(closed) outside the door she followed me home

[lizard]

WHO: Iwai lizard and Gemini stretchy_girl
WHERE: Maurtia Falls.
WHEN: Early september.
WHAT: Iwai and Gemini's gun plot! Iwai's trying to get guns to start up a business for himself and to contribute to some... friends. Gemini helps him out, and by helps him out, I mean she terrifies him and entrusts in him way too much responsibility for a grizzly old dad to handle. Whoops!
WARNINGS: Guns and murder! Miscellaneous violence? Definitely swearing. We got a buncha badasses on our hands here


Iwai's been through a lot in his life. He'd like to blame all the painful, sleepless nights and achingly miserable days on his mother or on society or on some cosmic force that manipulates the universe as a whole, but he knows better than anyone that when you've fucked up, that's entirely on you. Before being imPorted, he fucked up bad. He got in too deep with the Yakuza, stayed there for years and nearly got his kid killed as a result a decade after he thought he was done with that life. That was on him, every part of it. Every crime he committed for the Hashiba was a choice he chose to make, no matter how poorly some of them still sat with him. Just like the choice he's making now is his own, regardless of how it turns out.

He'll never admit it, not even under threat of torture, but a part of him is painfully excited about being back in the underworld. If things in his life had gone differently, he'd still be a part of his clan, or at the very least, he'd have died by now in their name. It wouldn't be wrong to say that there was a small, usually repressed part of him that missed the honor and the rules and the structure of the criminal lifestyle, and while he's been bitten by groups like this before, he's confidant that The Constellation can offer him all of that while letting him fight for something good for a change. Even if he has to get his hands dirty, he's gonna help people, and he's gonna find his moral code again. As he approaches a back alley a few blocks down from Nicholson & Sons, Iwai's thinking less about the deal he's about to make and more about the fact that he feels... younger. This nervous energy as he walks straight into a lion's den? It feels like he's back home. Even the name of the guy he's meeting, Abraham Nicholson, sounds sleazy as hell. Makes him nostalgic.

The alleyway is dark and dusty and quiet, even for Maurtia Falls, and the setting sun covers the bricks in red and orange. Nicholson is here, but Iwai can't tell if he's alone or if he has a few bodyguards hiding somewhere just out of sight where the alley bends off at a corner. For safety reasons, he's gonna assume he's dealing with the latter, though... given that he's only carrying a handgun concealed somewhere under his coat, and given that he hasn't been in a real gunfight for about fifteen years, who knows how this could pan out if it goes sour?

"Abraham," Iwai greets. His hands are in his pockets and his cap is tilted over his face, hiding his eyes from view, but if Nicholson pays close enough attention, he'll be able to tell that Iwai's scanning for movement or trying to find something wrong. "You've been waitin' for me. I believe we've got a deal to work out."

Comments

[stretchy_girl]

"Iwai,"Abraham nods in return, giving his potential new partner a business-like nod. He doesn't seem at all on edge and why should he be? This is just one of many such meetings he's had in his life, so he looks mostly relaxed, albeit with the butt of his gun sticking out from his jacket to show he was prepared for any trouble.

"We do, but first there's something you need to see." Gesturing for Iwai to follow, Abraham turns and walks away with a brisk step, forcing Iwai to follow unless he wants to end this meeting. Leading the way around a corner, Abraham stops and gestures for Iwai to go first, considering that the sight awaiting has been laid on specially for him.

On the ground there are five bodies, four of them armed with automatic rifles, each of them with a neat finger-sized hole in the middle of their foreheads slowly leaking blood into a spreading puddle in the alley. Whatever had happened to them had happened very quickly; the guns they bore had not been fired, and all four had fallen as if they had all died at the same moment, without even realising they had been attacked.

The fifth body lies a little further back from all the others, it's head nearly wrenched clean off, a look of pure terror frozen on the corpse's face, Abraham Nicholson's face.

[lizard]

When Abraham invites Iwai further into the alley, Iwai chuckles and doesn't move. He's not stupid - this is how people get jumped. Still... he's spent a lot of time researching this guy, and he doesn't seem the type for petty thievery, and even if he was, the message is clear. If he doesn't follow, the deal's off. So Iwai breathes out, steels himself and lets himself be ushered along.

The second he lays his eyes on the bodies of Abraham's henchmen, his guts turn to ice. Dozens of speculative thoughts bolt through his mind at once - Abraham is accusing Iwai of killing his bodyguards, Abraham killed his bodyguards and Iwai's next, Abraham's an undercover vigilante fighting back against scum like him... he's already on edge before he sees Abraham's corpse, broken and terrified, and then his mind goes blank. He has no idea what to think. A lesser man would run, or fight, or otherwise collapse into his fear, but bizarre circumstances aside, this isn't the first time he's seen a dead body. Other than paling and silently fearing for his life, Iwai doesn't seem to react. If there's one thing he learned in the Hashiba, it's that a cool head can save your life when nothing else can.

Iwai reaches into his coat, and for a second, it looks like he's about to pull out a gun - but he doesn't. He's been carrying a pack of cigarettes around since the first day he got here. He's gone years without a smoke, but if he's about to die, there's no point holding back now. He hopes his son won't be too mad if he finds out Iwai died with a cigarette in his mouth. He looks at Abraham - or 'Abraham' - and he's deceptively calm, even though internally he's probably screaming. He holds his cigarette out to Abraham.

"You got a light?"

[stretchy_girl]

The false Abraham watches Iwai's reaction to the find closely. In some ways Gemini is a little disappointed at the lack of terror, but on a more professional level she's impressed by his stoicism, had he run screaming it might have given her momentary kicks, but it would hardly have been a good basis for a productive partnership. Gemini knew she liked that attitude of his.

"Careful, those things might kill you." 'Abraham' responds lightly, glancing down at the cigarette and then looking back up at Iwai with a smile. "One last indulgence before you die? Relax Rocinante, I'm not here to kill you, in fact this is your lucky day."

The use of Iwai's Constellation codename is deliberate, the voice that speaks it changing from male to female mid-sentence, flesh and clothing twisting and flowing like putty, and in the space of the blink of an eye the figure of Abraham Nicholson is replaced by a slender young woman in a form hugging bodysuit, her dark smile the only thing that hasn't changed.

"Now, I understand you have a talent with weapons." It isn't a question. She's been watching Iwai closely since the swear-out, which is how she found out about this meeting in the first place.

[lizard]

Huh. Looks like he won't be falling off the bandwagon today after all.

Iwai watches 'Abraham' melt and twist into the form of a woman, and, dry-mouthed, he slips the cigarette back into its box and pockets it. With Iwai's brain frozen, locked down by his flight or fight reflex and his desperate attempts to keep cool, he can only piece together some of what's going on. This woman has to be part of the Constellation, or at least an ally to it, or... powerful enough to infiltrate its ranks and search out sensitive information - because there are no other explanations as to why she would know that name. In some ways, that's reassuring, because they're more likely than not on the same side. In... other ways, he didn't think the Constellation would be so willing to kill in cold blood, and if they were behind the real Abraham's horrible death...

He needs to figure out what's going on. That's more important than any soul-searching he'll have to do to figure out if he's okay with how the rebellion is handling things.

"... I have a talent with weapons." He nods his head politely, hand twitching this time towards the handgun he has holstered out of sight. He swallows and folds his arms over his chest, just to keep himself from panicking and doing something stupid like shooting first and asking questions later.

"Got experience with guns. More than most. They've been my life for a long time. Or - they were. I was tryin' to get back into the game by cutting a deal with good ol' Abe here, but..." he gestures towards Abraham's corpse, pointedly not looking at it. "Guess someone got to him before I did."

"... Now." He looks at Gemini, meets her dead in the eye. "I'm sure a beautiful woman like you has got better things to do than spend her time with a guy like me. What are you after? How is this my lucky day, exactly?"

[stretchy_girl]

Cold blue eyes meet Iwai's unblinkingly, and although Gemini preens a little at the compliment of her looks, nonetheless the darkness in her smile and the hardness in those eyes reveals the deadly predator lurking beneath that beautiful exterior. Moving casually without a hint of threat in her body language, Gemini starts to circle Iwai as she begins to explain.

"Ordinarily yes, but when we spoke at the swear-out and then after when I found out more about you I knew that you had...potential. Potential that would be wasted every time you had to scrabble about in underworld looking for guns. So I decided to expedite things." She circles closer, her smile widening as she passes behind him, trailing a gloved hand suggestively over Iwai's shoulder blades as she went.

"Tomorrow Abraham Nicholson is going to show up at work and announce that he's making you his new number two and that you're going to be taking care of things in his absence, he'll announce he's taking a trip to the Caribbean to make some deals and will vanish without trace leaving you in charge."

Stopping in front of Iwai, standing closer than a stranger should, Gemini watches him for his reaction to her 'offer', beginning to tick off all the benefits on her fingers just for emphasis. "All the guns you need, right at your fingertips, a tidy income, staff and supplies already in place. It's much better than anything he would have offered you." She nods dismissively to the corpse.

"All courtesy of the Constellation and in particular, me."

[lizard]

This woman is dangerous. Iwai's met a lot of dangerous women in his life, but Gemini seems cold, inhuman. He's seen women kill before, he's seen women do horrible things, but something about Gemini... sets her apart. He's not sure if he's only afraid of her because of the brutality of Abraham's death, or the show she's putting on between the shapeshifting and the unguarded smile, or... maybe it's just the glint in her eyes. Try as he might to look tough and unaffected, the second she puts her hands on his broad shoulder blades, she can surely feel the nervous shiver that runs down his spine.

"Potential," Iwai repeats, turning the word over in his mouth, then cracks a steady, unsure grin. "Can't tell if I'm flattered or just intimidated by the pressure, honestly."

But he listens to her plan, nodding along with it. The last thing he wants to do here is fuck up. If he makes Gemini angry, that'll get back to The Constellation, and it'll be his head all but pulled off his body next. And... honestly. Despite the unsteady feeling in his gut and the way he feels like his feet aren't fully planted on the ground, he realizes that he's being given a big, big opportunity here. Free guns. Real guns. Steady business. There's no honor in what he's doing, but if this is a step towards going home to see Kaoru, he's... willing to take it. More than willing. Grateful, even, though he can't quite identify that feeling yet. He just feels sick and afraid. Maybe he needs that cigarette after all.

"It feels kind of insulting of me to pretend like you even need my consent, but. I mean, I accept your offer. It's..." He runs his hand over the back of his neck, turning on the spot to face Gemini in the eyes again. "It's fucked up, and I gotta say, I wasn't expecting to get people killed on my first real mission, but it's generous. More than generous. Kinda surprised you've given me so much power already. But I guess this is just par for the course for you Constellation folks, right? Gotta throw the new recruit in the deep end to see if he can play with the big kids. Sink or swim or whatever."

Despite himself, he turns back to look at the corpses, sighing under his breath. He was naive to think he would ever be able to avoid something like this. He just... didn't think it would be so soon. He didn't think there'd be dead natives involved. He thought he was only going to hurt the government, people who wronged imPorts. Mafia though he may be, Nicholson was just a businessman.

"You're kind of a firecracker, aren't you?" Iwai mumbles, turning back to watch Gemini a little closer. "You could've gotten this done without all the theatrics."

[stretchy_girl]

"I could." Gemini agrees with a nod, adding a dismissive wave. "But that would have been boring." She'd leave it at that but she can see Iwai's troubled and she pouts slightly, wondering how to placate him, or even if she should.

"We don't do things by half-measures." Gemini says simply, not really caring to give any further excuse for her actions here, in her mind there was nothing that needed excusing. "Even if it's 'fucked up'." The words come out as a pitch perfect playback, Iwai's words parroted back to him in his own voice and inflection, a subtle reminder that even he was replaceable. She'd felt that earlier shiver against her hand, and finds Iwai's fear delightful, a useful tool to keep him in line should he ever think of straying.

"Of course you had a choice." She tells him soothingly, putting a hand to her chest as if insulted. "It's you who'll be running the business after all, without you none of this would work, if I didn't think you could handle it what would be the point of all this?" She reaches forward, one arm extending unnaturally to rest 'encouragingly' on his shoulder.

"But I know you will make this work Iwai. Nicholson's business and you were meant for each other."

[lizard]

"You killed five people so it wouldn't be boring, huh? Well. At least you're honest."

He winces when she mimics his voice, and he smooths his hand down his face and tries to block out the genuine unsettled feeling he gets in his gut from the way she looks at him. The second he saw so many corpses, he knew he was either already dead or dealing with people who could treat him like a tool and throw him away whenever they needed to. He didn't need her to call him out.

"Okay. No, you're right. Half-measures are for cowards who can't handle a life like this. Doin' this half-way would've gotten us both killed. I just didn't expect..." He runs his hand over his neck. He's not sure if he really has it in him to defend his emotions and explain why he's so shaken up, and he's pretty damn sure Gemini would rather kill him than listen to him have a bleeding heart, so. He falls into silence while he tries to figure out how to handle this situation. He decides to just... embrace it. As best as he can, anyway, while carrying so much guilt and fear on his shoulders.

"Thank you. Seriously. This is gonna be a big help for me. Runnin' a store again is gonna give me a connection to the life I had back home, and I'll be able to do what I do best for the rest of you guys. This was..." An image of Abraham's face bolts through Iwai's head, and he has to swallow to maintain composure.

"This was a really smart decision on your part. I don't think you've realized what a good ally you've earned yourself with this."

[stretchy_girl]

Gemini just shrugs in response. Honesty is not a quality that is usually associated with her, but she'll take it as a compliment, which is better than the alternative.

"Well it might have gotten you killed, but regardless it was necessary. Nicholson wasn't going to just give you his company." She finishes, the tone in her voice making it clear that she considers the subject closed. Iwai can deal with his conscience on his own time and at least he hasn't tried offloading it onto her. It's a good start.

"Yeah yeah I know, just remember that you owe me. I made an investment in you on behalf of the Constellation. Don't fuck it up." She interrupts curtly, not a fan of gushing any more than her mother was. Having told Iwai all he needs to know (and enjoyed his reaction) it was time to finish up here before anyone had a chance to discover the bodies. Nodding to the mouth of the alley, she gestures for him to go. The corpses are pretty beefy for such a slender woman to move on her own, but as Iwai should know by now when it came to Gemini, looks were very deceptive.

"Unless you want to stick around while I dispose of these guys I'd suggest you get going. Be at the Nicholson warehouse tomorrow morning at 9am sharp and I'll introduce you to his workers. Take some pills or that cigarette if it'll relax you."