Zagan's estates were settled on the outskirts of the city, plenty away from most prying mundane eyes, and glamoured over to simply look like an old farm; abandoned, worn down by time and the elements. For those who had the ability to see past glamour... well at the least, the estates were drowning in finery and elegance. The grass was well manicured, kept short and neat, the trees were kept pruned, and the gardening seemed to be impeccably kept. There were several buildings that the drive led up to. The one that stood out the most was a large home with a roof the color of terracotta while the rest of it was a taupe color that seemed suffused with golden light.... Or maybe that was just a trick of they eye in the last stretches of dying daylight. The windows were tall, arched, and wide, giving the building an overall air of grandeur.
The second building, but the first that they would come to was almost as large as the house but demure and absent of windows. It was a light brown color, made of brick and considerably less grand...at least on the outside. There was a parking lot that stretched across the front of this building and wrapped around the side. It was packed with vehicles of all sorts. The only other person that was actually outside, at the moment, was the door attendant and he looked absolutely bored of what he was doing, which gave a hint as to how long people typically stayed inside.
The rest of the buildings were small and inconsequential. The stables off behind the main house, a shed where the gardening tools and supplies were kept. Just as with everything else though, they were draped in an air of grandeur.
The pair of bikes rolled up to the opposite end of the parking lot, thankfully not passing too close to the brown colored building or the doorman to indicate their arrival. The rumble of their bikes could be mistaken for the road passing by. Plans ran through Siobhan?s mind at seeing all of the cars and the single doorman. No doubt, Zagan had informed his cronies about the black rider and doubted she would be granted entry with how she was currently dressed. She parked at the far end of the lot, far enough out of earshot of the door and swung the backpack off her back to set beside the bike and removed the helmet. It would appear to be one of the very few times she was wearing her head under her helmet.
The Dullahan shook out her hair once the helmet was free and cast Nick a glance, "...keep a look out...also...don't peek." She muttered and swung off her bike, scooping up the pack again and moved to go between two cars one spot over.
The detective nodded and tossed the duffel bag to the ground and kept watch. He wasn?t exactly sure what weapons he would need to take with him. He also resisted the urge to sneak a peek at the Dullahan. Though her modesty made him smile.
She probably would have attempted to murder him if he had. Though, it was a wonder what would actually stick to kill the zombie detective again. Some shuffling about and more grumbles from the unhappy Dullahan before she came out from behind the cars wearing a black dress. The garment hung down to her ankles and cinched up close to her throat, covering up the line of scar tissue that encompassed the circumference of her neck. It was backless with a slit up one side to make it easier to walk in the gladiator style laced high heels. She did not look happy in the least to be wearing a dress but any cronie told about Siobhan would be looking for the casual courier, not a well dressed woman on the arm of some gentleman. "...I hate dresses..." She grumbled and pointed at Nick when she returned to the bikes, "Not a word..." She tossed the pack with her 'work' clothes in it onto the seat of her bike, "...C'mon."
?But you have to admit, dresses love you.? He couldn?t help but comment. It was in his nature, especially when he was nervous. She narrowed her eyes at him, not impressed with the comment and chose to ignore it. ?You think I should bring the big guns?? He wisely changed the subject. He was a little out of his element on this one and wasn?t ashamed to rely on Siobhan?s wisdom.
She muttered and looked to his duffle, "...Right now...no...they do tend to search for weaponry at the door anyway...wouldn't do to have someone robbing the joint. We confirm if Roni's in there or not first...then rain Hell..." Siobhan growled and Nick could have sworn he saw a waver in her glamour; her mouth slowly splitting wider at the corners before it went back to 'normal'.
?I don?t suppose you have a better way to stash it then? ? he started quietly heading out of sight to stash the bag in the bushes after making sure nobody is looking. He can be amazingly sneaky when he has to be.
She wasn't able to cast glamours on other things or she would have hid his gear that way, "Just remember where you put it...we might have to leave in a hurry if Zagan is actually in there tonight." Siobhan wanted him to be there...she wanted to punch him in his stupid face. But if he actually did have Roni, he would suffer much worse if she had been harmed. When Nick had finished stashing his things, she looped her arm in his, giving it a squeeze and headed for the front door.
"Don't eat or drink anything and do not sit down at any of the machines, alright?...they'll call to you...you need to not listen and focus, okay?...it might be fine because of your condition but most mundanes have weak wills..." She warned quietly as they crossed the lot and approached the building.
He gladly took her arm, it was a small bit of comfort in an otherwise dire situation. He put on his best winning smile and walked along as natural as able. It was easy, after all, any man would be thrilled to be in the company of such a charming woman, right? He really did hope Roni would be there, but he had his doubts. Everything he had heard of the man told him Zagan was not the type of person that was going to make it easy.
It wasn't until they actually got rather close to the door that the Doorman's attention slid towards Siobhan and Nick. Hurriedly, he straightened from his slouch and shoved his phone back into his pocket. A warm smile plastered itself onto his features. "Welcome to our little den of sin. You guys are new faces, yes?" His attention bounced between the pair as he spoke.
Siobhan gave a wide smile, showing no teeth and it certainly didn't reach her eyes as she nodded silently. She didn't want to speak out of concern she might snarl at the doorman, it wasn't completely his fault he worked for a sleazebag like Zagan but in her eyes, everyone that was associated with him was the enemy.
The detective seriously doubted places like this had changed much, ?Heard this was the place to be and I?d really love to show my lady here a good time. What?s your recommendation as to where to start?? Nick looked genuinely interested.
"You heard right." The doorman nodded dutifully, then stepped a step closer. "The rules, first and foremost. There are three: No weapons. No Drama. And Lastly, enjoy yourselves." He quietly held up a wand, like the ones they had at most airports and other security checks. He gestured to Nick first. "Poker's always a good place to start, or roulette, if you're looking for a little more excitement. There's also a collection of games from around the world inside as well. Anything, for just about any preference."
Siobhan gave a nod, she knew the rules and had broken all of them before but that certainly wouldn't grant them access so she kept her mouth shut and waited her turn with the security wand. Now she was quite glad Nick hadn?t brought his duffle bag as she suspected he had a small arsenal inside.
He looked questioningly at the wand for a moment but thankfully he?d seen this before. He stepped away from Siobhan a touch to be clear for room. He figured they?d expect him to have some sort of weapon so he simply pulled open his jacket and revealed his pistol, waiting to allow the man to take it. ?Gotta keep my girl safe, you see ?. He gives the doorman a winning smile.
"Oh no, It's completely understandable. I'll lock it away, and when you leave, you can collect it." He gingerly reached out to take the pistol from Nick. Once it was in hand, he reached for a slip of paper and a plain cloth bag. "Fill out your information here," The slip of paper was offered to Nick. All it requested was his name and the identity of the gun. ?And while you fill that out, I'll scan 'er. Not that we don't trust you lovely folks, but we have to be thorough."
"Of course." Siobhan said stiffly, lifting her arms out to her sides so he could scan her, not having any weaponry hidden anywhere that he could take from her. He didn't need to know that she could summon her blade from nothing.
Nick pulled a pen out of his pocket and filled out the paper, identifying himself as ?Jacob Carver? in clear view, where Siobhan could see it. He put the pen away and handed back the form.
Once the doorman was certain Siobhan was free and clear, he offered her a smile, then moved back to Nick and collected the card. He tucked it into the pocket on the outside of the bag, and dropped it into a bin, which was promptly locked afterwards. That done, he was quick in making sure Nick was clean with another swipe of the wand as well, before he pushed the door open. "Welcome. Enjoy your night, guys."
Siobhan nodded, another tight lipped insincere smile to the doorman before taking Nick's arm again to walk with him into the establishment. In truth...she'd never entered via the front door before; she had always gone in through the back to make her deliveries and get her errands so this was rather new for her.
?Thank you!? Nick smiled at the doorman and walked inside. He squeezed Siobhan?s arm for either reassurance or to find some small comfort in this unfamiliar situation. He took a look around to get a feel for the place.
Once inside, the lights were subdued, except for the ones that were on the games and various tables. Like lures to money gobbling things; intent on making one spend it all. The decorations on the walls were ornate, gilded with gold, the colors of rich reds and browns lingered nearly everywhere else. The waiters were women and men both, dressed in clothes that bordered almost inappropriate, but leaning more toward the classy side than the risque. Overall there was a quiet din of people talking, laughing, and generally having a grand old time. The bar was a grand thing in itself; stocked with nearly every liquor imaginable and staffed by bartenders that made mixing a drink a show in itself.
Siobhan?s violet eyes scanned the room, taking in the location of security and exits, also looking for familiar faces that would be able to point out who she was and get them kicked out before they could do any snooping. Most importantly, she was looking for Roni. She frowned and murmured to Nick, "...there's a VIP area...we can get a better view of it over at the bar..."
?You have cash?? The detective seriously doubted that US dollars from the twenties would be useful. He was starting to wish they had taken more
Time to prepare. He scanned for the exits, and looked for the telltale signs of weaponry among the employees before casually making his way with the Dullahan to the bar.
There were not that many familiar faces, Siobhan would find. No one ever did seem too lost for very long, apart from a few select people that didn't seem to be there tonight. Apart from that, no one tried to stop them and they were free to enjoy whatever they may want to.
Siobhan found no pleasure in this place, gambling was not something she enjoyed and certainly didn't care for being there at all. She nodded to Nick's question though, "Some, yeah..." She figured they should try to blend in more and at least buy a drink..so long as they didn't drink it. She knew Zagan spiked all of the drinks with some sort of drug, it made people want to stay there for longer and spend more money at the tables and machines. Fae mind trickery at it's most modern best. The dullahan tried not to look too obvious, limiting how often she glanced around.
The detective ordered a couple of Martinis. Not his drink of choice, but it seems like that kind of place. After his stay in Tartarus, he wasn?t going to take any chances. So he would quietly pretend to drink before looking to Siobhan, ?So much to do makes it hard to decide...?
"...yeah...I think that's the point." She murmured, "Keep people here, trying all the different things..." She kept her voice down, not that anyone would have overheard considering the people too absorbed in their own entertainment. Siobhan had never tried to pretend to drink before so she watched Nick for a little bit, noticing how he kept his mouth closed, letting the liquid touch his lips and nothing more. She hoped that the drink wasn?t so strong that his ruse didn?t work, "...Over my shoulder, up some stairs, there's the VIP section...High rollers and guests...If Zagan's here...he'll be there."
He took a good look around, a casual glance at the VIP section, ?You know, I really did mean it. You look nice. I?m glad you decided to come. I wonder what it takes to be a VIP?? Casual conversation really. Idle chatter helped to blend in he found.
She shot him a look of 'not the time', though there was a bit of color to her cheeks at the compliment, "Money." She answered, "Money, status and connections."
?Well, I don?t see us getting up there anytime soon.? He looked out at the tables, ?Though, maybe we could win enough to get you a fur coat.? He remained as casual as possible, playing at being on a date while keeping his eyes on the VIP section when he had the chance. He didn?t want to be obvious about it though. Who knew what eyes and ears were already upon them.
He was a lot better at acting casual than she was, Siobhan was tense and frowning at just about everything that came near. "...Yeah...not inside...but maybe we could go see it sometime, see what sort of people are more connected than us." She snorted at the comment about a fur coat, what sort of girl was Nick pretending she was?
?Yeah, maybe so.? He took another mock sip of his drink and gave a longing glance to the VIP area. ?What did you want to hit up first? You?re my good luck charm after all. ?
"I don't know about that. Spending all your money on me." She took a pretend sip of the drink as well before looking over to the VIP area, doing a quick scan for the blonde haired a**hole but it was much too crowded on the floor. She pursed her lips and set her drink down, "Cmon, let's go see, hm?"
?Sure thing, baby.? He grinned and hopped off the stool taking the drink with him. He ?accidentally? splashed a little on his lap ?Whoops! Clumsy me.? He laughed it off and held out his hand to Siobhan.
"Clumsy you." She repeated, smiling a bit uncertainly at why he?d add that sort of silliness to the undercover game but took his hand and headed in the direction of the VIP area nonetheless.
(written in collaboration with Roni and Nick Cross)
