Bliss Nadine Lovejoy tucked the cigarette case away and grinned at Aliyah, the girl known as Blue. "Garth has always been a bit harsh with his opinions of others." Bliss and the blue-haired girl had been discussing Garth Lowinn, New Rydynn's newest mercenary and strongman, who sat with his head in his hands. The man was spooked and showed it.
The sound of squealing tires punctuated by the blast of a bazooka kicked Bliss' good instincts into gear. Her reflexes were even better. She snagged Aliyah and pulled her down an instant before a motorcycle smashed through the front doors of the lobby. The man astride the motorcycle was thrown into silhouette against the huge explosion behind him.
Tinkle. Smash. Thud. His body flew into the air and tumbled onto the floor. The bike scraped after him across the floor with a whining screech of metal. A ball of trench coat and leather boots rolled across the floor and smashed into the sidewall. Aliyah's eyes went wide, fixing on the fallen man and then, the obvious Cult of the Demon member who stood in the doorway, a loaded shotgun pointed at the fallen man.
"NOBODY move!!!" The cultists' voice broke the momentary stillness that came on the heels of great action.
Bliss made sure Aliyah was well down out of firing range behind the chair. She spoke to the girl softly. "Stay down, Blue. "Stay down." Garth, who figured so prominent in her and Aliyah's conversation was no where to be found. Bliss figured Garth had been knocked unconscious by some piece of debris. Aliyah didn't need to be told twice. She forced herself to stay down and still.
Blam! Blam! The retort of a pistol broke the stillness. So much for the Cultist as he stumbled and fell backwards out the ruined doors. Quite dead.
The fallen man sat up, brushing back hair that was much longer than it had been when he last graced New Rydynn Memorial Hospital. Still decently clean, Siena Sapharr, known throughout the city and the known world as 'The Jackal,' sat there, twin 'desert eagles' smoking. "And stay dead."
Siena lay both guns on the floor and pulled a brass cigarette case out of the folds of his trench coat. He popped a cigarette into his mouth and looked over at the wreckage and the ladies.
Bliss spared a thought for Asche, the chief medic of the Union of Medics. Asche was going to bust a blood vessel over the damage to the doors. "I'm not gonna fix this," she muttered to herself. Then her dark eyes shifted to the source of the gunfire and wreakage. "Holy...You're alive."
"'Ello Blissy." Siena cracked a smile. "I'm home." The crackle of the fire outside accompanied his words.
"Of course. Contrary to popular belief, I am hard to keep dead." Siena placed a hand on his chest. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he slowly stood and blew smoke in Bliss' direction. "Who's the chickie with ya?" Siena waggled his eyebrows at Aliyah, who blinked and looked as if Siena's entrace was just a tad to intense for her.. "Looking good as ever, Blissy."
"Blue. And try not to make her pee her pants, anymore then you already have," Bliss said. She rose to her knees and took a good look to see if anyone else was dumb enough to come into the hospital. Bliss continued, addressing Siena's announcement that he was back home. "Hon, tell that to your own people. They've been fighting over your job since before the corpse was cold."
He took a quick glance as well to see if any more attackers would be brave enough to follow him into neutral territory. He laughed as the cigarette went into his hand. "Had some business in Kermadikk to take care of. Still ain't done. But I missed the Rydynn ladies."
Bliss rose completely to her feet. Her arm, with its brand new bullet hole ached so bad she adjusted the sling designed to keep her arm still. "I know, I hope that stuff I sent you did the job for you."
Siena dusted off his trench with the back of his hands. "It helped." He held out his arms and gave Bliss a venomous smile. "No hug? I won't bite."
Bliss glanced about for Garth, wondering where his oversized form was hidden. "Good, and you do too bite." She took a few steps closer and instead of hugging him, she held out a gold cigarette case. "Rather have this, instead of the hug?"
"Nice lighter." He commented as he stepped toward her. He grabbed Bliss into a hug. "Nah, Blissy. I'll take both."
"It's yours...Siena!" Bliss wasn't used to anyone actually having the nerve to grab her, but Siena had nerve enough for a hundred men. He breathed in deeply as he hugged her.
"Ya smell nice, Blissy. Clean and nice," he whispered and then chuckled softly. Bliss gave him a one-armed hug in return. He released her quick and displayed the lighter. "My old case!" He popped it open, then closed it in a flash.
"Thanks, I believe in bathing," she whispered back, then stumbled, suddenly released from the hug. She had no problem keeping up with Siena's change of topic. "Yeah, your old case. I've been taking good care of it for when you came back. "
Siena winked. "I can tell Blissy." He smiled and stuffed the lighter into his trench coat pocket. "Got a new one, but this one has memories. T'anks, Blissy."
"Who's the fem?" He jabbed his thumb at the silent, blinking Aliyah, changing the topic once more.
"That's Blue or Aliyah, she works at a friend's place," Bliss said.
Siena chomped on his cigarette and gave Aliyah a swarthy bow. His trench coat flared like a pair of canvas wings. "Aliyah. A pleasure." Most likely not, he thought, but I do like the ladies. Especially those that bathe. He looked Aliyah up and down. "Siena."
"She's a kid, Siena," Bliss cautioned.
Aliyah gave Siena a small smile, but looked for Garth who chose that moment to appear. He valiantly disappeared into the men's room, just minutes before Siena's arrival. He didn't feel too bad about missing that and he still had his hand on his gun.
"Yur a little young for my taste, but still a looker." Siena glanced at Bliss. "Your a kid too, Bliss."
"So. What I miss while I was gone?" He changed the subject yet again and plopped down in a chair near the broken, shattered doors and his downed motorcycle. He gave the doors some study. "Hmmm. Asche still in charge?"
"Yes, Asche is still in charge." Bliss gave Aliyah, who nibbled on a thumbnail and listened, a pat on the back.
He looked back to the damaged doors and the ruined floor, stained with the body of the dead Cultist. "Tell her to bill me," Siena quipped.
"As to what you missed. You missed a lot, Siena. A whole lot."
"Seems like I did. Care to fill me in? Where is that punk Mal?" Siena watched Garth enter and gave the big, silver-haired man a thin smile. "Well. Well. Well. Soldier Boy."
"Mal's disappeared," Bliss answered. "Word is someone took him out."
"No way. No how," Siena said, shaking his head at Bliss' news about Malybdemus, the Cult of the Demon's defacto leader in Siena's absence. "He has some scam in the works I am sure."
Garth glared at Siena. "Gonna have to find a new insult, brother. I ain't a soldier anymore."
"What about the ol' man? He still around?" Siena then laughed wholeheartedly at Garth. "Okay, how about Mama's Boy?
Garth plopped into a chair and said cryptically, "Never had one."
Siena held up his hands and gave Garth a coy smile. "Peace, brother. Not gonna fight ya today. Still. Ya look good for a punk." Garth, in return, smirked and considered putting a bullet into Siena's brain. He decided against it. He was in too good a mood.
"I thought it was a scam too but he's been gone a long time," Bliss continued, determined to fill Siena in on the happenings of New Rydynn.
"Yeah. Well. I'll find him. Whose runnin' Club Abyss?" Siena asked.
"Who ever killed the guy who was running it yesterday," Bliss answered. It was that bad, Bliss thought.
Siena held open his cigarette case for Garth and offered the man one. Garth helped himself as Siena continued. The smoke helped Garth relax.
"Yeah. Well. I want it back. So, I guess I'll have to kill him. And what is up with the Cult in town? Bastiches tried to ace me and take out my bike? They all new or sumthin?" Siena glared at his damaged bike laying on the lobby floor.
"Probably Rizzo's crew," Bliss said. "They are the biggest problem since Mal and old man have been missing."
Siena snapped close the case and replaced it in his trench. "Rizzo's crew? Who da hell are dey?"
"After you disappeared, Rizzo and his crew showed vying for control of New Rydynn's cult faction. He was constantly trying to ace Mal and get control of the Abyss. Now Rizzo and some dink named Ratzo, I think, are battling out."
"Yeah. Well, as soon as Ramona gets here and a few of my friends from Kermaddikk, I'll stop in and see this Rizzo.
Bliss chuckled. "Good luck trying to find him. Mal and your people never could find him."
"Ratzo and Rizzo. Great names." Siena guffawed and flicked the butt of his cigarette toward the body of the dead cultist.
Bliss knit her brows. "Know of one person who did locate him once. Actually just heard a rumor of one person who did and got shot for her trouble." Bliss had no trouble filling Siena in on things.
Garth exhaled some smoke rings and commented on the tobacco. "Tasty. Better than the weed I've been smoking lately."
Siena glanced at Garth. "Pure Kermaddikk grown. And I brought back a crate of it."
Garth grinned. "We're gonna have to do some business, you and I."
"Well. I'll start by taking back the Abyss. Is Kam still about?" He asked Bliss about DJ Killa Kam, who managed to stay alive despite the fates of the Abyss' owners.
"Yeah, keeping with the flow of who ever presently runs the Abyss."
"Good. That is another to help. What about you Blissy. You still throwing copper?"
"Prophet, Holliss, Lily. Most of regular crew are keeping a low profile so as to keep breathing." Bliss nodded in affirmative. "When warranted."
"Good. What say a week or so. Ramona should be here and then we can start with the Abyss. Despite my roguish ways, I do like a little order. And anyone with the name of Ratzo and Rizzo. Well..." Siena just shook his head.
"Come to the Abyss after we take it and I'll take care of you," Siena told Garth. Garth nodded. He may have hated Siena and all his cronies, but still, Garth thought, Siena had a good smoke, and business before pleasure.
"You talk?" Siena pinned his gaze on Aliyah and scowled. "Or are you without tongue?"
Bliss chuckled. "Ali isn't as brass as I am."
Siena rose and popped another cigarette out of his case and into his mouth. He made his way to the fallen motorcycle and lifted it from the ground with little effort. "Yeah. Well, you better get started, Blissy."
"I'm working on it," Bliss said.
Siena glanced at the trio as he dusted off his bike. The bike was obviously an experimental machine dating back to the 'old' days.
"Good gurlie." He slid onto the bike and slammed down on the starter. The engine sputtered into a roar before idling down to a soft, almost silent, purr.
"You can probably find Prophet at the bonfire, I'm sure he'll have a safe house you can make use of," Bliss called out. She couldn't believe the bike started. "Durable machine."
Siena patted the bike. "Made in Kermaddikk Blissy. My uncle made it for me way back."
"I know this may sound really weird, but I'm damn glad to see you alive and kicking, Siena," Bliss said.
"I'm just getting' started Blissy. Tell Ashy 'I'm back.'"
He looked to Garth. "It will be fun to kill you Garth."
Then to Aliyah he said, "Watch out for the boys sweety. You're a heartbreaker."
He turned the bike and took off out the shattered doors and onto the street. The sounds of gunfire once again ringing into the night air.