The Power of The Undercity [DontxBlink/MP]

[MarxistPanda]

James pulled a piece of fine parchment from his pocket and studied it for a moment. An address, a time and a message was written on the letter in elegant, feminine script. The author of the message was apparently interested in hiring his expertise in subterranean exploration, something he took great pride in. For the most part his activities underground were quite illegal, but he was personally responsible for mapping out more of the ‘Undercity’ than anyone to date. So what if he usually sold anything he could find down there on the black market. A man had to make a living somehow.

Satisfied that he was at the right address, James replaced the letter into the breast pocket of his vest and retrieved his pocket watch. He was on time, as well. Sensing an importance to discretion with this whole situation, the young man turned his head down both sides of the street, looking for anything that might be watching of following him. He saw neither, and pushed his way in through the pub’s door.

The place was loud and very busy. As soon as he walked in he found himself lost in the crowd, and after a few moments of pushing his way through the drunken pub goers he finally found an empty table. The young man figured that whoever was looking for him knew what he looked like or had an idea, so he would wait for them to come to him. In the meantime James took off his long coat and pulled out a cigarette and a match and started a relaxing smoke, watching and listening to the chaos that was all around him. He had to hand it to the mysterious author of the letter; this was the perfect place to go if you wanted no one to know you were there.

 

[DontxBlinkk]

Alana Griffin entered the bar and took her time looking around. She flipped open the pocket watch, approaching the bar, glancing down the line for the face she needed to see. So far, he wasn't there. She had on a hip length leather jacket made of a light brown hide, which covered her long, flowing sleeves. Her skirt was knee length and sprawled out, showing the under part of her petty coats and the long stockings beneath them. Her boots came to just below her knees and held quite a few clasps to hold them shut. Her outfit was enough to make anyone turn, male or female, and what held their eye was not only her natural beauty, but what she had falling in her hair. There was not only her own natural red colouring, but small portions of it were twisted into dreadlocks, much like how her ancestors used to wear their hair back in Scotland. Intermixed, there were a selection of ribbons, from red to white, tied around the roots of her hair. And to top it all off, her father's short top hat sat firmly on her head complete with protective goggles and a black rose made of clothe.

Once the woman had her drink, she stepped back, turning on her heal and finally spotting the blonde mess of hair she was looking for. A smile crossed her ruby red painted lips and she started over to the table with an air of confidence about her. "James," she said, knowing she had the right man for the job.

 

[MarxistPanda]

Whenever the young woman came into view his pale blue eyes watched her as she approached. He was expecting a woman simply by her handwriting, but he wasn’t expecting the young beauty that made her way over to his table, that was certain. When she spoke his name a smile curled to his lips and he blew out a jet of smoke up into the foggy ceiling.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Miss…” he paused for her to give her name and took a slow drag on his cigarette. When she did he would flick ash into a plaster ashtray in the center of the table, “It seems that I have overdressed.” Indeed, he decided to wear his good vest, a clean shirt and a pair of brand new slacks. Even his tie seemed sharp and free of wrinkles. He looked handsome and fresh, but looked more ready to go to a gala than an unknown adventure underground.“I appears like you are prepared to go into the Undercity right now.” The smile returned to his lips. She seemed pretty gung-ho and ready to go. He couldn’t help but wonder exactly why she wanted to go down there

 

[DontxBlinkk]

Alana sat down at the table and smiled. "I've simply been travelling," she told him, taking a sip from the small glass. "I only got set up in my lab early this afternoon and I haven't had time to change. But enough chit chat, you have maps, correct?" she asked, diving right into business. That was far more important then talking right now. They could talk while adventuring after all. "I have an item that I need to find and I've heard you're the best person to help." That much they both knew. "My plan wasn't to leave tonight, but within the next 24 hours would be ideal."

 

[MarxistPanda]

"I have maps, yes," he replied, letting out the smoke of his cigarette as he spoke. Flicking another ash he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, the cherry of his cigarette releasing a blue ribbon of smoke that danced in the air. "An item, you say?" he paused to take a drag at his cigarette. "I assume that you have some idea of where the item might be located. The Undercity is larger than the surface city, and there are dozens of secret 'facilities' in which items of value could be stored. If you told me what exactly you were looking for it might be easier to locate." James wasn't willing to negotiate a price unless he knew where she wanted to go. There were many places down there he wouldn't go again without a hefty price, and a few he would never visit again, no matter how much cash she threw at him. The Undercity was full of secrets and suffering, and the even though it had been abandoned for decades, James believed that the government and secret organizations still used the facilities for testing and research they couldn't get away with on the surface.

His pale blue eyes looked her over again, wondering what her deal was. Normally he wouldn't give a damn about what people wanted down in the Undercity, but this young woman intrigued him enough to wonder why.

 

[DontxBlinkk]

Alana casually smiled before taking a sip from her glass before slowly nodding. "I have an idea, yes," she informed him. "Just need to see a map to show me how I can get down to it." That was the hardest part, to find the entrances to the underground tunnels and getting to the location. The red head leaned in closer, making sure no one else could hear without obviously straining to hear. "It's in the Southern end of the city, under the second library wing. I just... don't know how to get down there. That's where I need your help."

Sadly, the item she was looking for was under minimum watch by the government. That much she knew, but didn't care to mention, either because James knew that or because she didn't want to ruin her chances of getting his help.