A Day With Miss Helton

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 23, Post Number 567

-Capital Crocus, 8:30 A.M.-

Arriving in Capital Crocus at 8:30 A.M. in the morning, Diana was here to spend the day with a wealthy young woman named Angela Helton. She had been hired by Miss Helton's parents to accompany the young woman on her daily trip to the mall and on her nightly trip to Boomslang. It seemed like easy work for a big payday, which was just what the huntress needed. Another reason for taking this job was that she was suspicious of Mister Burke and decided to wait awhile before taking another job from him. Though she had no hard evidence to support her theory, she suspected that he had hired the two people she had encountered and evaded in the office building in Fulci to take the briefcase and kill her to ensure her silence on its contents.

Wearing a purple long-sleeved t-shirt with a black skirt, black thigh-high stockings, and black dress flats, Diana had tried to dress casually while still maintaining a modicum of elegance. She merged with the light foot traffic in one of Capital Crocus' wealthier neighborhoods and read over the directions printed on the job notice clutched in her right hand. According to the notice, Miss Helton's home was located on 1024 Magnate Lane. Diana reached a crosswalk and looked at the street sign... she was indeed on Magnate Lane. She kept walking straight and took note of the numbers on the front of the houses, keeping an eye out for House Number 1024.

Diana kept going and noticed that she was passing by houses that had the number 1000, so she was in the right area. She began to mentally count the houses she passed by while she continued to weave through the light foot traffic in the upscale neighborhood. Once she reached House Number 1024 Diana stepped onto the perfectly crafted stone steps and approached the brown wooden door that was made out of a dark wood and perfectly crafted. Diana noticed a glowing doorbell button mounted on the doorframe and pressed it once.

It rang and the huntress put away the job notice and waited patiently for someone to answer. It did not take long. About a minute later she heard thumping coming from inside the house like someone was running down stairs. Soon she heard mechanical locks being disengaged and the door opened.

In front of her was a brunette about her height wearing an aqua sundress with a white shirt over it. The brunette's hair had a peculiar antenna look where two lengthy strands stuck up and curled forward... whether that was deliberate or just a quirk of her hairstyle was unknown. Diana did not care what the client looked like as long as the job paid well... assuming the youth in front of her was the client and not the client's mother. Speaking of the young woman, she appeared to be taken by Diana's appearance.

"Oh my. Mother and Father certainly hired an attractive babysitter. I'd like to get to know you better." The young woman commented with a salacious wink. Judging from the remark, she was Angela Helton.

"I am Diana Winchester." Diana introduced herself. This was the second brunette from Capital Crocus who was a little too into her. First it was Jasmine DuClare. Now it was Angela Helton. Angela produced a platinum-colored credit card and flashed it with a smile.

"Ready to go shopping, Sweetie?" Angela asked Diana. Diana nodded in response.

"Great! Let's go to the Capital Crocus mall, Sweetie! Three floors of shops, shops, and more shops! We can shop until we drop!" Angela declared excitedly. Diana stepped back and let Angela lock her front door, then followed her client towards the Capital Crocus mall. What had Diana gotten herself into by taking this job?

Angela Helton's Appearance:

[Post Word Count: 634]
[Total Word Count: 634/11,000]

-Capital Crocus Mall, thirty minutes later-

After walking through the busy streets of Capital Crocus and waiting their turn to get inside the mall, Diana and Angela had finally reached Capital Crocus Mall, a place that the brunette had expressed great joy in getting to visit even though by her own admission she went every day of the week. Diana listened to Angela go on and on while the former looked around her at the spit and polish of the three-story shopping center touted to be the best in Earthland. Diana's first impression of the mall was a favorable one.

The mall had three stories of floors that hosted a wide variety of shops, all of which had clean floors and gleaming store windows with smiling, happy clerks waiting to help customers with their shopping needs. The mall was well-attended by hundreds of shoppers holding bags from a wide variety of stores in a wide variety of colors. There were middle-aged women going into home goods stores, men lining up to get into the sports bar on the first floor, teenage girls going into Earthland Eagle for the latest fashions, and all the usual suspects that one would find at a mall. It was a cross-section of Fiore's population crammed into a three-story monument to capitalism.

Aside from mall mainstays like clothing for people of all ages and the food court, there were also niche shops like Resin Monuments where aficionados of the Rising Stars, Wizard Saints, and Gods/Goddesses of Ishgar could go to purchase high-quality resin figurines of their favorite mage or mages. Diana did not care where she went because today she was escorting Angela Helton. The client's safety was more important than Diana's comfort. However, Diana did find herself wishing that Angela would give her a little more personal space than she was currently giving the blonde.

"You're acting like this is your first visit to Capital Crocus Mall. The layout can be a little confusing, even for a frequent visitor like me! So, what do you think of the mall, Sweetie?" Angela asked Diana, holding onto the huntress' left arm like a girlfriend would cling to her boyfriend. Ignoring how it felt for someone to touch her and to hang off of her arm like that, Diana came up with a reply.

"Impressive." Diana answered laconically.

"I agree with you. Now, let's go to Earthland Eagle! Today's a clearance sale on blue jean shorts that I've gotta check out!" Angela declared, practically dragging Diana by her left wrist towards a store on the first floor marked by pale blue neon letters above the open doors. It also had an eagle with outstretched wings emblazoned on the two large plate glass windows flanking the entrance. Diana was about to head into unfamiliar territory.

-Inside Earthland Eagle-

"Welcome to Earthland Eagle!" A peppy young redheaded woman in a black blouse and blue jeans with black shoes greeted the pair from behind a wooden counter made of light-colored wood. Angela and Diana simultaneously raised a hand in greeting and the brunette then broke away from Diana to go to the left side of the store, where there was a rack of blue jean shorts that was being picked over by at least six teenage girls. The rack was also marked by a large red sign with yellow letters that read "50% OFF! TODAY ONLY!" Diana followed in Angela's wake and stood a short distance away as the client began to peruse the shorts, which did not impress the blonde that much.

The shorts all had a worn-out look, like they had been worn and washed at least one hundred times. Some of them also had tears in the fabric like they were deliberately ripped. A third of the shorts were a lot shorter than Diana would have liked... it was towards those that Angela gravitated. The brunette plucked a pair off of the rack and swiftly located Diana to show her the find.

"Look what I found, Sweetie! These are SO PERFECT for me!" Angela excitedly chirped. Diana did her best to keep a neutral face because she was not impressed with her client's find but did not want to offend her. Angela was a bit too affectionate towards girls and had a serious thing for short shorts but otherwise seemed like a decent person.

Diana was not sure what to say to the find. She personally did not like short shorts, but Angela seemed to. Diana opted to give a small smile instead of saying anything and hope that the matter would drop. Instead it got worse as Angela returned to the rack and picked out a second pair.

"Your outfit's kinda frumpy, so I got a pair for you, Sweetie!" Angela said cheerfully. Diana kept a neutral face, but inside she was deeply unhappy. The huntress hoped that she did not have to wear the short shorts. Angela dragged Diana off towards the dressing rooms, which were a short distance away and to the right. Diana's heart fell into her stomach.

She was going to have to wear short shorts before the day was over.

Why was this happening to her?

[Post Word Count: 864]
[Total Word Count: 1,498/11,000]

-In Earthland Eagle's dressing room-

Diana knew that her fashion sense was not on par with her peers, but it had never been described as "frumpy" before today. Aside from being naturally frugal to the point of parsimony, she had deliberately opted to keep her outfits less than spectacular to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to herself. There was a reason for that behavior besides just saving money for a rainy day.

If a supposedly Guildless mage suddenly started to spend lavish sums on expensive clothing, some smart Rune Knight would put two and two together and begin an investigation into her sources of income. As the chosen enforcers of the Magic Council, their authority within Fiore's borders was nearly unlimited. They could power straight through the red tape that would stymie the investigations of ordinary law enforcement and get what they needed one way or another. While some of the lower-ranked Rune Knights had a casual attitude towards their responsibilities, their leaders took their jobs very seriously. Diana had learned about "Serilda" and "Mythal" from Sorcerer's Magazine and knew that they were among the strongest mages in Earthland.

Diana did everything she could to avoid attracting their attention because right now there was no way she could hope to defeat either one of them in a fight. Her magic was geared more towards killing targets before they knew she was there, not going toe-to-toe with them. The last thing she wanted to do was fight because in the off chance she managed to kill one of the two Rune Knights, the other would rally the entirety of the Rune Knights behind them and pursue Diana to the ends of Earthland without regard for national borders. Once cornered by the band of vengeful mages Diana had two choices; either go to prison for a very long time or end her life before she could be taken alive. Therefore it was best to avoid attracting their attention even if it meant missing out on big paydays by taking safer and low-paying jobs.

Speaking of paydays, Diana stood in the mirror wondering if the one she would get for accompanying Angela Helton around Capital Crocus for a day would be worth the trouble it took to get. She also wondered why she had put on the short shorts. The legs were way too short and had a rip in the right back pocket where an observer could see her underwear if they looked at the right angle. Angela had already tried hers on and had put them back on the hanger for purchase, but she was busy admiring Diana's figure.

"You look great, Sweetie!" Angela cheerfully informed Diana, who only gave a weak smile in return. Why was this kind of awkward situation happening to her? Was it divine punishment? Or was it some divine force trying to make Diana realize that there were some problems that she just could not avoid or shoot?

"Thanks." Diana said laconically, looking over the tattered shorts that passed for fashion among some young people. She did not like this, not one bit. However, she would deal with it for the big payday and a chance to let the heat from the Fulci job die down. Diana retreated behind a partition and took off the shorts, handing them back to Angela.

"Soooo, you'll take them?" Angela asked hopefully.

"Yes." Diana answered. Despite the embarrassment they brought her she opted to keep them for two reasons. The first was that she did not want to upset Angela and jeopardize the mission. The second was that the short shorts could one day prove useful as a disguise due to the sheer audacity of it. Few people would ever believe that a contract killer like her would wear such a garment as part of a disguise.

"Great! I'll go pay for them!" Angela said before disappearing, leaving Diana to put her skirt back on in peace. She would be glad to leave Earthland Eagle and do something that did not involve unflattering clothing. She had soon put her skirt back on and was at Angela's side as she finished purchasing the shorts.

-Inside the mall, First Floor-

"Well, that was fun! I got some shorts I needed and you get to update your wardrobe!" Angela said to Diana, who took the comment in stride with a faint smile. Angela was a bit too into Diana and seemed like she was trying to woo the blonde. Still, being around an overly affectionate client was better than being shot at by jumpy scavengers or fighting one's way through hordes of reanimated office workers. Diana would endure the trivial discomfort of the situation and earn a big and safe payday before dipping back into the shadows for work that was more in her wheelhouse.

"Soooo, where would you like to go next?" Angela asked Diana.

"I have nowhere particular in mind." Diana admitted.

"Great! Let's go check out the makeup and perfume in Fashionable Lady! It's a great place with soooo much makeup and perfume to choose from! C'mon!" Angela said to Diana, grabbing the huntress' left wrist and practically dragging her in the direction of the shop, a move which attracted the attention of a few young adult men wearing sports-related t-shirts hanging around the sports bar. One of them even whistled at Diana as the latter was all but dragged past them.

Why was this happening to her?

[Post Word Count: 907]
[Total Word Count: 2,405/11,000]

-Inside Fashionable Lady, First Floor-

Diana had just entered the shop with Angela and was already starting to regret it. Her nose was being attacked by multiple sweet fragrances and she did not know what to do to protect herself from the onslaught except to leave the shop, but that was not an option. Diana had been hired by the Heltons to stay by Angela's side and she would do just that no matter how high her personal discomfort got. Some cosmic force seemed to do everything it could to test Diana's resolve because Angela continued to drag Diana through the shop until they reached a counter stocked with expensive-looking perfumes in glass bottles; even more bottles were in a glass display case that doubled as a counter. Some of the clerks began to exchange whispers that Angela and Diana were newlyweds on their honeymoon.

The pair "walked" through a shop that was brightly lit and full of well-dressed female clerks manning polished glass counters that doubled as display cases for the expensive perfumes contained within them. Speaking of the perfumes, a quick glance at the price tag showed that the least costly perfume started in the 800s and the prices only rose from there. Whether the product was really worth that much or Fashionable Lady was just trying to maintain the facade of an "upscale" store was something that the blonde did not know. Diana was just along for the ride... or the drag.

"Here's my favorite part of Fashionable Lady, Sweetie. It's fully stocked with imported perfumes from all across Earthland! There are perfumes from Desierto, Bellum, Pergrande, Minstrel... if you can name the region, they either have it or can order it!" Angela told Diana. Diana was impressed by the variety of perfumes available. However, she was never much of a perfume person because fragrances were an unnecessary luxury and a detriment to her other trade. The huntress had done everything she could to separate her other trade from her "normal" life and now was not the time to start backsliding. However, she might not have much of a choice in the matter because Angela picked up a bottle of pink perfume and playfully sprayed Diana in the face with it, causing the blonde to cough and wave her hand in front of her face.

"It's a perfume called Blossom Breeze in Bellum!" Angela announced to the coughing blonde, who had to back away from the unexpected chemical attack. Backing away did no good because the scent clung to her face like an angry bulldog that refused to let go. Diana did her best to keep a straight face, but her eyes were beginning to water to the point her vision was blurring. A well-dressed clerk came to the rescue with a dropper of water and advice on how to use it, advice which Diana soon put to good use. Struggling with all her might, Diana managed to hold her right hand steady and hold her eyes open long enough to put drops of water into her eyes to rinse them out.

Diana began to blink rapidly and the same helpful clerk brought a few tissues for Diana to wipe her face with, which the huntress began to use to dry away the tears that had streaked her face. Once her face was dry she carefully dried her eyes and waited for her vision to return, which would take a minute or two. Angela, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, asked if Diana was OK.

"Are you OK, Sweetie?" Angela asked. Fighting back the urge to say something sarcastic, Diana instead retained her calm and polite demeanor. She had to cough for a few moments before she recovered long enough to give a response.

"I am fine. Really." Diana answered laconically to keep up the facade of being an unflappable mage. The tears were gone, but the coughing remained. She could deal with the coughing because that would fade with time. Angela did not seem to buy Diana's talk, but she looked regretful enough that the huntress could chalk the incident up to a playful prank that went a bit too far.

"...Maybe we should just go to the makeup section. If you still want to shop here, that is." Angela suggested to Diana with the addendum that moving on was Diana's choice to make. It was not much of a choice at all. If Diana wanted the big payday, she would have to go all the way with the shopping trip.

"We can go to the makeup section." Diana answered. Makeup would be a lot safer than perfume because makeup could not be sprayed on her. Angela went from glum to cheerful again at this news.

"Great! Let's get going, Sweetie!" Angela exclaimed before her hand latched onto the wrist of Diana's left hand. Diana had just enough time to thank the helpful clerk before being dragged to the left side of the store, which was every bit as polished as the perfume section the pair had just left behind. There were numerous shades and hues of makeup and lipstick available; there were four aisles of higher-end mass-produced makeups and lipsticks for shoppers with a budget who still wanted something special, but the area's biggest selling point was a selection of high-quality products for patrons with expensive tastes and the budget to afford them. Angela was clearly among the latter because she pulled out the platinum card so fast that it flashed in the light.

"Are you ready, Sweetie?" Angela asked Diana. Diana's eyes were still burning from the chemicals in the perfume, but she was as ready as she was going to be.

"I am ready." Diana answered confidently. As long as she did not have an allergic reaction to anything in the makeup section she would be OK. Angela smiled again and began to pull the blonde towards a display of high-priced products that started in the mid-700s. It seemed that the brunette had a natural attraction for anything that was high-priced. Then again, when one had the kind of money that the Heltons were implied to have, one could easily afford to have expensive tastes.

[Post Word Count: 1,033]
[Total Word Count: 3,438/11,000]

-In the food court, one hour and forty-five minutes later-

Diana did not expect Angela to take a little over one hour to peruse the makeup, but after an hour and forty-five minutes the pair had left Fashionable Lady with bags of merchandise; Angela had two pink plastic bags full of makeup and Diana had a tiny pink plastic bag of the fragrance called Blossom Breeze in Bellum. It was not because Diana particularly liked it... she had every reason to dislike it after being sprayed in the face with it by a playful Angela. Instead the huntress felt that she owed the staff member who came to her aid something for her trouble, so Diana spent the Jewels to buy something so that the young woman could get a little compensation for going above and beyond the call of duty. After their adventure in Fashionable Lady Angela wanted something to eat, so it was off to the food court the duo went.

"What would you like to eat, Sweetie?" Angela asked her companion.

"I will eat almost anything, Angela. The question is, what do you want?" Diana politely turned the question back on Angela. The brunette paused in place outside of the sports bar for a moment and gave the question some thought.

"Ya know, that's a good question. I really want some wings and nachos. I also really want some pizza, but on the other hand I'm trying to lose weight. Maybe I should get Midian food instead." Angela answered in a statement that was not really an answer. Diana did not mind, though. It was not like she had anything else pressing to do at the moment. Besides, the Jewels were good.

Angela continued to ponder the matter for about two minutes, looking anxiously towards the sports bar and towards the pizza place, then towards Diana as if expecting the blonde to make the choice for her. Diana kept a calm and neutral face that had been perfected over a decade of cloak-and-dagger work for first her parents and then her guild. She would not make the decision for her client. The choice of where to eat was Angela's to make.

"Uhhhh, I'll just do pizza. It's not as healthy as Midian food, but it's what I want." Angela finally made the decision on what she wanted to eat.

"Very well then." Diana said to Angela. Angela led the way and the pair got in line behind three other people who wanted a slice or two of pizza from the pizza place. Diana fell in behind Angela and the pair waited their turn to order a slice.

-Ten minutes later-

Angela and Diana were waiting in line and it had still not moved. The person in the front of the line was a young redheaded woman in an overloaded pink top with spaghetti straps that was barely containing its cargo and blue jean short shorts that looked like they came straight from Earthland Eagle. She was complaining to a hapless female worker wearing a black apron with a name tag standing behind the counter about some trivial matter like there not being enough slices of pepperoni on her pizza. The complaint had passed the point of being reasonable and had now devolved into a harangue about the poor young woman's hair color, hairstyle, level of education, and anything that could be used as an insult. The staff member was on the brink of tears but was holding it together for the other customers who were not jumping down her throat.

"Excuse me, Miss. Could you please take your pizza and move on? There are other people waiting in line." The young man standing in front of Angela asked. He was a brown-haired youth with a green t-shirt and blue jeans with black tennis shoes. The angry redhead turned from the worker and turned her ire on the young man.

"SHUT UP! I DON'T CARE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE IN LINE! I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL I GET WHAT I PAID FOR!" The redhead screeched. The cowed young man went silent. Angela, on the other hand, got angry.

"I'm not standing for this." Angela said to Diana. The redhead overheard that and moved towards Angela. Diana wordlessly put herself between Angela and the redhead.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" The redhead asked, her green eyes meeting Diana's eyes. She looked ready for a fight. However, she was way out of her league because she had no magic; Diana had magic, was much stronger than the opponent, and could easily kill the bellicose redhead in a number of ways if the mood struck her. Fortunately for her, the huntress was not interested in a fight. She wanted to end this situation without anyone getting hurt.

"There is no need for aggression. Just take your pizza now and when I get mine, if my slice has more pepperoni, you can have it instead." Diana offered in a calm voice. It was a stupid compromise to make because the redhead was in the wrong, but she would do it to avert a fight and ensure Angela's safety. Diana had made the offer. It was now up to the redhead whether to accept it or not.

After a tense silence and a lengthy stare from the redhead, the latter ended hostilities with a huff.

"Fine. But you'd better not be trying to trick me!" She exclaimed, snatching the offending slice of pizza off of the counter and stomping away to a circular table for two, allowing the line to finally make progress. The crisis had been averted and no one had gotten hurt. It was all in a day's work for the contract killer masquerading as a Guildless mage.

"You really didn't have to do that, Sweetie." Angela told Diana. Diana let the remark pass without comment and let Angela place her order before Diana made her own. If it prevented a brawl from coming to pass, it was worth it. Diana hated the spotlight and the less public attention she attracted the better.

[Post Word Count: 1,010]
[Total Word Count: 4,448/11,000]

-Food Court, at the table-

After the kerfluffle at the pizza restaurant, Angela and Diana had finally gotten their slices of pepperoni pizza and the huntress tried to find the bellicose redhead so that she could fulfill the bargain that had been struck to keep the peace. Diana found the redhead sitting just five tables over and got up to give the slice of pizza since it had eight pepperoni slices and the redhead's had only four. That was such a trivial reason to start a fuss... Diana suspected that the young woman was another wealthy socialite who had nothing better to do that to harass workers who could not defend themselves without fear of losing their jobs. After carefully walking over to the redhead, Diana offered the slice of pizza.

"I'll take that, thank you!" The redhead said in a thoroughly obnoxious and utterly insulting voice as she reached out and practically snatched the flimsy paper plate away from the huntress. She then handed over her own "inferior" slice of pizza and then "accidentally" coughed on it just as Diana's hands touch the bottom of the paper plate. Diana's eyes met the redhead's.

"Oops, sorry!" The redhead said mockingly. A calm Diana spun around on her heels and walked away before she decked the young woman or otherwise did something to get into trouble with mall security. She threw the pizza away in a trash bin and returned to Angela, who was fuming and ready to take action.

"That was so rude!" Angela fumed.

"Do not worry about it." Diana replied calmly. Time had a way of taking care of unpleasant people like the redhead. She would antagonize the wrong person and the offended party would take matters into their own hands.

Angela looked over Diana's shoulder and got a glimpse at the redhead, who was busy tapping on the screen of a hot pink iLac with her left hand while eating Diana's slice of pizza with her right hand. Angela frowned and lowered her head to face Diana.

"I recognize her. She went to the same private high school I did." Angela informed Diana in a soft voice to avoid being heard by the redhead or by anyone else. The blonde was all ears.

"She's Kenzie Roberts of the Roberts shipping family based in Hargeon Town. Their money comes from cruise ships that sail all around Earthland." Angela volunteered more information about the redhead. Now Diana had a name to go on... she would have to remember it for later. In the meantime she would let Kenzie's deliberate insult go and hope that they would not cross paths again any time soon.

"Interesting." Diana replied laconically. She then put her plastic straw to her lips and sipped a soft drink called Cherry Charge, which had a strong cherry flavor but a smooth aftertaste. Angela then asked if Diana wanted another slice of pizza to replace the one that Kenzie had taken.

"It is OK, really. It is not necessary." Diana politely refused the offer. Angela was not having it and got up from her seat to order another slice for Diana. The blonde, seeing that any attempts to call off the order would be futile, let things be and waited for Angela to return while watching for Kenzie to make any more aggressive moves towards them.

It took only three minutes for Angela to return with a hot slice of pizza for Diana. Kenzie had been so busy playing on her iLac that she did not pay attention to the blonde she had insulted earlier. That was good.

"I got this for you, Sweetie." Angela said to Diana. The huntress turned her attention away from Kenzie and towards the pizza. The obnoxious redhead would be dealt with another time, but right now it was time to eat. Diana took the offered food and began to eat it slowly and politely.

-15 minutes later-

Diana discarded the empty plate and the empty soda cup into a trash bin, then faced Angela, who had pulled out her aqua iLac and was browsing some social media app while waiting for the blonde to finish her meal.

"Oh hey! I was just browsing LacBook!" Angela said to Diana, who gently pushed her chair back under the round table. The huntress casually looked over at the screen and saw Angela looking at the picture of a bespectacled young woman with long brown hair wearing a black jacket and skirt combo standing proudly behind a desk in a clean and organized office. She did not know the significance of the picture... maybe it was a friend of Angela's.

"Do you have LacBook?" Angela asked Diana. Diana shook her head.

"No, Angela. I do not even have an iLac." Diana answered truthfully. The blonde did not keep an iLac because not having one meant one less way for the authorities to track her activity or location. It was also one less thing to weigh her down if Diana suddenly had to leave her current life behind and go on the run. Angela looked quizzically at the blonde as if she could not quite comprehend what she had heard. Then a look of understanding crossed her face and Angela smiled.

"That's probably a smart idea, to be honest. Social media can be so tricky to navigate. It also demands a lot of your attention to stay up-to-date on everything going on!" Angela said to Diana. Diana did not keep up with the news other than what was in Sorcerer's Magazine or what news she could glean from conversations that she happened to overhear. She needed to keep a low profile in order to do her "work" effectively and limiting her media intake was one way to do that. There was nothing amiss about someone Diana's age and appearance reading Sorcerer's Magazine, so that was one form of media that was safe to indulge in. It was not as informative as a newspaper, but the magazine gave enough information on current happenings to have some value.

"Soooo, where do you want to go next?" Angela asked Diana that familiar question.

"I have nowhere particular in mind." Diana answered calmly.

"Let's go to The Music Vault then! I wanna see if they have Tuesday Blue's new album in stock!" Angela exclaimed, putting away the iLac and standing up. She then began to walk briskly towards a flight of stairs some 500 meters away from their current location. Diana dutifully followed behind her and was grateful not to be dragged somewhere for once.

[Post Word Count: 1,094]
[Total Word Count: 5,542/11,000]

-Inside The Music Vault-

After the unpleasant business with Kenzie Roberts in the food court, Angela and Diana had ascended two flights of stairs to reach the third floor. There they navigated the densely packed crowds and stood outside The Music Vault. Plastered onto the windows were posters of a young woman with medium-length blonde hair and blue eyes standing on a concert stage and smiling at the viewer while holding a violin at the ready. The posters were emblazoned with the message "TUESDAY BLUE'S NEWEST ALBUM ON SALE TODAY!" Diana got a bad vibe from the poster, like Tuesday Blue was hiding something from the world. The huntress was well-equipped to pick up on that sort of thing because she was hiding something from the world herself.

Diana was a contract killer pretending to be friends with a wealthy socialite for a paycheck.

Diana slowly but surely found herself drifting back into that same train of thought filled with misgivings about her chosen profession.

Anyone who thought that the world of a contract killer was glamorous was sadly mistaken. One did indeed get to travel to different places and meet new and interesting people, but there was very little else going for the lifestyle. One always had to be on the lookout for betrayal, one had to be very careful in their choice of contacts, and one always had to be on the move. Even when working with fellow contract killers one had to be careful because betrayal was just one big payday around the corner. Sometimes money did not even have to be involved for a betrayal... sometimes hired guns would turn on each other either to cut down on competition or boost their own reputations by being the one to kill a particularly infamous colleague.

Diana dragged herself out of that grim train of thought and focused on the present, which was the very real possibility of waiting in line to get to go in The Music Vault. Angela was far from the only person interested in the musician's newest offering. There was a single-file line of people that snaked out the music store and 150 meters back to a lingerie store that Angela showed interest in visiting next. The pair made their way to the back of the line and took their place to wait for a chance to buy Tuesday Blue's newest album. There was no guarantee that any would be in stock by the time they got to go inside, but that was the chance that one took to get their hands on the latest and greatest thing.

-Twenty-five minutes later, inside The Music Vault-

After waiting nearly half an hour, Angela and Diana finally shuffled into The Music Vault, which lived up to its name by resembling the interior of a bank. There was a checkout counter that was an identical copy to those used in banks, the employees were dressed like bank tellers, and while there were display shelves of albums, the actual music media was kept in a literal full-size vault placed well behind the counter. "The Music Vault" was more than just a clever name and Diana gave the store credit for staying true to its gimmick.

However, just because Angela and Diana were inside did not mean that they were out of the woods. Ahead of them were roughly thirty people with varying degrees of patience. Some were content to wait their turn while others were constantly on the lookout for any chance to cut in line and snag the album before supplies ran out. Angela and Diana would stay where they were and wait their turn because time was no object to them.

"Hey Sweetie, what do you think the chances of us getting the album are?" Angela asked Diana a question to pass the time. Diana eyed the line and shuffled up when it was their turn.

"I would not hold my breath. We still have twenty-eight people in front of us." Diana answered with a calm statement of fact. Things were not helped when a female Music Vault employee with waist-length jet-black hair walked over to the front of the line and stood off to the side with a megaphone.

"ATTENTION CUSTOMERS, WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TUESDAY BLUE'S NEWEST ALBUM! I REPEAT, THERE ARE NO MORE COPIES OF TUESDAY BLUE'S ALBUM AVAILABLE TODAY! PLEASE COME BACK TOMORROW!" She informed the line of customers. A collective groan of disappointment rose from the line and it began to disintegrate as people left the line and either left the store to go elsewhere or began to peruse the store's offerings for something else to buy. Angela and Diana faced each each other and held a brief discussion on what to do next.

"Well, that didn't pan out." Angela folded her arms and said in obvious disappointment.

"What now?" Diana asked laconically. She too had wanted a copy of Tuesday Blue's latest album, but most of the reason she was here was because Angela had wanted to go here. Now that they knew that they could not buy the album until tomorrow, they had to find something else to do to kill some time before they headed to Boomslang tonight.

"I want to go to that lingerie shop we saw while standing in line." Angela answered. Diana got a bad feeling about that. The huntress thought that the visit was just a pretext for Angela to see the blonde in lingerie. This job was getting more and more awkward, but Diana could just be reading too much into things and Angela really needed new underwear. She hoped that was the case.

"OK." Diana answered calmly. She almost immediately regretted that response because down came Angela's hand around her left wrist and out went Diana by being dragged by Angela. Diana had hoped that she would not have been dragged around for the rest of the trip, but apparently that reprieve would have been too merciful for the huntress. Now she was being dragged out of a music store and towards a lingerie shop for nebulous reasons.

Diana hoped that Angela did not have plans to see her in her underwear because she was not going to let that happen.

[Post Word Count: 1,040]
[Total Word Count: 6,582/11,000]

-Inside Intimate Secrets-

Angela and Diana walked through the entrance and were greeted by a cheerful female employee in a white blouse and black knee-length skirt with black high heels. Her name tag read "Marilyn" and she was a cheerful blonde with blue eyes and red lipstick. She was almost too cheerful, but that observation could be chalked up to Diana being suspicious because of her trade. Being suspicious of others might have severely limited the huntress' social life, but she was still alive and still free, so that was a trade-off she was willing to make. It also helped that Siren was her apprentice; right now the doll-like youth was the closest thing to a friend she had in the guild.

"Hi ladies! Welcome to Intimate Secrets!" Marilyn greeted them. Angela and Diana exchanged pleasantries with her and Diana began to look around the shop while Angela conversed with the employee. It was a clean and well-lit shop with wares that were carefully organized according to style, color, and even size. They hung on labeled display racks like the ones in Earthland Eagle.

Diana noted that there were a few other shoppers in here, including two men who had been brought in here by their significant others. One of them was the same brown-haired youth who had attempted to stand up to Kenzie Roberts in the food court; he was with a brown-haired young woman in a purple tank top and cargo short shorts and the pair were enthusiastically discussing the young woman's options. Diana heard only bits and pieces of the conversation, but she gleaned enough to learn that the pair had some amorous activities in mind for this evening.

The other young man was a blond youth with black-rimmed glasses, a white t-shirt with the band name Power Overwhelming in royal blue letters, and blue jeans with white tennis shoes. His black-haired female companion was wearing a blue tube top and black skirt and was pulling on his right shirt sleeve to get him to pay attention to her. The blond guy looked embarrassed to even be there and looked like he desperately wanted to be anywhere but in Intimate Secrets. Overhearing the conversation clued Diana in that the pair were brother and sister and that he had gotten roped into the job of helping her because their older sister was a paralegal working at a law office on an important case and was thus unavailable. Diana could not blame him... she did not want to be here either, but she went where the job took her.

Diana felt a tug on her own left sleeve and turned to face Angela.

"Hey Sweetie, I'm going over to that rack!" Angela informed Diana of her intention, pointing towards a rack of pink bras on the far left side. Diana simply nodded and the brunette followed Marilyn over to the rack while Diana followed close behind. Diana stood close by and let the brunette do her thing while she politely resisted sales pitches on push-up bras for herself. She hoped that this would end quickly because she did not want to be in here any longer than she had to. Unfortunately that hope was dashed when Angela walked by with a few undergarments and made a beeline for the dressing room.

-Thirty minutes later, on the third floor-

After a lengthy wait for Angela to try on some undergarments and finalize her purchases, the pair left Intimate Secrets behind to return to Angela's house. She had nothing else she wanted to do at the mall and wanted to go home for awhile before the pair went to Boomslang later this evening. Diana was glad to see the light of day again after a half-hour of fending off sales pitches for push-up bras and other undergarments. She had no boyfriend or girlfriend and thus had no need for them.

"I'm done here for the day. Unless there's somewhere you'd like to go, I'd like for us to go back to my place for awhile." Angela said to Diana.

"I have nowhere that I want to go." Diana calmly informed Angela. It was true. Diana had not gotten to do many of the things that young women took for granted.

While Diana did have training on how to blend in with the crowd, she had never gotten to really do anything for enjoyment like take a leisurely trip to the mall. It was all job-related, so she had no concept of doing something for the fun of it. Even reading Sorcerer's Magazine had a practical purpose. It kept her informed about the progress of mages who may or may not become enemies and gave her a rough idea of who to avoid; aside from the Rune Knights' leaders "Serilda" and "Mythal", she also wanted to steer clear of the Wizard Saints and Gods and Goddesses of Ishgar plus other assorted mages who were on the rise. In short, her actions always had to have a purpose and as a result she was lost in any environment where she did not have a set goal like "spy on someone", "protect someone", or some other task related to her trade.

"Great! Let's go back to my home then!" Angela said, setting out for the stairs with Diana following close behind. The huntress had had enough shopping for today. She was roughly halfway to earning the big payday and just needed to get Angela through the visit to Boomslang safely in order to get it. Getting through a visit to Boomslang would be almost as tough as enduring the visit to Intimate Secrets.

-Thirty minutes later, inside Angela's home-

"We made it!" Angela said, walking through the house to set her shopping bags on her bed while Diana remained in the foyer until given permission to go further. What Diana saw looked like it was furnished by a family for whom money was no object. It had a spacious living room with a wide-screen TV, family pictures dotting the shelves, a glass coffee table with fashion and business magazines separated into two neat stacks, and well-made furniture with genuine leather.

The sight of a clean and well-furnished home caused the huntress to take another trip down Memory Lane. Diana did not remember much about her home in Bellum aside from it being a source of misery. The only bright spot was Lucia and her oldest sister could do little to stem the tide of abuse visited on Diana by their parents. Sometimes Diana even wondered if she should even bother trying to reclaim the Winchester estate considering what it represented to her.

[Post Word Count: 1,108]
[Total Word Count: 7,690/11,000]

-Inside Angela's home-

Diana continued to stand in the foyer as she heard the rustling of plastic bags coming from deeper within the house. Angela had bought a lot from the mall and was apparently sorting out her purchases and putting them in the closet/drawer/appropriate storage place. Meanwhile Diana remained in the foyer with her one tiny bag and let Angela sort her new purchases in peace. It was not like Diana had anything urgent to do... her entire day revolved around keeping the brunette safe and her job was only halfway finished. The huntress had to get Angela through the visit to Boomslang before her job was complete and she earned the big payday promised upon completion of the job.

Angela momentarily darted back into the living room and saw Diana still standing where she had been left. The brunette spoke to her about her intentions while darting around the area like an over-caffeinated dragonfly. Diana heard a door open and close and Angela soon emerged from around the right corner with a bottle of water in her hands.

"I'm about to get a shower and change for our visit to Boomslang toni-" She started before she paused in place and looked Diana in the eyes.

"Oh Sweetie, I'm so sorry! I forgot all about you! You don't have to stand there if you don't want to. Sit on the couch... it's what it's there for!" Angela apologized before darting back to her room and shutting the door. Thus given permission to venture deeper into the home, Diana took a seat on the couch and prepared for a lengthy wait for Angela. Diana was tempted to look through the magazines, but since she did not have permission to touch them and had no real desire to read them other than for some way to pass the time, the huntress left them alone and waited in silence.

-One hour later-

Diana had sat on the couch staring at the blank television screen while waiting for Angela. Diana had not been given permission to turn on the television and really did not want to watch anything because there was hardly anything good on. Unless one enjoyed talent shows, hokey musicals, paint-by-numbers police procedurals, home shopping networks, or westerns, there was hardly anything good to watch. The door creaked open and Angela's voice rang out from the back.

"I'm getting dressed, Sweetie!" Angela reported before shutting her door again. Diana could have done without hearing that bit of information, but it was good to hear that the brunette was OK and did not slip and fall down in the shower or suffer another kind of accident. That would have been very bad news for the blonde; she would have been cast in a negative light and possibly accused of negligence, an accusation which would have dealt a mortal blow to her "legitimate" career and forced her back into the shadows full-time.

"OK." Diana called out in acknowledgment as she continued to stare at the blank screen. Maybe Angela would hurry up so that the huntress could do something other than stare at her face in the screen. Every second that Angela took to get ready felt like a hammer blow to the blonde's conscience. Underneath the pretty face and perfect hair was a very ugly person and Diana wanted to get away from her as soon as possible. Like with so many of the blonde's hopes and dreams, the hope of a short wait was doomed to futility.

-Thirty minutes later-

"I'm finished!" Angela declared as she stepped out clad in a pink tube top and a short black skirt with black boots. The brunette's fashion sense was... curious. Her skirt was dangerously short and the boots looked like something a horse jockey would wear, but it was not Diana's job to critique the brunette's fashion sense. It was her job to keep Angela safe during the visit to Boomslang and until the pair returned from the club.

Despite all of that, Diana was so glad to see Angela that the former almost jumped up from the couch and hugged her, but the huntress had too much self-control to actually do that. Instead she settled for listening to Angela talk about the evening, which was a welcome distraction from Diana having to look at herself and inevitably think about everything she had done to this point. Diana thought that she had come to terms with it all long ago, but apparently she had a long way to go before she could truly come to terms with her past.

Diana had thought that going back into the shadows to deal with Mr. Gorman and The Shadow Collective would solve her problems, but the decision was only causing the huntress more of them.

"...Tonight we'll go to Boomslang and see if we can't get into the DJ Dynamo concert in the VIP section. I've been wanting to see her for a long time and her music is SO good! I'm gonna go get my iLac, log onto Lacbook, and see if my friend Jane wants to go with us!" Angela rattled on while Diana only half-listened. Angela disappeared into her room and came back out holding her iLac while her thumbs typed out a message at the kind of blistering speed that came with extensive practice. Diana watched Angela send the message and heard a small DING noise confirming the message had been sent before the brunette plopped down beside her and casually put her right arm across Diana's shoulders.

It took everything Diana had not to recoil on the spot. She did not like anyone touching her, not since everything that her parents did to her in the name of making the perfect little assassin. Every inch of the blonde's skin was crawling from the touch; clothing did nothing to protect Diana from what she hated most in this world. She was staying calm because she needed to build a rapport with Angela to make the job a success.

"So, what do you think of the plan, Sweetie?" Angela asked, that dreadful arm still draped across the blonde's shoulders, that dreadful weight still pushing down on her.

"OK." Diana answered laconically.

"Great!" Angela exclaimed just before the iLac emitted a DING. The arm came off of Diana and the blonde's relief was so strong that it was almost palpable. Now the pair had to wait and see what Jane's response to Angela's request was before they could move on.

[Post Word Count: 1,086]
[Total Word Count: 8,776/11,000]

Angela brought up the iLac to read the response from Jane and frowned. It did not take a psychic to see that the offer to join the pair for a night on the town was politely declined. The brunette appeared to be disappointed for a few moments, then rapidly typed out a response with her thumbs before setting the device on the coffee table and turning to Diana, who had remained motionless ever since Angela had taken her arm off of her.

"Unfortunately, Jane can't make it. She's got a Journalism exam to study for, so it's just you and me." Angela informed Diana. The huntress was not terribly upset by that because she did not know who this "Jane" was beyond a friend of the brunette's. Diana was glad for Jane's inability to make it because she only had to worry about keeping Angela safe, not Angela and a friend. It would be tough enough to keep track of Angela in the crowded club without the addition of a friend in the mix.

"Oh?" Diana asked calmly.

"Yeah. She's a Journalism major and a first-year student at the local university. It's about midterms time and she really needs to pass this test." Angela explained further. Diana did not press the issue any further and let it drop once that statement had been made. She had learned all she needed to know and was satisfied with that.

"Anyway, we'll leave for Boomslang in about five hours so that we might get tickets to the DJ Dynamo party... if we're lucky. Tickets for events at Boomslang sell out fast." Angela explained. Diana kept the fact that she had been to Boomslang before under wraps and let the brunette talk about things like ticket availability, lines, and crowding inside the club. She also spoke a bit about how people desperate to attend an event either tried to buy tickets from event-goers in line or attempted flagrant theft, which seldom ended in success for the thief but highlighted how coveted that tickets to concerts by big-name artists were. Diana had never encountered that problem before but appreciated the warning because now she would be on the lookout for thieves.

"Interesting." Diana commented. Angela picked up her iLac and began searching for something with a series of rapid taps on the screen and rapid-fire typing with her thumbs. About a minute later Angela narrowed her eyes and began reading off the iLac screen to Diana.

"There are still a few tickets to the DJ Dynamo concert available, but that number's in the low double digits. Perfect. We only need two anyway, so I'm just gonna buy two of them for ussss..." Angela drew out the last word and did more rapid-fire typing; she was presumably typing out her credit card number and other information. A few seconds later a DING sounded.

"And got 'em. Two tickets to the DJ Dynamo concert in the VIP section. They're E-tickets, so we don't have to worry about theft." Angela announced with a satisfied smile. She then set the iLac down again and put her right arm across Diana's shoulders before pulling herself closer to the blonde. The huntress had to muster her reserves of patience to endure the weight of the arm across her shoulder and the feeling of Angela pressing up against her left side. Angela smiled at her and Diana turned away to face forward. This was going to be a long five hours.

-Outside Boomslang, five hours later-

Angela and Diana arrived outside the club and saw a line that was about fifty people long standing in single file and talking amongst themselves or burying their faces in their iLacs. Having secured their tickets long ago, the pair made their way to the back of the line and patiently waited their turn behind a young black-haired woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a midriff-baring red tank top and a black skirt so short that a strong breeze could show the world what she was wearing under it. The modestly dressed Diana wondered how anyone could move comfortably in such a skimpy outfit, let alone willingly wear it in public. How was the girl going to dance in it without showing off more than she intended to?

As if she could read Diana's mind, the raven-haired youth turned around and faced Diana before her violet eyes drifted to Angela. The two seemed to recognize one another since the girls squealed so loudly that it hurt Diana's ears. They leaned forward and hugged one another, then let go and began talking excitedly.

"Oh hey Amber! It's been awhile since we last met!" Angela said to the black-haired girl with purple eyes.

"Yeah, Angela. It's been months since that AMAAAAZING DJ Beluga concert in Rose Garden. How ya been?" Amber asked Angela. Diana remained quiet and let the two friends catch up with each other. She hoped that Amber would not lean over and try to hug her since she had had enough physical contact for the day.

"So, who's the blonde ya standing with?" Amber asked Angela.

"Her? She's Diana. She's been hired by my parents to watch out for me while I went to the mall and to Boomslang." Angela answered. Amber locked eyes with the blonde and smiled. Amber then began to lean in towards Diana and there was nothing that the blonde could do.

Diana did not want to be hugged.

Diana DID NOT want to be hugged.

Diana was hugged anyway.

"Nice to meet you, Diana." Amber said before whispering "You're cute!" into the blonde's right ear as they ended the hug. Diana did not show it, but she was more than a little alarmed by that. Now two girls were just a bit too interested in her. If one counted Jasmine DuClaire, that meant that three girls in Capital Crocus were interested in the huntress.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Diana replied calmly, keeping the conversation civil despite her skin crawling so hard that it threatened to tear off and expose her muscles. Why was everyone touching her today? What was it with other girls being attracted to her? Diana had no idea, but tonight's concert was going to be interesting in more ways than one.

[Post Word Count: 1,046]
[Total Word Count: 9,822/11,000]

-One hour later, inside Boomslang-

After an hour-long wait due to the number of people looking to get into the club plus a bit of ticket drama where someone who had not bought a ticket to the DJ Dynamo concert tried to buy one off the people in line and threw a tantrum when they failed, the trio of Angela, Diana, and Amber finally entered Boomslang to find a club that was already starting to fill with young hip twentysomethings looking to party. With electric blue lanyards around their necks that had the tickets on the end, the trio immediately made a beeline for the double doors of the VIP section which were roped off and guarded by two burly bouncers with earpieces to call in support if things got dicey. They approached the velvet rope and Angela took the lead.

The bouncer scanned Angela's ticket with a handheld scanner and waited a few moments to check the ticket's authenticity before letting her through. A light on the scanner flashed green and all was good. Angela was admitted without any problems.

"I'll wait for you two on the other side!" Angela said as she passed through the doors. Amber sauntered up to the rope next and had her ticket scanned. The light flashed green and she was admitted to the party beyond the doors.

"See ya on the other side, Diana!" Amber told the blonde before passing through the double doors. Diana walked up to the rope and waited for her ticket to be scanned. The light flashed green and all was right with the world... for now.

Diana quietly passed through the double doors without incident and rejoined her companions for the DJ Dynamo concert that was currently in the final stages of preparation. The trio could hear bass thumping from top-grade speakers and a turntable being put through its paces. The doors shut behind them and they found a place off to the side to discuss their next move.

-Inside the VIP section-

The layout of the VIP section remained the same as the last time Diana had visited the club, but the decor had changed to match the theme of the event. The walls had the look of a power plant; they were steel gray and had WARNING: HIGH VOLTAGE signs on them plus the occasional false fuse box. Diana gave the club credit for the extent to which staff decorated to create a theme... they did not spare any expense to make the theme as authentic as possible. If it were not so dangerous, the blonde believed that they would have actual fuse boxes and electrical wires running through the hallways.

"So, what's the plan? Drinks before the concert or drinks after the concert?" Angela asked Amber and Diana, almost having to shout to be heard over the loud bass.

"Drinks now!" Amber eagerly voiced her opinion.

"It does not matter to me." Diana chimed in. Since Diana did not touch alcohol, she really did not care. Her only concern was that Angela and Amber would drink too much to walk a straight line and she would have to literally carry them home once the concert was over. She supposed that this scenario was why she had been hired to watch after Angela in the first place.

"Let's get drinks!" Angela exclaimed. Amber followed eagerly behind the brunette and Diana brought up the rear since the two already knew the way to the bar. She hoped that the drinking would not get out of hand, but the huntress would just have to roll with the punches if it did.

-At the bar-

The trio were seated at the bar on swiveling stools with Angela to the left, Diana in the middle, and Amber to the right. The counter was jet black but flashed the occasional "spark" of electricity to stay true to the power plant theme that the rest of the VIP section had. It was a creative touch that Diana could not help but to appreciate.

"I'll have a Long Island Iced Tea!" Angela said to the male bartender, who was dressed in a jumpsuit like power plant workers would wear.

"I'll have a shot of cranberry vodka!" Amber gave her drink order. The bartender nodded and turned to face Diana.

"Water, please." Diana gave her order. He nodded and began to work his bartending magic. Amber heard Diana's order and turned to face the blonde.

"We're at a party! Why are ya getting just water?" Amber asked Diana.

"Because I will need to watch over both of you and even carry you two home if you drink too much." Diana answered politely and truthfully. Amber laughed at the response.

"That's a good reason, Diana. I may drink a bit more than I should tonight!" Amber admitted before reaching over for a hug. Not wanting to cause the dark-haired girl to fall off of her bar stool by pulling away, Diana reluctantly accepted the hug. Amber then spun around to face the counter when her drink was placed in front of her. Angela was already halfway through her drink and Amber was on her second shot by the time Diana got her drink.

The trio sat at the bar and drank while listening to the sound test wind down and more music being to play. That must have meant that the concert was about to begin. Diana looked over at the glasses in front of each girl and saw that Angela had downed two Long Island Iced Teas before calling it quits and Amber had chugged four shots of cranberry vodka before stopping. In contrast Diana only had one glass of water to her name.

They paid for their drinks and made their way into the concert area, which was the same music lounge as last time, only decorated to match the theme. There were still chairs along the walls for attendees who could not dance, did not want to dance, or had too much to drink but still wanted to hear the music. The major difference between this event and DJ Kraken's debut party was the stage.

Just like the last time she had seen DJ Dynamo, the stage was set up to resemble an electrical power plant with two large plasma balls on towers constantly sparking and a false generator placed behind the DJ to send up special effects sparks whenever the bass dropped. The screen behind the generator also read DJ Dynamo and had the emblem of a lightning bolt. Diana took a seat along the right side of the music lounge while Angela and Amber stood in front of her.

The lounge began to fill with party-goers and the lights soon dimmed, catching everyone but Diana by surprise because she had night vision thanks to her magic. The generator began to throw off sparks and Diana could make out someone walking onto the stage to man the turntable. The lights came back on to show DJ Dynamo herself.

Tonight DJ Dynamo was wearing a blue tank top with short black skirt and blue tennis shoes. Her hair was still electric blue with hot pink tips. She spoke into the microphone on her headset and began to give a brief speech to the crowd.

"If you don't know who I am by now, I'm absolutely shocked, but I'll tell you who I am anyway. I'm DJ Dynamo and I'm from Capital Crocus. I'm here to light up the night!" DJ Dynamo gave a brief introduction and mission statement. Without further ado she turned off the microphone and began to work the turntable, putting on a slow dubstep beat to ease the crowd into the concert. Diana watched as Angela and Amber began to dance to the music along with the other young twentysomethings and thirtysomethings who had gathered to attend the concert.

The trio had made it to the concert without any issues and Angela and Amber did not drink too much at the bar. So far, so good. Diana just might make it through the evening after all.

[Post Word Count: 1,347]
[Total Word Count: 11,169/11,000]

-Angela's home, four hours later-

After the exciting four-hour concert where DJ Dynamo lived up to her name by playing energetic dance music in addition to dubstep, the trio had made their way home without much difficulty. Angela and Amber were sober enough to walk under their own power, but they needed the occasional helping hand from Diana to walk in a straight line. They also needed a little help fending off unscrupulous males who wanted to take advantage of their inebriated state, but a glare from Diana was enough to send the men packing. That was good because that meant no confrontation, which meant that no one got hurt and the client and her friend made it home safely.

Amber had went to sleep off the cranberry vodka on Angela's bed while Angela and Diana stood in the foyer discussing how things would go from here. Diana had fulfilled her end of the contract, but when the trio had set foot in the house Angela had received an iLac message from her parents stating that they were going to be coming in tomorrow afternoon instead of tonight. While Angela was not worried for her safety, she had expressed an interest in Diana staying over.

"Well, that was fun. I'm glad that I didn't drink any more than I did. That guy who had five shots of everclear was in way over his head!" Angela said to Diana. She knew all too well who the brunette was talking about. The guy was a twentysomething who had drank too much and bragged about how many shots of the potent beverage he had downed. He then tried to dance to the music but only ended up stumbling over his own feet and throwing up on the dance floor.

"Indeed." Diana said laconically.

"So, what do you want to do from here? Will you go home or do you want to stay here for the night?" Angela asked Diana. Truth be told, Diana wanted to go home right away. She was not afraid of the dark and she could defend herself from the hoodlums roving the streets, but seeming too eager to leave could cost her future job opportunities with the Heltons. The huntress would spend the night here... if Angela did not mind her doing so.

"If you do not mind, I would like to spend the night here." Diana said politely. Angela was pleased to hear that.

"Great! I would offer for you to sleep in my room, but Amber's there, I'm gonna sleep in there, and you don't seem like the kind of person who wants to sleep around two drunk chicks." Angela said to Diana. The brunette's assessment was spot-on. Diana did not want to sleep in the presence of two drunk girls because they had demonstrated an interest in her and things might get weird thanks to their inhibitions being lowered by the alcohol.

"I will take the couch, if you do not mind." Diana replied politely. The brunette had no problem with this arrangement.

"OK Sweetie! If you need something to drink, we have sodas, bottled water, wine, and tea in the refrigerator. If you want, we have a coffeemaker and coffee that you can use. See you in the morning!" Angela chirped before walking off to her room and shutting the door. Diana walked to the kitchen and found the jar of dark coffee sitting on the counter. She picked it up and began to read the label... it was a blend from Desierto called Tri-City Delight.

Diana went through the steps to making coffee and waited for the coffeemaker to work its magic. The aroma of brewing coffee filled the air and the blonde felt quiet satisfaction that the job had been a success. Now all she had to do was wait until daylight, then make her way back to guild headquarters and find another job to keep the money rolling in.

Despite Angela and Amber invading her personal space a few times to hug her and Angela spraying her in the face with perfume, Diana had actually had fun yesterday. No one had gotten hurt and no one had gotten killed. It was a welcome break from her real job of sneaking around and killing people for money, but it was just that... a break. Later today the huntress would go back to dealing justice from the shadows while trying not to die at the hands of The Shadow Collective or any other enemies she might have made.

Such was the life of the huntress.

[Post Word Count: 761]
[Total Word Count: 11,930/11,000]