[center][h1][color=ed1c24]SCARLET SHADOW
红色阴影[/color][/h1][/center]

Scarlet Shadow sifted through the money in the envelope Shen had handed her. It was packed with hundreds and fifties which was a welcome sight - wrinkled as they were. She kept her head low as she briskly rounded the first corner nearby, stuffing the envelope down into her hoodie pocket, eyes flickering about in the natural way of a person of subterfuge.

[i]”I know business is slow, and I wouldn't sleep well knowing my best client hasn't seen a dime for months of hard work."[/i]

Shen’s last words riveted in the thief’s mind  as she plodded along looking for a ladder or fire escape up onto a rooftop from which she would make her way back home. Shen had always been more than a fence for Scarlet Shadow, he was a friend. A friend who always had her back and was a man she could trust. She worried about him sometimes in truth, but she knew he had his ways to defend himself. As anyone who walked the underworld of black marketing and shilling he had his devices as any did and he knew how to tend to his own. Still, it was only natural to worry. 

Lost in her thoughts, the master thief jumped in surprise as the disposable phone she was carrying rang. This of course meant only one thing. Jaws tight she raised it to her ear, thumb hitting the “talk” button. 

“Yes?” Her voice muffled slightly by the veil. 

“Good evening, Scarlet Shadow,” said a voice she remembered well, “Shall I send a car for you, or would you like to meet us at the warehouse on the waterfront?"

“Warehouse, I’ll be there.” 

The master thief hung up without awaiting a response, slipping the phone away into the pocket opposite of the payment and her own phone. She was walking down an abandoned side street, the only sounds were the roaring of vehicles and honking of horns that carried through the air from nearby streets and avenues. 

She caught sight of a single individual skulking near an alley corner. Most people would have sped up or turned the other way, but Scarlet Shadow did not. Aside from seeing a ladder that lead straight up down through an alleyway further ahead across a Main Street she wasn’t intimidated by common hoodlums that frequented shady streets and alleyways. If he tried to attack her she could easily disable him and be on her way. She wouldn’t even have to use her powers.

The thief was near adjacent to her from where she walked down the lonesome street when she saw him moving in her peripheral vision, her body tensing slightly in a natural fashion.
She saw a flash of white and then she heard him speak. 

"Long time, Kara."

The thief froze where she was. Fists clenched so tight in her pockets that her fingers hurt. She looked sideways at the stranger, giving him only a single eye to make contact with. 

[i]Bling, tattoos, and my name…[/i]

That was all that Scarlet Shadow needed. He was Asian as she could see, and this plus him calling her by her name was the final simple clarification to be had. [i]How? It’s been years?[/i]

She blinked. [i]No, with them, that is never a factor.[/i]

Acting on a combination of instinct laced with plain old bad memories the master thief took action. With a flick of her hands her two tanto were firmly in her grip and she set to action. Head down and arms and blade tips forward she took three initial strides and with a burst of inhuman speed she was on the thug in less than six seconds. A forward powerful kick into his stomach lifted him from his stance and sent him tumbling backwards into the alley, the white handkerchief he had flapped about slapping loosely against the pavement nearby. 

The wheezing groans and muffled retching sounds made it clear she had him disabled at the moment. The blade in her right hand disappeared back to it’s hiding place while she gripped the one in her left hand firmly.
Her shadow looked over the man who was still downed on the alley floor, Scarlet Shadow half expecting him to vomit though he didn’t. Glaring behind her veil she she used her foot to push him over and down flat on his face and squatted down - straddled across his back - lifting his head upward by the hair, blade then pressed across his throat. 

“What do you want? Who sent you?” 

Plain and simple, yet forward and inquiring enough. She knew who he was - [i]what[/i] he was. All she needed to know was who sent him and what they wanted.