[AV]

Zed rolled her shoulders under the loose folds of the sweater two sizes two big for her. It smelled like dog and old cigarette smoke. The smoke was hers, the dog was not. It was chilly out, and she had been crouched on the corner for an hour, watching, waiting, tracking the movements of a man in a suit. At one stage she had been challenged by a bum for ‘their’ corner, but a sharp elbow to the ribs and the flash of a knife against their throat had secured it as her own for at least a few hours. The homeless individual had scurried into the nearest alley, clutching the bleeding knife-prick, cursing the young woman with similar words under their breath. Zed didn’t know if it had been a woman or a man. She couldn’t have mustered it in her to care if she had tried.


The man in the suit exited the building opposite and she froze in place, head down but eyes up, fixed firmly on him, tracking his movements through the dirty slush. People like him never noticed people like her, particularly if they happened to be huddled over a pathetic sign and a cup. What easier way to be unseen than to present as someone people make an effort not to look at? He was flanked by muscle, one on either side. If it had just been baldie she could maybe have taken them, but having wedgie along for the ride put the threesome solidly in the ‘too hard’ basket. He hadn’t been without them for hours now though, which meant that either they were three-way lovers (unlikely) or he suspected there was a price on his head (disappointingly more likely).


Moving slowly to keep them in view without drawing attention to herself she moved to the nearest bin and seemed to rifle in it for a bit. In actual fact her busy hands were speedily texting in for backup.


## H. Job on. Good $, vs 3. U in?


She had worked with this chick before, so she knew she was solid. If she wasn’t in Zed was in for a longer, colder night waiting for this guy to be alone for long enough for her to take him down. That usually meant a bathroom stop. She hated bathroom jobs. All the cigarettes in the world couldn’t mask fat old man farts.

Alice moved around her apartment, carrying a towel and carelessly dripping water everywhere. It would dry soon enough anyways. She flicked on the T.V, it was some music channel that dribbled out angsty songs. She didn't particularly care about the lyrics, she just wanted something heavy sounding in the background to drown out stray thoughts. She moved over to the bedroom, leaving the door open, glancing around.

She was alone, she supposed the sun was already down, little Victoria was probably busy amusing herself. It didn't matter too much, as long as she kept out of trouble. Alice would hate to have to chase her down and tear people to pieces over her... Actually on second thought that might be fun. And it was after dark, so it wasn't like there was anything that could particularly hurt Victoria.

That might be fun, chasing down anybody that wished to mess with her little sister, and mauling them to bits. Hmmm.

Her phone's chime was barely audible over the sound over the fairly terrible music. She ambled over to it, still dripping all over her carpet. Her face spread into a wolfish smile upon reading the message. Zed was kind of cute, in a psycho professional kind of way, and while Alice wasn't entirely sure she could afford her rates, it might be worth it if only for the entertainment factor.

She messaged a favourable reply, with far too many kisses and hearts attached to it before slipping into some work clothing, and grabbing a mask from one of her closets. She tied her chaotic, wet hair up in a ribbon and pulled on the mask. Followed by sheathing many many point objects into various places around her body, and then a blood red, flowing leather jacket to top it off.

If half of the organisation wasn't terrified of her, people would probably point and laugh at her.

She set off to meet up with the other Ragnarok member, texting back asking for a location. Only momentarily dashing back in to write a note for Victoria.

Such excitement poured in in the text message that a smirk almost quirked across Zed’s lips. Almost. As it was it manifested in a roll of the eyes. Splitting the bounty was a bit of a blow, but she could possibly pressure the payer to up it a bit considering the additional security measures the suit was taking. If they wouldn’t pay up at least the girls got a chance to stretch that murder muscle.

She sent regular location updates as the suits travelled and she followed. They didn’t step into a cab, so they couldn’t have been going too far. None of them seemed the type to relish exercise, and they were clearly cashed up enough to pay for it. True enough just under a block away they entered a gentlemen’s club and she squatted in the opposite alcove. They would be in there a while, she was sure of it. That would give plenty of time for the backup to arrive, no doubt flamboyant and attention drawing.

She settled in to a comfortable position on a crushed box and lit a cigarette. Nothing more she could do until the other woman arrived.

…

Sure enough Hel was attention drawing, long red leather coat swished around her legs as she approached, and Zed’s paranoid eyes clocked at least three sheathed weapons hidden in the contours of the woman’s body, within easy grab-and-stab reach. It was perfectly likely that to the standard eye she looked simply like a well dressed woman, confident in colour. Zed knew her for other skills.

“Sup.” It was a greeting, not a question. “You’ve got pile of papers, or trashbag of veggies.” She indicated each with her head. She wasn’t giving up her box. The men were bound to be a while yet, but with any luck they would stumble from the establishment worse for wear and easier to take out. She flicked another smoke to life and offered one to her… companion.

Alice strolled down the street and took the subway closer to where Zed was. She received a few looks, changing back into her 'work' clothes when she got close enough that it became prudent. She glanced down at her phone and made sure she was still on target, which was indeed the case and then moved over towards Zed. She wasn't sure who the targets were, but she'd worked with the other girl before.

She greeted the other girl with curt nod and a smile that peeked out underneath a masquerade mask that covered most of her face. She eyed Zed's hiding spot and did her best not to snort or laugh. The other woman was certainly fairly dedicated to taking down her targets, but this was a little pathetic.

She looked down at the binbag the other girl pointed at and felt her lip curl a little. She was NOT sitting in that. She moved around and wedged herself between a pile of garbage and a large bin can in what was a fairly clean space, propping herself up by squatting in the spot and leaning forwards, her hands on her knees. She couldn't see the target, but she could see the other half of the Alley and she'd be shielded from view from the target and their body guards too.

"You couldn't have picked a building to sit in with a better view of the target, or a café?" She asked, more amusement in her tone than anything like disapproval or complaint.

Hel seemed to sneer at her and her choice of stakeout. Zed shrugged, lit the new cig from the old before dropping it in the gutter and stretched her legs. The men had been in there a while. It must have been a good show. The thing about strip joints is, they didn’t tend to have a lot of windows. She didn’t think this one had a backdoor though, from the times she had been in there.

“Nope.” There was no better view, and cafes gave her the heebie-jeebies. All that coffee, all those people slurping away at the bitter awfulness, loaded with sugar and lies. How anyone could drink that dirtwater was beyond her. Give her a strong glass of liquor and a smoke any day over that. She lifted her arms above her head and rolled her neck, crackles indicating her sleeping situation. One day, when she was rich, she was going to buy a proper bed. She was sure of it.

“They should be out any moment now.” Judging from the muffled music and sounds of male appreciation. The cat calls and gorilla hooting only ever lasted a few seconds, then the men tended to make a hasty exit. Never wanting to see behind the mask. They had what they needed by then.

As if on cue the suit and his shadows emerged, he crimson tinted and sweaty, his tails equal parts indifferent (gay, she labelled) and awkward (virgin). She flicked the half finished smoke to the ground and crushed it under a grubby boot.

“Half a block,” she murmured to her partner in crime, “abandoned convenience store. I jigged the lock already.” She’d done her homework.

As long as the men continued on their current path they would travel right past it. The trick was getting them inside somehow so they could take them out. If she were alone she would have tried a grab and stab, but with the addition of Hel they could play the sexy angle. With any luck he hadn’t yet blown his trumpet, and they could intercept him and redirect his attention while there wasn’t much blood in his brain. With a swift movement the sweater was over her head and she stood in a cropped top and jeans. Her hair was a disadvantage (to the girly look) so she had to play to the tough-girl stereotype. Which was relatively easy seeing as how she was a tough girl.

Hel rolled her eyes at the other Ragnarok member. She liked Zed, the girl wasn't the type to take things lying down from people very easily, she had a kind of energy around her that she liked. It wasn't an attraction or anything, though she certainly wouldn't say no to some fun with Zed. She batted such thoughts away, best focus on what they were doing, at least on some level.

She sighed. Normally the jobs she partook in were a little more... High class. It wasn't that she was a snob or anything, but most of what she did was 'clean up' more than actual assassinations. Though she supposed that her role could be considered that of an assassin. Still, she didn't find herself lurking in Alley's much anymore, it was a bit of a change of space. She'd not spent much time in them since her days on the streets.

Pushing away the reflection of that time before it began she glanced across the street and then back at Zed. "Good." She replied, feeling more than a little impatient.

She stood from her perch and glanced down the street towards the store that Zed had indicated, turning back to the other girl disguising herself and tilted her head. "You've left out some details it seems." She observed.