[ oops indeed. she gets a sour look in response before he turns his focus back toward the hall.
they've got two flights of stairs to climb down and one more corridor before they're at the exit. as they reach the stairs, the silence continues, the air not crackling with telltale static.
( river knows that he probably meant some other skill, like pissing people off (or killing them) but she's going with that. they're all her skills -- she has many. surviving, killing, stealing. all part of her job. sort of )
They're common thugs. Sent to retrieve an artifact that doesn't belong to them.
( it doesn't belong to her either but she has her own reasons )
[ sure. 'surviving.' that's as good a word for it as anything else.
and, wait, sent to retrieve a— oh. of course she would have. ]
Ah.
It's not worth my asking what you've got, is it.
[ because it isn't precisely his business. because she keeps her secrets close more often than not. because he doesn't need the information, and while he's curious, it ultimately doesn't matter much.
half a flight of stairs down; still no signs of that crackle. ]
( though whether that means that she'd kill him or just that it's safer not knowing is difficult to discern. she's well practiced at keeping everything close to her chest )
As long as we make it out, which we will, everything will be fine.
( she just hoped it wouldn't take too long. killing people was starting to get a little boring )
[ he could do without the dramatics - or the vagueness of that response - and he gives his head a heavy shake. probably he ought to have expected as much from river; anyone in her line of work or his own line is disinclined to be forthcoming. and it's clear that whatever she's stolen is of risky value.
in the end, it doesn't matter much. let her keep her business to herself; he has no real need for the information. and he's got plenty of trouble without getting wrapped up any further in hers. ]
Sure.
[ ahead, the air's beginning to hum again, insistent and fast-increasing in its volume. of course it is. of course. ]
I swear by the Void, this'd better be the last of them.
( there's a heavy sigh, river's blaster coming back out )
Get down.
( river nudges him towards the wall, a quick glance both above and below them on the stairs. there's six of them, though a quick look is all that she needs before firing. two shots quickly fly to the stairs above them before she turns, thee more landing below them. it's given the final person enough time to see what's going on, though not enough time to do anything. river's reactions are precise and quick, the final shot at him before she pauses, still in place. she's listening, checking for other sounds, feelings, finally looking again at daud )
Let's go before they realise what happened.
( that whoever sent these guys realises they were killed so effortlessly )
[ it was good, the way she always is. precise without being showy. impressive even to his experienced eye. and while there's a part of daud that wants to point out that he could have done the same, this isn't the time or place, and there's no call for insecurities. he knows what he's capable of, and what matters is that what she's capable of - some small fraction of what she's capable of - just cleared their path swift and certain. ]
That'd be for the best.
[ as he speaks he's starting down the stairs, quick and attentive, half-wondering where the attackers have been coming from and whether anything short of annihilation will stop them, whether at some point they'll accept that their target's gone, at least for the time being.
( river was glad for the lack of comment, for the two of them moving along with haste. she keeps silent, trying to push her thoughts away regarding what she'd just done. though she had few qualms about killing people, about doing what needed to be done but this was different. using the training that the silence had instilled into her, killing so thoroughly and methodically--
it was something that river tried not to do and it chilled her, making her feel uncomfortable with herself. she stows her blaster as she walks, thankful when they come to the exit at the bottom of the stairs.
river checks their exit as she pushes through the door, turning her head back to him )
[ it's no good heading outside with his gun drawn, so he returns the pistol to its holster, flexes his fingers, and reaches for his keys, still moving, heading in the direction of his car. ]
To the left. Deep red, the Jaguar.
[ when they reach the vehicle - parked nearby, pristinely maintained - river will find that her seat has been covered with a set of towels. a precaution against the uncertainties of her seemingly cinnamon-coated adventure. ]
( there's a slight shake of her head at the sight on the seat though river doesn't say anything, getting into the car.
river doesn't quite relax but she does sigh, shoulders lowering as she tries to settle against the seat, to hope that (at least for the time being) that they were free.
it wouldn't last long, it never did, but she'd come up with a more permanent solution later. she always did )
[ it takes mere moments to leave the building behind, and soon enough they're on the highway, pushing the speed limit just enough so that he doesn't draw undue attention. he registers her thanks only with a glance in her direction, puts forth a question. ]
Where are we going.
[ he knows better than to make any assumptions, or to try far to predict where she may be heading with whatever it is she's procured. ]
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no subject
[ oops indeed. she gets a sour look in response before he turns his focus back toward the hall.
they've got two flights of stairs to climb down and one more corridor before they're at the exit. as they reach the stairs, the silence continues, the air not crackling with telltale static.
not yet, anyway. ]
So who are they.
no subject
( river knows that he probably meant some other skill, like pissing people off (or killing them) but she's going with that. they're all her skills -- she has many. surviving, killing, stealing. all part of her job. sort of )
They're common thugs. Sent to retrieve an artifact that doesn't belong to them.
( it doesn't belong to her either but she has her own reasons )
no subject
and, wait, sent to retrieve a— oh. of course she would have. ]
Ah.
It's not worth my asking what you've got, is it.
[ because it isn't precisely his business. because she keeps her secrets close more often than not. because he doesn't need the information, and while he's curious, it ultimately doesn't matter much.
half a flight of stairs down; still no signs of that crackle. ]
no subject
( though whether that means that she'd kill him or just that it's safer not knowing is difficult to discern. she's well practiced at keeping everything close to her chest )
As long as we make it out, which we will, everything will be fine.
( she just hoped it wouldn't take too long. killing people was starting to get a little boring )
no subject
in the end, it doesn't matter much. let her keep her business to herself; he has no real need for the information. and he's got plenty of trouble without getting wrapped up any further in hers. ]
Sure.
[ ahead, the air's beginning to hum again, insistent and fast-increasing in its volume. of course it is. of course. ]
I swear by the Void, this'd better be the last of them.
no subject
( there's a heavy sigh, river's blaster coming back out )
Get down.
( river nudges him towards the wall, a quick glance both above and below them on the stairs. there's six of them, though a quick look is all that she needs before firing. two shots quickly fly to the stairs above them before she turns, thee more landing below them. it's given the final person enough time to see what's going on, though not enough time to do anything. river's reactions are precise and quick, the final shot at him before she pauses, still in place. she's listening, checking for other sounds, feelings, finally looking again at daud )
Let's go before they realise what happened.
( that whoever sent these guys realises they were killed so effortlessly )
no subject
That'd be for the best.
[ as he speaks he's starting down the stairs, quick and attentive, half-wondering where the attackers have been coming from and whether anything short of annihilation will stop them, whether at some point they'll accept that their target's gone, at least for the time being.
she really is a troublesome woman. ]
no subject
it was something that river tried not to do and it chilled her, making her feel uncomfortable with herself. she stows her blaster as she walks, thankful when they come to the exit at the bottom of the stairs.
river checks their exit as she pushes through the door, turning her head back to him )
Which was?
no subject
To the left. Deep red, the Jaguar.
[ when they reach the vehicle - parked nearby, pristinely maintained - river will find that her seat has been covered with a set of towels. a precaution against the uncertainties of her seemingly cinnamon-coated adventure. ]
no subject
river doesn't quite relax but she does sigh, shoulders lowering as she tries to settle against the seat, to hope that (at least for the time being) that they were free.
it wouldn't last long, it never did, but she'd come up with a more permanent solution later. she always did )
Thanks.
no subject
Where are we going.
[ he knows better than to make any assumptions, or to try far to predict where she may be heading with whatever it is she's procured. ]
no subject
( at the minute river just wants to leave this building behind, to get as far away from it and the people that had been changing them as possible )
I have an exit once we're done.
( a way to get off earth, out of this century and to get the goods where they need to be )