she is not often caught off guard. and much less often is she compelled to laugh, really laugh, at anything someone else says. hers is a vicious laughter, all sharp and jagged from misuse.

she accepts his cigarette. that fool.

"so the bastard pulled through. such a simpleminded creature, driven by such rage."

she smells his flesh burning. she hears his bones crackling. the cherry tip of her cigarette is lit, casting a glow upon her cheeks, and that day melts before her eyes.

she has no intention of dying to the whims of a creature so far beneath herself.

"i'd compliment him on his cunning, but i'm assuming you are the one who found me." she nods. "apologies to disappoint, but i have a bit of...insurance protecting me."

THEO BECKETT

☉

his lack of comment confirms her suspicions. she'll have to trace her steps and wipe whatever it is that gave her away. now, she'll just need to find a way to remove this new thorn from her side.

"mm. we wouldn't want to anger the gods, now would we?" let him ruminate on that. there are dozens of avatars these days. the only thing she's exposing now is that she's a cog in the wheel, part of something larger. that, in of itself, makes her dangerous.

she tisks. "sloppy, not knowing everything about your target. hadley is a stain upon this world, one i sought to cleanse." she purses her lips.

THEO BECKETT

☉

she raises a brow. "i did." and then, "death is permanent. the pain i gifted him is infinite. he'll be crippled until the day he dies." she relishes the thought. still, she had miscalculated, assuming that the man had enough brains to stay in his lane. not put a hit out on her.

he'll need a reminder soon enough.

"besides, he'll think twice about touching his girl again." at this, her eyes darken. it is, perhaps, the most human emotion that has crossed her face during their exchange. fury unbridled, a raw, coiling thing, with bared fangs and a hunger for blood. she is a savage, heartless and cruel, all the way to her bones.

she takes another drag.

THEO BECKETT

☉

this man may be just as detached from the rest of the world as she is. there is no working with pathos, with trying to coax some sort of affirmation in him, that she in this scenario is the hero, not the villain.

most hitmen don't give a shit about that anyway.

she smiles, laughs softly, "well, now that wouldn't be the smartest thing to tell the man who's hired to put me six feet under." she shakes off some ash. "or have you already given up your quarry?"

she shrugs her shoulders. more important people would pay thrice to know that i'm alive.

THEO BECKETT

☉

she pauses. surprise threatens to crack through her meticulous mask and color her cheeks. to be fair, he's managed to match her in her casual aloofness. he's as unreadable as she is; it's...puzzling. and frustrating. 

but she would never claim to be one in a million.

"what little files were left were classified." she purses her lips. "i did what many others did - i fled. it was...unlike me, to feel so..." she almost hates saying it. "vulnerable."

"but curiosity trumps fear, as the old saying goes. something about killing a cat.

"are you alone in your vendetta?"

THEO BECKETT

☉

they lost her to a moment of weakness. they lost her because of her own fear. she is a defect, a deserter, and should be punished as thus, but here is a golden opportunity before her. back into the lion's den she could go. 

but her drive has always been the highest bidder and the lack of restrictions. her current benefactor has hoenn in his back pocket and gives her as much leash as she needs. jirachi's wish tag curls in on itself in organic plasma; bio-scanners decode it with every passing minute. and an ultra beast waits for her, hungry and licking its lips.

no, she's done quite fine for herself. still, she knows his pokemon are watching. they're here somewhere, listening, waiting. 

she tosses her curls. "a better offer than the one i have now." and then she blinks. "i encourage you not to come by the gallery. i take great care in keeping my lives separate."

she puts a hand to his shoulder and slips by him. and over her shoulder, she says, "the painting is still yours, if you want it."

THEO BECKETT

☉