Just another homicide...

(Go ahead and post...I doubt Jay's gonna post for awhile at least...and I'm sure you can find a way to bring Grev in...hmmmm... -thinks-)

ooc: Ah..no worries if you don't know anyone. You'll find a way. I can throw another character in if you like? Nee's always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong anyway...but thats if you don't know how to weasel in elsewise. But I'd be glad to. (: No fear us knowings each other...(s'kinda how I found this place..hehehe)...um..um...I know you're referring to characters and such...but...regardless. HELLO. I'm Neon..or Ne. Or Lacy. Whichever tickles your fancy. I have NightShade. She didn't used to be so emo. Um...I have a neon flamingo light. Pleasure to make your aquaintance.

bic:

NightShade snorted," ...Balto...you should know me better than to think I wont sneak along behind you in some way..." she shrugged," ...besides...I know kung fu," she grinned slightly, leaning against the window and watching the scenery whisk by, her eyes slightly glazed as if she were lost in thought. Her claim wasn't a lie..truly...she was out of practice...but NightShade had at one point been trained in the martial arts, which made her an intimidating adversary in hand to hand combat despite her size. (The petite thief also rang in at roughly five foot two or three)

"And I know you're going to argue..but one..you left your story very open ended. Two, I never trusted you doing anything on your own anyway...and I know a lot of shady characters...and they know my reputation...it lingers still..despite the fact I've been nonexistant...and...well..." she pulled her eyes away from the window, glancing to his rear view mirror her tone lugubrious as her gaze," ...three...I don't...have anything else to live for."

Novak sighed. He could never win an argument with these two. "I know you'd be helpful...hell, you'd probably do a better job than myself.." he said vaguely. "But this is something I need to do on my own." Letting anyone else do his dirty work just wouldn't satisfy his need for revenge. And he wasn't just pissed about those men ruining his vacation. Nope. They were the very same people who'd knocked him unconsious while he was investigating a drug ring - alone, of course. They'd dragged him to some cold, dirty warehouse where they'd tortured him for a few days for the sole purpose of being a federal agent - 'the enemy'. His fellow agents managed to find his sorry ass, and just in time, too. His captors had lost interested in him, and since kidnapping an agent was as bad as killing one, they had decided to go with the latter. His chest was still riddled with scars from the abuse, forever reminding him of his own personal enemy.

Finally, they had reached his new apartment. He parked the SUV, though paused in thought. After a minute, he turned the car off. "Alright. Let's go." he frowned, getting out of the car.

She shifted," ...at least let me know where you're going...I wont go in but I'll sit outside...and if you're not back by some point in time I'll head in for backup?" she was fidgeting nervously in her seat. She had a tally system hacked into her forearms by her own blades. It marked those who were dead or lost to her forever in her flesh...those people who she cared about.

The young thief had a very lonely childhood. Her abnormal appearance ostracized her as a small child in school (when she attended). Children are known to be cruel, but having near white hair gave them reason to make "grandma" jokes about her. It may seem a little ridiculous that such a thing would be so bothersome, but their words had always stung deeply. If it wasn't the hair it was the scars. The tallies on her arms were the only self inflicted mutilation of her form...but there were other scars hidden as well. Scars from the lab and broken glass littered her arms...the worst of which was a mark that wound all the way up her right forearm, an ugly and raised imperfection that ripped its way around her arm from wrist to elbow. A mark an abusive and demented boyfriend had laid on her five years ago. As a result the thief always wore long gloves of some sort if she was not wearing long sleeves. (Another reason it was laughable to think anyone was fooled that she was this "Lyrra" character). Like she couldn't forget these imperfections, nor would she allow herself to forget those marks she'd put there herself. Her friends meant the world to her...they were all she had in the world...and the only reason she truly kept on living. She wasn't about to let something happen to Balto...not again. He already had a mark in her arm after the obituary, and she would no lay down a fresh wound for the loss of Alex Novak. Not if she had any say in the matter.

"I understand revenge," She'd picked up on the insinuations of his tone," Of getting back at someone who's done you wrong...but...I mean if this goes wrong," she shifted uncomfortably once more getting out of her seatbelt, her legs a little unsteady underneath her," ...I...don't...really like being lost at the bottom of a bottle...and if I just let you die...this soon. I couldn't live with it...hell...I dunno how this whole investigations going to go down...I might not have long before I get in trouble for something and everything catches up to me...and I don't want one of my last memories to be that I saluted my friend and let him trot off to his own death at the hands of some assholes who have no names."

After a few minutes of silent thought, he nodded. "Okay. Fair enough." he said softly. He moved to his trunk, grabbing a few things out of it - his sniper rifle, a few other weapons, and bullet-proof vests. He then motioned the two women to follow him inside the apartment building. Novak didn't like being out in the open anymore. But hopefully that would change soon.

She watched him get his things out of the trunk, and reminded herself to grab her duffel bag. She frequently had it on her, and some compulsion told her it must be packed away in his trunk if it weren't with her. Then she realized the full impact of having her home burned. Not only was her ID probably half melted and laying around a crime scene, but all her things would be devastated too.

Her shoulders drooped and tears welled up in her eyes. She used to be so strong, and so stubborn, never a droplet of moisture coming to her eyes. Though the past years had weakened her, and her restraint wasn't what it used to be...and the damned booze tended to make her feel even more depressed and vulnerable when she wasn't entirely intoxicated. Everything she had was gone, most of her pictures, her clothes, her bed...she was sure most her blades hadn't burned and she did have her two daggers slipped away in her coat somewhere...but how could she go back and get the rest of her things?

"...Oh..my god..." she murmured," everything..." it was difficult to comprehend. The only clothes she had were the black semi-tight cargo pants she had on, the deep blood red tanktop, her favorite black fingerless gloves that went up to her elbow, a band of fabric that held her bangs from her eyes and her trenchcoat and boots...and absolutely nothing more. No pajamas for their would-be slumber party, no change of clothes for the next day...nothing.

Soon another thought crossed her mind and her eyes widened into shock and she immediately went into panic mode and started burrowing through her pockets one by one, turning each pocket inside out and depositing a number of oddities on the sidewalk. Clinking to the ground went spare change, lock picks, keys, a flash drive, some bandaging, a small ziploc bag with some pills in it, a few vials of unidentifiable liquid, some foreign fuzz, receipts, and scraps of paper all came tumbling out onto the pavement before the thief looked up with a look of sheer devastation to Balto for a fleeting moment before sitting on the curb with a distinct thud. At once all the air seemed to whoosh out of her as she sat upon her throne of limited belongings...all of which seemed to displease her.

"...I left it at home," she murmured, the color sucked clean out of her as she stared at the street between her boots, one hand laboriously searching the pockets she knew were empty," ...I...can't believe I left it at home..."

Novak turned around at the sound of Nightshade's distress. "Left what? Left what at home?" he questioned, setting his things down for a moment and heading towards her. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she was going through. When he had been forced to relocate, he'd had an hour to gather his most prized possesions - but even that wasn't long enough. Still...Nightshade was left with nothing. Nothing at all. The thought of it almost made him sick.

"I..." for a moment she thought she was going to be sick, or pass out, the full force of losing everything was hitting her. She hung her head between her knees, shaking a moment as her silvery hair fell in strands over her legs," Connor," she managed to choke out after a moment," ...my picture of Connor was there."

The photo was something she generally kept on her person, but it had at the time been in another coat. The Connor she spoke of was essentially her son. Though she hadn't birthed the child, she had been the primary motherly figure in his life and the first time he'd made the mistake of addressing her as his mom it melted her heart. The shaggy black hair and sharp aqua eyes of both the boy and his father haunted her dreams...a combination of her own cowardice and a cruel twist of fate had lead to the boy's death, and eventually the disappearance of his father, a fact she hadn't ever completely gotten over. She had one picture remaining of the both of them...a picture taken by her adoptive brother of the boy nestled between her and his young father's sleeping forms. It was the very last remaining physical memory of the boy...and if the fire had taken it...

"...I've...got to go back home..see if its there...sometime tonight before you go..y-you know," she was entirely aware of the complications of what she was thinking up. Returning to her house when it was a designated crime scene, sneaking about, certainly would look like a criminal returning to the scene of the crime.

He knew exactly how she felt. In fact, just three months earlier, he'd asked Latha to hold onto a picture for him - a childhood photo of his family; his little sister, his parents, and him. They were all deceased now, and the picture was all he had left of them. "Look, you stay here, I'll go look for it." he promised. "If anyone asks any questions, I'll just flash them my badge." Novak kneeled down to help her gather her things. He wanted to give her some sort of hope - but what were the chances of a photo surviving a massive fire? "Where did you keep the picture?" he asked, sweeping the items into a pile.

ooc: I loathe family trips with every ounce of my existence. -.-

She took off her shoes before swinging out of the SUV to help, she felt like she was towering over people. She slipped her purse onto her shoulder and knelt down to her side to comfort her, a look of obvious concern on her face. "It wouldn't really be the smartest thing to do on your part." She commented to Alex flatly, her brow arching slightly, "Out of the three of us, I'm the only one that doesn't have added reasons for not going back to that place."

"You'd have to have a good reason for being there, and you don't exactly look like a cop..." he smirked. "You got any suits you could change into? I'll give you my badge...I guess Alex could go both ways." he frowned slightly, having a feeling that Latha, who picked out his new alias, named him after a woman from a certain TV show that he didn't watch. Guess the joke was on him.

She'd have to point out the perverted side of his choice of words later. "I can get one, I'm sure there would be a few at my work." She shrugged, pulling her hair back into a more official hairstyle, "Gimme your keys."

Novak hesitated. The last time he let someone borrow his car they'd totaled it. "Are you sober now?" he frowned suspiciously.

"Yes. You did infact manage to ruin a $50 high in less than an hour." She huffed, squinting at him before turning, "I need to know what Connor looks like and about where I would be able to find said picture."

"...problem," She stated," Actually a number of problems," She rose to her feet, pulling herself together rather forcibly. What resulted was a NightShade more normal in appearance, but mildly blank. While her eyes lacked the significant melancholy, they were entirely unreadable...albeit borderline bitter. The last thing the thief wanted was to send someone off to do her own work, rarely did the woman let anyone do any fraction of her own duty...especially when it came to personal affairs.

"First, going back now is completely idiotic," she folded her arms," Currently there's a full scale investigation going on and heading back there to start taking things from a crime scene doesn't go over well. In broad daylight you're bound to get noticed...I don't know if any of you were paying attention..but I was actually listening while standing dumbstruck in the crowd...and the lot of them seemed to be battling over that crime scene. Bal---...Alex, your Lasha," She knew she'd messed up the name," your Angry Lady, was adamant about staying in the area, and you're partner, Slime...Lame..." she remembered this one after a moment," Slame...seemed to want everyone the fuck off his corpse. Sending anyone into a scene with that beast is a bad idea...badge or no badge...and especially when the person in said badge isn't actually a suit. Not to mention if he happens to question your Angry Lady on who the hell this Alex Novak chick is...well she's going to throw up red flags all over the place...and then," She eyed the drug-fiend," ...you have a rather decent problem on your hands...then they come to you and ask...why the hell are you, Miss Druggie, snooping around a crime scene, impersonating an officer of the law...also a crime might I add, and taking items of personal belonging of a wanted criminal who's identification is at the scene of the crime?"

"Looks pretty damn suspicious don't it?" She questioned a brow quirked," And if then they decide they want to riddle you up for questioning they can take you in under the offense of trespassing because you don't live in the apartment complex and it is a designated crime scene...and if they don't like the tune of that fiddle they can toss you in for impersonating an officer and possibly stealing a badge of an officer...which then in turn if this Slame wants to return Novak's badge I don't think those aviators are a fool proof disguise, and then Balto's cover is blown, then he has a whole police force tagging along to his little revenge mission, theres a number of casualties or the bad guys get away and Alex Novak has to either die all over again and go into hiding or sit in solitary confinement so someone doesn't blow his fucking skull out and the two of you can pall around playing solitaire while you're both trying to explain to law enforcement that you were just trying to get a sentimental photograph and a few weapons out of an apartment for a wanted criminal. Trying to appeal to their logic," she sighed.

"And Novak...no matter how many points you might be able to make that I am a decent human being, or a product of a twisted system...you will never be able to plead my innocence because the fact of the matter is I'm simply not innocent of most things regardless of what friends we might be..." she closed her eyes for a minute.

"Also...you have absolutely no idea where I put my things...I hide shit...constantly. And I'm not sure where my stuff is, I was wasted most of the last month, I don't know whats burned, or whats fallen, or how much of my apartment is still in tact or if anythings fallen and dislodged things so I can't actually tell you where anything is. I'm hoping somehow I left the picture in my duffel bag..its fire-proof....and I hope the heat wasn't enough to melt it...but again...the only thing I could do for you to even possibly find it..is draw you a floorplan of what my apartment was, and where things may or may not be post fire...and then finding that on your person would be pretty damned incriminating."

"So...in conclusion..yes you're the one with the least reasons not to go back to that place..and that is exactly why you should stay the fuck out...otherwise you might find yourself in some crap you don't really deserve to be in."

"...I'll go tonight...when hopefully they've thinned out or left...and I'll look for what I can...maybe they'll have some stuff as evidence...and well from that point I'll have to figure out how to rob the police..which isn't that difficult an endeavor when you just have to pay off the right people..." she bit her lip for a moment in thought.

"I've made my life's work sneaking in and out of places undetected...and I'm a bit rusty..but it shouldn't be too difficult..I doubt anyone's such a tight ass to bother tight surveillance all night...maybe I'll gather up a disguise..." she shrugged one shoulder," If I am apprehended...well..." she eyed Alex," you'll have dealt with your business tonight right?" she questioned," So after your rise from the dead...you can conveniently discover that NightShade Andante has been apprehended...and since part of my history falls under your priority..or at least did back at one point in our stories...see if you can weasel me away from them for a moment...and then while under your custody I'll stage you so you look like you've been roughed up real good and then the infamous thief escapes again..which does something nice for my self esteem, and you brush it off on being a little rusty after being undercover...and dedicate your life to bringing me to justice...or..something along those lines..I don't know be creative."

"At least...thats my two....or....maybe ten cents."

ooc: was in a wordy mood today I guess. Heh. -pokes everyone-...hey where'd ya go...anyone want me to add someone else in..just say so..be like HEY...YOU THERE. NEON. ADD ANOTHER...and he'll linger around the crime scene.

Also, I had to kidnap this post here...because...I was just on the main board and it was all "Our users have posted 99 posts in total" or something along that line..which means this is post one hundred. SO. BREAK OUT THE BUBBLY PEOPLE. We hit three digits. =D whoo.

Her brow arched slightly at the logical rush that she had exhaled and took a moment for everything to file into her head, "I'm not exactly sure why you place me under the category of people with clean records that have no idea how to get around people unnoticed." Her head tilted with her question, "I also don't know why you think it would be easier the night after, if anything, right now they would be the most distracted with the scene, making it easier to slip by, people were comming and going every which way, tonight they will be hovering the area like buzzards would a dead animal. No pun intented. There will be more than one entrance, it isn't like waltzing through the front door would be my initial plan." A casual shrug rolled off her shoulders, "You did raise a good point though, you would be the most efficient, seeing as how you placed it there, but this really isn't something you should be diving into alone, whether you think that or not, you are going to need help."

"I don't assume you've got a clean record...we've kind of established your drug thing, which is as I recall illegal," she shrugged," I'm not doubting your IQ or anything either...one of my best friends is usually so blazed I don't think he knows what day of the week it is..or who I am...irony is he speaks about six languages and is studying to be a lawyer. I'm not underestimating you...I'm just saying if you do get caught you're going to get in a lot more shit than you need to be in. I mean...at least in the account of my business you're an innocent party...but you don't want to tangled up in my story."

She shrugged a shoulder," Conspiring with murderers and baby killers isn't something you want to be associated with...especially not posing as a cop."

She thought about the idea of broad daylight for a moment," ...I guess the daylight bit makes sense. Given I don't know if electricity will be working. The problem however is my apartment is right by that...girls residence..or at least...in the same area of the building. We'd almost have to run in the center of them to get my things. Yes they're all in a frenzy but they get really territorial too. That yellow tape is like their urine, and they're wolves defending their corpse. Or at least two of them seemed to be..."

"Even if we go through the back door we're going to have to get close if not within their masses..or plain view. I said night because its just my element...don't let the albino hair fool you I have a tendency to vanish...or at least did...I don't think I've slacked off that much though..." she shrugged," I...suppose I could use a diversion though...and going during the day would be beneficial so we could keep an eye on Aviator's ass later tonight while he's working out his little vendetta."

Novak remained silent the entire time, thinking silently to himself. "If your whole diversion plan doesn't work out, I'll just ask Latha if she can look for it. She's got a reason to be near there - or she could make up a good reason, anyway. Plus I'm her partner, I could go with her if someone can manage to distract Slame."

"Grand theft auto, use of an illegal weapon, and murder in the second degree. Three times. One more scratch really isn't going to hurt my record, I promise, I've already planned on going out in a bang, I don't mind being a little footnote in someone else's story before that happens. But as far as posing as a cop goes, I do that Mondays and Thursdays from 8 at night to 3 in the morning, the only difference with this one would be the added clothing and lack of stage." A playful grin danced across her face before she blew a chunk of hair out of her eyes and it vanished, "I don't really care how this happens, but a plan needs to be made before we get there or it's pointless."

Novak's head snapped towards Zee. "You /killed/ someone? Why didn't you tell me?" he frowned, totally suprised. Or maybe she had told him...and he just forgot. He did that sometimes. Still, he couldn't help but smirk about her little 'side job'.

"First of all you didn't ask. Second it wasn't your problem, and third it wasn't my fault." She shrugged, chewing at her bottom lip a little, "And wipe that smirk off your face please, you're making me nervous."

The side-job statement brought a grin out of NightShade's enduring blank expression. A small snicker slipping past her lips as the two bantered for a moment.

"Then we have something else in common, none of mine were my fault," She paused thinking a moment," ...okay one of them, maybe...but he tried to rape me...I stabbed him...I didn't know he was a hemophiliac. Seriously..who the fuck picks up a dangerous habit like that when they fucking bleed to death after one damn pin prick. I went to his funeral and shit too," she rolled her eyes," The rest of them...weren't even at my hand...a lot of them were Loki," she eyed Alex wondering if he'd ever met the man, though it was then she noticed his smirk and another laugh left her lips.

"I wouldn't get nervous about that...Alex has just become a skank. The city is corrupting your mind!" she declared, pointing an accusatory finger at him before using the side of his SUV as a rest for her posterior as she thought.

"...I'm really not thinking the Latha," success, she'd gotten the name right finally," route is the best...I mean..go for it if you think thats what you should do but...I don't know...I don't think "HEY...ANGRY LADY...SO I'VE GOT THIS FRIEND WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD...WANNA GET HER MACHETE?!?" is such a smooth notion. I mean...really...a picture isn't the only thing I'm getting...I mean..c'mon Novak..when's the last time you saw me without a weapon on me? I mean...I've got...bare minimum on me now. I feel naked. And I'm standing next to an exotic dancer," she eyed the other," At least thats what I've gathered you are."

"...but...yeah most definitely need a cohesive plan..." she thought for a moment," ...I could distract Slame. Does he get pissed easily? I could totally talk shit...and not let him catch me. Does he pull a gun fast? I'm really fucking good at dodging bullets...or everyone just sucks at shooting..plus there's tons of people...as long as no one's like eight times my size I think I'll be good. I could throw a shit at him because my apartments roasted while you're getting all my stuff I don't want them to get. I just need me a getaway vehicle...or for someone to grab my ass and drag me off to 'custody'...aviators would come in handy for that..."

"Or...well...hey you're an exotic dancer...He's got a penis, right? I assume you know some distraction...unless he's one of those...angry detective sorts who would munch on a cigarette with a stony disgruntled face even if he had a naked supermodel humping his leg?"

ooc;

Lul. Now I really don't know where to jump in.

I think I'll wait until you get all your planning worked out, see if Slame replies.

If not-- Latha's gonna make her oh-so-lovely appearance. By the sound of the company, she'll fit right in.

Haha. -bricked-

"Good riddance." Novak grumbled. He had a special hatred for rapists, for more reason than one. "I trust Latha." he argued. "She can keep a secret. Trust me." he glanced to Zee. "Though the whole seduction thing might work. The guy could use some action." he grinned jokingly, before looking to Nightshade again. "But don't piss him off. You /do not/ want to get on Slame's bad side. But in any case, I'll be the getaway vehicle if I have to be, seeing as I'm the only one with a car." he smirked. "Plus the windows are bullet-proof." he said proudly, patting the car like it was his prized posession.