Chapter 12: Sweet Opium To Ease Dying

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

post here when the previous thread has 20 pages.

[Kiley Castiglione]

It was getting a little warmer in the club, so Kiley had left her jacket with Sharon, before giggling and joining Danny.

When he playfully beckoned her closer, she happily obliged, swinging her hips a bit as she did so. "You know, I don't think I caught your name."

She observed him under the flashy club lights, he certainly was attractive looking, but...perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but did he kind of look dirty? She didn't dwell on it, though.

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei dismissed the last few club girls, so he and Sharon sat alone as he poured her another shot, then himself, raising his glass towards her.

"By the way, those converted mac tens worked beautifully. Rest in peace, senor Morales." He said, chuckling.

In truth, the mafia truly had loved the conversion of manala gun. Brass casings and lead could be traced, but a red beam left absolutely nothing behind after being fired. It made hits much simpler.

["Danny" Damascus]

"And what fun would that be?" Danny said in a low voice, smiling confidently. It wasn't hard to be charming with Kiley but his suspicious had not been forgotten.

"Isn't it worth the thrill for mystery? A man meets the prettiest girl in the world, what does he expect to be remembered, anyway?" Moving excitedly with the music, Danny remained0 suave. And for now it was best she didn't know his name; hard to find a man whose name you don't know and you barely know what he looks like. "Why not just enjoy the moment and forget about words? Just feel the instant."

He'd have to make sure they didn't make contact either. The grime on his hands and glvoes would be a devestating turn off and she'd know instantly he was impoverished, a condition to which Manalists often responded violently.

[Sharon Anderson]

"That's good. I saw the news report, figured it was you guys." Sharon stated, tapping glasses with him gently before downing it. She knew the guy had been a rebel supporter, but she held no grudges against Alexei for doing what he was payed to.

She put one arm behind the chair in a relaxed position, glad to be rid of the flirty club girls. Now that she thought about it, she could understand why people would prefer Manala guns. She could understand, but that didn't make her want to use them at all.

Maybe she was just old-fashioned. "What's your friend Danny do? He in the mafia with you?" The guy didn't look or seem Russian. "Whatever he does, it doesn't seem like there's a shower there." She added with another grin.

[Alexei Nacharade]

"Nah," Alexei said, "He's just a salesmen that provides us with a product, same as you."

He tossed back yet another shot then folded his hands behind his head.

"He seems to like your friend...then again, from what I've witnessed, I think he's yet to meet a woman he doesn't like. I'm a little more particular myself."

He adjusted his shades.

[Kiley Castiglione]

Kiley laughed a little, moving with the rhythm and Danny. "Alright, mysterious stranger, have it your way." Though, she was determined to get his name before she left, perhaps Sharon had picked it up? Mentally, she shrugged.

She glanced over at Sharon and Alexei, idly wondering what they were up to, not that she really cared, she was having fun where she was. She grinned up at Danny, who towered over her by several inches.

[Sharon Anderson]

"Definitely seems like the woman lover type." Sharon glanced out at the dance floor, trying to decide whether she wanted to close the curtain. It was getting hot and she wanted to take her jacket off, but her holster was on.

Figuring it was safe if it his friend's club, and he often did dealings here, she stood. Shrugging her jacket off, she tossed it on top of her sister's own which laid on the table beside her. She sat back down and sent her gaze toward where her sister was dancing.

"Feel bad for the poor guy if he touches her though." She said with a slight snarl. "Oh, are my guns a problem? I'll put my jacket back on, it was just getting hot."

[Alexei Nacharade]

"I wouldn't recommend using them if you value your health." Alexei replies with a smile, running a hand through his hair.

He glances at the two dancing, then stretches a bit.

"You seem pretty protective for just friends." He observes.

[Sharon Anderson]

"We do good business, no sense starting a brawl and ruining it. Besides, don't be so hypocritical, I'm sure you've got some type of weapon are you too." Sharon replies simply.

She shrugs at Alexei's observation. "I owe the girl." It wasn't a lie, if not for Kiley, she probably would've grown up to be a priestess of Manalism or something. Now that'd be hell.

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei shrugs off the question. He liked to appear unarmed, even though he always carried his balisong and nearly always a pistol.

"She'll be fine, I'm sure. Somehow, it looks like she knows what she's doing."

He gave her his most friendly smile, though his eyes remained hidden behind the dark shades.

"Do you get out to clubs like these often?"

[Bambi Engel]

Deciding Aubrey must be distracted, Bambi waves good-bye and heads off to London. She wonders idly about Tuesday and Danny as she makes her way to the Global Bank there. Mostly about who they were, what they were up to right then...

On her way, she pauses at a store front where people were crowding around, watching the news. Apparently a bunch of papers had been dropped over Helsinki. She purses her lips as she listens to Li Violette's explanation.

Hadn't the rumors been that they were dropping the governing council? How peculiar. Listening to the crowd, she gathers that the papers said something about voting Communist. A bit confused, she continues onto Global Bank.

[Sharon Anderson]

Sharon felt lightly at Alexei's comment on Kiley. She certainly could appear air-headed, but she knew that her sister was much more intelligent than she let off. Still, she couldn't help but feel protective.

"Nah, I don't do the social scene much. I tag along with Kiley some times when she goes out too, but not much. When I go out it's mostly for some type of business."

She spoke as she adjusted her position slightly, the charms at the end of her guns clinking against the handle softly as she did so. Danny didn't actually seem half-bad, but still, he associated with the mafia just as Sharon did.

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

"I am not sure what this means, but that there will be trouble." I state to Kizu. "Whoever is behind this or associated with this will sought out by the Invisible Hand." I say, since it is pretty common knowledge that they are the ones who deal with political rebels usually.

"I think we should...I don't know. I could talk to some of my friends about this." I suggest.

I shake my head since I am pretty worried about it all. "I think there is a contact for my party named Tuesday DeCastro or something like that living in Helsinki. She is a journalist so she might know more people and who could be behind it."

[Li Violette]

My office remained busy throughout the day, but my main job in the matter was simply to stick to the official position that the Manalists were aware of the situation and planned it as a test of democracy. It sounded nice to me anyway.

I was not in the least bit surprised when yet another person knocked on the door. This time it was one of the Economists. I was pretty certain she wasn't here to talk about the Banquet of the Blessed.

"Do come in, Mistress. The door is open. Take a seat." I say warmly from behind the door. The secretary had informed me of the visitor.