The Enabled (Role-Play)

dada_dragon • 5 May 2016 at 11:54 AM

"Um..." Kita was surprised that she was the one being addressed. She was caught completely off-guard. "Outside I guess."

She followed the waitress out onto the patio. It was just as beautiful as the restaurant. It was still early evening, but there were already strings of lights alight, hung all around. The effect was not as nice as it would have been if it were dark out, but it was still pretty.

The fencing around the area was high and elegant, probably meant to keep the common folk out, she guessed, smiling at the thought of Vladan scoffing as common people tried to climb the fence...

The tables were decorated with candles and a beautiful red tablecloth. The silverware was polished to a radiant sheen, and the glasses were a beautiful crystal.

There was also a girl playing violin on a small stage. She was likely in her mid-twenties and played at a professional level. Kita found her playing to be a bit rigid, but that was more of a personal preference than a technical issue...

She sat at the table as directed by the waitress. She was still avoiding Vladan's gaze. It was weird sitting across from him...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 5 May 2016 at 12:38 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"She's not as good as you." Vladan said under his breath. He was unsure if Kita had heard his words, but continued speaking anyway. Too hungry to wait for a waiter to come back around, he motioned for the man to stay when he placed the menus on the table.

Vladan made his food order, before requesting a menu for cocktails. A little casual drinking never did anybody any harm, and he was sure he could make it to the clothing outlets in a relatively safe condition.

"Why did you pick the outside seats?" He asked after waiting for Kita to finish speaking with the waiter. "Isn't it cold?" Vladan questioned as he motioned at her dress.

dada_dragon • 5 May 2016 at 1:03 PM

"She's a better player... It's just a different style. She probably had a master teach her. It's very by-the-book." She said after ordering her food. "That kind of teacher usually emphasizes perfection. I was taught at a violin academy with a teacher who emphasized knowing the music, but also putting your own touch on it..."

"As for why I chose outside..." She said. "I was confined indoors for two days. I'd rather be outside..."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 5 May 2016 at 8:39 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"People usually pick outdoors for the view." Vladan criticized. He sat in silence for a bit as he toyed around with the tablecloth, picking at the edges of the red cloth. Without looking up from where he aimlessly pulled at the thread, h spoke.

"Who bought you that?" Vladan asked in an attempt to make smal talk. The waiter brought by his cocktail, and he took it without even a nod of acknowledgement.

dada_dragon • 5 May 2016 at 9:08 PM

Kita collected her iced tea and took a sip.

"The dress?" She asked. "That would be my boyfriend... He bought it for a violin recital that he made me sign up for... I'm not one for flashy clothes, but he insisted."

She took another drink from her glass.

"It is pretty out here, I guess..." She added.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 5 May 2016 at 10:41 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Boyfriend?" Vladan said in surprise. His eyes widened significantly, and he was glad he hadn't bothered to take off his shades. There was a feeling of disappointment that collected in the large batch of emotions inside his head, though it was soon overtaken by resentment. "I see." He muttered as he swirled the liquid in his drink.

"Well." Vladan scoffed. "It looks good on you, but the material is cheap. I can buy you better." He said pretentiously.

dada_dragon • 5 May 2016 at 11:00 PM

She sensed the surprise in his voice. She realized she had never mentioned it.

"Yeah... That's who I was visiting earlier." She said. "At the penitentiary, I mean."

She used to be embarrassed by the fact that he was an inmate, but after two years, she was pretty much over it.

"We both used to be pretty involved in gang activity. He got caught. I didn't." She said casually.

Around most people, she'd have been more vague, but Vladan was a criminal himself, so she hardly had to worry about it...

"I might have gotten caught too, if it weren't for him..."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 6 May 2016 at 4:05 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan cleared his throat as the food arrived, unsure what to say to Kita's statements. "Which gang?" He asked curiously. The man drank the rest of his cocktail, before placing it back on the table, the ice clattering against the side of the glass. Vladan picked up his fork and stabbed it into the steak on his plate.

dada_dragon • 6 May 2016 at 4:51 PM

"The Shadows... Small-time, mostly just a bunch of hotheads looking for a fight." she said. "Almost exclusively enabled. That was kind of our thing."

She took a bite of the pasta she had ordered. It was pretty good... It would have to be if they were going to charge what they were for it...

"There were three of us that formed a kind of attack team: myself, my boyfriend, and another guy. We were in charge of keeping people away from the warehouses the gang owned. I'm not sure what was kept in there, but I doubt it was legal."

"We were pretty low on the totem pole, but it paid our bills."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 6 May 2016 at 5:31 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"They're gone now." Vladan said emotionlessly as he sliced off a piece of steak with his knife. "I knew a fire enabled that hung out with that crew..." He muttered. "Talked to much, had to have him put down." The man let out a short bout of laughter, though it sounded more bitter than anything else. Blood oozed out of the center of the steak, and Vladan smiled satisfyingly at the red pooling around his plate.

The man poked at the meat, before looking up at Kita. "How do you suppose you're gonna pay me back for all the damage you've caused to me and my property?" He said blankly.

dada_dragon • 6 May 2016 at 7:45 PM

Kita didn't answer. It was classic entrapment... He now had a way of keeping her around until she paid him off, which she never would be able to do. And even though she knew all this... she couldn't exactly argue it. It was actually her fault...

She chose to remain silent. She was sure he was about to answer his own question anyway...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 6 May 2016 at 7:58 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"I suppose I can't use you for what I originally planned." He said. "Since you have a boyfriend, I figured he wouldn't approve of it." Vladan leaned forwards with a smirk, before letting out a dirty chuckle.

"Maybe your boyfriend can do the job for you instead. I've never been particularly picky with who I choose to be with." The man laughed obnoxiously, gathering a couple of glares from nearby patrons. Perhaps the alcohol was getting to him after all... Vladan cleared his throat.

"All jokes aside... Your violin lessons are intriguing. I'm sure you'll also be willing to perform whenever I have guests over, as well... Am I right?"

dada_dragon • 7 May 2016 at 1:44 AM

Kita frowned. Was "nice guy" Vladan just an act? She wouldn't be surprised... Getting to the top of the business world usually meant knowing people well and choosing your words carefully... In other words, he was a master manipulator...

"Not a chance. It would take me forever to pay you back that way. Even at the current cost to hire a violinist for a private function. I'm not an idiot, Vladan." she said, taking another bite. "You want me to pay you off, it'll be in a way that I could feasibly do so in a reasonable amount of time... and legally."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 7 May 2016 at 10:17 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan made a show of rolling his eyes, before forgetting that he was wearing shades over his face. He sighed before calling the waiter over to refill his drink. The man turned back to Kita with pursed lips as he contemplated her words. "It'll take a particularly longer amount of time if you want to play by the law's rules." Vladan said with a chuckle. "And that also means spending more time with me and my friends." He went silent know, as the waiter refilled his drink, before he continued to speak.

"You can train my soldiers." He muttered, before arching a brow. "The legal ones in my company. They usually need a month or so of personal prepping and strategic training before I send them out to Syria or Afghanistan to do their job."

dada_dragon • 7 May 2016 at 1:54 PM

Kita shook her head. "I'm no soldier. I wouldn't even know where to begin..." She sighed, defeated. "Fine... I'll play for your dumb parties, but let's make this clear..."

"I'm free to go home if you don't need me. I pick my own attire. I want to see how much I owe you on paper. I want to see what you will be subtracting for each event that I play at. And it'll be by the hour, not a set amount per performance." She said, crossing her arms. "And if you try to kill me again, I owe you nothing."

She was well aware of how little bargaining power she had, but it was worth a shot...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 7 May 2016 at 2:19 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Sounds like a deal." Vladan said with a small grin. "As long as you don't show up dressed like the homeless, I'll be fine with whatever your outfit is." He drank the rest of his cocktail, before waving to the waiter for a third round.

"How much do you plan on charging?" Vladan asked with a quirked brow as he leaned forwards curiously. He supposed he could have asked how much in debt Kita thought she was in, but if he asked how much she charged and it was an excruciatingly low number... All the better for him. "Do you realize..." Vladan trailed off before clearing his throat.

"Do you realize how long it will take you to pay me back?" He finished.

dada_dragon • 7 May 2016 at 5:52 PM

Kita crossed her arms.

"I'm in no position to be charging anything, which I'm sure you are well aware of, but I do expect that whatever it is you settle on, it will be an acceptable wage for a violinist at academy level... I'm no professional, but I do have a respectable level of playing ability."

She took another drink of her iced tea. "And I'll have you know that I am perfectly aware of what it is you are doing..." she said. He had all but admitted it in his last statement. "I intend to only work for you as long as is required of me."

She looked him in the eye. She didn't care what he saw. She almost hoped he would see the rage and humiliation and fear she felt having to work for a man that had tried to kill her twice.

"I will do whatever I can to minimize the time I have to spend near you. You act like a gentleman, but it's all a game of chess... you move your pieces where you want them to go, and you will tell them whatever they want to hear to get them there."

"I almost get killed by people who were after you, but somehow I'm the one in debt. I save your life twice and you guilt trip me." People were beginning to stare. She couldn't care less. It was his reputation at stake, not hers. "Fine. I'll play your game. I'll work for you. But if you were so angry that in a run for my life, I totalled your precious car..."

Maybe you shouldn't have saved me...
Maybe you should have let Russell kill me...
Maybe you should have let Puppet keep me...

She couldn't finish her sentence. She'd gotten herself too worked up. She looked away.

"Thank you for the dinner. I'm going home. You have my number." she said. Grabbing her bag, she looked back at him. "You can add this food to what I owe you if you're so desperate to keep all of your precious money."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 7 May 2016 at 10:31 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Well, wasn't Vladan glad that he had decided to bring his shades with him. It was almost as if that nagging sensation in the back of his mind was an intelligent guess that Kita would start a scene as per usual, and storm out of the restaurant. It was almost as if this had already happened before, except this time...

"Hey!" He yelled, before noticing the dirty glances that the other people were giving him and Kita. "Hey." Vladan repeated quieter. The man grabbed her by the wrist.

"Don't you need a ride home?"

dada_dragon • 7 May 2016 at 10:57 PM

Kita slapped away his hand. "Don't touch me."

She noted someone filming them with their smart phone. At first, she was annoyed, but then...

"You think you're such a big boy, hiding behind those shades... Why? You afraid that people will see you for what you really are, Vladan?"

She made a grab for his shades.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 8 May 2016 at 4:57 AM

@dada_dragon

Vladan saw her coming, but only had enough time to turn his head to the side. Her hand hit his shades, and they flew off his face, sliding across the floor and landing with a halt against a chair leg. He took a step back in surprise, having to take a moment to pause at the sudden change in vision as color splashed in his eyes.

Needless to say, Vladan was angry. "Who do you think you are?" He roared loudly. The man was unsure whether the warmth in his veins was from his freshly consumed liquor, or his red hot rage. "Who do you think you are?" He screamed again. This time, the sound of glass being shattered echoed his yelling.

The table was flipped upside down, but not before a large slash across the surface brought the expensive glass tableware smashing against the floor. "You want to make a scene? I'll show you a scene!" He growled under his breath. "You wanna know what it feels like?"

A security guard ran up to Vladan in an attempt to restrain him, but met a sad end as the man fought back. Vladan grabbed the guard by the shoulders and kneed the poor man in the stomach, before flipping him onto a nearby patron's table--effectively destroying everything on it surface, and the luxurious plants decorating the fence as well.

"You want people to see who I really am, don't you?" Vladan said menacingly as he reached under his shirt and pulled out a gun. There was nothing but rage, a rage that burned brighter than Torch's blazing anger had ever been.

Another unfortunate security guard tried to subdue him, and he went down not to long after the first one had. There was a short struggle, but the officer's skills were clearly inferior. The guard attempted to stand, and Vladan grabbed him by the collar. He tilted the gun sideways, turning it slightly as he pushed it against the officer's forehead. The safety clicked off, and it echoed around the outdoor patio along with his last words.

"Well here you go." He said, as he glanced over to Kita threateningly. "Let's show the whole world what I am."

dada_dragon • 8 May 2016 at 7:19 AM

Kita froze. The man's eyes widened as Vladan grabbed him. She had been making a move to counter him, but now...

"Let him go. You wanna waste everything you built up from the ground, you go right ahead, but point that at someone who's actually wronged you."

She slowly began to approach him.

"I'm the one who wrecked your car."

I just need to be close enough to mimic him...

"I was the one who punched you in the face..."

Almost there...

"It's me you want."

She reached out to grab his arm...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 8 May 2016 at 1:05 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan switched to aim the gun towards Kita. He took several steps back, away from her. "Stay away from me." The man growled. "I know exactly what you're trying to do." Sirens wailed in the distance, growing gradually louder as each fleeting moment passed. A movement caught his attention, and he turned to see a camera pointed right at him.

"Put that down right now." He said menacingly as he switched targets once again.

dada_dragon • 8 May 2016 at 2:27 PM

Kita took the opportunity as he was distracted to grab hold of his gun arm, simultaneously mimicking him and redirecting the gun.

"Everyone get out of here!!! Get everyone inside out as well!!!" She yelled at the stunned patrons. They jumped up from their tables, some running through the restaurant, some electing to jump the fence instead.

Kita turned her attention back to Vladan. She could try to order him using the mind control power, but hers only lasted a few seconds and then she'd be blind, unable to defend herself until her sensory power returned, which would be two whole minutes at Vladan's mercy... Not good.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 8 May 2016 at 3:11 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan fired the gun, and the shot rang out around the restaurant's destroyed patio. He pulled her closer to him, using her already harsh grip around his arm as leverage. His gaze met hers, and he held it there for a lingering second as he leaned in way closer than necessary.

"Why are you so good...?" He whispered as his anger gradually subsided as his current situation dawned onto him. The sirens were ringing noisily through the patio, and he could spot the flashing lights bouncing off the glass of the windows. Bright flashes glanced off the floor as the police shown their lights on the patio darkening from the setting sun.

dada_dragon • 8 May 2016 at 3:25 PM

She didn't answer. She had no answer to that question.

"How are you going to get yourself out of this one, rich boy?" she said, not laughing, not gloating, though she could have. She just said it plainly.

She made no move to fight back, but kept her focus on him, watching for any sign that he would make a move. If she had to act, she would, but for now, she would let the police handle things.

@bunnyshadow

lailaluckyseal87 • 8 May 2016 at 3:28 PM

Skyler heard gunshots and sirens and ran to help. She followed them, gripping her suitcase, until she saw what was going on. She rolled her eyes. "Of course, it's him." she muttered under her breathe.

She looks at his gun and realizing she can't help because her close-range dagger is no good against a gun. She looks around for a source of water and spots a small fountain. Skyler flicks her free wrist, causing some of the water to fling onto Vladan yet Kita stays completely dry.

Skyler watches the police come closer with relief. She knows that now Vladan won't be able to attack her, or even possibly kill her. She uses her telekinesis to try and wrench the gun from Vladan's hand.

@bunnyshadow @dada_dragon

bunnyshadow • 8 May 2016 at 3:49 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan laughed bitterly at her question. The sound of glass crashing and tables being toppled over echoed the noise of the police yelling out orders that he couldn't bother to hear. "I'll find a way. I always do." He barely managed to finish his sentence when a dozen officers flooded into the patio. His gun hit the ground with a sharp thud as he dropped the weapon in surrender. He couldn't help but yell over his shoulder as the officers handcuffed him and pulled him away. "The only difference between your boyfriend and I..." He trailed off.

"Is that he will never get out."

lailaluckyseal87 • 8 May 2016 at 3:52 PM

Skyler watches as Vladan is taken away. She runs to Kita to see if she is ok. "Kita!" she exclaims. "Are you ok? What happened here?"

@bunnyshadow @dada_dragon

dada_dragon • 8 May 2016 at 4:13 PM

Kita sat down at one of the tables, rubbing her forehead. She was beginning to get a headache. She almost didn't notice Skyler.

"Hmmm? Oh... Nothing. I'm fine." She said. "It's just been a long day..."

One of the officers approached her, wanting to bring her back to the station to ask some questions. She looked back at Skyler.

"I need to go. Do you mind going back to Vladan's and feeding his pets?" She asked. "I doubt he will be getting around to that tonight."

She followed the officer, climbing into the back of his vehicle.

@bunnyshadow
@lailaluckyseal87

bunnyshadow • 8 May 2016 at 4:33 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Don't touch me." Vladan growled as the officer pushed him into the car. The door was slammed shut behind him, and the car's engine was started by the driver. "Do you even know who I am?" He said angrily. If the man had been a reptile, venom would have dripped from his mouth freely. The officer in the passenger seat laughed. "Does it matter, kid?"

Vladan chuckled. "I'm gonna get you back for this." He whispered. The driver turned to face Vladan when he stopped at the police station, in an attempt to get a good look at Vladan's face.

"Hey..." The driver said. "Aren't you...." He was cut off as the door was open and Vladan was pulled out by another pair of officers. A woman in a uniform stopped the officers as she read out his Miranda rights. The man rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he had heard that.

"Where's my lawyer?" He said bluntly. "Her name i-" The noise from the blinking TV screen interrupted him mid sentence. "And can you guys turn that off please?" He complained as a reporter began speaking. "How is that even on the news already? I didn't even get the chance to call them up this time..." Vladan said as panic rose in his chest.

The officers surrounding him ignored his words as they pushed him down into a holding cell.