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An Abandoned Warehouse
It's a rundown warehouse
Concerning is a keyword for Chandra with how things start. First one is a message from one of her noble contacts that sounds confusingly pissed off. The message left for Chandra involves a lot of ranting about how could she do something so traitorous and to involve her child. The rants are incoherent. Almost directly after another message comes in, this time from her parents. From them the message of the noble becomes more clear, Chandra's sister has gone off with a bad crowd and had gotten involved in kidnapping of children. They are unclear of what happen but the explain the noblewoman had sent them the news of what happened as well. It seems the companions of Chandra's sister had her send the threats to the nobles they stole the children of. Chandra's parents mention she looked terrified. It is likely someone using the fact that the sister looks enough like Chandra as a way to stir a lot more trouble than needed.
"Fuck…" Chandra groans after viewing the first message, confused, and obviously about to write off the woman as having gone off her rocker when the second message comes in. She snarls, at first, because it's from her parents but as the video plays and they seem concerned and begin talking about Vivian and what her sister's gotten involved in, she growls. "Gods damnit…" She then looks to Max, with a mix of worry and anger on her face. "So much for a peaceful fucking weekend…" and then, "Fuck!"
Max blinks at Chandra's..colourful metaphors. He catches part of the messages, a look of worry crossing his features. "Something has happened with your family?" He moves over closer to Chandra and offers a hand onto her shoulder, rubbing slightly. "What will you do?"
"I gotta answer Lady Kesington…she has something, likely from my sister, a threat made. If she can send me that video…" Chandra looks to Max. "This could get ugly…" She then pulls out her phone and gives a huff, pulling up her contacts to try and attempt a video call with the noble woman who decided to leave her a video message yelling at her. "Honestly, though, Vivian is ten years younger than I am…surely someone could tell us apart…"
"People are not nearly as perceptive as they like to think. Individuals trained to be sure, or that have a natural aptitude, but many unless it's something that really means a great deal to them, will only be given a cursory glance. It is how I am able to sneak about usually." Max offers a shrug to that and then waits patiently for Chandra to get in touch with someone who…is very irate with her for whatever her sister did.
Lady Kesington is a bit difficult to get a hold of at first but when the all goes through the noble does not look as stoic and put together as she normally does. Her expression even shows emotion over the calculating she usually has. Infact she has the look of someone who has been crying, an unsettling expression for a noblewoman very involved in the underworld and the far more sinister things. When Kesington speaks her voice is cold but she seems to have accepted the call. "Have you called to demand more money on top of what was given to me? It is not even the time limit yet." She barely lets Chandra get a greeting in before speaking.
Chandra is never dressed for noble type affairs, preferring jeans and tee shirts to fancier threads. She tries to keep her emotions stowed away for the moment, and present herself in a calm fashion - which is a bit more difficult to do when the woman is already attacking her again. Though her attire doesn't match, her tone and verbage will likely be a lot different than Max is used to hearing. "Lady Kesington. First let me apologize, as I had no idea something like this happened. My father contacted me, informing me that Vivian - my sister as I am sure you recall - is the one who is working with whomever kidnapped your daughter. I have contacted you to offer help. Is there any information you can give me? I know nothing about the circumstances revolving this horrid affair. But I will help in any way possible. I promise."
A blink. A second blink as Chandra continues speaking. Yes that is different indeed. Max just stays back out of the way, letting Chandra do her thing for now. Kidnapping isn't his thing, as such he just stays out of the way so Chandra can figure out what's going on.
The less than pleased noblewoman stares at Chandra, still coldly but she does let Chandra give her argument. She is not so stupid as not to listen to the words of those involved in the darker ways of life. She's probably made her career and wealth via them. Across her chest the arms of the noble cross. Her expression is still cold but it softens /slightly/ at Chandra's words. "I believe you." she says, "You haven't betrayed me before." She fiddles with something off screen and a message is forwarded to Chandra, the message Kesington got from Vivian. "I forwarded the message." She goes silent a moment, "I just figured you got surgery." Again she goes silence, undoubtedly to give Chandra a chance to view the video.
The video shows Vivian, her face displays complete terror and she keeps giving a side long glance to someone. Likely the kidnappers. When she speaks her voice trembles but she is trying so hard to sound fierce, confident. There is muffled speaking in the background, likely telling her what to say. Including Kesington's child 3 more are listed as hostages and the credit demand for each person borders on breaking some of the fairly rich people they stole the children from. the video pans away from Vivian to the children and several masked people. These people seem to mean business for they do some quite painful things to the children, which likely very much explains how over the edge Kesington went. In the background Vivian can be heard, "You said you wouldn't!"
"You're one of the only noble people I happen to like, Lady Kesington, it would be stupid of me to betray you." Chandra offers before she flips to the video she was sent. Watching and listening, she can tell Vivian's scared to death, and she recognizes most the children that are there. By the time the video has panned to them though, she has to quickly turn it off before she's sick to her stomach. Going back to the noblewoman, Chandra's fighting back tears as she takes a breath and speaks. "You know how I work, Lady Kesington. They will be dealt with. The children returned. I swear it." She listens to anything further the woman has to say and then ends the call. Afterwards, her gaze turns to Max. "…Will you help me?"
"I want their heads, Chandra." says Kesington, her voice trembles with a note of pain and unbridled rage. "I will be waiting for the return of my child. I and the others who got this particular message will also pay quite the sum. I have spoken with some other nobles who lost their children and they did not get the same video." Undoubtedly this particular message was sent to only the nobles of the underworld. After all, they need a little more convincing to believe things are serious than those not involved. As the call ends Kesington is turning away, there is certainty that Chandra will do as expected.
Max tilts his head curiously as he regards Chandra. As she finishes her call and turns to ask for his help, he gives a slight bow to her. "Of course. If children are missing…That cannot be allowed to happen." He knows full well the plight of being taken from ones family after all. Standing up he offers a hand to her and asks, "Where shall we begin?"
"I'll need to try and find a location… at this point I can likely only get a general idea…" Chandra begins, shifting to move down the hallway into the back room where construction had sort of began to redecorate, but she's left a desk and a chair. Kneeling, she tugs up some loose boards and pulls out a silver suitcase, replacing the boards and pulling it to the desk. "If others got a different video, it's likely these people know the ins and outs of the noble world." She opens the case to reveal a rather high tech computer which she turns on with a grin. "Hello old friend…guess I do need you again."
Max follows after Chandra, and blinks as she goes and pulls out her case. He's…not super surprised, after all he has his own hiding spots in his place, but perhaps startled enough. Still he moves to be nearby her and asks, "And when we find a location?"
Chandra plugs her phone into the computer and accesses her files to pull up the video again. She then opens a couple other various programs and her fingers fly over the keyboard. It looks like she's typing a bunch of rubbish to most people, but to a hacker, there's a method to the madness of keystrokes and codes. She then watches the video again, and again, until she's finally able to stare at it through the children being hurt and she notices something in the reflection of someone's glasses. "When we find the location we go there and we dig for more clues. Or perhaps find the ones who have done this. I don't know if they'll still be there or not…" She then disconnects, to make sure that her signal doesn't get too hot. "For what it's worth…I know where to go…"
Max blinks as he watches her work. When she proclaims she knows where to go, he asks, "You do? Where?" His coin is out, flipping along as he watches Chandra disconnect things to avoid getting hot, things way over his head.
Chandra prattles on about some location somewhere because she knows, but the writer isn't sure how to explain it. It's magic. Or something. At least she had the sense to upload it into her phone and that's when things can get really nifty. She closes the case once everything is shut down and takes the time to actually put the case away under the false boards. Then she stands and dusts herself off. "I would say this could get dangerous but…considering who I'm talking to…" She then steps forward, lifting a hand to cup Max's cheek. "I'm trying to be strong…but I'm angry and hurt…and frightened.."
Max smiles as his cheek is cupped. "I will do my best to keep you safe. And to find your sister and the others." He brushes her cheek in turn. "Let us go to this place. If you can help narrow down where, and the people in question I will try to do the rest." The rest being…all the violent uncomfortable things that may be required.
Chandra nods. "Well, when Lady Kesington says she wants heads… she kinda means that…literally…" Offering this much before she looks herself over. "At the very least she wants the kidnappers dead and her children returned. I want them dead, the children returned and my sister to be safe." Which meant this was personal, and so Chandra shifts to leave that back room and slips into her bedroom. "By the rest…will you feel any sort of way if I bring my own knives and do a bit of my own gratuitous violence?"
At the mention of knives, and violence, Max raises a brow at that. "Just do not let yourself be punched easily in the face, and yes, that should be fine." Someone gets punched in a bar fight one time and it becomes a thing apparently. Still he says, "We will have to be careful, if there are a lot of them."
Chandra makes a face and then shifts to kneel at her dresser. Apparently she keeps all her dirty secrets tucked away below things. At least it's Max at her side so she's not too shy when she pulls that belt away from under her dresser to wiggle her pants down some, attach the belt so the knives are on her back, and then pulls her pants up again to cover the belt. "Alright. Careful it will be… but we should go. No telling if they're still there or have moved…and at this rate timing may be everything…"
Max nods. "Agreed. Time is a factor, if they have moved the less time from when we find where they were, the easier they will be to track." Seeing she's got her knives on her and seems ready to go, he'll head off with her, letting her lead the way as she knows where they're looking.
The kidnappers must have thought they were too slick to be found for they are still in the same location. Peeks in the dusty windows of the rundown warehouse shows the child, or what could be them. It is likely them because Vivian is beside them. Even through the dust it is obvious she is pretty badly hurt. Each time one of the people come close to the children she shifts to protect them, taking the cruel kicks or shoves instead. She might be a child herself but she is protecting them as best she can, even those older. Thankfully they don't seem to be bound. Their ages very from five to 18. They are likely to terrified to try and escape. Observing a while reveals there is, at most, a handful of people. They all wear a matching jacket with the insignia on it. It seems they are a small time crime family trying to make it big. There is no doubting there are more somewhere else but they are likely somewhere else.
How many people is a handful? Five? Ten? She peeks through the dusty windows, trying to get a count only to see her sister protect the children and take a kick and a beating herself which causes her to have to duck down and catch her breath. "Okay…this is more your field of expertise. How do we get in there and surprise them?" She shifts once more to look through one of the windows, trying to see if they have guns, knives, or weapons of any kind. She also tries to peek at that insignia, see if she could recognize it. "Fucking wankers…" Ducking back down once more, craving nicotine, and perhaps a little bloodshed.
When she finds this is the place, and they're still there, Max peeks as well to get a look inside. He frowns and says, "First, we circ-.. Or I, circle the building. We get an idea of exits and ways to sneak inside. Potentially the roof if there is roof access. If there are any guards about outside, we quietly remove them." By remove…well he's not one to play soft, especially if they're beating kids. Keeping his voice low he adds, "When we get inside, we will be closer, we will have to be completely silent, and yet quick enough to drop them before they use the children as hostages." Because if that happens their chances of resolution in their favor go down drastically. Them not being tied up will be a big help.
Chandra listens, and nods. Sometimes, in bars when drunk, there's no planning. There's just action. Which is how she ends up hurt half the time. Something like this? She's all about listening to Max and following his example. Relying on his strengths which include sneaking around and…well doing all the things he said should be done first. "Alright…go scout…I'll wait here. I think this spot is safe enough.." She then decidedly says, "I don't think they're that bright. I think I recognize the logo on their jackets…if it's who I think it is…we'll need to bring a jacket with us to Lady Kesington." Along with everything else.
The not so slick 'family' has picked a place with far to many openings for such a small group to protect. Broken windows here, doors barely on their hinges there. IT is really a rundown warehouse. They don't even patrol in a smart way. Often one ends up in a place alone. Easily cornered. If there is smart people in this crew they are not with this group. Perhaps they are with the group of children that don't have underworld parents. There are a couple who are smart enough not to be alone but not many. Vivian and the children, at all times, have 2 people with them. It looks like, at the very most, there are 10 of the small time crime family here. One is on the second floor in an office and it appears there is a hatch that leads to the roof, likely a landing pad for a shuttle or something up there. As long as they play it smart Chandra and Max could pretty easily and quickly take out the 'guards'.
A final kiss to Chandra, and Max goes to do what Max does best.
Movement. He like a shadow or ghost slips off quickly making his way around the perimeter. As they move to isolate themselves he'll come up to each from behind, knife in his hand, at first pulling the bodies away to conceal them around the corner of another building. As he continues to circuit, getting quicker, starting to leave the bodies as he gets toward mopping up the outside, throwing two throwing knives to hit two together, pulling them out of their necks on the run by. He climbs up a ladder and gets roof access as the lights go out in the building, and slides down to take the guy in the office next. By the time the men downstairs are shooting wildly, Max sneaks around their firing arcs, and finally when they need to reload says simply as he gets up to them, "No women no kids," Throwing a blade at one of the mens' necks, the other stabbing him in the kidney and twisting, then bringing the blade around to his throat to finish him off.
Chandra managed to take the lights out from her phone because she's just that good. She didn't go for theatrics at the moment because the kids were already freaking out. The one thing they forgot to do was set up a sort of signal system for when it was alright for her to go inside. Gunfire was a thing for a moment, and then it wasn't and she shifts to glance inside. Shifting, she heads for the nearest rickety door and pushes it open, making her way into the warehouse and down to where the children are at. Though there's one person she's wanting to see and ensure was alright and as she reaches her sister - the likeness between them actually a bit uncanny save for the years difference.
When the warehouse goes out the children panic and when both enter Vivian can be heard attempting to keep the especially young ones called. Though panicking too the older ones seem to be influenced by Vivian's efforts and do their best to help keep all the little ones together. It is a collective scream from all the children when gunshots happen. There is panicked whispers among them all when the shots stop. The two remaining guards speak amongst themselves, arguing a little. They conclude that someone has found them. They have enough smarts not to try and close ranks on the children to be in access to grab one of them if they must. Each has their weapon draw. One is harshly telling the children to shut up. With the warehouse so dark they don't know where to look so both of them keep turning this way and that and listening hard to see if they can hear the approach of Chandra and Max.
It's sneaky sneak time still as they get closer having taken all the side flunkies out. Max approaches from one side as Chandra decides to make her way in on the other. Yes the stopping of gunfire and them not having a signal… Max needs to learn to work with others more, too much single handed stuff. So as he approaches from his side, he cringes as he hears Chandra, since she knocks into some stuff, and..just isn't as quiet of foot when moving fast. He moves up behind the one man covering his mouth as he stabs him quickly in throat, lung, and kidney in rapid succession, preparing to have to try to cover Chandra when….
…out of nowhere, or somewhere, Chandra has managed to come up on the second guy. Already having grabbed one of her knives from the belt on her back, it's a quick raise of her arm and a downward stab right into the guy's face. She pulls the knife out and stabs him once more in the chest and the side for good measure before kicking the guy over and onto the ground. By the time she's finished, she's shaking and it's about this same time that the timer she hit on her phone for the lights to come back on actually hits that point and it's lights on in the warehouse again. She looks around, anxious to at least see her sister now that she can look for her and when she does she lifts a finger as her sister goes to say something. "Not a word right now. We need to get these children back to their families first and get your ass home." Though she does lean down and pulls the jacket off the man she killed so she could present it to Lady Kesington.
Even the older children shrink behind Vivian in fear when Chandra appears all of a sudden. IT is Kesington's daughter along with Vivian cause the children to stop being feared. Vivian's relief and the girl's, Arith, "I know you! You work with Mommy!" Arith is the youngest, she is five. They may have been together for a short time but the group of children have bonded so when Arith and Vivian are not panicking over Max and Chandra they stop being scared. After a careful glance around the children let out a cautious sigh of relief. Vivian is encouraging all the children to look at Chandra rather than around. She probably feels responsible in part for what happened and wants to limit the horror the kids face. Dead bodies are definitely a horror, especially for the youngest ones. Vivian doesn't say anything to Chandra when she is told not too. She does look embarrassed and guilty, though. As if her behavior towards the children didn't show that. Seeing Vivian clearly now shows just how much pain she took on so the kidnapped children wouldn't have too. Her eyes are starting to swell, she is limping each time she moves. She tries to hard to hide it but she is struggling to breath. Basically she is very badly bruised cut up, and likely has broken bones. It is likely pure iron will that has her not sobbing in pain in front of the children. Stubbornness to keep them as safe as she can.
"Oh Viv…" Chandra says, moving over to her sister and she takes a breath. "Think you can walk? Even a little bit? If not…I can come back with a way to move you…" She offers this much before shifting to pick up little Arith. "Ah, how are you cuddlebug? Your mother is going to be so happy that you're safe. You're all safe…come along children…lets go home…" She keeps Arith on her hip so that she can work her phone with her other hand. Hoping Max has his phone on him, she shoots him a message with directions on how to follow them and get to Lady Kesington's home. Since he is likely to stay behind a moment. Once that's done, she nods and makes sure to begin leading all the children out of the warehouse and safely to Lady Kesington's home - since they'll likely be able to reunite with their parents from there.
Max does indeed stay behind. After the kids are with Chandra and on their way to getting reunited with their families, Max cleans off his knives on one of the bodies and then pulls out one of his scimitars from one of the drop sheathes in his coat. He does the deep quickly, wrapping the presents for Chandra's boss in a black trash bag, wrapping the coat around that, then making his way following the directions given by her. The bodies he leaves there, perhaps the group will discover them and think twice before doing something so foolish again, unless Chandra's boss wishes to send a clean up crew. It's apparently not his concern either way.
"I can do it." insists Vivian as she glances towards the children (even if one or two is her age or older) she tried so hard to protect. She likely will not give in until all of them are safe and sound. When they arrive at Kesington's her happiness at seeing her baby back is obvious. Even as she does the business of arranging the children to be brought home and the rewards transferred to Chandra and Max Arith is kept with her. She finally relinquishes the girl to her father when it is time to see what was brought to her as 'proof'. time to hear the story of what happened. Initially Vivian is treated like an interloper, a person who isn't worth being in her present. Until she hears from Arith how Vivian protect her and the others. Then care for Vivian is arranged to tend to her. She even pays extra to have the doctors and such come to the estate in short order.
When Arith is tucked away Kesington asks for a recount of what happened from Vivian first. She explains that she started dating one of the guys in the minor crime family. He told her it would be a fun rebel to jokingly take the children of a couple nobles and return them a few hours later. However, the children were taken and instead of letting them go he forced Vivian to deliver that message, making sure Chandra heard the details. The recounts of what happened after the message was delivered has the anger return to Kesington's face. Though, clearly not directed to present company. It isn't exactly kindly but Vivian gets a pat to the arm and a thank you. A brief pause is given in the tales as she sends off word to the nobles again and Vivian will find she has a decent amount of credits transferred to her as well. She listens to the tale from Chandra and Max next for what happened and takes her prizes. "thank you, Chandra, for returning Arith to me. I am indebted to you. Especially since I doubted you."
Chandra shakes her head. "No, Lady Kesington. You are not indebted to me. It has been and always shall be my pleasure to serve your family however I can." The woman speaks and then offers a slight bow. "You know I live my life in the quiet recesses of the underdark away from the life of slight higher court my family can hold." The Harris family weren't exactly nobles, but the type of family that was just barely over the line of mid-upper class society. Her parents, however, act like snooty uppities whenever they can - which is likely how she came to work with the Lady to begin with, when she wanted to rebel but not fully. "You have always shown me kindness, and I hold nothing against you. I even understand why you doubted me to begin with. I only hope I have further proven my loyalty to you, my Lady." Wow, Max is surely getting an earful of a Chandra he's never met before.
At the mention of money…Well…Max doesn't have an account. If no coin or credit chit is available, he'll briefly motion toward Chandra, apparently the person to handle things in terms of money. He really didn't do it for the money anyway. Otherwise he does his best to remain silent. Chandra's the talking type, especially made apparent when she talks differently around the lady across from them. As such he stays stoic and let's them talk shop, his part done as far as he's concerned.
"Let your family know I and my friends will cover all medical expenses for your sister until she is fully healed. Any kind of medical expenses. Mental, physical, emotional. She protected our children." Towards Vivian she glances then back to Chandra, "By the looks of her she was willing to put her life on the line to keep them safe." Towards Max she looks and dips her head, "Thank you for your aid as well." She smiles to both. "Now, you each have a room readied for you to stay in should you wish to stay here."
"I will let them know." Chandra begins with a nod of her head. "I appreciate the offer of a room, but it's not that hard of a trip back to Eavesdown, and I wouldn't wish anyone any type of discomfort." She doesn't name names, but it's likely easy to tell she's refering to Max. "Besides, I managed a decent apartment and was able to amend it to my liking. It's also home. I'd like a slice of home. I will come back tomorrow and check on everything. Perhaps I shall stay the night myself then." Saying this much before she smiles. Not to mention, she sure as hell wasn't sleeping alone tonight. "I trust this warehouse will be taken care of? There's no way to link it back to us, but I wouldn't want the scent of rotting corpses to draw unwanted attention." She grins then.
Max raises a brow at the offer, perhaps surprised. As Chandra mentions home though, the man lets out a slight breath he perhaps didn't know he was keeping held. He doesn't do well with new people apparently. Still he lets her handle things, though at the mention of bodies he does raise a brow, perhaps curious himself how that will all fall out.
"It will be taken care of." Probably in a way that gives warnings to the minor crime family about who they were messing with. Upwards Kesington stands, "Let me know if there is anything you need from me." It is a dismissal, it seems. She likely wants to go smother her daughter in love after all this.