Roland took a long draw from the cigarette in his mouth, his eyes fixed on the side mirror of the van. The sidewalk which bordered the coffee shop as well as the alley he was idling in was brimming with people. Roland's eyes were searching for only one person though. Miss Kealey Quinn.

After arriving back in the States, he had thought it a hallucination when he had seen her on the streets alive. It only put an exclamation point on the fact that he had left her last tomb in a sloppy fashion, giving her a chance to escape. Not this time. This time, she would be where no one was looking.

He had followed her home once this time, but when he saw that one of the clones lived in the building, he backed off. No reason to alert any of the others at the Sanctuary as to what he was doing, since this was a personal project. With his proper face on, she wouldn't even recognize him now, which begged the question: Why bother? Because meek little women did not escape. If killers and thugs and mercenaries were on the menu, it would be no problem. Why was this weak little weed such a problem to pull?

The answer would come soon enough. The frame, form and features of Miss Quinn bounced across the alley's opening in view of the mirror. The van's key was turned and then disappeared into Roland's pocket. He stepped out, wearing a long trench with high collar, jeans, a black silk dress shirt, boots and his new scruff that he had chosen not to part with yet. He gave Kealey the time it took to enter and find a seat. He entered soon after with murder on his mind.

OOC: This thread takes place in late March.

It had been a while. It had been quite a while since the drunken night that Kealey had eaten amazing stalker brownies, unloaded about Jacen, and helped a friend make an incredibly difficult decision. All of that had gone well, even the awkward platonic sharing of warmth that had been the end result. Something of a wonderful friendship trio had sprung from that night, and Kealey had really started to settle back into life and college. That only meant she’d gotten busy though. Added with the fact that Shin was taking college classes now, and the fact that Aurum was working and doing that whole law school things had meant that a repeat performance had been a long time in coming.

That was soon to be no more!

Aurum was working, but Kealey and Shin hadn’t seen that as a reason for them to start the night any later. They’d decided to meet for coffee at a cute little spot not too far from the Full Circle, and start the night catching up since it had been a while.

Kealey had dressed for the occasion in her signature skinny jeans, a long white tank top and a black borelo that came to just above her waist. Her boots were black and stopped just below her knees, and shed plopped her favorite black page boy hat on the top of the loose ponytail she’d gathered at the nape of her neck. She’d left her hair curly and decided that the overall effect was rather nice. Now it was time to party.

Into the little shop the blond went, eyes casting around as she looked for Shin. She found him quickly and bounced her way over with a happy little wave. ”Hey!” she said, taking a seat ”How’s it going?”

The place was small, and not too crowded, which was one of the reasons they’d decided it was a good place to start the evening. The less crowded, the better for Kealey. She frowned slightly when a moving bundle of malice walked in the door, but upon looking and finding nobody she knew, Kealey turned back to Shin, shrugging it off. Nothing was going to ruin her good mood tonight.

It had been a while. Several life choices, college preparations, and training scenarios had fallen between now and the appletinis. They hadn't had a chance to really catch up in a while. Between all their busy lives and the meager hours they had to work with, it was nice finding a time they could break off from the crowds, and just chill.

Chilling with a hot beverage, though... perhaps, the word choice was incorrect. Shin had opted to go for the iced latte, in hot coffee's stead. It was good, and had caramel. He sat in the coffee shop, waiting for Kealey. As he sat, he sipped, and skimmed over a good book. He closed the cover of Ender's Game as the curly-haired blond arrived, and smiled at her.

"Hey," He replied. "The going's good. You?"

((OOC: Modding of Kealey done with permission of Juli))

" Double espresso." Roland placed a twenty dollar bill on the counter. " Keep it." The wink and smile from the late teenish girl was received, a gritty smirk returned. A sip of the liquid gold and he was ready. turning on his heel, he saw Miss Quinn, getting on well with some little Asian fellow. They seemed happy to see one another. Could it be her new beau, in lieu of Mr. King? That would be nice. being able to use his abilities was important, though it wasn't as if anyone in the shop could stop him, even if he had no magic tricks.

His steps were sure, the click of his heels reporting on the hardwood floors as an otherwise scene of serenity and good times was about to go downhill. At least for Miss Quinn. Hopefully, not for her little friend, but his relative level of bravery was directly correlated to the outcome in his case. Hopefully he was as meek as he looked. Not that Roland minded putting him down, but the easier and smoother he got her in the van, the better for everyone. Mostly Roland.

Just as Miss Quinn stopped moving, a stray shoulder caught her just in the middle of the back, sending her off center from her friend and briefly careening toward the wall. Roland's naked hand grasped the smooth skin of her elbow and caught her, placing his cup on the table with his other hand. His eyes flashed to the friend. Nothing registered yet. Once she was on both feet, he used both her instability and her awkwardness to help the motion seat her across from her friend. Roland took the third seat, looking at the two of them at angles. He smiled to her first and then to her friend.

"So sorry to interrupt your get together.Are you alright, Kealey?" His hand settled on her shoulder in a familiar way. He smiled in a very warm fashion to her little dark haired friend. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Roland Pruitt. I'm an old friend of Miss Quinn here. Funny literally bumping into her like this, huh?" His British accent still seemed to be stained with American slang and talk, but whatever. The few other patrons seemed to be calm now that everyone at the table appeared to be friends. Or friendly anyway. He looked over at Kealey once more as he sipped his espresso. " Miss Quinn and I met in the subway one night." He scratched at the edge of his eye, sending her a wink only she could see.

Shin had just returned Kealey’s salutation and she’d just decided to tell him she’d be back after grabbing a coffee of her own when something hit the blond from behind, sending her lurching forward. The next few moments were a blur of movement and contact, then Kealey found herself seated and facing two people instead of the one she’d come to the coffee shop to meet.

The man who had joined Kealey and Shin at the table was the same one who’d been practically dripping malice as he walked through the door of the shop. He was touching her, though, and something about the look in his eye made her at least try to shrug his hand off. Then he spoke.

The voice coming from the stranger at the table was anything but strange. Kealey knew that voice and she knew it well. It had been a long time since the day her apartment had been blown up, and even longer since she’d first heard that voice in the subway…but it was something that she’d never forget. She still heard it in nightmares sometimes.

He, Roland, the assassin had a name, winked at her, and Kealey’s stomach flipped over as the blood completely drained from her face. This wasn’t the same man who she’d met in the subway, he’d looked nothing like that…the voice though, and the memories, and that sickening sweet feeling of perverse pleasure in what was happening… They were all right.

Kealey swallowed hard and watched Shin out of the corner of her eye as she tried to pull together the thoughts that had splintered into a million pieces when two and two had added up to four. This was a dangerous man…but they were in a public place. Was there room for bravado when she was so panicked that using her powers was a distant, seemingly impossible thought.

”I don’t remember any such thing…” she squeaked instead, opting for ignorance over bravery, ”You must be mistaken….”

Her voice was far more steady than her body felt, and Kealey pulled her eyes from the new guest to look at Shin, silently pleading for him to realize that there was something wrong.

“Hey, watch it,” Shin insisted, as the strange man bumped into Kealey. He was being handsy, practically juggling her into her seat. Then, the guy sat down at their table, uninvited. People in New York had no manners. “Excuse me,” Shin demanded.

>> "So sorry to interrupt your get together.Are you alright, Kealey?”

The guy with the British accent shot back. Shin’s eyes moved from the man’s face, to the hand on Kealey’s shoulder. He was certainly acting friendly now, for a guy who’d just bumped a woman. That went in-line with the ‘too-handsy’ juggling, though. Shin didn’t return the warm smile. His shoulder was very cold. It wasn’t a pleasure, and judging by Kealey’s reaction, as the color drained ever-so-slightly from her face, far from it. She denied any friendship.

Shin’s eyes hardened. Something was up. He didn’t know what, but one thing was clear.

“You should go. This is a private conversation.” He stated. This man had to leave.

It was precious, really. If there was more time to frolic, Roland felt that he could really get intimate with these two. Their obvious discomfort, their cold glances. Maybe it was just the scent of fear at the table. It mixed with Kealey's natural scent so well, making it a near aphrodesiac. No time for love, Dr. Pruitt. At least not now.As a gesture of his amiability, Roland took his hand off of the lady. that was probably what the little man wanted. He was so ready to defend her honor that he went so far as to politely shoo the assassin away. A good kid.

Looking over at the little fellow, he smiled and put his hands on the table. Misdirection, the great standard of all magicians. The left hand sat quietly, fingers lightly drumming on the surface of the table. the right chose to open itself slightly, the thumb curling outwards and the index finger making a slight hook. " Don't be fooled. Kealey and I are old friends. However, we have some unfinished business to attend to. So maybe you are the one who should be going." With a wink of an eye and a small manipulation of the prepared hand, a nine millimeter pistol was there. Now you don't see it, now you do. Automagically.

With a slight turn of the wrist, the business end of his magic wand was pointed at the petite...erm, polite fellow. " Now, let's be clear. Kealey and I are going to have a laugh and stand. We are going to walk out of this fine establishment and proceed to my carriage. Any jib from you and I will shoot you in the face." Yes, the face. That tended to get all but the most stringently psychotic to pay attention. He leaned in close to Miss Quinn, whose shivers only succeeded in shaking that unbelievably arousing scent toward Roland. ' And you, precious little kitten. If you do anything besides act as I have instructed, I won't shoot you. You are much too pretty for that. Instead, one of these other patrons will volunteer their round face for you." Roland put his killer expression on, cold eyes devouring them like a shark.

Shin tried, he really did, but there was no way he could understand what this man being here meant. Kealey had told him about the night in the subway, but vaguely and they’d both had a great deal to drink at that point. To Shin, this was simply some rude interloper, threatening to disrupt the start of a fun evening. Kealey swallowed hard, and spoke, her voice barely above a whisper,”He’s the reason I asked you about those lessons…” she said,trying to convey the gravity of the situation in as few words as possible. No Shin, he wasn’t leaving. At least he removed his hand from her shoulder, but his emotions were still there, wreaking havoc on Kealey as she unwillingly felt them too. The sickly sweet pleasure mingled with pure enjoyment was enough to make Kealey’s stomach turn again as it warred with her own panic and dread. She swallowed convulsively, how could anyone enjoy having this effect on a person?

Her exterior was relatively calm, excepting the slight shaking of her hands as Kealey laid them on the table. How was he here? Why was his face different? Why wasn’t he dead? Why was he here for her now, when she’d nearly forgotten his very existence? The last time he’d been so interested in Jacen, in the fact that his mere presence could negate mutant powers. The man spoke and Kealey instinctively flinched at the implication of his words.Unfinished business…his carriage. They were leaving, and the only business they’d ever had was him trying to kill her. A gun appeared in the assassin’s hands, and a cold ball of dread settled in Kealey’s stomach, the gun swung to point at Shin and she gasped, a strangled, ”No…”escaping her as the man explained what was going to happen, and what was going to happen if his instructions weren’t followed. Kealey swallowed again, fighting back tears that would prove this to be anything but a laughing matter.

Shin was a super-hero, a member of the X-Men, and Kealey had a feeling that he wasn’t going to simply let her walk out of the coffeehouse with a stranger who was threatening bodily harm. It just wasn’t something Shin would do. Blue eyes cast around the shop looking at the young people there with their dates, the students studying, the college-aged girl working behind the counter. She knew the man with the gun, and as he explained to her that disobedience meant harm to others,Kealey believed every word.

Facing her friend across the table, the blond fixed him with an intense gaze as she pushed everything in the shop aside but Shin’s emotions. Then she pushed them aside… completely. It was a bit of a risk, suddenly feeling nothing sometimes had a strange effect on people. Most of the time it simply made them sit and stare for a time…long enough that she would be gone before he recovered. Kealey had no such hopes for the assassin. Nothing she could remove from him would help any more than it had in the past. She was on her own. Admitting it to herself was the easy part. Admitting it to him was the hardest thing she’d ever done.

”We should be going then.” she said, wishing for the millionth time that her powers worked on herself. If only she could have eliminated the terror and fear, the apprehension that gripped her so strongly now. She looked at Shin, one more time, still holding back his emotions. ”He, will do it...” she said imploringly, ”All of it. I have to go.”

The second they hit the door to the shop, Kealey let go of her hold on Shin’s emotions, throwing them right back where they’d been. Kealey was still terrified, and pretty sure this was going to end poorly for her, but she wasn’t giving up without a fight.

What unfinished business. Why was this guy here? Why was Kealey so scared, and beyond the name he’d given them, who in the world was ‘Roland Pruitt?!’

>>”He’s the reason I asked you about those lessons…”

Kealey’s statement brought all those questions to a screeching halt. Shin’s mind flashed back to their conversation, the hazy details, and the first time he’d met her. She’d been bruised

Shin had been a boxer. Shin had been a street fighter in underground cage matches. Shin had seen all walks of life, and Shin had been a hero… and up until Romania, he might have staked his life on it. But Shin wasn’t stupid. If this was the person who’d hurt Kealey, who’d terrified her before they’d even met… then, he was dangerous. He was evil. Shin’s eyes reflected his hostility. Any man who could do that to a woman like Kealey didn’t deserve his respect…

Not that he needed it. In his hand, he now held his own personal version of ‘respect’. Nine millimeter’s worth, in his hot little hands. He had the whole world hostage. That usually meant people listened…

Shin had stopped bullets before. Shin could stop them fairly easily, block them with his mind, and knock the British guy out on his ass faster than you could say ‘diamond-hard multi-colored razor-sharp triangular barriers’… but, could he stop bullets veering towards the other patrons? What was to stop the man from shooting at them, when he’d said he’d shoot at Shin? Shin couldn’t stop that… his triangular pupils rolled over the length of the gun, measuring it, calculating all the possible angles Roland could fire it, in his head… But with the man’s firearm present, and his trigger-finger happy, Shin knew fighting the man in a closed space like this wasn’t the way.

Shin was a super hero. In a seemingly-contradictory statement, Shin wasn’t stupid. It was important. It bore repeating. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Kealey. He’d stop ‘Roland’. He’d find a way… but now wasn’t the time. Here wasn’t the place. Shin’s resolve solidified on that point… but then, Kealey went and did something Shin would never forgive her for… if he even remembered what it was.

It was a strange feeling, having that ball of anger and resolve formed in your gut, then suddenly, losing it… of watching your friend walk out the door with some stranger who most certainly wasn’t friendly… of seeing her leave, and passively observing, just staring. When she released him, the ball rolled around, and started bouncing left and right in Shin’s stomach. He rose from his chair, and moved to follow her, but stopped. Going out the entrance that man had left… probably wasn’t a good plan. Shin looked to to woman behind the counter.

“Is there a back entrance? I need out. That guy…” He fell silent. No need to cause alarm. He begged her with his eyes. A minute later, Shin walked out the back of the café, summoned a green shard platform, and took to the air. His eyes strained for sight of the pair, searching the area from the roof of the building, up and out of sight.

Apparently, Roland was the reason for some lessons that the little fellow had given Kealey. Were they self defense lessons? Something to remember for later. The look of burning anger in the kid's eyes told him that he wanted to do something. Most knights did, in defense of their damsels. Roland almost decided to put his gun away and give the boy a chance. Half a chance. If the kid could beat him unarmed, he'd more than likely cheat and put a knife in his eyes. What kind of expression would he wear then?

The lass was very agreeable now, preparing to stand and leave with her new beau. Old beau sat and kept staring, but that was about it. Maybe he was a mutant and he was powering a death ray or something. Nah, probably just realizing how impotent he was. Had to be a sinking feeling, knowing you were powerless to save your friends. Fortunately, Roland had no friends anymore. No one to use as leverage. The two rose together, the gun returning to his waistband in the back. Arm in arm, like old friends, they walked out the front door. They turned into the alley next to the shop and walked its length, approaching the white utility van that would take her on her final journey.

" It won't be right here in the alley. We are going for a trip. A going away party for you." Unlocking the sliding door on the van's side with the key which appeared in hand at the moment of contact, Roland nodded toward the interior. It was completely bare except for a large US Postal Service bag and a golf bag full of clubs. He smiled, his white teeth shiny beneath the dark black scruff around them. " In the van, please. And once you are inside, go ahead and get in the bag as well." He stepped in after her and waited, stooping low to avoid the roof. The van's door was slid shut and his head turned slightly, the key appearing in the ignition. " Come on now, we haven't got all day. Well, I suppose we do, but my bets are your little friend will get his balls back in a moment." The pistol reappeared for coercion, being waved at the bag.

Kealey decided that there was a certain amount of satisfaction involved with feeling like you had at least a small hand in your fate. The situation in the coffee shop had been almost completely out of her control, but she’d managed to salvage a tiny scrap of…whatever when she’d made sure that Shin wouldn’t follow. A stab of intense guilt shot through her at the fact that she’d purposefully manipulated her friend, and she hoped she’d get the chance to explain.

It was easy to think that way, to be satisfied, until they turned the corner into the alleyway. Arrogance flowed off of him like waves, mingled with intense satisfaction, and the usual malice Kealey was coming to recognize as Roland’s personal signature. Apparently everything was going to plan. The man spoke, and Kealey swallowed a heart that had just threatened to leap out of her throat. He did intend to kill her…why not just the alley?

For a moment, the blond considered doing something rash, forcing Roland’s hand. It would be better, wouldn’t it? Whatever he had planned for her couldn’t be quick if he was going to all this trouble, he’d said he planned a going away party. She couldn’t do it, though. The effects of her emotion-mancing would be wearing off soon, and there was still a chance that she might get out of this. She was a coward, and she couldn’t do what she needed to do to make sure that nobody else got hurt.

They approached a van that was so plain that it almost stuck out and the blond studied the license plates, not knowing what good it would do, but filing the information away just in case. Roland opened the door, urging her to get inside. The van was empty, starkly so, and the few items present seemed innocuous at best. Had she expected an iron maiden and shackles? As in tune as she was with emotions it was amazing to Kealey how smiles could convey so many different emotions. When Shin smiled, or Aurum, Sam, or Venus, it was the type of thing that made a person warm and fuzzy on the inside, Roland’s smile made her shiver. The malice was intense, as well as determination. These were things she could use.

>>”In the van, please. And once you are inside, go ahead and get in the bag as
well.”

In the bag? In the van? Kealey’s eyes cast about, deciding if running was an option. There were people everywhere and defiance at this point would only encourage the type of action she’d going to so much trouble to prevent in the coffee shop. Kealey got into the van. The bag, was another story.

What did the gun matter? The door slid shut and they were away from people now, the vehicle not moving was a benefit too. The assassin’s crude language confirmed Kealey’s thought that he might not know exactly what it was she could do, and she took a deep breath, ”No.” she said, and down went the malice along with the determination. ”Why are you doing this?” she asked, taking a deep breath and holding it. She was ready for whatever was going to come and ready to bolt if the opportunity presented itself.

There were so many possibilities. So much could go wrong. As Shin hovered above the rooftop of the building, looking at the city around him, every person he saw was a suspect. Every vehicle held the potential to house a Roland. It made him sick. Which one housed the Kealey? How would he narrow the list of potential suspects down? How could he fight that acrid pang of paranoia in his gut?

Shin took in a calming breath, and bowed his head. He focused his mind. He could do this. If he let the distractions take over his mind, every moment of motion in the city around him would overwhelm. First things first, he had to narrow it down. Where would Roland have gone? Where was the furthest he could get in such a short amount of time?

The parking situation around the coffee shop was terrible. It was jam-packed. If he’d wanted to park there, he’d have had to deal with all the idiots of New York making parallel parking hard. The front of the shop was also too obvious. That left the back and the sides… Shin had come out the back. There were no psychos where he’d been. That left the sides… which to choose first, though, the right or the left? One side had an alleyway… alleys made good allies for people in need of quick parking. Just off the street, that location had potential.

Shin moved over to the side of the rooftop nearest the alley, and peered over…

Roland had expected some roughhousing from Miss Quinn. He doubted any woman would willingly get in a bag in the back of a van, most assuredly this one, who knew that her time might be slipping away on this Earth. What he did not expect was the sudden drain on his psyche. There was suddenly no feeling of ravenous vengeance, no urge to force her into the bag. Nothing at all. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to summon the feelings back. What had done this to him?

His eyes levelled off on Kealey."Did you just do something to me?" He only thought logically about the chin of events. Nothing had occurred until now. Was it her Asian friend? Was it her? It seemed irrelevant. The lady had asked a question, though, and he felt obliged to answer it. " I'm doing this because no one escapes me if I want them to die. You have twice. I don't suspect it is my failure, but more a lack of preparation on my part. This time I am prepared. Please step into the bag now or I will be forced to shoot you several times. The shots will be fatal."With that, he stepped between the front seats an took his place behind the wheel.

The engine started and Roland reached up and turned the mirror back toward Kealey, who still seemed to lack comprehension of her duties. He took a cigarette out and lit it, opening the window slightly. " Perhaps you didn't understand me. I will give you until the end of this cigarette. If you are not in the bag by then, I will step back there and shoot you. Several times was vague. I will shoot you once in the chest, around the sternum area and then once between the eyes. It is known as a double tap or execution style killing." Ashes were flicked casually out the window as Roland stared forward into the traffic from the alley.

He knew. Kealey froze in her tracks as Roland asked her if she'd done something to him. She shook it off, there was no possible way he could know what she was doing. He hadn't known it was her work that Shin stayed in his seat while they walked out, it didn't make sense that he'd have had the revelation between there and here. She held her ground, not saying a word as the emotional drain took its toll.

Then Roland spoke and Kealey stared at the man in disbelief. This was all some deranged ego trip. He was going to kill her simply because he'd failed to do so twice before. It absolutely boggled the mind. The where and the how were still up in the air, and as Roland spoke, then moved, Kealey's eyes darted to the door of the van...and the handle there...and the little thingy in the 'unlocked' position.

Roland was in the driver's seat, and she was so close. The bastard was smoking and using the cigarette as a timer. God, it would be so easy just to...

Roland spoke again elaborating on what would happen if she didn't do what he said and Kealey balked. There were so many people outside, if she looked out the front windshield she could see them milling past the van. What if she got away, and someone else got hurt? She'd brought this on herself with her assinine heroics in the subway. There was still a chance that Shin would figure out what was going on and come help her.

She got in the bag.

It was dark, musty, claustrophobic, and pretty much everything else straight out of a persons' worst nightmare. Obviously they were going to be traveling and Kealey tried to move around and keep her brain focused on the task at hand. Roland seemed slightly less dangerous without the malice and determination. Logic was much easier to deal with...and his emotions were far easier to handle than her own nearly rampaging fear. Perhaps at some point he'd become confused, or disoriented. Those would be helpful emotions to play. For now, though, she waited.

There, that was the face they all new and loathed. Shin's eyes locked on to the sight of Roland behind the wheel, and watched the ashes from his cigarette fall. The image of a shard flying out to slice the end off the cancer stick flashed through Shin's mind, alongside a million and one other ways to stop the man, but he went through with none of them.

Shin moved silently over the rooftop, around to the side nearest the back of the van. Out of sight, out of mind. He checked the license plates, and committed them to memory. White van, those plates. He wouldn't let himself lose it in traffic.

Now was not the time to risk innocent peoples' lives on some city street. Now was not the time to risk Kealey's, or let her slip away. Just to be sure of that, a shining rainbow shard floated discretely across the alley, above it all, to land in the driver's blind spot, on the roof of the backside of the van. That would be his rainbow-safety net. He wouldn't let the shiny triangle out of his sight.