Winging it like Pros 1 on 1 RP (Hunter Phoenix & Lady Temptress)

[Lady Temptress]

Arin's belly is all a flutter with nerves and she gulps when they inform her that Badger will indeed let her speak with him. Will the man believe her after she tells him the truth? She assumes he will and she is taking a chance that he will more than likely turn her in. But she has to save Jarvan from his greedy clutches, even though the man has hid them and kept them save. She walks into the room and Arin shuts the door. " Thank you for seeing me. I wish to speak the truth of why I must be hidden and Jarvan as well. I'm sure you'll laugh when I say you'll be greatly rewarded if you don't turn me in after I tell you. But, I assure you what I have to say is the absolute truth!" Arin waits for Badger to speak in return of her words.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Badger listens to the nervous boy walking towards his desk, he didn't like having to listen to nervous people, because they tended to ramble, and rambling annoyed him more than anything. But he held his instant frustration in check and pointed to the small stool positioned in front of his desk

"Please take a seat and start talking, I am a busy man and have places to be and people to meet"

He lit another smoke, took a deep inhale and a slow exhale, savouring the rush that the tobacco gave him.

[Lady Temptress]

Arin sits down and she calms her nerves while regaining her composure. " Thank you. Well Sir, I am Princess Ariel. I ran away from home because my father wished to marry me off to our enemy - a man of near 70 years old! So, I ran and met Jarvan. He didn't know at first who I am, then I just told him a few days ago. I will reward all of you greatly for all of your help, troubles and losses if you'll set Jarvan free of his duties so we may face my ruthless father The King." She didn't ramble and she was blunt and to the point. Ariel figures the man will laugh relentlessly. " My maid cut my hair and put me in boy's clothing then she helped me escape." Her tone is serious and her eyes gaze hold that she speaks the truth.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Badger listened to the "Princess" give her version of events that had led to the point that they were at in the present, he knew she was speaking the truth, he was an excellent judge of character and he could see from the way she sat, with her back straight and her poise that she was of royal blood. He thought for a moment and then sighed, not bothering with any formality

"Well Princess, I have news for you, our buddy Jarvan has disappeared, we have heard nothing from him since he went off to complete his assignment, nobody on the street has seen or heard anything from him or about him and no one is coming forward to claim responsibility for the disappearance. Just by these signs, he is either being very well hidden by a cunning enemy, or he is going to be found within the next few days in a ditch or river, we cannot say......"

He saw the distress appear over Ariel's face

".... We shall have people out looking for him until he is found either dead or alive, the culprits behind this shall also be found and punished in a manner fitting the crime, I know you don't want to hear that, but that is the way we deal with things around here, the guards may think that they help keep this city safe, but in this here underground, it's a different game, one that they cannot hope to keep up with"

He stood and stretched, deciding to pace back and forth behind his desk, keeping the girl in his line of sight at all times

"And what exactly is in it for me and my little gang if I do decide to help you out? Things like this do not come cheap"

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel's heart sank and she gulps at hearing about Jarvan's unknown fate and location. " I can help find him and I can also reward you, along with your gang thats been helping me, I can give you whatever your heart's desire in a reward. I do not need my father's permission for that and please release Jarvan from your contract with him. I will reward you extra if you do this for me. " She did not ramble, the Princess simply said her peace and her request for the matters at hand, then she finishes her last statement to Badger. " I will, after I repay you all, I'll turn myself over to my father. But I refuse to marry that enemy."

[Hunter Phoenix]

Badger had to laugh at the proposal that the Princess presented him with

"Trust me love, if you knew what my heart desires, then you would not make such a bold statement"

He thought for a moment, he didn't want to push his luck, he just wanted to control the streets, his real desire was of course to rule the Citadel, but he wasn't going to say so to someone like her

"I'll tell ya what we'll do, if I present you with all the information on every rival gang in this Citadel, when you go back to the palace, you tell your guards this information, leaving my guys alone of course, and you shut them down, permanently, leaving me free to take control of the underground. I'll free Jarvan from his contract if he of course turns up alive, even though he is a hard worker and has brought about good results up until now. As for this old man you talk about having to marry, say the word and I'll happily throw in several assassination attempts to take him off your hands"

He held out a hand

"So what do you say Princess, are you willing to do that for old Badger?"

[Lady Temptress]

Princess Ariel smirks and she likes the way Badger thinks. She listens intently to his proposal and Ariel comes up with a compromising plan. " I have an even better idea, I'll let you kill my enemy that father wants me to marry, and I'll up you one even better. I want you to kill my father too, because he keeps trying to marry me off to old geezers and my father hates me because I wasn't a boy. I'm not his only child. I have an older brother Prince Daniel. Not many remember him. He was disowned by daddy because Daniel married a peasant girl beneath his status and Daniel and the girl vanished. Never to be seen again. I don't even know if my beloved brother is alive. He is 2 years older. He doesn't want the crown. Never did. If you off my father and the fat man he wants me to marry, I will give you the crown, under 3 condition, that I remain Princess and you adopt me as your kid and you release Jarvan from your contract." She isn't kidding either and she waits for his answer.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Badger shook his head

"My original offer stands love, take it or leave it"

Badger was tempted to take her offer of the crown, but to pull of a job that big would be a bit of a stretch, even for him. It would have likely failed as well and failure was something he did not like. He didn't want the crown, he could settle for ruling the underground instead, where the real power resided. Many of the things that the royalty thought they ran were in fact permitted to run by the gangs that could stop the productions of the city with a snap of their fingers. He would be the unofficial king, staying in the shadows and running the city like a puppet master.

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel grins with a nod of her head and she holds her right hand out for them to shake on their deal. " You can also kill my father and the crown will go to me until I find my brother. Also, please kill the enemy, he'll still try to make me marry his sorry fat ass. " She tells Badger the name of the enemy and where to find him. " I don't want to rule either but the Kingdom must be mine if not yours, don't want my insane father running it any longer. I will find my brother and Jarvan. I'll get my brother to Rule. Where did you send Jarvan too? I will find him and thank you." She says worriedly over Jarvan and Daniel.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Badger shakes Ariels hand and then releases it

"I sent Jarvan off on a job to retrieve some money, he was a couple of streets away from here, when you leave here, talk to my assistant, she'll give you a piece of paper with the information on. I'll also arrange it so that you have some backup, I don't want you to be disappearing like Jarvan did."

He signaled to one of the guys in the background, he came forward and leaned down. Badger whispered something in his ear, he nodded once and left.

"He'll get some guys together to go with you on this errand

Standing, Badger looks down at Ariel one last time

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, now, if you'll excuse me, I have some hits to tend too"

With that he walked off out of the room, the beginnings of a plan already forming in his mind. He did have a deal to stick too after all.



Jarvan woke up with a banging headache. Lifting his head a fraction, he could just about make out the floor, which was covered in dirt, straw and feces. Groaning, he lifted his head up the rest of the way so that the first thing that greeted him was the giant grin on the mans face that stood before him.

"Took your time waking back up didn't you? Thought we'd killed you for a minute there"

The guy stood to the side and Jarvan could make out several other people of different sizes and builds, all of them bigger than himself of course. He realized that he could feel a stinging sensation in his shoulders, he tried to move his arms and failed, finding that he was in fact chained to the wall.

"Come on guys, can't you just let me go?"

Nobody said anything and then a person stepped forward, smaller than the others, he had blended into the small crowd quite easily

"Sorry sunny boy, we can't do that, we need to use you to send a message ya see, and it's much more effective sending a corpse than a living person"

Jarvan squinted at the new face, the voice was different, but he could have sworn that the person in front of him was Ariel.

"Who the hell are you then shorty? Surely you don't lead this bunch of morons"

He coughed fitfully as he tried to breath, the punch he had just taken to the stomach for his words had knocked the wind out of him

"Little smart arse ain't ya boy? Well we'll soon knock it out of you"

Oh gods, thought Jarvan, he had no way out of this one. He didn't even know where he was, and now he was chained to a wall with a group of big meaty men ready to beat him to death slowly.

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel smiles at Badger. " Indeed, a pleasure. I'll be Queen soon and if my brother rules, he will keep my deal with you. He isn't a problem and yes, do injoy the hits." She says with a wicked gleam and Ariel nods her head. She waits for her escorts to join her and then she gets the information from the woman that Badger sent her to. " Let's go find our buddy Jarvan, boy's, shall we?" The guy's nod and off they went o find him. The men with her lnock a few guys out to get into where Jarvan is. They then attempt to take out the creeps that are holding Jarvan hostage. Ariel rushes over to Jarvan while their doing that and yet, she tries too.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Jarvan was tortured for what felt like days, despite it being only a matter of hours. He drifted in and out of consciousness as he was beaten, spat on and cut all over his body. Whenever he fell into unconsciousness, his tormentors would throw freezing cold water on him which would shock him awake again and then the torture would continue. He was bleeding, bruised and heavily battered, on the brink of death when he suddenly heard a commotion.

He couldn't lift his head but he heard fighting, maybe someone had caused an argument and it had gotten out of hand, but then, just before he fell back into the pitch black of unconsciousness, he felt the restraints on his arms give and he fell on the floor in a sorry heap. He tried to reach out with his arm, but it wouldn't move, so he laid his head down on the ground, closed his eyes, and knew no more.

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel and the guys rush to Jarvan's aide with a concern of wonder. But its mostly Ariel that's concerned for him and yet, the boy's that are with her, they are glad that he is still alive, at least. " Jarvan...come on..wake up please..we have to get you out of here.." She leans down to listen for a pulse with her right hand pressing softly upon his left wrist and she does hear a pulse. Faintly. " Guy's, pick him up gently and we will take him back to safety . Hurry , please!" She sees that the guys who had kidnapped Jarvan are either perhaps dead, knocked out and or they made a run for it. Either way, none of them are to be found. But, they'll return and more than likely, with heavy reinforcements.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Badger is attending to some business when he hears the news from one of his men that Jarvan had been found and brought back to the safe house. He is anxious to know the condition of his young friend and thinks that he should make time to go and see him, but in the mean time, he wanted to find out who did this to him in the first place.

He summons one of his guys and tells him to make sure Jarvan receives the best possible care and protection. Once the details have been arranged, which consists of two guards and as much medical expertise as can be found in the underground network, Badger summons two more guys to go back to the location where Jarvan was found and to find out if any of the members of the group of abductors had been left behind. They set off without saying a word and then Badger had nothing left to do but to sit at his desk and wait for news. He didn't want to have to go to Jarvan with bad news, if he was conscious of course.



Jarvan drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes when he opened his eyes, he thought he saw Ariel, but then he remembered that it was impossible because he was still chained to the wall in that dingy room, being beaten and he would drift back off into blissful blackness once more.

This continued for several more days and it was almost a week before he snapped his eyes open in full consciousness. He stared up at the ceiling with a sense of confusion creeping into his mind. He had no idea where he was, who he was with or what had happened. All he remembered was being beaten slowly to death and then all of a sudden he was on the floor. After that it was all a blur of flashes of light and colour and there were several black areas where his memory failed him.

He tried to speak, but he found that his voice didn't work. He put this down to the intensely dry mouth that he had. He couldn't sit up for help either, he could feel the straps holding him to the surface of whatever he was laid on, no doubt so that he couldn't escape or hurt himself. So he just lay there, hoping someone would come to help him out or to put him out of his tormented misery, either way would work for him.

[Lady Temptress]

" Find the one reassponsible and kill him or her! Four of you stay with us, the rest of you, please go find the bastard!" Such words from a Princess! But words from an angered Princess and no one harms anyone she cares for, or that helps her! She will do the same for Badger and his people since they befriended her and kept her and Jarvan safe!   " Jarvan, its Ariel, don't worry. We are getting us all the hell out of here!" She helps the guys with Jarvan and thats if he lets them take him out of there. She knows she has a lot of explaining to about why they are taking orders from her and why Badger let them bring her here. First and foremost though, they have to get back to the safe house and tend to Jarvan.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Over the next few weeks, Jarvan slowly improved. While he could remember very little of his ordeal, his recovery came along nicely with very few complications, His broken bones healed cleanly, setting back in their natural formations, with only one or two bones in his shoulder setting at awkward angles, giving him a very slightly deformed look.

For a while he was unable to sit up because of his broken rib cage but once it was determined that it was strong enough to support him, he was slowly levered up into a sitting position. From then on it was all uphill from there and before he knew it, he was looking to be discharged, even though he was told it would be many more months before he was allowed to wander the streets of the Citadel again.

During this time of recovery, he had many visitors, the main person being Ariel who barely left his side. She had been the driving force behind his recovery, and the few times that she wasn't present, he was constantly updated as to her whereabouts and activities. Badger had also visited him, which was unlike the gangster. But being close friends, Badger had explained that he had needed to come and talk to Jarvan, to see if he could remember anything of his torture, or who did it to him. However he was disappointed when Jarvan told him that the memories of that time were lost in a haze.



Jarvan was sitting in his recovery bed when the door opened. He smiled and greeted his helper as she bustled around and asked him if he required anything, he told her that he was fine, just looking to eventually being allowed to start walking around again. He had been undergoing a series of exercises every day, to stop his legs from becoming useless during his recovery.

The helper left, closing the door behind her and Jarvan was contemplating taking a nap when the door opened and the heavy set guard entered and told him that he had a guest. Jarvan wondered who it was.

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel is the guest at the door and she smiles warmly at the gaurd. " Thanks Henry." She says to the guard who nods his head to them both and then he shuts the door. Henry stands outside the door and he keeps watch to them safe. Ariel has a tray of food and drink for Jarvan, his favorite meall " Hello there. How are you feeling today? Here is your dinner. Eat up. " She sits in a chair by the bed smiling at Jarvan and yet worry still lurks within the depths of her eyes over his recovery. " You should be good as new in a few day's. By then, there should be some good news for us. Then, we should be able to go to the Palace without fearing my father's wrath." she cringes at even the thought of her father.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Jarvan smiled at Ariel as she entered the room with a tray. The aroma of food reached his nostrils and his stomach rumbled; eager to receive the meal.

"That is good to hear, the sooner I get out of here the better"

His smile slipped when she mentioned the Palace. Badger had told him about the new contract with Ariel and he didn't like it one bit. He was happy that he wouldn't have to work for Badger anymore, but the part of removing her father from the throne and eliminating the Lord of the other realm, that wasn't right. It could end in war he knew, but he couldn't see anyway in which he could change her mind, so he kept his thoughts to himself and focused on getting better.

"What have you been up to lately Princess?"

Even though they were friends, and even though she had told him numerous times not too, Jarvan still called her Princess out of respect.

"I hear Badger is moving his plans along smoothly, do you think it is a good thing that he might succeed?"

He wanted to approach the subject with her, but he knew that she would likely just go over his head and not listen all the same.

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel sits in the chair across from the bed that Jarvan is in and she smiles softly up at him. " I'm glad that you are feeling better and close to recovery. I am good. You  don't like the plans and deal I made with Badger, do you? It set you free from you duties with him and it's getting rid of my dad and the fool he wants me to marry. " In her heart, she would rather marry Jarvan as she feels she is falling deeply for him and yet, Ariel is too afraid to let Jarvan know. Afraid, that he doesn't feel the same way for her. " What do you think we should do about this mess?" She asks while he eats heartedly.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Pushing away the remains of his food, Jarvan thinks deeply, then sighs

"I think you went the wrong way about dealing with the situations. Yes you freed me from a job I didn't really want and you have my thanks for that. But considering you want peace for the Citadel, you will surely bring nothing but war by removing your father and killing the leader of the Dark Citadel. I think what we need to do is call off the scheme and plan something new with Badger, instead of putting blood on your hands as well as his"

[Lady Temptress]

A frown creases acrosses her lips and she heaves a heavy sigh. She knows that the way she had went about things was more than likely all wrong, but there wasn't anyone around to advise her other wise. A shrug of her shoulders is given and she wrinkles her nose up a bit. " Well, what else should we offer Badger, to get you out of the contract with him? I didn't know what else to do and as we won't have to worry over my father and the enemy he wants me to marry for much longer. How are you feeling?" She asks with a warm concerned smile and Ariel is slowly falling in love with Jarvan.

[Hunter Phoenix]

"I don't think we could offer anything new that would make much of an impact in the mind of Badger, once he makes a deal he sticks with it, he hid you when I worked for him, now he is dealing with your father and enemy because you wanted me freed from his service and you wanted to stop hiding, that's all there is to it in his eyes. He wants to be on top of the gangs in this city and you have offered it to him on a silver plate"

Jarvan was growing frustrated, the situation was building up to something catastrophic, something beyond anything he had originally thought of. He didn't even see the looks of longing in Ariels face because he was so deep in thought.

"We're just going to have to go along with this and see where it leads us. I just hope it turns out good instead of bad like I think it will"

Moving the covers of the bed from over himself, he swung his legs around slowly and lowered them to the ground. When he was sure that they could support his weight, he let go of the sides of the bed and stood still for several seconds while he legs adjusted to the hard floor that he was now standing on. He tried to take a step forward and succeeded. He needed to keep up with his exercises, he legs would soon seize up if he didn't keep moving.

"Is there anything else happening in the world that I've missed out on while I've been in here?"

He slowly walked around the room, working the stiffness out of his legs.

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel sighs and tears sting her eyes as she listens to Jarvan. Of course, she ruins everything like always, it seems. Just like her father always told her, she screws it all up and nothing good comes of whatever she does. " I'm sorry, I was trying to help all the way around and I messed up again. I swear, everything I do is useless. I'm going to go lay down for awhile, don't over do it with your excersing. I'll check on you in the morning." Ariel flashes a weak faint half hearted smile and she rushes out of the room, half slamming the door as it flew back open. She rushes off to the room that Badger gave her and she shut and locks the door. She drops onto the bed and she grabs the pillow. Ariel curls up and she sniffles, hating the fact that she had to be born into Royalty and wishing she knew how to help Jarvan and the others. Tears drop down on her cheeks and they sting her flesh.

[Hunter Phoenix]

Jarvan knew that he should apologize, but he could do that later if Ariel returned. He couldn't chase after her because he wasn't ready to leave his room, the attack on him had left him feeling vulnerable and shaken and he still needed to fully recover the use of his legs before he could leave. He would make it up to her somehow and then he would work out a way to sort all this mess out before it got any worse. He sat back down on his bed once he had finished his exercise for the day, thinking long and hard, staring off into space as he tried to find a solution to the collective dilemma that they were facing and whether any of the conclusions would be satisfactory. He knew that Ariel had meant well, she had just gone the wrong way about it, especially wanting her father removed from the throne.



Badger was also deep in thought. Ever since the little Princess had shaken hands with him, he had been putting together plans to have the current monarch taken off the throne and the best possible way to do it. The usual method of sending one or more of his hit men out into the night was out of the question, they would be picked off before they could even enter the palace. This would need a special touch, something that hadn't been used before, that could move in and out like a shadow without leaving a trace back to him. He knew of several ways to do it, but he needed to get a grasp of the kind of security the palace had in place.

Sending a couple of his boys out to see what they could do to find out the palace security details, he busied himself with one or two other jobs, he had people out all over the city at the moment, collecting information about every single gang in the city. If this Princess was to make good on their deal, then she would need all of the information about the gangs in the underworld, along with the best way to deal with each of them, since they all had their weak points as well as their strengths.

He pondered whether it would be worth him trying to get some of his boys hired into the palace security force, but then he realized it would never work, all of his guys were well known thugs that were always linked to crimes, but they had never been formally charged, which was good for him of course. But it meant that they couldn't be used for infiltration missions. He wondered if his buddy Jarvan would be up for it once he recovered, but wasn't sure whether the teen would be up for it after his last ordeal. He could always ask he supposed, since they were now on even terms it could prove useful to make him a partner in the business, or give him some sort of title, instead of being a messenger boy.

So many details and problems to sort out, so little time. Badger of course was a master and would soon have all of this under wraps. He hadn't become a kingpin through luck, it was all in the planning.

[Lady Temptress]

Ariel took a long nap in her room and then several hours later she has returned to the kitchen. She gets a tray of food from the boy who makes all of the food for them and Ariel takes the meal to Jarvan. She knocks on his door and Ariel waits for him to allow her enterance. Then after he lets her inside . She sets the tray down on the end table to the left by his bed and she flashes a shy smile his way, even though she is still upset with Jarvan, she doesn't let those emotions be shown. " Dinner is served to your liking, my friend. How are you feeling?" She asked with concern in the tone of her voice.