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Post by xman on May 17, 2005 14:53:03 GMT -5
“Well, just stay back then ok? I think I may be in some trouble.”
"What?" She was getting ready for something and Nate didn't know what. She finished off her drink and Nate watched her walk away without saying a word, she stopped at the bar and three men followed her. Now Nate knew what was about to happen and started to get up, he had to help her even if he was really beat up.
"damn two fights in one night what are the odds," he started to walk over to the bar when the guys started to through punches at her, she dodged most of them and took the other guys out of it. "Wow the girl can hold her own, shes handling it just fine on her own," he sat back down and watched as she kicked their asses, he would help of course if it got to bad for her, but she was beating them with ease. She started to ask questions of what seemed to be the leader of the group, she got her answers quickly enough and sent the men away. Nate limped over to her smiling, "Impresive, I really liked it when you flipped the guy over the bar, now that was good."
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Post by amysutherland on May 18, 2005 13:41:49 GMT -5
"Impresive, I really liked it when you flipped the guy over the bar, now that was good."
She couldn’t help but smile. She looked around the place. It was a mess. There was a mass of smashed glass, the stools were upturned, the mirror behind the bar was severely cracked and one of the strip lights had stopped working, but Amy didn’t feel that was her fault.
The sound of cracking glass under someone foot alerted her to Joes presence. She spun around and gave him an apologetic smile. He simply held his arms out in shock trying to take everything in.
“Why-a is it you always wreck-a de place?”<br> “Sorry Joe. Promise it won’t happen again.”<br> “You-a said-a that a last time.”<br> “Just send me the bill. Oh, could I also have a take away box for the pizza?”<br> Joe shot her an annoyed glance, but went and got one anyway. He handed it to Nate before fetching a broom.
“Hey kid, you got a place to go tonight?”<br> She addressed the question to Nate with no idea why she was asking. She never took anyone to her home incase the information got out, but she had a feeling it had already.
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Post by xman on May 18, 2005 14:06:58 GMT -5
Nate looked around the place had seen better days. Joe looked kinda pissed as Sphinx asked him for our pizza's to go. He walked away and came back handing the box to Nate, "thanks Joe, sorry for the trouble." He walked away sweeping mumbling something in italian.
“Hey kid, you got a place to go tonight?”
Nate thought about it for awhile before he responded, he didn't want to go back uptown on the train the stations were most likely still packed with cops and he didn't look to good, "No not really, I have no where to go tonight."
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Post by amysutherland on May 19, 2005 10:05:54 GMT -5
"No not really, I have no where to go tonight."
“Come on then. Let’s sort out that arm of yours.”<br> She moved towards the door and held it open for Nate. An icy blast greeted her as she stepped outside. She called her goodbye back to Joe, who only muttered louder. There was a small chink as the neon sign turned off.
She pulled up her coat collar and began walking purposefully through the back alley. The clouds that were on the horizon had been blown over and small swirling flakes had begun to fall.
She led Nate through many more back alleys and they were walking for much longer then when she had led him to Joe’s. The snow continued to fall and was almost a blizzard by the time she stopped in front of a battered green door. There was a buzzer list down the right hand side with 12 names in all. She entered without even glancing at it. The door opened straight onto a set of stairs. Amy wiped her snow covered boots on the worn welcome mat before traipsing up the stairs.
After turning a corner the first landing spread out in front of her. The floor was a checkerboard of green and white tiles. There were six doors on this level all green and battered like the first. Amy moved along the landing to the other end where there was another set of stairs ignoring the shouting voices and blasting hip-hop music. She climbed these and came to another landing just like the first. This time it was a deep, but hysterical laughter that leaked through the paper thin walls mixed with the sound of a football game on a TV. Once again she walked across it and up the last set of stairs.
The last floor also had six doors, but was incredibly shabby. It looked like only three of the rooms were lived in. Amy put her key in the first door when there was a scratching noise and the door next to her opened slightly. The chain was pulled tight while a deep brown eye looked at her.
“Three men call for you earlier. They no look too nice.”<br> Her accent was most definitely Chinese. A scratchy record player playing an old jazz song filtered through the gap in the door.
“They want to know where you are. I no tell them. I say that none of your business.”<br> “Thank you Mrs. Tum-Rai. They did find me in the end. They won’t be calling again.”<br> She was right, her house had been found. Mrs. Tum-Rai nodded before her eye flickered to Nate then back on Amy.
“How is your Grandfather doing?”<br> “He no doing so well.”<br> Mrs. Tum-Rai looked away while Amy fished in her pockets for something. She pulled out a small wad of notes and offered it to her.
“Here, take it.”<br> An outstretched hand came from the gap in the door and took the notes from her. Her eye looked very surprised.
“For the inconvenience of being bothered earlier.”<br> “What I do with it?”<br> “Spend it on whatever you want. I think there’s $500 there.”<br> Amy smiled and unlocked her door. Before she stepped through she crouched down and took a long look at her floor. When she was satisfied she entered fully and flicked on a single overhead lamp.
The room was small and dingy. Along the right wall was a desk boxed in by two large grey filing cabinets. On the desk was a small lamp, a filing tray and three phones connected to answer machines. The phone furthest away showed that there were no messages, the middle one had three and the nearest had two. Directly in front of the door was a small kitchen area with a sink, cupboard, fridge and a two ring stove. In the top left hand corner of the room was an unmade bed under a large netted window. In between the bed and the kitchen was a dark wooden chest that was padlocked closed. Directly to the left of the door was a large chest of draws with an old TV on top. Along this wall was another door that led off to a small bathroom. Amy walked in and draped her coat over the back of a chair in front of the desk. She looked at the phones and immediately deleted the messages on the nearest. She then moved into the bathroom and called back to Nate.
“Put the pizza in the kitchen then sit down and I’ll have a look at your arm.”<br>
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Post by xman on May 19, 2005 14:38:04 GMT -5
“Come on then. Let’s sort out that arm of yours.”
Nate nodded and put on his duster leaving the injured arm out of the sleeve, "Ok I'm ready, Bye Joe thanks for the pizza," Joe mumbled some more and they walked out.
They walked for a while through many back alleys more than before and he was getting a little tired, the limp wasn't helping. Sphinx finally stoped in front of a battered green door. She opened the door wiped her feet on a mat and Nate did the same. They walked up some flights of stairs listening to the sounds of the other tenants in the building, before they finally made it to her door. Her neighbor with a chinese accent popped out and they had a conversation. When they were done, Sphinx opened the door to her small "apartment" he looked around a little it looked the space doubled as her office as well.
“Put the pizza in the kitchen then sit down and I’ll have a look at your arm.”
"Oh ok," He took two steps and put the box of pizza on top of the stove, and he walked over to the chair in front of her desk it looked cluttered, papers everywhere. He took of his jacket and sat down putting the jacket on his lap, "Ok I'm ready for my check up, oh and while your at it you can tell me why that happened at Joe's."
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Post by amysutherland on May 20, 2005 13:45:45 GMT -5
"Ok I'm ready for my check up, oh and while your at it you can tell me why that happened at Joe's."
There was a sound of a cupboard shutting as she came through the door carrying a first aid box. She wiped away some of the papers on her desk and placed the box down. She ignored Nates query, but saw his coat on his lap.
“You may want to keep that on. There’s no heating in this place.”<br> She grabbed a stool from under the kitchen counter and sat before Nate. She took off her gloves and turned on the desk lamp. She then gently took Nate’s arm and moved it over to the light.She then proceeded to softly work her fingers down the length of Nate’s arm starting at the shoulder. When she was satisfied she sat back taking a square of cloth from the box.
“It’s not broken, just bruised. Best to put it in a sling for now.”<br> She stood up and moved behind his right shoulder putting the sling into place.
“By the way, your not bleeding anywhere are you?”
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Post by xman on May 20, 2005 14:30:30 GMT -5
“It’s not broken, just bruised. Best to put it in a sling for now.”
She stood and put the sling into place, Nate was glad to hear that his arm wasn't broken he still had to work. No work meant no apartment or food, and he didn't want to go back to the Institute and his "parents."
“By the way, your not bleeding anywhere are you?”
He looked up at her, "No I don't think I am, just sore all over," he grined "You still haven't answered my question, why did those guys attack you?"
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Post by amysutherland on May 20, 2005 16:49:58 GMT -5
"You still haven't answered my question, why did those guys attack you?"
She busied herself with putting away the first aid box while she considered her answer. After a pause she replied.
“They must’ve been friends of an ex client of mine. And I’m not a hooker before you get any ideas.”<br> The snow had rapidly built up on the windowsill practically blocking the whole pane up. An icy breeze emitted from somewhere in the room making the peeling wallpaper quiver. She moved over to the kitchen and was rearranging some dirty mugs when she let out a heavy sigh. She shivered and suddenly her whole demeanor changed.
She then went over and flopped down on the bed grabbing a remote and flicking on the TV. It was black and white and the sound crackled badly, but she paid her whole attention to it never the less.
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Post by xman on May 20, 2005 17:01:55 GMT -5
“They must’ve been friends of an ex client of mine. And I’m not a hooker before you get any ideas.”
She went to her bed and turned on the old black and white TV, Nate got up and walked over picked up the stool with his mind and placed it down beside the bed and sat down. "I wouldn't expect you to be a hooker you don't seem like one," he paused for a moment that last statement sounded a little stupid to him. "So what type of clients are we talking about here?"
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Post by amysutherland on May 22, 2005 10:13:42 GMT -5
Her eyes darted to the moving stool, but quickly went back to the TV. "So what type of clients are we talking about here?"She sighed before taking a small piece of card from her pocket and flicking it to Nate. She gave him a moment to read it. It was a small yellow business card with black writing on. Bounty Hunter service
Fair prices for efficient service
For surveillance Tel: (212) 391-9630 For seeking and retrieval Tel: (212) 840-8917 For seek and destroy Tel: (212) 997-9173 “I’ll tell you now, I never answer the third number.”<br>
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Post by xman on May 22, 2005 12:29:26 GMT -5
She took out a card and handed it over to Nate. He read it quickly, "so shes a bounty hunter," he thought to himself and a smirk came across his face.
“I’ll tell you now, I never answer the third number.”
"So a bounty hunter, that would explain how you kicked those guy's asses back at Joe's." He looked around then back at her,"So do you get a lot of business?". He gave her back the card and that smirk came back, "You should start answering that last number."
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Post by amysutherland on May 22, 2005 12:54:24 GMT -5
"You should start answering that last number."
In a flash she was off the bed and had Nate in a vice-like head lock. She spoke through gritted teeth, the anger practically coming off her in waves.
“Never, I repeat, never joke about killing someone. You got that?”<br> She released him and took a moment to regain her composure. She could never understand why some people took murder so lightly. Sure, most of her business came from people who wanted others dead, but she always said that they could do it themselves. Anyway, if you got caught up in the Mob that was your own problem.
She went over to the kitchen and put a slice of a now very cold pizza onto a plate. She brought it back over to the bed and ate it in silence.
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Post by xman on May 22, 2005 13:02:03 GMT -5
She jumped up and put Nate a headlock, it happened very quickly so Nate couldn't have stopped it.
“Never, I repeat, never joke about killing someone. You got that?”
She let go and went to get her pizza, he rubbed his neck alittle, "Sorry, don't go all crazy like that again." He was still hunger, he didn't really get to finish his slice, so he got up and picked up the very cold pizza. "So, where am I going to sleep tonight?"
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Post by amysutherland on May 22, 2005 15:12:05 GMT -5
"So, where am I going to sleep tonight?"
“Don’t you think your getting a bit ahead of yourself? Its not even 6 o’clock yet.”<br> She took another mouthful of pizza and glanced out of the window.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m still planning to go out.”<br> She moved over on her bed to the window and looked through the net curtain that hung in front of it. She was quite sure she had seen the glint of binoculars. Her eyes tried to pierce through the swirling flakes to find the watcher again, but she saw nothing. All the same she pulled the single shabby red curtain across it to be sure.
“Anyway, I’ve got a camp bed. You can use that.”<br> She was talking to Nate, but was obviously distracted.
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Post by xman on May 22, 2005 15:40:26 GMT -5
"Don’t you think your getting a bit ahead of yourself? Its not even 6 o’clock yet."
He couldn't believe it was so early he had been through so much tonight. He ate some of his cold pizza and sat down on the stool.
"I don’t know about you, but I’m still planning to go out."
He swallowed the pizza he had in his mouth so he could answer her "Well I wouldn't mind going out later, I just wanted to know were I would sleep at." She walked over to the window she was constantly on the look out. Nate had been the same way with the X-Men of this reality, but after months of them not showing up Nate relaxed a little.
"Anyway, I’ve got a camp bed. You can use that."
"Ok good to know that I wont have to sleep on the chair," he finished off the pizza and looked at her while she stared out the window.
"So whats going on outside thats so interesting?"
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