[color=mediumvioletred][h2][center][u]Mauve Vinho[/u][/center][/h2][/color]
[u]Industrial District, 21:18[/u]

Mauve was not having a good time with this. Finding herself stuck in one of the darkest, filthiest alleyways in the whole industrial district really didn't do wonders for her mood. A tactical decision, for sure, but not the most pleasant one - even if her appearance screamed 'huntress', it didn't stop a few particularly dimwitted thieves from thinking they could snatch a few coins. Needless to say, they'd very quickly reconsidered that theory.

Of course, she was still having a much better day than the man who was lying on the ground in front of her. He was a wreck, entirely her doing. Normally she'd at least be a little more subtle in her methods - such a brutal interrogation didn't appeal to her at all, and the action left a bad taste in her mouth. Sadly, she didn't have the luxury of being nice about this one.

She'd been tracking these guys for quite a while, for lack of any better leads to follow. At least, none that wouldn't require her to bow her head and take orders from some self-proclaimed governor or leader. Finding the terrorist cell had been at least a decent breakthrough, but she'd gotten word of their plans being put into action sooner than expected, and had had to abandon the subtle approach.

Hence the man whimpering on the ground in front of her about the sewers. Why he was reacting quite so badly, she had no idea. He'd broken fairly quickly, which was a blessing, but had gotten himself into such a state that she couldn't get any more exact directions as to his comrades' location than 'in the sewers'. For a supposedly hardened terrorist, it was kind of pathetic.

Anyway, she'd gotten the information that she needed, and knocked him out with a pistol whip to the head that would probably leave quite a mark. As she headed off to the nearest sewer entrance, the cold look on her face kept anyone from approaching her.

She paused, and tapped out a quick couple of messages on her scroll. The first was to alert the authorities of the man's identity and location for pickup - the only thing she really had a duty to do as a huntress. The second was less necessary, but asked for medical attention to be provided to the poor specimen. Not that she'd admit to asking for that one, but it eased her conscience a little to know he'd be looked after.

With that, she headed off into the night. Or, more specifically, to the nearest sewer entrance.

[hr]

[u]The Sewers[/u]

And so, she'd found herself roaming the sewers beneath the city. Today was just one unpleasant location after another, wasn't it? It was the nature of dealing with the sort of scum that would kill for no more than proving a political point, she supposed. If they didn't flinch at killing hundreds, a few bad smells weren't going to deter them. It was a shame, since this made searching the area a much less enjoyable experience that it otherwise might have been.

She'd been down there for around half an hour, maybe a little more. It certainly hadn't been long enough to find much, seeing as it was necessary to be cautious. Besides, she didn't have much information to go on, anyway. It was unlikely that they'd be operating in one of the sewer tunnels, so there had to be some kind of room around here for their main operation. She was just struggling to find it at the moment.

She stayed as quiet as she possibly could while she moved. It didn't seem like the best of plans to go around attracting the terrorists' attention. If they were well trained enough, it was possible that they could overwhelm her through sheer force of numbers if nothing else.

Time was of the essence, though, so she moved quickly, light on her feet as she searched for any sign of the cell. It hadn't been the easiest of searches, though, given the quality of intelligence with which she'd been provided. 'The sewers' wasn't the most exact set of directions she'd ever been given, so she'd had no real choice but to wander around, listening closely for signs of life and trying to ignore what she was stepping through. 

[color=mediumvioletred][i]The sacrifices I make for this job,[/i][/color] she thought, a smirk crossing her face, before she paused , adjusting her grip on her gladius and quietly muttering under her breath. [color=mediumvioletred]"What was that?"[/color]

She swore she'd heard someone speak, but it came from a distance behind her - she'd checked that area before. Which meant that there was someone, or maybe more than one someone, entering the sewers as well. There was something about the voice that was speaking that seemed almost familiar to Mauve, as though she vaguely recognised it from somewhere, but she couldn't pin it down. Whoever it was, they had to just be entering the sewers, if her memory was right.

Recalling a job that she'd seen on offer from the military police, Mauve's expression took on a look of profound irritation. The conclusion she reached about who these people were made sense, but it was no less annoying for that fact. Hunters or huntresses that had leaped at the offer to take orders from some officer, no doubt with a reward at stake. [color=mediumvioletred][i]Of course. Self-important commanders and the dogs they've hired to do their dirty work. They do have a habit of interfering.[/i][/color]

Well, interference or not, Mauve fully intended to track down these terrorists and show them exactly what a real huntress was capable of. Whoever the people entering the sewers were, they'd just need to catch up with her if they wanted to give it a shot. For now, she sped up her walking pace a little. There was no point in encountering anyone until she had to. Saying that, she remained a little wary of the new presence.

She thought that she could hear a few other noises, this time. Coming from a direction she hadn't ventured in quite yet. Twirling her gladius in her hand, she couldn't help but anticipate the fight that was no doubt soon to come, feeling the deadly calm that made her such an effective huntress settle over her. Mauve was ready to fight whoever, or whatever planned to get in her way. She was tempted to light up her path with her semblance, but felt it best to stay in the dark for now and keep the element of surprise on her side.

These terrorists were going to get exactly what they deserved for planning to hurt the people of Remnant. That was why Mauve had started monitoring them in the first place, and her mission remained the same. Protecting the everyday citizens was the most important part of this. Messing with the plans of some military commander was just going to be a little bit of a bonus.