Kay laughs softly, slowly inching her way towards her rescuer, preferring not to have the goon between her and the bigger guy. She’d rather leave the goon’s back to the wall, have him cornered. She smiles at the guy she’d dubbed as Brian and shrugs lightly, “Surprises are nice, but not when I paired for the reservation at The Rose and Thorn for tomorrow.” She gives a small pout, placing her hands on her hips. The Rose and Thorn was a fancy restaurant, known for it’s admission for couples only and a nice place for a date. As well as expensive.
The goon narrows his eyes at Kay, “Eli want you back at the house. He said I should bring you back, even if you’re kicking and screaming.”
Kay huffs, still making her way to ‘Brian’, “Well. My big brother can wait. For now, I have a date with my boyfriend. So screw off.” She was still taking small, careful steps. She was just hoping to get closer to the mystery guy before the goon’s paycheck game into his head and he thought a fight wasn’t all that bad. As long as he brought Kay back, he’d get that fat paycheck.
Kay knew that too many deaths in her family would arouse suspicion, especially if Eli was the only one left standing. So he would want Kay back alive and find a way to keep her under his thumb until he could get rid of her without arousing that suspicion.
He forced another smile. "It's okay, baby," Gwi beamed. "We can do that tomorrow. I just wanted to spend more time with you." When the other man spoke, Gwynplaine dropped the gleam on his face. It wasn't just the fact that he wasn't used to smiling for more than a second; he was trying to fight back the urge to just throw a blow to the guy's left side. Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to fight off this impulse.
"She won't be kicking and screaming if I take her home," Gwi assured. As he finished his sentence, a light bulb went off over his head. He can't convince this guy with words. Whoever this Eli is probably promised the guy money for taking this girl back. Despite not knowing how much, Gwi took out his wallet. The black velcro wallet still held money from his last hit before Mister Ursu was murdered. He pulled out three one hundred dollar bills, holding them out to the goon. "Take it. I'll have her back by midnight. No kicking, screaming, hassle…She'll be in one piece. She'll be okay. Take it."
This Eli probably would be paying this dude five times what Gwi is offering, but money talks. He's seen people turn sides all because their eyes landed on the cash. That's what happened to Mister Ursu. He doesn't know what will happen next, what the woman will do or where she'll go, but he hoped that the three hundred bucks would help her get away. If not, he can up the price or put up a fight. Gwynplaine really didn't want to fight; he just wanted to go home and eat his snack.
(Sorry for the wait)
Kay smiles slightly, looking at the man, "Right, I know, It's just-" She pouts, "My surprise has been ruined."
She watches the man as she moved closer to him. Just ten more steps. She laughs softly at the comment the man made and looks back at the goon. Her gaze snaps back to the other man as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wallet. Her jaw drops slightly as the man pulls out cash and offers it to the guy. She had the slight feeling of being bought. She didn't like it, but f it kept her safe. . . Five more steps.
She watches as the goon stares at 'Brian', then down to the cash in his hand. The goon scowls, "You think you can by me with that amount of money? Idiot." The goon shakes his head looks his gaze turns to Kay.
She freezes, only three steps away from where she wanted to be. She was so close, but she wasn't going to move with the goons attention directly on her. She looks at 'Brian', "It's going to take more than that to buy him off. My brother kees them deep in his pocket, I'm assuming."
Really, Gwynplaine had no idea what he was doing. He's hungry and just wants to lay on his bed while scratching the cat behind the ears. Plus he's not in the mood to screw up his fists, fighting this weirdo. Money talks, and he'll let it say whatever as long as he can save this lady and go home. Biting the inside of his cheek, he gave the goon a wide smile.
"Look, my friend, you're loyal and hardworking. That's hard to come by. I respect that." Gwi went through the rest of the cash in his wallet. There's at least a thousand in there aside from the three hundred already in his left hand. Well, as long as this woman can get out of this situation safely, it's worth it. He took out the rest of the money, putting it together with the other bills. "I'm sure that Eli will pay you way more for taking her, but let me pay you for your troubles. Alright?"
He slipped the cash into the guy's hand then went to take the woman's. "I'll have her home soon. You can bet on it." Turning around, he started to walk out of the alley while picking up his bag of snacks. There's no way he's going to way for this lackey's approval to let her go. He'll do it. After all, what's that Latin quote from that movie, again? Carpe diem? Seize the day?
As soon as he turned out from the alley, he started to pick up the pace. He began to speed walk as quickly as possible without making it look like running. "Do you have some place to go?" He asked the lady. "I'll take you there, alright?"
(Sorry again for the wait)
After long moment, the goon took the money silently and looked at Kay for a long moment before turning and walking away. His gait was slower than before, perusing. He now had time to relax and he would take as long as possible before returning back to Eli.
Kay lets the stranger take her hand, looking over her shoulder and waving at the goon, "See you later." She murmurs, he tone sing-songy. She walks beside the other man, quiet for a long moment before answering his question. "No, I don't have anywhere to go."
She looks at the man, stopping her pace and pulling her hand away from his. She looked him over, quiet for long moments before asking, "Who are you? You're not Brian. He doesn't exist. You obviously don't want to hurt me." She crosses her arms over her chest, "So what gives? Why save me?"
In the back of his mind, Gwi was thanking every deity possible for whatever happened back there. Normally he found the idea of religion and spiritualism to be useless in his realm of being, but it helps sometimes. Now he's gotta figure out what to do with this person. He would give her money, yet whatever he had in his wallet is now in the hands of that goon back there. Really, he could just go home and leave her there, but then there's that Eli prick or whoever to worry about. Damn it. Mister Ursu failed him when it came to teaching apathy.
His face relaxed back into its natural stone-like state. He slid his hand into his pocket. In the corner of his eye, he looked over at her. Gwi didn't really want to say anything about himself. While his name isn't official (who even knows if his existence is), he doesn't want to give it out. She might know what he really is. If he says one thing, he might get killed in a second. Can he trust her?
Gwynplaine looked over at her, "I am someone who won't hurt you, but will kill others." For money, of course. He shrugged. "I don't know. You seemed like you needed help and I happened to be there."
(Will do my best to reply soon- sorry for the wait)
(It's all good, reply whenever it's convenient for you. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it. :) )
Kay's eyes follow the man who had saved her. Probably saved her life, if she was honest. She had to get under ground, which meant changing her fashionable clothes to less fashionable clothes. She loves the fancy clothes that came with money, but she also didn't mind the less fashionable clothes that were much cheaper. She was confidant that she could pull off those clothes just as well as she was pulling of her current designer outfit.
She watches the man for a long moment and then her head tilts to the side, "Do you know of anywhere I can go to stay out of sight and out if mind?"
She just needed some temporary arrangements. Then, she could take down her brother and have her fathers company and lead it to where it could go instead of down like she knew Eli would take it.
She places her hands on her hips, "So, you're a mercenary? Or assassin?"
(I am sorry, usually I can get at least one reply to everything that's needed a day, but lately I've been slacking. So I think its me coming down wit the classic writers block. So I may take slower to make replies than I normally do, but I will try my best)
(Hey, it's alright. You don't have to respond once a day. If your replies are slower, it's totally cool with me. Don't worry about it, again thanks for letting me know)
Gwynplaine titled his head. There aren't many places to go unless this "Eli" guy isn't good at finding people. "I don't wanna sound like a creep or anything, but you can stay with me…or just for the night and I can help you find another place."
His shoulders became stiff while his eyes were looking all over the place. Aside from regular people out and about enjoying the night, he didn't see anyone out in the ordinary. Gwi wanted to be safe though. He's never really admitted to anyone out in public about what he does. As a matter of fact, he doesn't even remember if he ever told anyone that he's an assassin. Everyone he interacted with just knew.
"Assassin…hitman…mercenary…" He muttered before giving a shrug, "I'm just someone with a sharp eye." Although, now with Ursu dead and Stocia having a bounty on his head, he wondered if he was still an assassin. He could go to the other groups and work for them, but he didn't want to do that. No, he wanted to take down Stocia and everyone in the ring.
Kay sighs, looking down at the ground. Eli was a dimwit, but kinda smart. He would hire someone to do his dirty work, the lazy ass. She stared at the dirt between the old slabs of concrete on the path they were walking, thinking. Eli would hire someone who was good at finding people who didn't want to be found. Kay would need to be prepared, and have a way to keep herself protected.
She turns to the man and places a hand on her hip, "Okay, I have a job offer for you then."
She could hire this man, to pretend to be this 'Brian' person, help her find stuff about her father and brother and take down Eli. She could pay him enough to have his loyalty, and maybe she could do something for him. She would have to convince him the main income would come after the job, when she had the money to pay him. She hoped, if he took the job, he would be able to wait.
While walking, he gently swung the plastic bag. He continued on for a few more steps before stopping and looking at her. His brows raised at what she said. "A job offer?" He repeated. This girl whom he saved from an alleyway just minutes ago is now offering him a job after confirming he's an assassin. And does she even know that he is a disgraced one at best?
The only job Gwi wants to take on is putting a bullet in Julius Stocia's head along with everyone else that runs his group. All of the time and effort he'd have to put into the plan to make it work is basically a job in itself. Besides, all of the clients that Mister Ursu did business with were vetted before he would get the jobs. He wasn't sure if he should take on whatever this woman wants him to do.
Gwi took note of the way she had her hand on her hip. His eyes flickered back to hers. Either this will lead him to his own death or the death of others, that's the way it's always been. "Alright, I'll do it," He nodded. "Let's talk about it at my place. Just one more block."
Kay watches him and then nods, "Yeah, an offer."
Kay smiles slightly, sliding her hands into the pockets of her jean jacket and walks beside the man, silent for long moments. She didn't want anyone killed, but maybe he could still do what she wanted? She didn't want someones death on her conscious, even by proxy. She just wanted her fathers company and to find out who Eli hired to kill her father. Her sweet, loving father.
She closes her eyes, feeling the wave of grief and disrepair trying to wash over her. She takes deep breaths, trying to build that emotional dam back up before it broke completely. She could feel the tears forming. God dammit, I won't cry. She takes a deep breath opening her eyes again and staring at the ground again.
"Y-Yeah, I'll follow you." She murmurs, still not looking up as she follows the man.
A gut feeling had hit him. He figured it had appeared when he heard the woman take a couple deep breaths. Part of him wanted to ask if something was wrong, but the question was as stupid as the answer was obvious. Not to mention they were still out, making themselves clear targets. Nevertheless, he found her in an alleyway then saved her from this Eli and the dog he hired to catch her.
Gwi did his best to walk as quickly as possible. Almost every other step, he looked over to make sure that the woman (or his client) was still there. By the time he reached the five story brown brick apartment building, he stopped checking. The place he rented out was on the second floor and not in Julius Stocia's territory so it was safe enough for the time being. He led the woman up the stairs to a black door with the numbers "209" painted in gold.
He waited for the lady to go in before closing the door behind him. The place was kind of empty. There was a kitchen space to the left. Then if you walk a couple steps then turn left there's the bathroom and across from that door is the bedroom. Aside from the blue sofa, a coffee table with a mini projector sitting on top, a red cat bed in one corner and a black bass guitar bag in another, there was nothing. No photos on the walls, rugs, plants…nothing.
"So what will it be, Boss? Business first or dinner?" Gwi went into the kitchen area, setting the plastic bag on the counter. He turned around then placed his left hand on his hip. Then he asked, "Or both?"
Kay watches the ground, using it to keep her anchored. Still taking deep breaths, she counted the steps. counting was a tool she'd had for a while now, using it to focus her attention on something other. After a while, she looks back at the man, noting as he stopped looking behind himself and looking at her. She knew they they'd crossed an invisible line between 'danger' and 'safety' for this man.
She takes note of the number on the door, walking inside and looking around, "I'm going to guess this is more of a place to sleep rather than an actual home for yourself?" She asks, tilting her head.
She leans again a wall, watching the man walk to the kitchen and smiles slightly, huffing a soft laugh under her breath, "Boss? Call me Kay, please. And food, if you dont mind."
He made his way over towards the couch. With one hand, he removed the beanie and sat it on top of a cushion. Then he shrugged off the leather jacket and let it lay on the edge of the cushion. Gwi bit the inside of his cheek. His eyes squinted. "Home is wherever I'm sleeping for the night," He admitted before strolling over towards the kitchen. Home is an odd word. It's one of those ones that has different contexts.
Despite not knowing what to make, he began to pull things out from the fridge. It wasn't stocked with food yet it had the basics to make some dishes. Although, once he sat down the carton of eggs, he stopped then looked over at Kay…Kay…Gwi finally knew her name. He stood there, blinking, for a while then went back to preparing one of his favorite dishes: ramen with vegetables and egg. "Okay, Boss," He replied. "I'm Gwynplaine… or Gwi if it's too much."
(Omg- I completely forgot about this. I promise I;lol get a reply up tonight.)
(Lol, you're all good. Take your time)
She watches him prepare the food, leaning against the counter slightly. “I guess that makes sense. That might become my life for a while. Wherever I can lay my head at night.” Her gaze falls to the floor, and she stares at it.
She hadn’t actually thought about what her life would become after running away. She knew things would be harder, but not so hard and desperate. But then, she was running away from her psychopathic and murderous brother. She sighs softly, closing her eyes for a moment.
“And yet you still call me boss?” She grins, clearly teasing and then looks back up at him, “Would you prefer I call you Gwi or Gwynplaine?”
Gwi carried on with making dinner. He filled up a pot with water then sat it over the stove on medium heat. "Take the bed. Just washed the sheets this morning so you should be fine." After opening the packs of ramen, he sat aside the little flavoring packets. He would've said something else to Kay, but he had forgot.
Oh well, it didn't matter. They still had business to talk about before he'd go on to take care of anything. Even though he had been in the business for a while now, he wasn't sure where to go from here. His handler was dead. Anyone that he could give even just five percent of his trust had turned their backs on him. The man sighed as he started cutting vegetables into smaller pieces.
He shrugged. Technically he had no name. No birth certificate, no name. Ursu started calling him Gwynplaine and it just worked out for them. Rarely did he ever get into any sort of contact with a client. Even then, they'd call him something along the lines of "Ursu's boy" or whatever. Honestly, he didn't care. "Whatever works for you," Gwi said, "You're the boss, Kay, call me whatever you want. Doesn't have to be Gwynplaine or Gwi, it can be anything. Or, it can be Gwynplaine or Gwi…if that's what you'd like."
Kay smiles slightly, “You sure? I don’t mind sleeping on the couch or something. It’s your bed. I’m not here to take over your space.” She pulls on her hair slightly, watches at the man made food. She referred to him as ‘the man’ because she still didn’t know what to call him.
Kay doesn’t mention anything about her job for him, preferring to have him bring up the subject when he was comfortable with it. She didn’t want to push boundaries, and she’d let him set his own. She just stands there quiet and waiting.
“I’ll call you whatever you want me to call you. If you want me to call you Gwi, then I will. Or, if you prefer Gwynplaine, then I’ll call you that instead.”
"Yes, I am sure. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now," He said, "I've slept on floors, grass, concrete, couches, beds…It's fine. Don't worry about me, worry about yourself, Boss." Gwi really didn't care. He wasn't sure if he ever worried about anything or anyone. He wasn't sure if he had a capacity to care about anyone or anything, including himself. Although, he was sure that he was worried about Kay. After all, Gwi did bring her into his "home."
He opened up the flavoring packets and watched as the powder fell into the pot. The empty packets made a crinkle sound as he sat them down. The pan cackled on the stove. It sizzles when he cracked two eggs, letting them fall onto the warming pan. He lowered the heat for the noodles.
Gwi bit the inside of his cheek. He turned around to face Kay. "Look, you can call me 'Honey' or 'Baby' and I wouldn't care. If you like it, great," He assured, "You like Gwynplaine, call me that. If Gwi is quicker and more efficient, do that. You are the one giving me a job, paying me. I go with whatever flow you set. I want to be called by whatever you want me to be called by. I'll always be Gwynplaine no matter what. Got it?"
She looks confused for a moment, “Um. . . Okay. . . Thanks, I guess. . .” She looks at the floor, kicking at it with her booted foot.
“I’ve spent a whole life in luxury, I don’t want to take your bed. I can spend a few nights on the floor or something.” She watches him make the food, starting to feel hungry. The last thing she had eaten was breakfast earlier that morning. She takes a deep breath through her nose, relaxing at the smell. It smelled good once the flavoring packets where added. The spices making the food seem all more appealing.
She bites her lip, “Look, I just wanna call you what you wanna be called. Like I would prefer you call me Kay instead of boss. Makes me feel old. Anyways, I guess I’ll call you Gwynplaine, if that’s what you want.”
"Yes but…as someone who normally kills people of your status for a living, just take it. Sheets are cleaned and everything's comfy." Gwi just pulled out a fork and began to stir the noodles. He liked to stir clockwise twice then reverse three times. How he came up with such a method was beyond him.
Fighting with the boss/client is never a good thing. Even Gwi knew that despite his limited experience. It's just a name and technically he doesn't have one. "Gwynplaine works well, Kay," He nodded. Leaning forward, he turned off the stove. Then he reached up to grab two bowls out of one of the cabinets. As he began placing the noodles in the bowls, he added, "I like the sound of it."
When he was finished with that, each bowl was given a sunny side up egg. He pulled out two pairs of chopsticks. "I would cut some vegetables but I don't have any in the fridge. Sorry about that Bo-…Kay." Gwi stepped forward, handing Kay a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. He took his own bowl and sat down on the car end of the sofa.
