A Bounty Hunter's Conundrum (BlisteredBlood x Candira)

When 21-year old Dante McPhadden or "Dead Eye" Dante as he was called in some circles - none of which he had much allegiance for in the first place - received his mission from a representative from Zio Matrix in a diner one night, the very same company that supplied very few details about his target that was to be brought in for questioning in regards to a security risk that she might have had a hand in, he simply looked up at one of his employers when he was given a picture of the woman in question. At first, he was about to laugh it off and pretend it was absolutely nothing, but his employer that represented the company presented him with a rather handsome advance of about $75,000 which was transferred into his account immediately without a second thought. The other $225,000 would come to him just as soon as he secured the target in question and then brought her in. Whether it was unharmed or not hardly seemed to matter much to them.

"Why so much on just a girl? She doesn't even look all that dangerous. Unless if there's something about her I should know about, then I advise you tell me right now or else I can take this $75k and thank you for your time. Besides, I'm a rather busy man and I have better things to waste my time on." He asked the representative outright, narrowing an eye at him rather caustically.

The representative, of about some 20 years his senior and dressed in a rather flashy suit for someone who worked at a company like he did understood his aloofness in the whole matter, but chuckled at him simply in reply before he gave him his response. "She has been a thorn in our side for quite some time now. We would like it if you were to exact a fitting form of punishment on her before you turn her over to us. We will then take her to the proper authorities where she will stand trial for her crimes and we will never speak to each other ever again. It's a simple job really, my good man. All you have to do is track her down." He answered.

"Standard SAP protocol is in effect, I assume?" Dante answered with a question of his own.

The representative simply nodded his head in reply before offering him a rather all too sincere smile, one that seemed to rub Dante the wrong way just from looking at him. "But of course. You're permitted to use whatever methods you feel as though deems necessary in order to bring her down. But be careful. She can be a rather tricky one."

"Hmph." Dante scoffed at the man before turning his head away from him and closed his eye. "Shouldn't be too hard. I've dealt with foxes that had more cunning than she has and I think I know how to deal with this one."

"Therein lies the problem, Mr. McPhadden." Said the representative. "She's never really in the same place for too long, and if she does, it's usually because she has found a place to lay her head down for a little while before waking up and be off and running once more." He added.

"Sir, with all due respect, I think I know how to handle this. Now are you going to give me more details on this job or am I going to receive updates as I go along?" He asked with a bit of aggravation in his voice. "Because really, you guys have got things to do rather than go on and on about all about this woman."

The representative's facial features soon turned from that eerie smile to a more thoughtful expression, but there was a little hint of malice behind those silver framed glasses of his. Clearing his throat and lowering his head, he closed his eyes for a moment before adjusting the nosepiece of his glasses before looking up at Dante once again.

"You will receive updates in a text message and in an email. If there is any complications during the mission, you will keep your advance, but you will not receive the rest of the reward money. Therefore, it is highly advisable that you do your job like a good little errand boy or else there will be dire consequences." He said before narrowing his eyes at him with a hint of bitterness behind it.

Dante made no move or express any outcry to him. Rather, he just simply nodded his head at the representative before getting his check from the waitress, paying for the meal he had and then went out.

That was three days ago.

During the time, Dante had gone from place to place in search for his quarry. Not once did he have a shred of doubt in his head nor did he even have any second thoughts about the nature of the job. There was one little detail that aggravated him a great deal.

Where in the fuck is she...? He thought as he stopped in a bar one night, dressed in a dark brown, gold trimmed jacket concealing a green undershirt tucked into a set of gray denim jeans, accented by two leather belts. One hangs off of Dante's waist while another is strapped to his right thigh while black leather boots cover his feet. Of the weapons he carried, was his personalized .38 pistol that he always had holstered under his jacket while a revolver resided in another holster at his waist but is one that he handmade himself after spending many months in a machine shop on the outskirts of town. Dubbed "The Peace Breaker", this was a .50 caliber revolver that once Dante set his eyes on any target, it was safe to assume that they either stopped in place wherever they were and dropped to the ground unless if they were looking to have their heads blown cleanly off. His rusty brown hair was mostly covering his right eye. There was one hidden Talent Dante had regarding that eye, one that guaranteed a killshot 100% of the time. Considering it was naturally augmented, his eye had a feature that allowed him to see anything from a least 500 yards off. It was no surprise that that eye alone made him the most sought after bounty hunter in the world. His skin tone was slightly pale, mainly due to the fact that he had hardly a lot of time to spend outside in the day time unless if his job required it.

Once in a booth, Dante slung his booted feet up onto the table where he then placed an order for a drink, receiving it a short time later. It was rather odd. He had been everywhere in the world and not one person had seen hide or hair of the woman in question. It seemed as though he was sent on a wild goose chase or something of the sort; something that aggravated him a great deal and made him want to just toss his hands up in the air and say fuck it all, they can handle it their own damn selves.

Nevertheless, though. He had a reputation to maintain, and one little floozy wasn't going to give him the slip.

Numbers. It was all a question of numbers. Kelly Luna had been hunted for a number of years and apprehended a number of times. Five years, to be precise. Only apprehended once, after which she immediately escaped. How long she had been in town here was fairly short, but she'd been all over the planet. And she'd been there for almost a year. Another number of consequence. It was all so much easier to see in full when you thought of it like that. Specific amounts of time with events attached to them. She'd be 22 soon. She knew the exact numbers for her time of birth, the date, the year, and even how long her mother had been in labor. Yes, it was all about remembering numbers...

Life was so much easier when the emotions didn't have to be attached. At least that was what she had thought in the beginning. When Kelly pulled her first job on the company, that was how she operated. Cool, calculating, and ruthless. Then again, she'd been planning the hit for a few years. Since that time, Kelly had learned that shutting out your emotions rarely did any good. And she decided that the prospect of becoming an empty shell of a woman was not at all appealing.

And as luck would have it, being in tune with her emotions helped her out of many a scrape with the organization and with her life in general. Unfortunately, she often felt lonely and sad, and she began to long for the days when she could just focus on numbers. But that was a different part of her life. A part of her that mattered, but was no longer important. So let him come. She was ready to play if he was.

The brunette had been in the bar for quite some time, feeling the need to connect with people again. She laughed and flirted, danced and drank, doing her damnedest to have a good time. And she was. Sort of. It would have been better with someone who really knew her well, however. She'd been on planet for about a year now, and in this town for about five months. She was well-known and well-liked. And people here, she found, rarely gave away information on other people. A wise move.

Sighing Kelly sat at the bar as she watch a new guy enter the bar. Instantly she was on alert. It was clear that he had a gun--a definite give-away in these parts. As nonchalant as he acted, she could see from the way he moved that he was no ordinary patron.

Well, if she was going to get caught, she was going to have some fun first. Besides, she was getting tired of running anyway. Her hair was pulled back into a half up, half down do that made her seem a little foxier and a little sweeter at the same time. Her make up merely highlighted her best features. Her body was dressed for the place she was in. Skinny jeans that hugged her body, tucked into knee-high boots with heels that gave her a few extra inches without making her look too slutty, and a rosy red shirt that showed off her cleavage to its fullest while covering her up as well. She was stunning, and it would be easy enough to spot her once she left the bar to dance again.

And dance she did. As a new song came on, she headed back out to the floor to tear it up. Her long legs and curvy body certainly drew attention as she moved like she was made for the music.

Dante's eyes were closed in thought as he continued to sit there in the booth after taking a little sip from his drink virtually in silence. Granted, his mannerisms weren't exactly one of the best in the world, but the fact of the matter remained that he was one of the kinds of people that really wasn't as social as most people were, but he had a reason for it. Throughout most of his life, Dante had been either stabbed in the back by people who he had thought would be his friends or potential allies later in life, often times leaving him for dead. For each of those times, he had closed his heart little at a time until he finally shut out every emotion, leaving him a cold and calculating man that had very little to lose. On one occasion, he betrayed a potential friend himself, getting with it a small measure of revenge.

But tonight, in the bar, he had heard that a new song had come on, something with plenty of bass and with a pretty good beat. Had he been in more of a sociable mood, he would've gotten up from the the booth and then joining the other patrons, but unfortunately, there was no time for him to even consider it. Opening his left eye, he looked over to the dance floor, seeing those that had soon begun to cut it up on the dance floor. One person, however, got his attention the most, causing him to arch a brow at her curiously.

She looked like the very person that his employers were looking for, but if there was one thing he had to do, Dante had to double check and see if this was the person he was supposed to be going after. Dante would then reach into his jacket and retrieved the photo from his inside pocket and looked at it for a brief moment then turned his eye back up to th woman on the dance floor before narrowing his eye at her calmly.

Still, Dante made no move to get out of his seat. Rather, he had a way of how to deal with any target, by letting them come to him instead of the other way around. The only time he would go after them was when he was in hot pursuit and not willing to let up until he had them in his hands.

Kelly knew someone was watching her, and she was fairly certain that it was the bounty hunter. Another number, she thought as she danced. She moved in a way that was exhilarating, skillful, graceful. It was energetic and yet calm. Clearly, she was an agile women with a great deal of bodily awareness. Through her little dance number she managed not to touch a single person, though a small crowd began to open up and gather around her to watch as she went at it, tearing up the floor. Already, a good deal of the people in this bar knew her as a regular. She was a sweet girl--a hard worker, too.

More often than not, she had twisted up a few hearts during her brief stay. She was a woman who knew how to make friends quickly. And she knew exactly the way into people's good graces. Well, most of the time. Usually, she had little trouble getting someone to like her. It wasn't that she cared, really, if they actually liked her, or even if they knew her. But she needed them to be on her side. And as she danced now, blowing off a good deal of steam, she was winning even more people over.

Finally, the song ended and she stood in the middle of a small crowd, panting, feeling simultaneously full and empty inside. She smiled at the small bit of applause she'd garnered and then walked back to the bar for water. Yes, water. She paid for it right away, drinking it as she sat there, trying to calm down her body. So there was a bounty-hunter here, was there? Well, she didn't have to worry much about him. She was quite aware of the fact that he wasn't coming to her. Therefore, if she really wanted to, she could find a way out. Or, she could stay here as long as possible. There were a number of options...only one was really important.

Dante began to notice that that once the song was over, she wasn't coming anywhere near him. Good, he thought. That was how he wanted it. No one makes the move first unless if they were looking to cause a panic in the crowd. It was of no surprise to him that she probably knew what his profession was, for he probably stuck out no worse than she did. However, Dante wouldn't let that phase him. Besides, there was already too many people here and causing a disturbance here and now would only complicate things.

Slowly, Dante got up from his seat with his drink in hand, walking over to the bar causally, seemingly ignoring any look she gave him while he sat down three seats down from her with a sigh on his face. If she was going to bolt now, Dante figured, then he had to be prepared for it.

Kelly didn't let it bother her that he was so close to her. In fact it made her smile a little. How much did he really know about her? Not that it really mattered in the end. She'd decided. It was time to stop running. There was only so much running one could do before facing the facts, and she was tired of not being able to live the way she wanted. If she went back with this bounty hunter, there might at least be a chance of taking them down from the inside.

If nothing else, she'd be facing her fate, handling whatever came her way. If she failed...well, there were other options. A tidy sum of them. Yes...just more numbers. She closed her eyes for a moment and drank her water, letting it sooth her, reviving her. When there was a good deal of other men around her, men that looked like they could take a punch, she walked down to Dante's chair and decided to break the ice.

"Wanna dance, stranger?"

At first, Dante paid her no heed as he continued to keep a calculating look on his face and his only exposed eye closed. He would've figured by now that she would've up and bolted by now so he could pursue her without hesitation. All he had to wait for was the so-called scent of fear. But the odd thing of it was, Dante never caught wind of it. As a matter of fact, it was just the opposite when he heard clacks of heels coming over to him then a body settling into a seat beside him. Looking over. Dante saw the woman in question near him, smiling at him and being all friendly like. Once agan, Dante made no move towards her except for him to look away from her and the take a sip of his drink before he gave her his reply.

"Haven't danced in a while." Dante answered without missing a beat as he looked upward in thought. "But, if it'll mean that'll make you happy, then I don't see why not." He added as he looked back over to her, his stone-cold expression on his face unwavering.

Ah so he was one of those guys. She rolled her eyes as he made a big deal of it. "Gee, don't act so excited," she said. "Lighten up a little, jerk." That said, she stood up and walked out onto the dance floor. You'd think she'd asked if she could kick him in the nuts or something. Stoic to a fault and cocky as all hell. Maybe she should just wait for the next guy to come for her. It wasn't like she couldn't escape this loser if she really wanted to.

Rather than pander to a person who obviously couldn't handle a little fun now and then, she found someone on the floor who would dance with her. In fact, several someones. And they all danced wonderfully. It was a shame that none of them could really fully keep up with her. Still, it looked pretty cool from a distance.

It would be quite the opposite as far as Dante was concerned. As far as he knew, he was by far and large one of the most antisocial people that ever walked the planet and never once let any shred of arrogance get to him. He made no further reply as she rolled her eyes at him before walking away from him, deciding to go back to his drink for now, finishing it after a little while before turning his attention back to his quarry that was on the dance floor once again. He frowned a bit before he got up onto his feet next, his eye closed in thought before reopening it once again as he would eventually come out to the floor as well, studying her from his current distance. She was quite the mover, he figured. Such a shame that the two had to meet in a place like this.

And with that, Dante began to move himself to the beat, showcasing that while it had been some time since he had danced anywhere, it was proof enough that he of all of the patrons that were here had the skills to keep up with her.

Kelly moved like a professional to choreography, her body enticing as the music informed her movements. There was a sort of joy to her dance, a joy that came through even when other people tried to join her. And finally she saw the bounty hunter dancing. He was keeping up with her. Impressed, she noticed that he wasn't smiling. He didn't look like he was having fun at all. She couldn't get a sense of anything but the music informing his movements, and that was both alarming and...off. Still, since he seemed to be keeping up with her, there was no reason she couldn't step it up a notch, speeding up, adding more complicated moves. Let's just see what you can do, she thought.

Seeing that she was now speeding up her movements and even throwing in some complicated moves while the music continued to blare out over the speakers above them and the rest of the patrons here, Dante only arched a brow at her as he continued to dance at the same rhythm for a little while before he decided to elevate himself to her movements once more, adding even more complicated moves to the beat and even pushing himself to move even faster with the same skill and tenacity of someone of a more professional scale.

If that's all you got, Dante thought as some of his hair whisked off of his face, exposing that oddly colored green eye to her partly. Then I'm disappointed in you.

She smirked as he rose to her level and surpassed her. Not to be outdone, she moved at his pace and mirrored a few of his more complex moves, adding a few of her own, some original steps. She made it look so easy--so natural to move her body that way. Even at this pace and this complicated level she was moving like sex over the dance floor. It seemed as though they were dueling each other, a rather large ring of people collecting around them to watch the show.

Kelly hadn't had this kind of a challenge in years, and she relished in it. Even if her body would be sore tomorrow, she didn't care. Tomorrow wasn't certain in any case. Watching the two dancing, the dj kept the flow going, not changing the rhythm or beat of the song as she and the mystery man had it out.

So. That's how it's going to be, huh? Guess I'll have to match you move for move, then. Dante thought as he watched her move as though she was literally having sex to the beat of the music. Nodding once at her, Dante once again stepped up his game, adding in further complicated as well as racy moves along to the music, showing her that he wasn't going to be outdone. Soon enough, he would move himself just close enough so that their bodies were almost touching the other's all while keeping himself perfectly in sync with each and every move that she was throwing his way.

It might have been some time that Dante might have seen any dance floor, but it was safe to assume that this woman was indeed giving him a run for his money, but he knew he could keep up with just about anyone.

Kelly was not going to be out done. As fantastic as he was--and he was fantastic--she would not let him win this particular battle. She was perfectly in time with the music, in sync with his body, her moves executed freely and with a jubilant sort of abandonment. She let go of everything and just danced, superbly, if she might say so herself. She worked him and the floor to her advantage, setting herself up for more complicated moves, her body working hard to do exactly what she demanded of it.

Even if he had the ability to match her, it wouldn't be easy to do--she'd make sure of that. It had been some time since she'd been able to be this free, and at the same time, so caged. Still, she was having a blast. And why not? If she was going down, she was going to have one hell of a party on her way.

Dante had to admit it. For someone who had the capabilities of being either a ballroom dancer - or possibly a stripper, give or take - he watched her up the ante even further and just let her bodily motions flow like water, something that Dante had begun to notice immediately. He only shook his head at her in reply as if informing her moves were merely child's play in comparison to what he now had to offer. And yet, there was a small smirk that was threatening to betray his normally stoic expression as every joint in his body soon became like water as he danced, throwing in dangerously complex moves all while keeping his eyes squarely locked on her own.

Granted, he was supposed to be going after her as was a part of the business, but who was he to argue at this point? At least he was entitled to a little bit of fun. Something he hadn't had in quite a long time, to be bluntly honest.

She was impressed, outside of the world of professional dancers, she hadn't seen many people who could move the way her bounty hunter could. Then again, who was to say that he'd never been a professional dancer? People were so mysterious that way.

But she wouldn't let him win. Hopefully after this, he would be so tired that if she still had it in her to run, he wouldn't be able to follow. Without missing a beat, Kelly followed each and every one of his moves, responding with a few complicated monstrosities of her own--all of which looked wonderful and effortless. It seemed as though they were evenly matched, and the crowd was enthralled. Perfect.

The bounty-head smiled and just let her body move. This was going to be fun.

The bounty hunter continued to dance, his eyes completely focused on his quarry as he continued to move along with her step for step, move for move. Dante didn't seem to notice that the crowd around them had all of their eyes on just the two of them, but at this point, who was he to care? Certainly not him. Best part of it is, even if he was worn out from all of this, he could say that he had at least given this woman one last jaunt of freedom before he would slap the cuffs on her and bring her in to his employers.

Forgetting the fact that this was merely business, Dante seemed as though he wasn't feeling any pain whatsoever due to the amount of ephedrines in his bloodstream. If nothing else, it seemed as though it would be almost child's play by the time he finally got her.

Dante just continued to move, even matching her string of even more complicated moves with some of his own. For some reason, a full-blown smile was now etched on his face. It seemed as though he was having fun with this.

Kelly caught him smiling and she couldn't help but do it in turn. He really was very good. It seemed as though they were pretty evenly matched, and she was glad that for once she wouldn't have to lower her expectations. Though, in a way, she would indeed. After all, he wasn't here to come on to her--he was here to clap her in irons and haul her off to the organization. But he didn't seem like such a bad guy for letting her get away with this. Though it wasn't as if he'd had much of a choice if he wanted to avoid creating a scene. And now that this little dance of theirs had people's attention, the fact that everyone would be watching them for the rest of the night was pretty well-established. At least this way he couldn't get too rough with her when he was ready to leave.

All good things must come to an end, she reminded herself. Just like the dance. And then the song slowly faded out, leaving she and her interim partner to give a big finish.

Given the fact the two had been entirely the crowd's focus, Dante still couldn't help but keep the smile on his face as he continued to keep on dancing with his quarry. Under a technicality, had this been not a bounty hunt, Dante probably would've come on to her right about now. But alas, certain circumstances prevented such things, what with the betrayals he endured through his long and storied career.

By now, Dante could hear the song begin to die down, and that meant this little dance of theirs would come to a finish at some point. Shame, really. He had actually enjoy this little one on one dance fest with her. Too bad that he would have to "kindly" escort her out of the building so that the real deal would take place.

With the flare of a professional, she struck a pose just at the end, thunderous applause surrounding the both of them as her form retained it's regular, slinky sort of posture. She moved as close to water as she could when she wasn't dancing and was generally relaxed with a good posture. Naturally in tune with her body, she smiled and bowed her head to him, clapping a little amidst all the applause. Panting softly, she headed back toward the bar, ready for another water.

At the conclusion of the song, Dante struck a pose along with her, his eyes closed and his face having switched back to it's focused state, holding it there as he remained right next to her, seemingly ignoring the applause but not out of arrogance as some would have believed. Rather, he did it simply out of professionalism. Soon enough, Dante relaxed his posture before looking to the crowd around them then gave a slight bow to them all before following her off of the dance floor, heading back over to the bar and sat down at a stool nearby.

Needless to say, he was a little exhausted from the whole affair, but maybe after a little rehydration, Dante would be right as rain again.

Kelly smiled as the cool water slid down her throat, revitalizing her body and cooling her down at the same time. Dancing with this guy was quite the little work out. She took a deep breath and looked at him, wondering what his deal was. Talk about mood swings. He obviously knew who she was, and what he needed to do to get her out of here. How would he go about it? A mystery.

Once he was back in the stool beside her, Dante would then pick up the glass of water that was slid down to him and then grasped it in his left hand before lifting it up to his lips and took a steady pull of the clear and cooled liquid. Apparently it was just as much of a workout for him as it was for his quarry. Soon enough however, Dante began to feel a set of eyes on him once more. Easily, the bounty hunter glanced over to the side and spotted her looking back at him almost as if she was expecting him to make a move towards her.

"Guess I wasn't as rusty as I thought I was out there." Dante began as he then leaned back into the seat a bit.

Kelly smirked and shook her head, taking another sip of water. "Mmm, well, didn't seem like you'd been shy of a dance floor to me." She stretched a little bit and leaned back in her chair as well. She held in a yawn, not wanting him to think he had the upper hand--even though he might clearly have had it. "But earlier a simple no would have sufficed if you didn't want to dance."

Dante shrugged at her answer before he also took another sip of his water, smacking his lips together for a moment before she glanced at her once more. "Either way, I wasn't really sure about it at first. That was why I kinda gave you a rather complex answer." Dante answered as he looked over to her once again. "But you know, you also did pretty well out there. Not at all like anything I've seen in a long time." He added reassuringly before he leaned forward in his seat, looking at her in a more relaxed manner now.