Topic: All Or Nothing

Lydia Loran

Date: 2007-04-07 01:48 EST
Events of this thread take place late April 6, early April 7th]

Boots were quiet on the wooden floors as Lydia nervously paced back and forth, waiting as teeth worked on her lower lip.

Green locks were gone, put up and tucked away beneath that wig atop her head. Now her hair was short, dark brown. Pale blue pupiless eyes even looked more the norm, thanks to the aid of contacts Mason had given her. Still light blue, still slightly eerie, but they didn't stand out nearly as much as they once did. Lashes were coated in mascara, and brows had been colored by an eyebrow pencil.

She looked rather...human.

Her normal attire of brightly colored skirts and dresses wouldn't do for what she had in mind either. Now it was simple, just a plain dark blouse, accompanied by black shorts. It wouldn't do to have to run around in a skirt and get it snagged on everything. Tucked in one boot? A small knife. Tucked in the other? Mini throwing knives. Plain, small, lightweight, but sharp all the same. She couldn't carry much with her, not for this, but even the little things would help.

Hopefully.

Lydia was nervous, scared, anxious.. all the normal emotions one should carry in a situation like this. But it didn't stop her, she still had every intention to carry out this plan. It was worth it though, and really, what was the worst that could happen?

Knock. Knock.

Slightly startled, she ceased her pacing and turned towards the door. A second's worth of hesitation, then she moved to it, unlocked it, and pulled it open. No surprise as to who it was though.

"Jesus, ya sure picked an out of the way place." Lydia stood to the side as Mason slipped in, bags in tow, attire even darker than hers. "Sorry for bein' late but it's a hard place to find." He took a moment to glance about the old, decrepit, and rather barren room, and he spared an even longer moment to look over Lydia. Not the sight he was used to seeing.

Snorting faintly, she closed the door and turned to move further inside. "That's the point isn't it?" This particular 'inn' was great for hiding away. When Lydia first came here with Katarina, it's where they stayed. Nothing fancy, but rather practical for what she had in mind. Besides, Mason's place couldn't house the amount they planned to bring back tonight. "You didn't have trouble getting in here did you?" Kneeling down, fingers wrapped about a loose floorboard or two before she started pulling them up.

"Nah, he recognized me and let me in." A pause. "After I paid him..." That part a mutter. Mason knelt down next to Lydia and slipped those bags into the floor after floorboards were taken up.

"He's not... that moral, no." Lydia set to work placing the floorboards back. "But if we keep him paid, he won't talk. I can think of no better place than this for... I mean... it'll be fine." A faint frown, brief, before she stood again.

Scrambling to his feet as well, Mason looked over Lydia for a moment, thoughtful look on his face. "Havin' second thoughts Lydia?"

Gaze faltering somewhat, she shook her head faintly. "...no."

"..well.. ya ready then?"

Lydia Loran

Date: 2007-04-07 02:19 EST
From the outside it looked like a normal storage warehouse, nothing out of the ordinary, just one of the many on a northern block in WestEnd. Those in the know however? Knew there was more than the outside led on.

"Well?"

Standing atop some carefully stacked crates at the back of the warehouse, Lydia stretched and stood on tip toes so that she could get a look in that back room where 'business' was always conducted. "Well what?" Her voice kept low of course. Reaching out, she tested the latch on the window. Wasn't locked... perhaps something that could be used to their advantage.

"How's it look in there?"

Darkened brows furrowed as she leaned a little closer to the window. Inside? The slaves were locked away in the cages like animals. Far too many for one. There were four cages, with five to seven people in each one. Males and females, adults and children. No elderly though. Keeping things in 'order' were four men walking about, keeping watch over those locked away. It was a safe assumption they were armed, even if one couldn't see any weaponry at first glance.

Crouching down, Lydia slid off one crate onto another, and off that one onto another, making her way back down to the ground with Mason. "Same as always... light security, just four guards, but you know about the group up front, yeah?" There were at least ten up front, she knew that from their previous visits. And not to mention the other slavers who had shown up to conduct their 'business'. There could be ten, twenty, perhaps even thirty waiting...

Frowning, Mason nodded. "Can't go in through the front.. can't barge in through the back because they'll alert those in the front.. we'll be ambushed. This would be much easier if you'd just barbeque their asses." Grey eyes to Lydia, catching that rather stern look. "I wasn't bein' serious..." He sighed. "Ya got any brilliant ideas?"

Brilliant? God no. But an idea? Well... She gave Mason a quick nod before motioning for him to follow. Moving past the crates she paused at the corner on the right side of the warehouse, carefully inching forward to glance around it, make sure it was clear to move on. After Mason caught up, she rounded that corner and moved along the side of the warehouse, quickly and quietly of course. At the side of the warehouse, and her destination, was a small storage building. Reaching it, she glanced over her shoulder towards Mason, and pressed a finger to her lip.

Edging to the corner of the storage building, she chanced a glance around it, and quickly hid behind the building again, frown on her face. There was already a few people at the front, well, probably more, as she certainly wasn't at a good vantage point to be seeing much of anything at the front. Lydia turned and moved to the door leading into the storage building to open it up.

Locked. Of course.

Sighing silently, arms crossed as she gathered her lower lip in her teeth again. Mason was quick to act though, and retrieved what looked to be a hairpin from his jacket pocket. Kneeling before the door, he inserted the pin in the lock as Lydia watched curiously. Three seconds and a few effortless twists later, the lock 'clicked' softly and door was pushed open.

Grin on his face, Mason slipped the pin back in his pocket and motioned for Lydia to enter first.