A Step out of the Norm [Open]

[Vivid]

Long and boring introductions to jobs weren't new to her, it was mandatory to sit through and learn about the target or the organization, what was new to her however, was working with someone else so closely. This wasn't just someone telling her what she had to do alone, this was someone letting her in to his business, which she so rudely interrupted, and was allowing her part in; to work beside him as a team if she so desired. Working alone had been her way of business since she started, only once working with another, and that was simply getting directions through an earpiece, no physical contact what so ever. It's not that she disliked other people with her by any means, but her mixed blood gave her advantages others didn't have, to start. Stealth and cunning were instincts embedded into her, able to walk silently on any terrain and outwit anyone who might be after her.

Having an ally made her work more dangerous. Communication was involved where they had to be dead quiet, they lagged behind and if caught, blew their cover. If a partner was caught, she would be expected to save them and put herself in danger to do it, all the while stuck with someone she had no interest in being with in the first place, never mind rescuing. Party jobs weren't her thing, but here she was, considering working alongside another. Why was that? Admittedly, she felt guilty for butting in to Leon's work, having followed him merely out of interest and boredom. He could have killed her and carried on, but instead, he brought her to his inner workings, and began an introduction of what he was doing, and even offered her a cut if she joined his cause. Surely guilt wasn't the only reason, after all, she had come to the town in search of work, just.. Not quite by these means.

"I'm sure we can." She answered after merely dipping her head to his bow, not as keen on being formal as factual. Everything about this man was so proper and polite, it was odd to be in the presence of. Employers were generally to the point and hardly cared for names, never mind the opinions of their lackeys. Whilst she knew he wasn't the employer per say, and she certainly wasn't any lackey, she knew that most in her line of work became all the same; to the point and not as friendly as they once were. Never mind polite and proper.

Startled, the curious female turned her head as she heard a soft whoosh sound behind her, her body soon following while taking a few steps back, ears perked atop her head in wonder as she watched the window opening, eyes squinting as the sunlight brightened the room around her. The technology this man had had her astonished as a deck began rising up below the window ledge, her eyes bright and wide as she got a face-full of fresh air, watching the rails come up while marveling at the land that now seemed much more vibrant than it was before, hidden behind the window. Even more to her surprise, chairs and a table seemed to pop up from nowhere, making her blink and do a double take while Leon just sauntered out, moving like liquid as everything settled, becoming a fully functioning addition to the room.

Still a bit cautious, Aysel took careful steps forward and onto the deck, her first step nothing more than poking the tip of her shoe to the platform, making sure it was really there. From another's point of view, she may have looked quite silly, tapping the platform once or twice more before gingerly stepping out onto it, grasping a near by chair like a lifeline. Surely if this could all come together so quickly, it could come apart just as fast.

Feeling a little more confidant, the woman took a breath and released the chair that was previously in a death grip, taking her time getting comfortable with everything. She surveyed the land they were on with fascination and delight, making a mental note in the back of her mind to make him take her outside to explore, the tail behind her leisurely swinging in anticipation. Her mind, so preoccupied with the deck and land, was kicked back into gear as she heard him start to talk, giving an awkward cough and taking a seat across from him, focusing back on business.

"That is the idea, and reason I'm here, more or less." Her tone was calm and collected, not at all like how she was acting moments before. Business was important, her leisure time could wait. For now, she needed details and a plan, both of which she assumed this man had, given the folder in his immediate belongings. Her eyes lowered from his face to the table she was seated before, watching as the glass seemed to morph, head tilted as she saw what appeared to be a map take form. As the folder was passed to her, she took it upon herself to open its cover and glance at the information inside while still keeping an eye on the table, hoping to not miss any vital information from what he was reading


Her ears rested neatly to the sides of her head, still perked and attentive, but far more relaxed. She peered up from the documents briefly as he stood and pushed back his chair, just catching a glance before going back to skimming. She gave a small chuckle and looked up again to the man, shrugging her shoulders and giving the mountains a good look, smiling warmly. "Not at all, helps me focus better any way. Fresh air 'n all. Might even get you a last name sooner." She cocked a brow playfully and gave him a look, returning to the folder immediately after. Interrupted by him again, the woman finally gave up, closing the folder and focusing her attention on the table once more as it changed, becoming someones face, presumably a face to match the man Leon was speaking of.

Aysel absorbed the information she was given like a dry sponge, finding Leon's detail to be far greater than most would have given her, even when hiring her themselves. A lot of thought went into this operation, and someone wanted this man taken down badly. That, or Leon had aligned himself with some notable people. He did mention previous dealings with the man though, did he search out this information himself? She made another note to ask him about that later, not wanting to interrupt his informative speech.

"They... They tried to offer you protection? Please, tell me this was years ago, when you couldn't take on a group of guards with your pinky?" The female snickered as she thought of someone trying to offer protection to a man she saw put down several men without so much as blinking, shaking her head and trying to collect herself, listening to him finish.

"What do I think? I think I'm interested so far. That is of course, if you have a working plan, which by the sounds of it, you do. Are these thirty recruits recognizable names, or are they just punks who think they can make a name for themselves? If they're trained men, a two man operation like us could end in a casualty or two if anything went wrong." She stretched out a bit with her arms above her head, soaking in the warm sunlight with something akin to a purr. "I'm also curious... Were you handed all this information, or did you search it out yourself? I've never had someone give me more than a name, location, and to tell me if I die, it's my own fault." A bubbly laugh left her throat and she cast her eyes up to the man, reading his facial expressions carefully.

"No matter, I'd like to go over the plan as soon as possible if that's alright. I'm not sure when you're expected to bring it to fruition, but I'd like to see if I can spot any holes." With that, she turned her eyes away, back to the vast expanse of land, emerald eyes shining in the sun.

OOC: Bwahaha, I beat you by like 100 words! I hope this is enough for you to work with, as far as commentary goes at least. A lot of it was just reactions. If you need more, or something changed, lemme know and I'll do what I can!

[Leon]

Leon watched as Aysel broke down everything that he had discussed before her. Apparently she was fairly familiar with this. Good, this'll make things easier. Leon thought.

At the comment of where he got his information, Leon let out a little chuckle, but remained silent as she finished her statement.

“To answer your first question, yes, they tried to offer me protection five or six years ago. That, however, was still during the time I could put the hurting on a group of guards with one hand.” Leon smiled. “Your second question, regarding the information, is rather interesting. My client, now ours, gave me a general overview of who it was they wanted taken out, plus some of the minor points of his history, but I did most of the digging myself. Finding former members of the PMC and questioning them was fairly easy, especially when I know how to motivate someone to talk. Most of the information came from that, while a little of the info was stored on computers that were kept by some of the members. Some of it was encrypted, some of it wasn't. Nothing major. It gave me the general location and some of the current information concerning our target.”

“Lastly, to bring things together, I do indeed have a plan, as you have aptly called out. The general idea of the plan is to infiltrate the base of operations under cover of darkness and take out the main power supply, plus any backups. With that cut out, we'll have more room to breathe, plus having the dark to cover our movements will add a bit of an edge. Now, I can't be certain on the actual stock they have in their possession, but I can gather that it's nothing substantial... yet. From the intel I've gathered, this entire thing has been going on for only two months now, and the fledgling stages of any major operation is still several months down the road. But, that doesn't mean that they have no means to defend themselves, or even to cover themselves up and remain secret. The only reason I was able to uncover this information is because I dug at it, with all the tools at my disposal.” Leon said, his fingers tracing information that continued to roll before him from the screen.

Reading over the information before him again quickly, Leon pulled his attention to Aysel.

“Now, we've got quite a window to pull this operation off. Until we get some kind of notification of them trying something big, we can take our time and pick at the general points of the plan. Once we cut the power, try and take out as few people as possible, if it is at all possible. No need for senseless loss of life if it can be avoided. We pinpoint where Pearing is, get to him, and take him down however we have to, plus anyone who can pose to start this thing up again. I know that that's a little contradicting to what I just said, but the grunts are just feeding off of the energy of the boss. Take out the head, the body dies, so to speak.” Leon said, crossing his arms and looking at Aysel.

“Now, we're not going to be going in there without the proper tools. I've got quite the stockpile of munitions and supplies to fund a small PMC myself, but at a much more tactical and advanced pace. If you've got questions, feel free to ask them, comments, go ahead and make em, concerns, lay em bare. But, I ask that you follow me just for a minute. I'm certain that you're comfortable here in the sunshine, but I want to give you a small view of what I have that we're going to have access to for this mission, that is, of course, if you don't mind.” Leon said, unfolding his arms and beginning to walk from the desk and into the study.

Whether or not she followed Leon, he would make his way through the door at the back of the study into the first floor of his home. The room itself was massive, standing nearly three stories in height, with wall to wall tinted windows, partially closed off by curtains the color of deep red wine. The room was furnished in many areas with plenty of black leather, comfortable chairs, with end tables, coffee tables, small book cases, and against the western wall, an entire section of what looked to be a miniture library, with the shelves reaching half the height of the room, filled to the brim with books of all kinds and sizes. Against the southern wall ran paintings of all kinds, and at the second story, an overlook hung out slightly. Going along the wall, flowing down elegantly was a large staircase made of white marble, carpeted on the steps with a maroon carpet. The handrails were polished gold in color, the ends curving down and flowing seemlessly into the supports. Going further, being on the eastern end of the room, there was an open door way leading into a large kitchen, with an open air bar at the northern side.

Looking inside the kitchen, it was fully furnished with appliances, cabinetry, counter space made of salt and pepper marble, a large double sink, large range, with oven below it. A dish washer stood next to the sink, with cabinets flanking both sides. The woodwork was a soft white in color, giving everything a clean look. Pots and pans hung from different hooks, and utensils were in various places, ready to be used. A fully stocked bar was along the wall, and the ceiling of the kitchen was at a normal height. In the center of the kitchen stood an elegant island with plenty of seating, ample room for perhaps ten people to sit at comfortably. It looked more like a high quality restaurant kitchen then a private owners.

Against the southern wall, next to the stair case sat two metal doors. Obviously the doors were those of an elevator, and that they were highly polished, nearly to a point of being able to see one's reflection in them. Next to the doors was a small call button with an up and down arrow. The fact that there was an elevator in the main part of the house, however, spoke of something larger than just a tall building. The doors for the elevator opened as Leon approached them, parting without a sound. The interior of the elevator was furnished with light wooden panels, ringed by a bright copper handrail. The floor buttons were set into an ivory white mount, and the buttons themselves, numbering all the way from F4, to B32, with the ground level button glowing blue, indicating the current level. If Aysel followed Leon into the elevator, Leon would press the button for B22.

“I know, I know, its quite an extensive house. Trust me, there'll be time to explore in a short while. But, first, we're going to go down quite a ways.” Leon said, a smile on his lips.

The doors would ding closed and the feeling of decent could be felt as the two would ride down through the earth. After perhaps thirty seconds, the doors would ding open, reveal a rather comfortable room. Several chairs were in places around the room, and a large door stood at the far end. A small counter was along the left hand part of the room, on it was a coffee machine, a few books, and a small refrigerator. Above the counter was a large television which blinked to life as the doors opened. On it played soft music. The back wall was made of a dark glass, with the door being made of metal. As Leon aproached, the glass lit up, revealing a large warehouse behind. The door sunk into the floor as Leon approached, allowing access to the large room beyond. The warehouse was very well organized, with rows upon rows of shelves and cases, housing many different kinds of weapons, gadget, ammunition, and other various tools used by special and militant forces. The shelves and cases gave way nearing the back to a large firing range, complete with chambers for individual operators to fire and test weapons. Work benches, reloading benches, and quite a number of tools stood at various intervals around the warehouse, ready and waiting for use to maintain, customize, and work with various items.

“A rather nice collection of gear, if I say so myself. I usually come here to supply before heading out on a mission. Take a look around, I've got all kinds of things in here that might suit your fancy. And I know, this seems all a touch over the top, but then again, I am a contract killer after all. Gotta keep myself well stocked and under the radar if I can help it.” Leon said, making a broad gesture with his arms.

To him, this room was a playland of different tools of war, to others, this could easily be a fortification to start a war. Both were correct, but that was up to the guest. There were racks of combat vests, tactical harnesses, holsters and backpacks arrayed, all able to be customized to the user. Handguns, semi-auto and fully automatic rifles, sniper rifles, sub-machine guns, LMGs, HMGs, explosives, and all kinds of ammunition for the various weapons. There were plenty of gadgets, tools, equipment and modifications to be had as well.

“Let me know if you've got a particular fancy when it comes to this stuff, and I'll see if I can't help you find what it is you're looking for.” Leon said, seating himself on a nearby work bench and looking at Aysel.

.:Holy cow Batman! That's a lot of text! If there's anything in here that you want me to change, re-word, or what have you, let me know and I'll do my best to fix it! Its nice to finally be able to sit down and write something up for you, so I hope you enjoy it!:.

[Vivid]

Whilst listening to all the information at once was incredibly boring and pulled at her patience, the light conversation in-between gave her something else to focus on, which seemed to be what the vixen needed to stay focused. She was intrigued by this man as he answered her, there were bits and pieces of what he was saying that put him in a whole other league than what she was used to dealing with, which both concerned her and made her quite pleased, two clashing feelings she wasn't sure which to lean on more. To learn that he was able to acquire so much information, so much detailed information, so quickly was.... Astounding, and quite frighting at the same time. It was thorough and complete, hardly a detail missed, and as her eyes scanned over the projected words and she listened to his answers, she began to understand how this man did his work a little better.

Once he got started on relaying the plan, the woman stopped trying to read the (backwards to her) writing that floated by and just listened to him, her mind going to work placing made up images to words, like being told a story and imagining the characters. She was sure he would eventually disclose what the building looked like, where said power supply was and how they would cut it, but until then, she was stuck picturing it for herself. "The only reason I was able to uncover this information is because I dug at it, with all the tools at my disposal." To get such direct information, this man must have an extensive amount of tools, and just what exactly those were piqued her curiosity, however she kept her ponderings to herself for the time being, there would surely be time to investigate the man later.

For the time being, she was content remaining quiet and letting him do the talking. She had a few thoughts and questions, but nothing that was too dire to interrupt him and his deeper explanation on how they would infiltrate the building. She could gather her own information another time. An ear twitched as he finished and asked for questions, debating quickly whether she asked them now, or saved them for later. At the rate he was going, she wouldn't have any left if she let him keep talking. Deciding on the latter, the femme tilted her head at his prompt for her to follow, casting a longing glance to the expanse of land to her side immediately after. He was right; the sun was comfortable, as was the breeze, the view, and the sounds of birds chirping below, but she knew they couldn't stay out here forever since they had first stepped out onto the strange patio. With an almost inaudible sigh, she turned on her heel and began following the man, once more marveling at the sights of the study while they passed through.

Her tail swung with her steps as it had stopped its constant swaying when they left the outside, albeit still content, her curious eyes skimming over the walls and floor, half expecting to see the crack of some secret doorway, or an object that looked out of place, something you would expect to house a secret room if you pulled or pushed it. With no such luck she let her gaze rest partially on the man in front of her, being sure to keep up to him while still looking around, taking in all there was to see in such a luxurious house. (Mansion?) Her eyes fell immediately on the cases filled with books as they left the study, wondering just what lined the shelves. Had he read them all? Were they fantasy? Horror? She chided herself. Knowing so little about this man, and at the same time so much, she came to the conclusion that it had to be boring things. Atlases, math books, how to build a bomb for dummies, that sort of thing. After all, everyone has to start out somewhere.

The room itself, minus the book cases, was intimidating in height, similar to her current companion, which even he seemed dwarfed in such a tall room. It was decorated tastefully, and she wondered if he had done it himself, or if he had had someone else come in to give the rooms such life. Was it possible for him to like curtains of red, and odd artwork that she had never seen before? The thought escaped her mind as she cast a glance past Leon into what appeared to be a large kitchen, and although she couldn't see very much of it through the doorway, she made a mental note to go explore it later. Finally the two paused in front of a large set of gleaming metal doors, the vixen unsure of what to expect. Was the house large enough to require an elevator? Was it some kind of vault? As she stepped to the side she noted the buttons on the wall, coming to the conclusion that it was indeed an elevator, and that this place had to be a lot larger than she had originally thought. With that in mind, the timid fox decided to stick close to the side of the man, not wanting to get lost on her own. Maybe she wouldn't explore that kitchen after all.

As the doors slid open she took time to visually interrogate the elevator before stepping inside after the man, turning to face the doors, and get a peek at what floor they were going to. His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she stared rather dumbfoundly at Leon after having seen the number of floors, getting out nothing more than an exasperated mumble of sorts.

"Explore? You mean get lost?" She half snapped, not trying to be rude, but still shocked. This place was huge! What on earth could someone need with so many floors?! "Extensive doesn't even begin to cover it..." She mumbled under her breath just loud enough for him to catch, for once not even noticing the mans smile. Her ears lowered to the sides as the elevator began its decent, tail curling around one of her legs anxiously. There was something so unnatural about the feeling of falling so far so fast and not dying while doing so, and as if to make herself feel better, the only thought that crossed her mind was 'it's too far down to take the stairs'. To her the ride took forever even though she knew it was quick, restraining herself to not make a mad dash out of the small box once they reached their destination, her green hues flicking side to side, inspecting what she could see when the doors opened while gingerly stepping out, trying to act natural while her heart was pounding steadily in her chest.

Getting over the ordeal, or at least trying to, Aysel took a breath and tried to calm down. Her tail left her leg to remain stiffly behind her while the fox ears atop her head perked a little as music began to play, eventually coming all the way up as she realized she recognized the classical tune, but couldn't place a name to it. With the music to sooth her she gave a quick look around while Leon made his way over to what appears to be a safe-room of sorts judging by the metal door, but the glass walls confused her. Slowly following after her strange partner, Aysel was surprised to watch the room before them light up without the door even being opened, which she noticed it did from the top instead of the side like a normal door would, bringing back her safe-room theory until she really looked beyond the glass, coming to realize that the man she was with was one hell of a serious threat judging by one wall of weaponry alone.

She was quick to enter the room behind him and take a good look around. It was unbelievable that anyone could own such a house, never mind this room alone. There was enough here to supply an army or two, and he owned it all himself? Maybe there were others living here, she reasoned, not being surprised if there were. After all, there were enough basement floors to house an entire town, and she hadn't even seen the upstairs. It wouldn't be hard to miss anyone else within the dwelling either, seeing how it was so large. For all she knew, the floors above her were filled to the brim with some kind of assistants working on... God knows what. She remained at the doorway while listening to him speak, eyes skimming over each and every inch of the walls, still quite astounded.

"How on earth do you keep a low profile with all of this?" It was all she could think of to say. How did a single person own a whole room of probably illegal weapons and not be above the radar? "And where do you get this stuff?" She was both impressed and shocked, not sure which of the two to express quite yet, stuck with a mix of both.

"I don't really go for firearms, to be honest." She finally managed to get some thoughts together as she caught Leon sit down from the corner of her eye, taking a few steps toward another shelf and taking a peek at what lay upon it. Nothing she was familiar with. "I'm not a great shot with a gun, not as good as a bow anyway. I prefer to do my work silently, and I work best with hand-to-hand I suppose. Small swords, daggers, the like. I have my own set of skills, I've never really needed such.. gun power, to get my work done." She picked up a small pistol and weighed it in her hand, finding it far heavier than she thought, not enough to drop however. It was strange to her in a way. How could someone use something so precisely when it was so heavy, especially over extended periods of time, arms out and the weight bearing down. She went over the motion herself, aiming the sight down at the targets near the end of the room before putting the gun back down where she found it, looking back over to Leon only to find herself being looked at, blinking at the man.


OOC: Holy cow, I never realized the height difference between these two! Almost a whole foot! Aysel's gotta work 'dem legs to keep up with Leon! Went to go check on that, and realized he's a lot more intimidating than she thought. I spent like 5 minutes laughing at my own post when it comes to the bookshelves, imagining this large, very capable man reading one of the listed books.