A Garden-Variety Threat

Wearing a blue t-shirt and black skirt with white tennis shoes, Victoria strolled into Oak Town for a job that promised to be easy money. In her pocket was a job notice she carried in case what she did attracted the town guard's attention. Her goal was to protect Miss Cooper from someone who wanted her dead. Why? The brunette understood that Miss Cooper won a flower contest and that someone was not very happy about her victory.

It did not seem like something worth killing someone over, but people would kill each other for the pettiest of reasons. That was hardly a revelation to Victoria. It did not matter. She was here to stop the murder, but she could not let Miss Cooper know that her life was ever in danger. Victoria could pull that off.

She decided to canvass the town for her best informants, the local homeless. She visited all the normal places like abandoned buildings and under bridges. When she entered a run-down warehouse near the waterfront, Victoria struck gold. She engaged in conversation with an older homeless man with a salt-and-pepper mustache wearing a tattered gray overcoat and brown pants with black shoes.

"Hey there. What'cha lookin' for?" The guy asked her.

"I heard that someone wanted to kill Miss Cooper over her winning a flower competition." Victoria started. The man's eyes widened in recognition. He looked over his shoulder, then began speaking.

"Yeah. Word on the street is that the hit's gonna go down in the next few days, three days tops. Someone needs to stop it. Miss Cooper's a good person. She even volunteers at the soup kitchen I go to... I don't get why anyone would want a nice lady like her dead." The man told her.

"Don't worry. I'm gonna stop it." Victoria assured him.

"Oh! One last thing. I heard that the gate to her backyard fence started having problems with its lock. I think it's no accident. Someone wants to give the hitman an easy way in." He informed her. Victoria produced a small bag of 500 Jewels and handed them to the man.

"Thanks for the info, mister. You might wanna get somewhere safe. You know what the code of the streets says." Victoria reminded him.

"Yeah. Snitches get stitches. Thanks kid." He said before walking out of the warehouse. She hoped he got somewhere safe. Meanwhile, she had a murder to stop. She walked out and checked into the town's inn. The brunette was going to be here a few days.

[Word Count: 424] [Total Word Count: 424/500]

I used the UA Friends In Low Places to get the information that is in bold font and underlined.

-Early evening, the third day-

Wearing the same clothes she had worn for the past two days, Victoria was casually walking by Miss Cooper's house just as the moon started to rise and street lights flickered to life. The woman's front garden was full of bright yellow sunflowers and the side garden near the fence was full of vibrant red roses. It was small wonder Miss Cooper had won the competition. She looked for the gate that the homeless man had talked about. It was slightly open, just like he had warned her.

Then Victoria saw it. A hooded person dressed in all black looked around, pulled out a picture, put it back in a pocket, then slowly opened the gate and slipped through it. This was it. The brunette had to act fast before the hit was carried out!

Taking off her shoes and holding them in her hands, Victoria slowly opened the same gate and she slipped through it. She spotted the person pulling out a lockpick and starting on picking the back door. Victoria took the long way around in the back garden, being careful not to crush any tulips and daisies underfoot. She saw the hitman look around for a moment, then resume his work. Time was running out.

Victoria carefully made her way towards him, making sure to get extra close so that her attack did not miss. Once she could hear the hitman's breathing, she drew back her right fist. The person had just succeeded in picking the lock and had put away the lockpick. They were reaching for the knob to turn it when Victoria reached around, put a hand around their mouth, and began dragging them off further into the back garden, encountering resistance every step of the way. Once they were out of earshot, the brunette punched her quarry in the face until they went unconscious... it took six punches to put them out.

Next she put her shoes back on, then lifted up the person and started lending the unconscious person a shoulder as she tried to slip out the same gate they came in. The individual was heavy, but she had a plan in case she was questioned. She would pretend that the individual was passed out from heavy drinking and that she was carrying them home to keep them from doing something stupid. At least that was the plan.

Victoria had just closed the gate and was moving with her "pal" when she spotted someone approaching. Her heart stopped beating. Was it the town guard? Did Miss Cooper herself hear the commotion and come to investigate?

"Hey lady! Looks like your friend there needs some help!" A young adult male with a blond mullet and black leather pants with black boots stated. On his chest was a black Steel Matron t-shirt. In his hands were two six-packs of beer. Victoria's eyes dilated when she saw them. Perfect.

"Yeah. He's passed out from too much drinking. I was gonna drop him off at home, then go get some beer. He needs it for hair of the dog." Victoria said. The male laughed. Judging from the odor, he had been drinking himself. She surmised it was vodka.

"I know the feeling, lady. I was on my way to a concert in Magnolia Town. I could spot you a six-pack. For 200 Jewels." The young man said. Victoria could not hand him the money fast enough. She took it from him and clung to it like a life preserver in the ocean.

"Don't let him drink it all at once, lady!" He said before walking away counting the jewels and wobbling a little. Victoria was never so thankful to see a random drunk in her life. With the six-pack of beer in hand, her excuse was all but bulletproof. Now to get to the town guard station.

[Word Count: 646] [Total Word Count: 1,070/500]

-Oak Town Town Guard Station-

Victoria had left the six-pack hidden behind a trash can just outside the station before hauling her "friend" into the station. A town guardsman met her in the mostly empty lobby. Now was the time to make the drop-off.

"Hi there. I found this sketchy person attempting to break into Miss Cooper's house. I put a stop to it before something bad happened." She admitted.

"Well then. What evidence do you have to support your accusation?" He asked sternly.

"I'm with Black Rose. I answered a job notice that someone put out. My job was to prevent the murder of Miss Cooper." Victoria started as she showed her guild tattoo and the job notice. The skeptical town guardsman examined the notice, then called another officer over. The other officer, an older man with gray hair, examined it closely for a full minute. Then he handed it back to her.

"OK, but what evidence do you have?" He asked.

"Check their pockets." Victoria requested. The officers obliged and started pulling out all manner of tools. They produced a lockpick, a picture of Miss Cooper with "KILL HER" written below it in red ink, a stiletto, a silenced handgun, and a written note detailing her address and other information. The officers' eyes widened.

"Well Miss, you did a good thing. Tell us. What's your name?" The older officer asked as the younger one hauled the would-be hitman away.

"Victoria. Victoria Sheridan." She answered.

"I read that your job notice stipulated that Miss Cooper couldn't find out that her life was in danger. Still, you'll be recognized for your good deed. You'll also be rewarded for your efforts, Miss Sheridan." The officer assured her. Victoria was pleased. She had somehow pulled off the mission without Miss Cooper even knowing about the threat.

"Great. I'm just glad that Miss Cooper's OK." Victoria said.

"Thanks again, Miss Sheridan." The officer said as Victoria departed the station. She was on her way back to Rose Garden. She picked up the beer she had dropped off and carried it with her. Tonight she would celebrate another successful job.

[Word Count: 356] [Total Word Count: 1,426/500]