[CENTER][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5292628][img]https://images2.imgbox.com/b5/4f/8JkzOeYn_o.png[/img][/url]
[sub][i]Starring...[/i][/sub]
[h3][color=ff2020]Scarlet Rubashka[/color] as [color=ff2020][i]Punished "Venom Bean"[/i][/color][/h3]
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[@Kumbaris]
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[sup]_______________________________________________[/sup][/center]
[center][sub]A few hours earlier[/sub][/center]

You get what you pay for when it comes to cheap hotel rooms. Off-white walls, smooth wooden floors, a single stiff bed, a tiny bathroom, and a small CRT television all form what is essentially a German version of Motel 6. However, in comparison to where she roomed up at in Bosnia, this place was far less nightmare-inducing to Scarlet. Laying on top of the bed in her beloved [i]Jurassic Park[/i] t-shirt and a comfortable pair of sweats, Scarlet scooped out handfuls of Fruit Gushers, shoving them all into her mouth as her eyes stayed glued to the television. On screen, a trio of old human ladies in pink dresses appear, surrounding the orc protagonist. All three of them walk around him and encircle him, all cradling their rolling pins menacingly. The strings flare up as the camera spins around the lead. The camera cuts to one of the old ladies, who smirks evilly. As soon as she opens her mouth, Scarlet speaks her lines in unison.

[b][i][color=ff2020]"Looky here, ladies! Another unsuspecting ponce!"[/color][/i][/b] Scarlet smirked with a little pride, having said the lines almost perfectly herself. She stuffs her face with another four fruit gushers as the scene transitions into a surprisingly well choreographed action sequence. The ladies all gang up on the protagonist, who tries to defend himself the best he can. Left hook here, right hook there. The protagonist takes a rolling pin straight to the head, and the camera shows the destruction of the pin in all of its lovely detail. With a hard kick, the protagonist sends one of the ladies flying through a series of pallets, the wooden shipping pallets coming apart with some satisfying [b][i]crunches![/i][/b] One of the ladies pulls out a revolver and presses it against the back of the orc's head. He twists around, bringing his elbow up to-

A [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk4KK-gh0FM]familiar digital tone[/url] threw Scarlet out of the movie. On the endstand next to her spartan bed, the phone continued to ring as if were an alarm clock of its own. Scarlet groaned and muted the television, putting her fruit gushers aside to reach for the phone. [color=ff2020]"Urgh... Had to come in when it got good. Pricks."[/color] The homunculus groaned as she sat up in bed to better reach her cell phone. She pressed the [b]Answer[/b] button and brought the phone up to her ear. [color=ff2020]"Go."[/color]

A masculine German accent spoke on the other end. [i]"Hello, may I speak to Scarlet Rubashka?"[/i]

Scarlet sighed and leaned up against the headrest of her bed. [color=ff2020]"Speaking."[/color] 

[i]"Alright. Apologies for the intrusion. This is Agent Müller calling on behalf of the Organization of Magical Regulation."[/i] Scarlet's eyes widened a little, her surprise bringing a little more energy to her. 

She sat up straight and listened intently. [color=ff2020]"Oh, uh... no, it's fine. I was just watching a movie. What's up?"[/color]

[i]"Before we begin, I just want to ask you one question. Are you currently open to taking contracts?"[/i]

Scarlet blinked. [color=ff2020]"Well, uhm... it depends, really. I just got back from my last one eight hours ago."[/color] Scarlet immediately noted the suspiciously small gap between a closed contract and a new offer. The OMR must've been pulling a few strings to get her number. She rubbed the back of her neck. [color=ff2020]"How much are you offering?"[/color]

[i]"Similar rate as to what your previous client paid you, and if you do your job well, we'll throw in some bonuses too."[/i] Agent Müller continued. [i]"All necessary expenses, such as food, travel and car rental, will be covered within reason. Just be sure to keep your receipts so we can properly reimburse you."[/i]

Scarlet stretched and brought her legs to the floor, putting in some effort to stand up. She stretched out her arms, and then brought her phone back to her ear. [color=ff2020]"Okay, I'm listening."[/color]

[i]"I'll keep this brief. Most of the details regarding the job will be given to you at our branch headquarters in Frankfurt."[/i]

[color=ff2020]"Frankfurt?"[/color] Scarlet blinked. That was a half hour drive from where she was currently holed up at. [color=ff2020]"... That's... erm... never mind. Go ahead."[/color]

[i]"Don't worry, we'll answer any and all relevant questions when we have the time. Regardless, here's the situation."[/i] Agent Müller's cadence had no trace of change. "[i]Two agents on a weapons smuggling case had to be reassigned to a high priority case in North America. The team assigned to the weapons smuggling case is now down two critical members, and we are looking for individuals skilled in armed security and crisis response. Considering your recent trip to Bosnia, I'd say that you qualify for the moment."[/i]

Scarlet looked out the window, her eyes widening a little. [color=ff2020]"Wait, how did you-"[/color]

[i]"As I said, all will be answered at Frankfurt."[/i] Agent Müller replied. [i]"Will we be seeing you there?"[/i]

Scarlet sighed. She remained silent for a moment, considering her options. While her last contract did pay out quite a bit, almost all of it would be gone in a month to erase her remaining debts. She could use some cash to actually fall on. Get her better hotels than this, and maybe settle down somewhere nice. Get a nice car, have a VCR and watch movies anytime she liked, [i]living life like a human being.[/i] The thoughts of a future that is actually attainable to her made her lips curl slightly into a smile. 

Scarlet brought her phone back up to her ear. [color=ff2020]"And here I thought I was gonna be watching some Skinemax tonight. I'll be there in an hour."[/color]


[center][sup]_______________________________________________[/sup][/center]
[center][sub]Present[/sub][/center]

Out of all of the contracts Scarlet took in her four year mercenary career, Scarlet would find it hard to place it among the worst. The payout looked pretty good, she had a sign on bonus, and a lot of her expenses would be paid already. Shortly after the phonecall, Scarlet got dressed in more appropriate clothing, and gathered all of her personal items. She picked up a rental car and drove to the OMR's Frankfurt office to discuss the job in detail, and before long she had a decent idea of what she was in for. It seems as if the OMR are trying to look into a large scale network of illegal sales of small arms. Scarlet found it quite easy to identify most of the weapons that were in the surveillance photos. They were Soviet-bloc weapons alright. Makarovs, Kalashnikovs, even a few RPG-7s for good measure, and that's just naming a few. She's seen [i]plenty[/i] during her deployments, in the hands of friendlies and hostiles alike. A lot of the weapons in question seemed to be in the hands of various criminal groups. As pointed out by the one briefing her, such groups would be ideologically opposed to one another under normal circumstances. Scarlet was familiar with dealings like that, sometimes arms dealers liked to sell weapons to both sides of any given conflict. It often earned them a lot of money through the sheer factor of force escalation. As for the reason [i]why[/i] she was called in on such short notice (and offered some serious perks), it turns out that there was no available agents in the area that could fill in for those that were reassigned. They simply tapped the web for any available contractors that happened to be in the area, and Scarlet's previous client sent them a referral. Scarlet believed that the story checked out. The contract they handed her had similar rules and stipulations to the others she's taken before. [i]Follow orders within reason, avoid civilian casualties, etc.[/i] There didn't seem to be any stipulations in it that had any ridiculous requirements. Scarlet signed it, numbers were exchanged, and she was sent on her way.

The city streets of Frankfurt proved to be a bit of an adjustment to Scarlet. She's grown accustomed to warzones, being back in a far less apocalyptic place was slightly jarring to her. Following the directions she's been given to where the team is headed, it wasn't long before she was cruising through the German countryside. The shiny red [url=https://images2.imgbox.com/ec/2a/7TrpsUj9_o.jpg]'89 Honda Prelude[/url] she rented contrasted slightly against the more muted domestic vehicles she passed by, but it didn't matter to her. The car was quite fun to drive. Visibility was good, the wind felt nice against her skin, and the car cornered quite well. She might consider buying one of these in the future once she's back in the States. As she drove through the countryside, she bopped her head and gyrated her shoulders to the music, belting out the lyrics in her rather unpracticed singing voice. She did consider playing her mixtape, but [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UIrh3zYsOs]1995's hottest track came up[/url] on the radio, and Scarlet had no choice but to crank up the volume.

[i]"Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise... Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise..."[/i] Scarlet bopped her head to the song, looking out for the destination given to her. The place that she was going to was described to be a compound of sorts. Though in Scarlet's opinion, calling it a [i]compound[/i] was a bit generous. [i]"Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise... Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise..."[/i]

Eventually, she spotted it in the distance. She continued driving along the beaten road, rolling up the windows and turning down the volume. She found her turn once the black sedans revealed themselves from the bushes, and brought the car in next to them. Those nearby could hear the subtle [i]thumps[/i] of bass from the car, the muffled melody revealing Coolio's hit track to those listening. Scarlet sighed and put the car into park. The windows were closed, the engine was shut off, and once Scarlet stepped out, the doors were locked. She took a great big look at the compound ahead of her. While she has been in worse, this one wasn't what she'd call [i]inviting.[/i] It was the kind that looked like was wired with traps and the like, and filled with all kinds of nasty drugs. [i][color=ff2020]And maybe nasty people.[/color][/i] Scarlet thought to herself. Her eyes shifted from the compound to those inspecting it, and she got a good look of the team from a relatively decent distance. A bit more diverse than she was expecting, to say the least.

Knowing what she was generally getting into, Scarlet immediately went to work. At the moment, all she was wearing was just some well fit jeans, armored boots, a heather black t-shirt, a basic black gaiter and a large 'fanny pack' of sorts that hung next to her right hip. That pouch in particular was a magical one, one that led into a much larger space hidden away by a zipper. Opening up the zipper revealed an inky black darkness beyond. Scarlet reached into the void and pulled out a well-folded black plate carrier. Then came the knee pads, and then the plate inserts. She assembled her body armor in a rather short amount of time, and once all of that was done, she pulled out her black baseball cap, and put her ponytail through the opening in the back. Examining her reflection in the car's window, she smirked a little to herself. She looked like a proper mercenary. She threw a pair of finger guns at her reflection, and smirked a little. [color=ff2020]"Lookin' [i]good[/i]~"[/color] Scarlet said to her reflection. With all of the traveling she had to do, Scarlet never had time to apply any makeup on herself. First impressions are quite important, and a good one could give you an advantage. An advantage that can offset the fact that Scarlet is less than the human she appears to be.

[i][color=ff2020]No, not today. Think positive. Positive thoughts.[/color][/i] Scarlet thought to herself. She took a few deep breaths, and straightened herself out. [i][color=ff2020]Yeah. You're fine, you're okay. You got this.[/color][/i] And with that, she turned to the rest of the team and headed in their direction. 

Scarlet walked up to the group. As she approached them, she reached into her pouch and fished for her OMR-issued contractor ID. Finding it quickly, she brought it up for everyone to see. She cleared her throat briefly to get everyone's attention. [color=ff2020]"Hey there. Contractor Scarlet Rubashka, callsign Venom Bean, [i]at your service.[/i]"[/color] Scarlet pocketed her ID and curtsied with a playful smirk. She quickly stood back up with a slight pep. [color=ff2020]"Frankfurt sent me here to fill in for one of your reassigned agents, and as far as I know, I was assigned to this team for the purposes of armed security and crisis response. I didn't have enough time to look any personnel records or dossiers, but hopefully I'll get to know y'all better in time."[/color] Scarlet said, her [i]Midwestern United States[/i] dialect rearing its ugly head. [color=ff2020]"I'm totally down for answering any questions y'all might have for me, so uh... yeah."[/color]

[color=ff2020]"For the record, I uh... I came here without much information in regards to this place and what I'm supposed to do here. So if anyone-"[/color] Scarlet stopped midsentence once her eyes fell on Amanda. Scarlet froze with her mouth slightly agape and blinked several times. She remained silent for a few seconds, blinked again, and managed to speak. [color=ff2020]"Uhm, I uh... I feel [i]very rude[/i] for asking but uhm... are you a robot?"[/color] Scarlet asked, tilting her head. [color=ff2020]"Or a golem of some sort?"[/color]