viable weapon, if he could warp-jump like that, it probably wouldn't help. Two, was that she was unarmed otherwise. If she switched to her half-form, she still had tooth and claw, but no other weapons on her. Surely this man could disable her pretty quickly if it came to a fight. And last, but not least, this man would tower over her in any of her forms, and usually that meant that they were slower and not as agile, letting her strike, or get away. The mans speed however, blew that out of the water.

grr.

She listened and watched as the man crouched, her coat slowly un-fluffing and falling back into place, though her jaws were still tense, locked in a silent snarl. If she had any opening to attack, this was it. His throat was in pounce range, and maybe, just maybe, her weight would be enough to knock him over and let her get away. His apologizing throwing her off quite hard, not expecting it even the slightest. After all, he was the one being stalked. She had to decide quickly what to do, and despite her better judgement, she shifted.

The process was quick and nothing more than a burst of soft light, probably not enough to catch anyone's attention in broad daylight, though there was the off chance. Where the cross fox once stood, now crouched the woman he saw at the hotel, the large fox-ears upon her head laid back, just as they were seconds ago in her other form, while her tail stretched out behind her for better balance.

"Ten or so minutes, huh? If you don't recognize me, I followed you straight from the hotel." She was blunt about it, wanting to get things out of the way quickly. The more this man knew, the better reaction he'd give, and the better she could judge him, and possibly decide if he was a threat. If he took her words as one though... Maybe she was digging too deep.

"Business?" Her ears perked and she rose a brow, hands sitting on her knees, ready to give her the extra spring she may have needed to get up and run if things turned south. "What kind of business, exactly? By all means, if you're looking for assistance in something... I might be of service. But.. Perhaps we should change location? Sometimes, the corn has ears." She chuckled inwardly at her horrible joke, not to mention they were in a wheat field... Suddenly she just felt stupid, giving a bit of an awkward cough.

ooc: Works fine.~ Sorry for this being late!

Edit: That "grr" swear block made me laugh so hard. Dirty, dirty mouth Aysel...

[Leon]

.: I apologize firstly for the lateness of this response. I've just been very busy as of late. In addition, I wanted to bring the RP in a direction for just a little bit, so that it makes more sense when Leon is talking with Aysel. Let me know if this does or doesn't work for you.:.

“I wouldn't go so far as to say that I need assistance in a matter that I'm attending to.” Leon said, standing up and taking a small step back, allowing the now human-form fox-girl some room. “But I agree. We should talk somewhere more appropriate.”

Reaching into his pocket, Leon pulled the small cube from before out. Turning towards the tall stalks of wheat, Leon tossed the cube several feet away. It came to rest sitting on one of its six faces, and for a moment, didn't do anything more. Then, the cube began to open. The pieces began to fold away and a small sphere rose up from the center of the small box. The sphere began to expand, becoming wider, but thinner, spiraling out into a roughly six and a half foot disk, hovering over the remains of the box. The center of the disk suddenly cleared, revealing the interior of a house, richly decorated. Spotless marble flooring stood just beyond the image, with chairs, tables, stands, and book-cases in the background. In the center of the image stood, against a wall, a large fireplace which reached to the ceiling, wrought of black marble and gold colored metal, with a pile of logs sitting in the hearth. To one side of the fireplace sat an ornate desk, an expensive computer on one end, a high-backed and comfortable office chair at its rear, and several other comfortable looking arm-chairs before the desk.

“Shall we?” Leon said, gesturing to follow him.

Despite her answer, Leon walked directly towards the disk, knowing that there was no-one remotely close enough to see the phenomena, thanks to the telemetry he was receiving through his sunglasses. The surface of the disk seemed to be a solid as stone, but fluctuated and allowed Leon to pass through it to the other side with no issue. Once on the other side of the now-obvious portal, Leon made his way over to the desk. The room itself was something that he prided himself over. It was his personal study in his mansion. The walls were covered in deep red wall-paper, with gold accents and scrawling at the eves. Large paintings hung from the walls, covering a multitude of genres. From works of nature, to the vastness of space, the paintings seemed to fit perfectly in their positions, shouldered by book-cases filled with many books. The floor surrounding the portal was covered in marble flooring, while the rest was covered in deep maroon carpet. Behind his desk was a large floor to ceiling window, the drapes closed over to cover the majority of the glass, but a sliver stood open, revealing a breath-taking view of the valley below the mansion, plus a wide look at the lands about.

Provided the girl joined him in coming through the portal, Leon would turn his attention to the computer screen at the desk. Seating himself in his chair, Leon called up several different documents on the computer, all of which he had already called into the registry the day before.

“Now then. I would assume that all of this is rather blatantly strange to you, perhaps even shockingly so, that a random man would be wandering around in a small town on the outskirts of a city, talking with random people and then throwing several men who were larger than himself about as if they were rag-dolls. Trust me when I say that it sounds almost fantastical. But, that's the reality that we're in.” Leon said, opening a drawer in the desk.

“So, faced with the information and experience that we have had, I must ask one thing of you. You've followed me from the hotel all the way to the farm, watched me toss about those men, and then had a portal appear in front of you. At that junction, one would wonder whether it would be wise to follow the person who has done all of this. I would ask you, however, what your interest is?” Leon said, pulling out a folder.

Leon placed the folder on the desk before him.

“My question falls in the regard of wondering how far you intend on going in pursuit of following me?” Leon asked, looking at the girl, a curious grin on his lips as he waited for her response.

.:I apologize again. I think this is a little disjointed, but it kinda works for the thoughts I have for upcoming things. I have different things floating about right now as far as ideas, so if this doesn't work, I can post something different haha.:.

[Vivid]

Her foxish ears flickered in curiosity and she listened to the man as he stood, also taking to her feet. She appreciated the step away and tilted her head ever so slightly as he mentioned talking elsewhere, her guard back up. What was wrong talking in a field where no one would bother them? Or was he worried of the person he came here to meet finding them? Either way, the woman was quite impressed as she watched what he did, a small cube turning into a sort of portal. She peered into the room on the other side with an almost frown, watching as the man walked through with ease. She took several heartbeats to make her decision, scanning the interior for anything that might later prove to be a danger to her.

Where was this place? How would she get out? Was it anywhere near where she was now? Several more questions popped up, but she pushed them aside and took a chance, holding her breath as she took a two-step running leap type thing into the portal, hoping more than anything that it wasn't solid, or a trap. Once on the other side, she opened her eyes - not that she noticed they were shut when she went though - and let out the held breath, looking around more now that she was inside the room. Curious, she peered behind her to see if the portal was still active, and if it allowed her to see outside the way they had come, instead catching her gaze on the wide expanse that lay beyond the window.

As the man turned his attention to the computer, she walked past to draw back the drapes another inch or two, wide green eyes peering out to the valley below. By far, this was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, and she couldn't help but wonder what it looked like with the sun set, hills covered in a pink-orange glow. She shook her head as she tried to picture it, knowing she could do the sight no good in her mind. The woman stood at the window while the man, Leon she recalled his name being, talked to her. Her right ear swiveled to hear him, while the other remained perked up, still in awe at the sight. Her tail sway slowly behind her and she had nearly forgotten the danger of this man, until he mentioned the men he had tossed, bringing her back to her senses.

Her eyes narrowed the slightest bit as she turned her gaze and attention back to the stranger, pondering his question for several seconds. Her arms lifted above her head in a stretch, back arched briefly in a nonchalant way, shrugging eventually. "My curiosity lingers in why a man armed to the teeth would so casually stroll into a town, then stroll back out, unarmed. As for how far I would follow you..." She trailed off for a moment, flicking an aud before gazing back out the window, answering a few heartbeats later. "I'm not certain. I mean, I already spent half the day following you and waiting around outside your destination.. What's a few days more?" She turned back to him and met his grin with a smirk, tail curling at the tip in amusement.

Ooc: Sorry for the delay! Happy new year! Hope this all works for you.~

[Leon]

“What's a few days more?” She asked. Leon almost laughed aloud at that.

He stifled the outburst, only a token smile shone through betraying his amusement. He had to remind himself that she had no idea the scope of his profession. Either of them, really... On the one hand, Leon was the head of a defense and technological development firm, a veritable titan in the defense industry. On the other, Leon was a highly skilled assassin. The depth of things that he partook in was well beyond the normal scope of things a typical person would ever encounter, reaching probably all the way into absurdity and insanity.

Leon looked at the girl then, taking careful note of how she moved and spoke. She obviously had seen quite a few different wild scenarios in her time, seeing as her outward projection bespoke little of the whirlwind turn of events that had befallen her in the recent span of time. A strange, weapon bearing man waltzing into a quiet farming town, taking up residence in an inn, and then almost immediately turning about and heading out of town with a youth that just so happen to be looking for this exact man, who NOW was no-longer armed. Then, following them to a typical farm, watching the man throw about a small group of men as if they were play-things, and then meeting with another gentleman as if it were a casual meet and greet. Lastly, having a portal open up before you and stepping through it to be transported to a completely different environment. Not a typical thing to do on a Wednesday.

Leon sighed then, the smile on his face fading only slightly.

“Well. I can honestly say that those next few days, if we get that far, will be something out of either a nightmare or a fantasy story. But, firstly. Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Leon Walter Deltova, owner and president of Domestic, Regional, and External Artificial Defenses Incorporated, or simply, D.R.E.A.D. Inc.” Leon said, standing and giving a slight bow. “I'm certain you've heard of the company.”

“To give you a bit of information, you now currently stand in my private study within my mansion, approximately one-hundred and twenty three miles from where we were previously. This place is probably one of the most secure and well defended buildings in the country.” Leon said, returning to his seat. “Now, I'm certain you're curious as to why the president of a company is mucking about in a farming town in the rear-end of nowhere, toting weapons and the like as if they were common place. That answer... well. It's a little harder to say without some background information. Suffice to say, I was a part of the military for quite some time. I saw things, did things, and killed people. All a part of the job. That's also one of the main contributing factors why I started this company. To help prevent a lot of those things from happening.”

At this point, Leon had positioned himself in a reclined sitting position, his leg crossed over the other at the knee and his arms crossed, the smile all but gone from his face.

“All this information is leading up to why I've asked you to come here. Seeing as you're fairly intrigued into my business, I think it's safe to assume that you're not going to be trying to stab me in the back. So, I think that you deserve to know why I really was out there. You see, I'm not just a prominent businessman, though many people would like to believe that's the case. I'm also a head-hunter. A mercenary, assassin, hired gun, call it what you will. They all pretty much fit into the same title of my second occupation.” Leon said, his attention on the girl. “And, now that you've got that tidbit, I'm sure you know that I was out there on a job. Hunting a target out in that direction, and I happened to need a bit of information, so, seeing an old associate of mine, I got just what I needed.”

Leon stood at this, and walked away from the desk. He moved towards one of the book-cases at the other end of the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

“So, with the information in hand, I was going to turn about and gather my things and get to the job. But, seeing that you were following me with such great interest, I thought 'Hey, why not see if she's willing to help, seeing as she's followed you this far?'. And, here we are. So, this is my offer to you. The job will be paying a large sum of money for its completion, a touch more than my normal fee. And, should you be interested, I will be willing to split the payment with you for your help. That is, if you decide to take up the offer, of course. Should you not be interested, I can open a portal to where-ever you desire and with a quick step, you'll be on your way without further incident.”

Leon had stopped before the book-case with his back to Aysel, up until the last bit. Turning quickly, Leon returned his attention to the girl, the smile having returned to his features.

“So. The offer is on the table. Interested, Miss...?” Leon asked.

.: I'm SOOOOOO sorry for the lateness of the post T_T... Things have been so hectic in my life that this was the first chance I got to actually sit down and write something for you! I hope you like it!:.

[Vivid]

The woman twitched an ear as she juggled her gaze between the man and the sight before her, still very mesmerized by the lush wildlife that lay just beyond the looking glass. Grass rippled with the breeze and trees far off danced with different colours as the sun hit the wiggling leaves, resisting the urge to place her hand against the spotless glass in an attempt to take it in more. His smile had her emerald eyes linger for a few moments, not quite able to decide what he found amusing out of what she had previously voiced. Either way, she felt quite accomplished, seeing how stony this man appeared on the outside. No matter, this was one adventure she was glad she didn't miss out on. If for nothing more than the view from this place. Noticing the fade of said smile, her head cantered minimally and she listened as he began to talk again, interested in how straight to the point this was getting.

Leon Walter Deltova she recited in her head, making a note to remember that in case she ever had to scold the man. If he worked on a last name basis, it would come in handy too, but her preference was on Leon. "Mr. Deltova" just didn't flow as well as "Hey, Leon" did. Timid as she was some times, last names weren't ever her thing. Unless she was talking to someone hiring her... Which appeared to be the case. Mr. Deltova it was. D.R.E.A.D... Her ears lowered an inch and her tail gave an extra swing, noticeably aware of the company, though she kept her distaste to herself. "It isn't every day a lady gets invited to a mans private study by walking through some portal... I'm honored." She teased to make light of the situation, also seeing if she could bring his former smile back to life. No matter his reaction, she kept listening, taking in the tidbits of information and trying to get a profile on the man while looking back out the window, watching as a blue jay went soaring by.

As he reclined she gave a sort of chuckle, not of amusement, but more of disgust. "We've all done things, seen things, and killed people." Her voice was a little more off set than it had been before, letting her gaze slip back to his with a smirk, letting a fang poke out the side of her mouth to add to the effect. "Never trust a fox." She chimed in a sing-song voice, letting her gaze slip back to the window after a few heartbeats. "Intrigued, yes. Going to stab you in the back? Don't give me a reason to. As for what you are... We're quite two of the same." The information about his associate gave her a lot more insight to the whole situation, a question coming to mind from it as the woman sharply turned her eyes, following his figure as it moved across the floor to the book cases, her back now to the window. "Why did you toss around those men then..? Surely your friend knew you were arriving? Or was it short notice?"

While interested in the his history, the job information, and the "nightmare or fantasy story" qualities, money was the reason she had come here. Or, rather, to the town they had hotel rooms booked in, not so much his personal study. Not at all his personal study, actually. That was a fluke. She showed her interest by raising a brow, not pressing too hard on the matter though. There were more important things to know than how much she would make, mostly who their hit was, why they needed to be taken down, and how it was going to be done.

"Aysel." She responded quickly and with a hint of firmness, following soon after with "Last names come on a trust basis. You don't try to kill me in a week, and you can get it. Or you can try sweet talking it out of me, or maybe just take me outside, the options are endless." The smirk returned to her lips, eyeing the man playfully as her tail sway contently behind her.

Ooc: Stop being sorry! I'd wait a month if I have to. I love what you come up with, and the wait makes it more alluring. I haven't had a good rp in years. You're spoiling me. Life happens, we've all been there, done that. Stop being sorry! Hope this is good for you, I can change up anything if need be. Edit: Oh, lord. That looked like so much more on word. I feel like I gave crap all to work with now.

[Leon]

Leon had been watching the woman's reaction the entire time he gave her the information that was due to her. Her reaction to how he mentioned his dealings with the men at the gates of the farm, his mentioning of his primary business dealings, as well as to his explanation of his other sources of profit and interpersonal relations with people of a particular nature. He also inwardly noted her fascination with the area behind the windows of his study. Her bearing was something of interest to Leon. Her almost casual stature to the news and information that was being relayed to her, her smirk at several of the pieces that he had gone over, as well as how she seemed able to generally role with the avalanche of information that was now hers.

Leon smiled at the woman. She was definitely someone that Leon was going to enjoy working with.

“Well, Aysel, it's a pleasure.” Leon said, bowing slightly. “And I'm certain you and I can arrange something for the last name business.” He added with a slight chuckle.

At that, Leon began to make his way to the desk on which he had placed the folder of papers. As he walked, the windows began to become less obscured. The windows rolled up into the ceiling and the light of the day began to flood into the room, warming and brightening it considerably. As the last touches of the curtains vanished into the ceiling and were lost behind a retracted segment of white molding, the windows began to roll in both directions, opening the room to the outside air. Below the lip of the windows, a deck raised up to fill the space before the open void. Handrails slid up at the extremities of the decking to prevent people on it from falling over the edge. As the deck finished its assent, chairs and a large ornate metal and glass table popped into being in the center of the deck. The chairs were comfortable looking and the table shone in the bright sunlight.

Leon had already made it to the desk, retrieved the folder and was walking out to the deck even before the different amenities were there. He maneuvered around the table as it warped into existence and sat himself at one end of the table. The table wasn't very large, easily seating six with plenty of room to spare, but was small enough to be comfortable and not feel like people were across a room to each other.

If one were to look around the deck, now that it was there, they would be able to see the sights of the land that Leon's mansion resided upon. The deck looked out over a small field, at the edge, trees began to populate down a hill. The hill faced the east, looking out across a valley with a river running through the center. On either side of the valley, untouched wooded areas littered the land, going north, south and further east. To the north lay a low series of mountains, their snow-capped peaks glinting in the sunlight. Though they were capped in snow, the lower reaches were bald due to the warm weather. To the south was an open sky, the field by the house running for several miles, shouldering the river as it ran. A piece of untouched beauty, Leon only wanted to build his home there, and not touch any more of the land around it.

“Now then. I would assume that you like to know the nature of the mission that I have asked you to join me on. Its rather straight forward, but the execution will be important.” Leon said, waving his flat hand over the table.

The glint off of the table vanished as the table began to project 3D shapes and figures off of its surface. The images quickly began to come together and formed a rough topographic map of the area that the two had been previously. Leon had placed the folder of information opposite to himself, his fingers tracing through scrolling information that was appearing before him off of the tables surface.

“The folder there is all of the current information that I have on our target.” Leon said, indicating with his hand.

Leon stood up at this point and pushed the chair he had been sitting in for that brief moment, back with his heel.

“Oh, and I hope that you don't mind me taking this little meeting out onto the deck. The study is nice, but it can get a little stuffy.” He added, a smile on his face.

“Now then. The target is a man whom I have had dealings with before, though never directly, and certainly nothing to warrant me killing the man right then and there. I would assume that this is something more recent that he has done to garner the enmity of those whom contracted me... and by me I now mean us.” Leon said, stopping and correcting himself. “ The man's name is or was, I don't know if it's changed since my last dealings with him, is Horace Pearing.” Leon began, the images being projected taking shape of a man's face. “Former army, front-lines, ranked E-8 Master Sargent. Worked over-seas with several divisions of men who worked with munitions. He retired after twenty years of service, got his pension and went to work as a blue-collar man. Worked in the public sector as a night guard at a mall.”

“That all went well for about three years. That's when some of his old army buddies found out where he had been since leaving. Well, from what was gathered, they wanted to keep doing what they had done in the army. They wanted to be the baddest guys on the block, not taking nothing from anyone, but they wanted the profit of it as well. They tried recruit him on as a CO and to be their leader.” Leon said, massaging his eyes. “At first he said no, he wanted things to go normal for him. They apparently tried to recruit him with bribes, but he shot them down. Then, a year later, things began to go rough for him. Lost his job, lost his house, and the money from his pension wasn't enough to meet his needs. So, he decided to go find his old buddies. They took him in warmly and got him back into the game of playing soldier. They started small, offering protection to local shop-keeps, roughed up gangs who got to high and mighty, even taking care of some small time offenders. The money was nice, but it wasn't enough. They set their sights on larger goals. Suffice to say, the tried to offer ME protection from my competition, asking for outrageous sums of money in return.” Leon continued, scoffing at the memory.

“Anyhow, they went underground and began to consolidate. Instead of protection, they began to run weapons, drugs, people. They drew people in, trained them to follow their orders and the like, and have basically become a small militia. That didn't last long. Infighting and desires for power got to some of the senior members of the group and they basically went to war with themselves. A lot were killed, a lot more left the game behind, afraid of the fallout. We were left with a husk of a militia, but the top dog was still kicking.”

“The mission revolves around us taking out Pearing. He's trying to restart his little militia, but wants to make it bigger and badder than before. He's got a small base of operations about six miles from the town we met in. And, the numbers suggest that he's got about thirty others with him. Nothing major, but still dangerous. Luckily, I've got ample supply to get the mission done, but doing some bits by myself were going to be tricky. To have someone else, provided you're still interested, would be more than welcome.” Leon said, looking towards Aysel.

“I suppose the only thing left to say is, what do you think?” Leon asked the woman, his brow raised and his smile on his face.

.: Holy wall of text Batman! I... I don't really know where all of this came from lol... But, I'm sorry that this is so long in the making and that there's SO BLOODY MUCH INFORMATION!! Let me know if it doesn't work for you and I can change it. But in all seriousness... Why did I write so much!?:.