RP Fight Fire With Gasoline

[Stitches]

Philadelphia had become the home of Slate– and as a result, Fire Opal– over the last five years. Slate had been going strong for almost a decade now, and only showed signs of gaining more traction in the states. They’d even been informed of several overseas operations in the works. Of course, that wasn’t really Fire Opal’s expertise.

Like Malachite, Fire Opal was one of their heavy hitters. She was the one they sent in when there were problems. She was their tank, their defender, their final solution. After all, not much could compare to superhuman strength and fire. It was that fire that she used to burn down other gangs and entities that stood in their way. Of course, Obsidian had a no-kill policy when it came to her– something about not tainting her soul. Whatever the case, that didn’t stop her from breaking some bones.

She had just gotten back from one such mission– three injured, two surrendered, and two warehouses burnt to a crisp– and was looking for her brother. Usually, he was in the Emerald, but she had searched everywhere but his office, only to find the place completely empty. That was odd, but not not completely out of the norm. Sometimes the Pack went out, and she wasn’t expected back until the next day. Still, better to check his office before deciding that he wasn’t home.

She started up the stairs, but stopped after a foot or two. Her head tilted to the side as she felt the vibrations through the floorboards. Footsteps in Obsidian’s office… footsteps that weren’t his.

Just like that, She rolled her shoulders back and straightened out, a sharp smile on her face. An intruder? In the Emerald? Fire Opal cracked her neck and started down the hall, her steps light on the wooden floors to avoid being heard. She breathed in slowly, channeling heat into her body as she got close to the door. Now, she could hear the sound of someone inside, though what they were doing, she couldn’t quite tell.

She stretched her arms above her head and sighed softly, then carefully opened the door. She leaned against the door frame as she stepped in. Her orange curls fell in rivers down to her waist, her golden eyes flashing. She was wearing a pair of black sweats and a black long sleeve, but was barefoot. A grin crossed her face as she looked into the room. “What do we have here, hmm? A thief or an intruder?”

 

[Katpride]

Lark isn’t really one hundred percent positively sure that they’re looking in the right place, but at least it’s a place to look. It’s better than any future Lark is managing, at least.

The reasoning for their snooping is really very simple, so simple that they can’t believe they hadn’t thought of it before. The goth lady seems like she would be associated with some kind of gang, and Slate is the biggest gang in the area. Surely, even if they don’t have a personnel file on her, they’ll have some information somewhere. Maybe she’ll be filed under prominent threats.

There’s no doubt in their mind that she would register as a prominent threat. She’s a threat to the oldest Lark there is, so she must be. The problem, of course, is that they just aren’t finding the right files. Yet. But they will!

They’re cracking open another filing cabinet when the voice startles them. They freeze, tensing up all over, and then in a flicker of not-there movement they’re crouched behind the desk, peeking up over it. They’re not as tall as they will be, so it’s a pretty good hiding spot.

“Ummm… neither! Just uh, a traveler. Yes, a traveler. I got… lost. On the way to… the bathroom?” That would probably be more convincing if they hadn’t been caught red-handed, but they’re working with what they’ve got. They might have to just suck it up and come back another day, if they can’t weasel their way out of this. But they’re very good at weaseling, so they’re not giving up yet!

“You must be the intruder!” they claim, in a flash of genius. “I was already here, so obviously I belong here. But youuu… don’t. Yes.”

 

[Stitches]

Something weird happened, then. Fire Opal had blinked and the girl had gone from the filing cabinet to behind Obsidian’s desk. She hadn’t caught any of the movement as she looked between the two spaces. A speedster? A teleporter? Well, a speedster would be fun to fight, but teleporters were just annoying. Either way, that had settled it in Fire Opal’s mind. The grin on her face softens to a smile.

“A traveler, you say? I think you’ve traveled to the wrong place, girly.” Fire Opal’s feet padded softly across the floor as she walked into the room. She closed the door behind her, facing it as she engaged the lock. She hummed softly as she turned around and leaned against the only safe exit from the room. Her hands stayed clasped loosely behind her hips as she looked down slightly at the girl’s hiding spot.

“See, I live here. Not this room specifically, but this building. This is my home. So no, I don’t think you belong here.” She rolled her shoulders loosely, the softened smile still on her face as she looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. “Wanna tell me how old you are? You seem a little young, and I don’t really do young. Not enough of a fight and also just feels a little unfair.”

Beneath her skin, she was already channeling fire into her muscles and her palms and feet. All the places that provided her with the best boosts and easiest attacking points. If this wasn’t a kid and was just a very young-looking woman like Fire Opal herself was, then this had the potential to be fun.

Too bad Obsidian’s office would suffer from it.

 

[Katpride]

Lark’s nose wrinkles immediately at being called ‘girly’. They shake their head in disgust, the wrongness of it sliding down their spine like thick oil. Ugh, they know that they don’t have the cool androgynous look down as well as older Larks, but it’s not their fault that no piercing place will see them. It just isn’t fair. Nothing is fair.

She turns her back on them, which is a big mistake on her part. They skip through time to stand next to the filing cabinets again, placing one hand on each of the two cabinets they haven’t had a chance to go through yet. If nothing else, they can just skip town with these files and peruse them on their own time. Another brilliant plan on their part.

They give the locked door and the woman standing in front of it a deeply judging look. If she thinks a little thing like a deadbolt is going to stop them if they really want to get out of here, she has a big surprise coming. “Wow. You are so weird. Why would you want to live in a bar? Are you an alcoholic?”

This last part is asked very seriously, or at least as seriously as they can manage while boosting themself up to sit on the filing cabinets. Then, because they can’t let it go, “Also I’m not a girl! And I’m twelve, and you just locked us in a room. That’s weird. You’re weird. Check yourself before you wreck yourself, lady. I just wanted to see that your files are in order, honest.”

They cross their fingers behind their back, because it’s always a good policy to have an out when making promises. They wouldn’t want to get put on the naughty list for something silly like this.

There are much more serious crimes they plan to commit.

 

[Stitches]

There was silence for a moment before Fire Opal groaned loudly, tilting her head back and looking at the ceiling like a dramatic child might. She looked back up and the grin on her face had been replaced with an annoyed frown. “You’re twelve? Well, that’s no fun. I can’t fight a twelve-year-old. You’re a child.”

As she spoke, she dampened the heat that had been coiling in her body, letting it dissipate into the room, which rose in temperature by about ten degrees. She licked the outside of her teeth as she thought, crossing her arms. A kid? What was a kid doing here? Why would a kid be interested in going through Slate’s files? Was this some kind of prank? Was she being punked right now?

A quick look around the room told her that she was not being played. No cameras, no people hiding, nothing. This was genuinely happening. She looked back at the kid, gender now unknown, and sighed. “What are you doing here? Like, really? You’re going through the office of the biggest mob boss in like the entire country. You know that, right? You know this is the office of Obsidian, yeah? The guy who runs Slate?”

There was a small chance that because this kid was twelve, they wouldn’t know who Slate was. There was a small chance they wouldn’t know the name Obsidian, or Fire Opal. There was a small chance this child literally didn’t know where they were. Fire Opal crossed her arms and leaned back against the door. “Look, I’ll let you out of here when you tell me what you were looking for. Okay?”