A Basic Job for a Basic Man

The Job:

Accidents were easy. A careless slip and fall, the failure of a safety measure, acts of god; everyday occurrences that no one could predict. Such a simple, basic thing can lead to the deepest tragedies though. Loss of possessions, hard work, or even life. With one bad roll of the eternal dice, everything can slip away. Accidents were easy. Creating them was hard.

Arsene mumbles as he tried to focus back on his task. The railing was oddly secure, rarely had it taken him this long to loose the bolts on one. Sweat formed on the old man's brow, cheek raised and tongue peeking out of his mouth amidst his struggle. Finally feeling it start to creak open, a long sigh forced it's way outside his lips. Loosened to the point it was barely held in place, the city repairman dropped his wrench and wiped his head. Exactly what he was aiming for; a light push and the entire thing would drop down, falling at least 4 stories down into the road below. That was the hard part of the job today, at least in his opinion.

Standing, Arsene threw the wrench into the small bag hanging by his side. He would have to pass this off to his partner before moving on. A costume change would be in order too. Currently, he was disguised as an elderly repairman Arsene had encountered a few years ago. He made sure no one would see him, but just in case, donning the appearance of someone who should be checking the bolts on the old steel bars. It was a dark night, and already a few hours into it, so there was incredibly low odds anyone could see him there, even less they'd actually be out. At this point, the only people around would be those waiting for last call at the bar, like he knew their target was.

From the info Arsene gathered, Trevor always went out for drinks after work with his friends. And, he always stayed till last call, before staggering back to his home to pass out. That was all that Arsene needed to write the script for the night. It wasn't an amazing story or anything but it would pass. The actor had a bad habit of holding his directing standards too high. Sometimes, simple was the best answer. Stretching, he looked around for his partner. Troubadour, as he was known in the guild, had reached out for a stage hand on this job. They should be arriving within a few moments, and then they could begin. Arsene could have done this solo, but he preferred to have someone there to help him out; he didn't like getting his own hands dirty.

WC: 451

Wearing the panoply of black armor that obscured her features and helped her sneak about with ease while also serving as the guild uniform, Stiletto took advantage of the cover of night and slipped into Hosenka without anyone being alerted to her presence. Stiletto's current objective was to meet with a partner from Hidden Blades, a fellow who went by the codename Troubadour. Their job was to eliminate a person named Trevor Willet. That in itself was easy, but the client had attached a stipulation which could prove to be a challenge.

The kill had to look like an accident.

The client was not budging on that requirement. Other than that, the manner in which Trevor died was up to the Hidden Blades operatives. Why did their client want Trevor dead?

According to the information that was provided on the target, Trevor Willet was a frat boy who partied and spent much of his spare time in an alcohol-induced haze. He had no real plans in life other than to party and get drunk... and to try to marry into money instead of earning it himself. He recently proposed marriage to the client's daughter, a young woman named Penelope. To her father's chagrin she accepted and the pair were going to elope soon to a place far away from Earthland. The job of Troubadour and Stiletto was to end those plans by terminating the would-be groom in a manner that did not look like anything other than an unfortunate accident.

Stiletto sneaked through town, easily avoiding the stragglers and bar-goers as she flitted through the shadows. She blended with the shadows and sneaked to the place where she was supposed to meet with her partner for this job, which was a place with railing where the hit was going to be carried out. Stiletto took cover behind a building and peered around the corner... she saw someone who looked like an old handyman with a toolbag standing around the rail and acting like he was looking for someone. She remembered that her partner had wanted to engineer an accident; the railing nearby provided a good way to make that happen. Perhaps the handyman was her partner in disguise.

Approaching him with care, Stiletto decided to talk to him first but was ready to eliminate him in case she had approached the wrong person. There was no one around, so she could knock off the handyman and hide the body, but she did not want to kill any more than she had to. She still had to perform the hit on Trevor.

"I am looking for a troubadour. Perhaps you can point the way to him." Stiletto said to the man.

[Word Count: 451]
[Total Word Count: 451/500]

Arsene was always listening to his surroundings. There was a moment he was tracing the horizon and scanning for any sign of people. After all, the second he had an audience, it was time for a performance. So, as Stilleto approached him, just as ready as she was to end his life (unknown to Arsene himself), he was ready to play the role for simple, stupid old man, and walk off into the night after finishing his repairs. A soft smile took over the old man's lips as she approached, turning into one of fear and discomfort at the shape of her armor made itself apparent. Arsene knew that meant they were from Hidden Blades, but the old man did not. If it was a different agent, beyond who he was supposed to meet, he had no reason to play his hand then. He walked back a bit, cowering slightly as he kept distance between them. As they spoke though he straightened up. The smile returned, instead of gentle though this was cocky.

Strolling to the side, Arsene allowed himself to become more covered by the shadows of the nearby trees, his skin seemingly fading as he did. A sudden transition, as his body fell into the shadow the old man vanished, replaced with the same harsh black Stilleto wore. "My, that's quite forward of an introduction. I dare say it's quite rare find a wandering troubadour in this day and age, so not exactly the most subtle greeting." Arsene's voice was obviously not his own. Instead of the masculine voice his figure presented, a soft childlike one came out instead. It served to not only better conceal his identity but to also highlight his playful, juvenile tone. "Still, I can appreciate a certain directness. It makes things go quicker. I've prepared the stage and set up the props; all I ask now is my dear stage hand ready to assist in the show?"

Arsene had no real acting experience; he'd never set foot on an honest to goodness stage. Still, that didn't mean he didn't perceive himself an actor. To him, everything was a display, a grand show for anyone around. Even taking the life of another, a discrete secret mission, was a spectacle for everyone involved, a game. The vernacular, while cheesy and forced if he had to admit it, simply made the experience more fun for himself. "Now, just give me a moment to get into costume." With a quick, and rather sudden, spin, Arsene once again changed appearance. Around him his skin seemed to ripple, transforming from the black-clad operative to that of a young girl, light blonde hair and a perfect smile, the form of Penelope Hershall. "There, do I look the part?" Even the voice was the same, as if he'd switched places with her in the moment.

WC: 484

Stiletto had paused for a moment because she was not sure if she had the right person, but after a few moments and a few theatrical gestures that included a display of voice changing even without benefit of a mask, she had indeed found Troubadour. He began speaking in stage vernacular and described how he had used the guise of a repairman to loosen the rail in preparation for the hit. A few moments later he had taken on the guise of Penelope Hershall, the object of affection for Trevor but more than likely his meal ticket to a work-free future. Stiletto was impressed with Troubadour's ability to assume the voice and appearance of another person at a moment's notice. In the future she would have to work out a code phrase so that she did not have to go through another awkward moment like their first meeting.

"You certainly look the part, Troubadour." Stiletto complimented the fellow Hidden Blades member. She had never seen Penelope Hershall before, but Troubadour's take on the young woman was a convincing one. Now the Hidden Blades operatives needed to get Trevor to fall for it... in more ways than one. That was where Stiletto came in.

"I am ready. What do you need me to do?" Stiletto asked Troubadour in a flat female voice that sounded robotic. Stiletto liked that voice setting for her helmet. She needed to experiment and find other "voices" that she could use to fool potential witnesses and prevent herself from being so easily identified.

[Word Count: 260]
[Total Word Count: 711/500]

Flattery can get you everywhere. That was an absolute truth, with Arsene at the very least. With an ego approaching the size of a small country and still growing, compliments were definitely appreciated. Even such a minor one was enough. A compliment was a compliment, no matter how big or small. With a tiny curtsy, Arsene dipped down with the grace of a well raised, young lady. After a moment he returned to a neutral stance, still maintaining the prim and perfect posture that was beaten into women of noble stature. In all aspects he reflected an unnatural skill at behaving like a young woman. Stepping forward softly, she entered into the light, and stared at the railing. "I don't think it should be too much of a problem from here; I'll go collect our volunteer, and bring him onto the stage. After my opening act, I trust in your ability to make sure he.... has a tragic slip by the railing. I'm sure I don't need to explain the rest, do I?"

Turning back, Arsene stared into the blank mask of Stilleto with a picture perfect expression. Like a woman discussing the love of her life, he spoke of pushing another woman's love off a cliff. Honestly, this type of work was new to Arsene, but so far he loved it. He played the showman in the streets, standing on street corners and doing minor feats for smaller amounts of coin. There were many reasons for this; it was a great place to catch gossip and observe others discretely, to meet with people or be contacted by them, and it was a great cover for what he did. Who would expect to find an info broker juggling across the street?

Still, despite all of the reasons he'd tell you if you asked, the largest reason was his desire for the stage. To entertain others, to steal their attention and focus solely onto him. So far, Hidden Blades was giving him endless opportunities to do that. To don the mask of so many different people, playing the parts in their lives without anyone noticing. It was thrilling; he was acting almost every day. It was so hard to suppress that inner joy, that even he had moments like this, letting his excitement take over his face and smile purely. "If you have any ideas or questions though, please feel free to air them now. I want to make sure our show tonight is perfect; after all, we only get one shot at a life ending 'accident'."

WC: 452

Stiletto liked the sound of that plan. Troubadour would set Trevor up for the kill and Stiletto would be the one to push him over the edge, so to speak. It was as simple as one could get with a plan that involved two people. Simple plans tended to work the best because there were fewer variables to take into account and fewer things that could go wrong... theoretically speaking, of course.

"It should be simple enough. You work your magic, I work mine, and gravity does the rest." Stiletto said to Troubadour in her robotic female voice. It sounded simple enough, but she wanted to make sure that that was all she had to do. She wanted to be sure that there was not any additional work that needed to be done before they tried to make the hit.

"Is there anything else I need to do before we try to make this happen?" Stiletto asked Troubadour. She was following his lead on the job and she wanted this job to go right. For the job to go right, both Hidden Blades members needed to be on the same page when the time to make the hit arrived. She would wait for his instructions before doing anything else.

[Word Count: 209]
[Total Word Count: 920/500]

'Penelope' smiled, shaking her head softly. "Sorry, but there's not much else needed for this show. A stage hand's life isn't as glamorous, but it's necessary." Just like Stilleto, Arsene liked simple plans. Despite his actions and appearance, he could appreciate the beauty in keeping things simple and effective. Besides, the simpler a plan was, the more he shone pulling it off. With a less distracting background, it was much easier for Arsene to stand out. Starting off into the forest, Arsene gave the second figure a tiny wave. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Just make sure he doesn't notice, until it's much too late.~" With that, the young girl slowly faded into the darkness, disappearing like a snuffed flame.

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About an hour later, a soft giggle echoed through the woods. Slowly growing into laughter and conversation, one could see a pair approaching the rail. A young woman, frolicking playfully in front, and a man slowly following behind, clearly intoxicated but doing a decent job of maintaining his balance. He was well built, and equally well dressed, but despite it all, he came off as anything but a good person. His tone was seemingly always mocking, and his laugh was honestly just annoying. Still, the girl seemed enthralled with him, smiling at him like he was the most interesting person alive. Together, they approached the railing, standing by it and admiring the view. "It's such a lovely view here," the girl said wistfully, staring out over the city, "it makes me think about how we're going to be living here, together, and how badly I want that to be forever..." She turned to face him, sending the most obvious singles she could. Even in his drunken stupor, the man seemed to get the hint, and his hands went on top of hers, turning sideways against the rail to stare into her eyes. "Penelope...." His words were slurred, struggling to form even a basic sentence, "you're th-the love of my life, and I d-don't ever wanna be without you..... Wi-Wi-Will, you marry..... me?" Despite the struggle, he managed to get it out, before dropping down to one knee before the loosened railing. Shocked, the girl jumped back, pulling her hands to her chest and blushing. "Oh My, well, I couldn't... I mean.... No, thank you." Arsene smiled evilly, looking into the forest for his partner to arrive.

WC: 412

Stiletto was not going to argue with Troubadour when he spoke of the life of a stagehand as being one bereft of glamor. She could handle being out of the spotlight. She liked anonymity because not being in the spotlight was the best chance people in her profession had of making it to retirement.

"I will await your return." Stiletto said before stepping into the shadows and blending in thanks to the armor and her special ability to blend with shadows.

---

Hiding behind the building and having remained unseen the entire time, Stiletto listened for the return of her partner and was rewarded for her patience almost one hour later when "she" returned with a male who could only be Trevor Willet. Stiletto then slipped around the building and approached from the forest, making sure that Trevor nor anyone else saw her approach until it was too late. Stiletto could hear the nonsense that the target was slurring to "Penelope" through a thick fog of inebriation. She could have shot Trevor at least a dozen times by the time he finally finished slurring out the marriage proposal.

When "Penelope" accepted and looked towards the woods, that was Stiletto's signal to act. She sneaked up until she was fairly close to Trevor, then cast a Stun Burst that left him unable to move out of the way. Now was the time to make the hit.

"Heywaitamoment here wh-who's that and wh-wh-what's happeni-" He started to babble while waving his hands before Stiletto closed the distance and gave him a forceful push from the side into the loosened railing with gloved hands, sending him through the railing and screaming to his death. Stiletto crouched down and listened for the impact, which sounded just moments later.

"You must confirm the kill. I am too conspicuous to look over the ledge." Stiletto said to "Penelope"/Troubadour. Stiletto and Troubadour had made the hit. Now they needed to begin planning their escape.

[Word Count: 334]
[Total Word Count: 1,254/500]

ARsene watched as the man plummeted to the ground before him. The mix of fear and confusion on his face was spectacular; no other person could ever achieve that look save the dying. It was a rare treat to see it, but he couldn't savor it long. As the man fell, Arsene stepped back, making sure he stood alongside Stilleto, blocked from view below by the edge. He turned to look at the killer, tiny smile across the delicate, borrowed face of a lover. It was a rather disturbing sight, thinking about it; a pair of lovers, one thrown to his death and the other lovingly enjoying the view. That was art. However, he couldn't risk enjoying it more. If any witnesses saw Penelope watching the scene, it'd cause problems. "I'll check in a moment, don't worry. I just wanted to compliment your performance; I knew you were there, and even I struggled to see you coming. Absolutely wonderful."

With another ripple, Arsene vanished from sight entirely. Coating himself in a powerful reflection, he was completely invisible. This way, he could get a good look below without getting caught. Hoping over to the ledge, he leaned down carefully, making sure he didn't join Trevor as some new street art. Sure enough, a large red blood filled the streets beneath them, with the motionless form that once was Trevor in the middle. Crumpled and bent, it looked anything but human. If Trevor survived that, then he definitely wasn't. "He's definitely gone. No signs of movement, majority of his bones look crushed, and there's enough blood on the street to fill a bathtub." Standing once more, Arsene removed the reflection, re-appearing in the same armor as Stilleto. He still spoke in Penelope's voice, however. "Perfect, what a wonderful show. Thank you for the help Stilleto, I appreciate it. If you're ever looking for a partner again, I'd appreciate a call." He made a small bow, ready to go his own way, provided Stilleto didn't need anything else from him.

WC: 357
Spells Cast: Refraction
MP: 385

Stiletto was pleased to hear that the kill had been made and confirmed. Now her thoughts turned to getting out of Hosenka without anyone being the wiser. With the death of Trevor Willet a lot of attention would be heading their way soon, including attention from local law enforcement. In the meantime "Penelope" had reverted to the armored form of Troubadour and had complimented Stiletto on her performance.

"I am glad to be of service. Perhaps we will work together again in the future. Now I suggest that we make our escape before unwanted attention arrives." Stiletto said in her robotic voice.

"I will go first. Until we meet again." Stiletto bade Troubadour farewell before giving a small bow and disappearing behind the building that she had waited behind. She then worked her way towards the town exit, darting between buildings while employing her shadow ability to remain hidden. She made her way through the town without much effort, then darted into a convenient section of nearby woods without anyone even seeing her. The job had been performed to perfection... no evidence had been left behind and no one even knew she was there except for Troubadour and Trevor, but Trevor was no longer a problem.

Stiletto slipped into the woods and followed them out of town, then began plotting a course for home. She had achieved another success for the guild. Now it was time to go home and get paid.

[Word Count: 242]
[Total Word Count: 1,496/500]