"Yup," she said, popping the P, and already on her way out. She paused though and turned to Nik. "I'm bored, so feel free to track me down should you want to cause some trouble." And with that, she left with a mocking salute and smirk.
(timeskip to when he tracks her down?)
(Sure)
on some roof in the corner of the district, nik lay on his back and hummed. nothing had happened for a while, and he was swiftly running out of resources. he didn't love mooching off of zan, but he was about to have to if he wanted to live.
it was boring, too. if only…
wait.
he leapt up, leaning over the edge of the roof and listening hard. maybe she'd be near the estate apartments?
Today was a really good day.
She pulled the clip out of the grenade with her teeth and tossed it into the window of the building she was near. She had found a hit on some guy that lived here and took it. The best part? It was one of her old foster parents.
Karma, bitch.
She backed away as the apartment blew, covering her face with an arm to protect her eyes from flying debris.
nik had been wandering the borders of the neon district when he heard a teeth-shattering boom. he saw a distant explosion to go with it.
must be her.
he tightened the strap of his camera bag and took off towards where the sound had faded, reaching the area after a few minutes of hard running. nik surveyed the wreckage, pulling out his camera and turning it on.
Tessa was perched on a nearby street lamp, one leg dangling off of it as she watched Nik with vague amusement. "I see the local picture boy has shown up to see my masterpiece. Don't feel too bad–the dude was a douche. I should know."
"oh i'm not feeling bad. only rich folk lived here." he eyed the destruction with an out-of-character glint in his gaze.
after he had taken some pictures, he turned to tessa. "so, you said to find you to cause some mischief?"
She grinned and leaned forward, holding her body up and keeping balance with her hands wrapped around the street light. "What kind of mischief did you have in mind?"
"the mayor's son, noah. he needs to be taught a lesson. no death or crippling involved, but…"
he finally took off his hat, erasing the shadow it cast across his eyes.
"this could be fun. you in?"
She hopped off the light, landing in a neat crouch with her fingers pressed into the pavement. "He afraid of fire?" Even if he wasn't, she was in. She was in the mood for some mischief, and this indeed sounded like mischief.
"of course he is. i don't advise any major destruction, but you could totally arson the hell out of specifically his clothes or room. my plan was to expose him. record him getting botox or whatever he gets, and then flame all his expensive shit, and then i could report it and act like it was another random hit by you," he took a breath, pausing to stare up at the tall building where the mayor and her son lived.
"or something else, if you had anything in mind."
"Sounds good to me." She looked up at the building as well, putting her hands on her hips. "How're you planning on exposing him, though? It's not like he's just gonna admit to whatever you're looking for." She twisted her lips to the side as she thought. "You think he's a player? Sleeps around and whatnot?"
"mm. not a lot of people want to sleep with him. he won't admit, but i have my ways. you won;t have to sprint this time, but follow me."
he moved at a moderately quick pace, completely silencing his steps when he reached a certain point. he leaned around a corner to reveal a poor part of town, and lo and behold, the mayor walking with her son. he flicked on his camera and pressed record.
they walked slowly, the mother having her keys pressed into her hand with the sharp part out. smart of her. her son eventually spoke up, drawling in a bored voice.
"ugh, poor people are so disgusting. do they not take care of where they live? i wish i could just…get rid of them. yes, kill off the poor. what about it, mother?"
nik made a face and shut off the camera.
Tessa had climbed up onto a single story building, and she scowled down at the mayor's son. "Asshat. No wonder no one wants to sleep with him." She shuttered. He was just like some of her foster parents, namely the ones she had when she was six. Yes, she had no problem with messing with him. Maybe even leave her calling card to make him paranoid.
"You got what you need?" She reached into her jacket, fingering the objects strapped inside of it. "'Cause I'm ready to play with fire."
"i have what i need. he's gonna be here for a while, so we have a long time. there's a tin of gasoline over there. do what you will with it." he winked, shoving his cap back over his eyes and starting the trek to the estate apartments.
"I don't need gasoline," she muttered to herself before picking her way over the buildings. She ran over the ragtag shingles and leaped from building to building. Her back had healed to the point that it barely bothered her.
She eventually made it to the mayor's home. Not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, she snuck to the side of the building that she knew held the kid's bedroom. Then she started to climb. She had on gloves with iron claws to help her, and her boots had retractable spikes that dug into the wall.
when she reached his room, nik was already picking the lock downstairs and swiftly made his way up to noah's room to meet her.
"real fancy. you got a job for me, or am i just standing back while you work your magic?"
She swept her gaze over the room, making calculations and picking her targets. She pulled out a small lighter from her jacket. "Just tell me his most precious valuables and stay away from the flames."
"aye aye, captain. go for the shoes and sunglasses first." he backed up, opening the window again to perch on the sill.
"is it alright if i take a video just to keep for myself?"
"As long as it stays with you." She winked over at him. "There's a reason I work alone."
Before he could respond, she flicked on the lighter and walked over to the closet full of shoes. It didn't look like she'd do much damage with the tiny lighter.
"i would ask about the size of that lighter, but i figure i'll be shown." he tucked one leg under him, flicking the camera on.
"Indeed you will." She waved a hand over the small flame–her gloves now tucked in the waistband of her skinny jeans–and the fire followed the movement. The flame amplified itself and swirled around her fingers, growing bigger and hotter with each passing second. Soon enough, she flicked her fingers, and the fire shot towards the shoes like a dog eager to please its master. The expensive shoes were engulfed within milliseconds, but everything else was somehow untouched.
Tessa's eyes didn't leave the flame as she addressed Nik. "Now you know why I never leave a trace–and the unexplainable is now explained."
(not what i meant but okay i guess lmao)
he leapt down from the sill to the floor, smile wide. "i've only ever seen backstreet minor magic. you're a real cool one, y'know? if you'll excuse the connotation."
looking around the room, he pulled on a pair of gloves before yanking a business card out of his back pocket. he stuck it in the frame of the window before using the heel of his hand the bust one of the panes.
"think i should write something? a message?"
(Sorry. I just thought simple fire amplification? She makes booms go bigger and flames more intense? Fire is a really big thing about this character…)
"Nah, you're good. I'm a street rat through and through." She flicked off the lighter and turned to the collection of sunglasses. "Scare him. Tell him he's being hunted or something, and that one mistake can ruin him. I'll leave my signature to make the threat clear." She did her trick again, melting the collection just as swiftly as the shoes.