Venti rolled his eyes even as he was jostled to the side. Still – a cue given was a cue followed, in particular when he could get in the guy's way. It wasn't like they were hired to make a mess of everything James Parks was trying to do. He hadn't really gotten to spend more than five minutes total with Darien Parks, but those five minutes had made an indelible impression on his young, male sensibilities. The woman had hired them and she would do far more than fire them if they mucked things up. Rather, if Venti mucked things up.
Internal warning system telling him to keep his mouth shut, he flashed a white grin at the bartender as he raised two fingers in a silent Scouts' salute. His hand got kind of near to a sprig of red which fell into his eye so that it seemed natural to move it out of the way next. The motion though, brought that laser attention back to the colors in his hair and his very apparent youth. With a nervous flick of his fingers, Venti's smile wavered. He widened his eyes and gave a more earnest nod, so as to give off the Good Boy vibes necessary.
Then again, he was never very good at pretending to be something he wasn't. The barman's eyebrows remained tightly drawn down, his eyes narrowed on Venti before, with a grunt, he jerked his head to the side. Giving verbal permission would have broken some sort of old codger law, no doubt.
“Make sure he keeps his hands to hisself,” the man warned as Venti tucked himself to the opposite side of James and followed him toward the back of the bar.
ClosetMonster Member
Practicing Optimist
STATUS: "Bother. Isn't there anybody at all?" "Nobody!" 7 yrs ago
- Last Seen: 6 yrs ago
- Old Guild Username: Practicing Optimist
- Joined: 12 yrs ago
- Posts: 377 (0.08 / day)
- VMs: 3
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RedSleeping,
Pascal
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7 yrs ago
Current
"Bother. Isn't there anybody at all?" "Nobody!"
7 yrs ago
Trying on shoes and going for a walkabout - will return to closet when I'm good and ready!
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8 yrs ago
Fell into the abyss of Closet... digging out from under all of the shoes.
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10 yrs ago
Time is mine for a full month! :) Yay!!!
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Bio
A long time player, I have been co-writing (aka "role playing") for "ae long tahm". I have a fairly involved career which some years can be nigh all encompassing for months and months at a time. However, I always seem to return for the sheer delight of creating alongside another imaginative individual.
Most Recent Posts
Hrmm... didn't know there was an alt site. Learn something new every day.
And what ho? A reply! I shall tary no longer!
And what ho? A reply! I shall tary no longer!
It sounds like it could be a very good idea. I'd like to see where it starts and the demands of the RP. So this is a tentative hand up. :)
Bilbo and Thorin? These are the movie referenced or the book referenced characters? (If for no other reason than age and appearance.)
I think it will just take a week or so for people to trickle back in. The PM system coming back up and the counters and the emailing systems will all help, once they're running once more.
I know what you mean, though. I have some RPs that have been going for over a year and one of them, I am fairly sure only got on when they received an email to say to get on - so with that system gone, it's highly unlikely they'll return. :(
I know what you mean, though. I have some RPs that have been going for over a year and one of them, I am fairly sure only got on when they received an email to say to get on - so with that system gone, it's highly unlikely they'll return. :(
Query: Is this the kinda story where them hunters have magic shots and potives and such? or are we allowed only tiny pinpricks of iron to annoy the beasties with? (If so, I had best make someone with long legs - better able to run. That, or create them with a dearth of sidekicks who are small and huff and puff and wheeze while at any pace faster than a trot.)
And there.. put in all my stuffs in a hider, too - all but the pictures. :)
I'm happy you found me and wanted to keep on, too! Woot!
I'm happy you found me and wanted to keep on, too! Woot!
That is awesome... yeah - I have all of my PM stuff, because I need to reference when things go on long enough (due, in great part to the fact I'm on so sporadically) - though I've sadly lost all of the things I had up on threads.
Anyway - I've put up all I had, did it in more than one post, however, because I wanted to try and keep some of the formatting, so it is chunked out. :) But it's all there!!! yay!
Anyway - I've put up all I had, did it in more than one post, however, because I wanted to try and keep some of the formatting, so it is chunked out. :) But it's all there!!! yay!
Venti, despite having been a chatterbox inside, merely nodded when thanked and stepped to one side. He allowed James to close the door and direct their actions. It wasn't obvious that Venti was doing much more than walking either a half step ahead or behind whenever they went anywhere. He slouched slightly and sucked on his lower lip, looking even more like a teen than he had before.
The heat outside would have melted a popsicle in two minutes flat. Venti didn't seem to notice it much, despite having on jeans and a tee. Still, teens were good at hiding that kind of thing. He shoved a hand into his pocket and surreptitiously turned on the GPS tracker which was broadcast to both Amel and to Harper, then went around the truck and yanked on the door easily. When it popped open, he paused and looked at it for a moment with a slight frown on his face.
He opened his mouth, intending to say something, but at the last moment, chose instead to close his teeth around the words and get inside. With care, he pulled the strap and shoved it into the sun heated receptacle.
“All right,” he looked around them and then gave a grin back at James. “Off we go!”
To where, he didn't ask. It wasn't all that necessary to know where they went, so much as it was to know what things were supposed to look like and Venti's particular skills ran toward how any social setting was supposed to look. He was the “heart” in their triad and as such, was often the first on the scene to gauge the ways of things. Amel would be there when they settled in, just like Amel would probably also be in James' office as soon as the GPS proved to him that they weren't there any longer. It helped Amel not be so... loomy, if he knew he had the technology to back his own self up.
Venti just relied on his senses. He casually looked around them while they backed out of the parking space and hummed to himself, some variant on the latest hip hop song on the Top Forty music program.
~~
James started the car as soon as rainbow teen was inside. He didn't pull out right away, instead he left it idling while the AC kicked on. James had learned if he pressed the truck too fast with the AC, something would give. (And if it was the engine he was going to be out of a truck for the next three years saving desperately.) James shifted the car into gear and slowly backed out of the parking lot, then accelerated onto the road.
"I was surprised." James started slowly. "You can not say something." The older man turned and smiled at the teen before looking back on the road. "And we're going to Avery Higgins' place."
A sudden idea occurred to James that had him rethinking taking along the teen. What if the shooter was back, waiting for James and the kid got stuck in the crossfire. God. He'd never forgive himself if he got a kid killed. Even if said kid was supposed to be a bodyguard. He exhaled heavily and changed his mind. "Right, no. Zero's. We're going to Zero's." The bar wouldn't be open, not during the afternoon, but in his surveillance of Higgins and Kara he had become friends with the bar owner. The owner, a older woman named Alice, would be in her loft above the bar, and hopefully she had heard something about Higgins and why the hell someone had been waiting to shoot...
James drummed his fingers on the wheel. How did he know he was the target? What if it was Higgins, or someone else who lived in the complex. If it had been for Higgins, the man might be long gone. If it had been for him? Well, that was what paranoia was for. All this was thought and over in about three seconds. "We can get some information there about," He pulled a face. "Higgins and the shooting." He didn't bother to state that he was hoping Alice could tell him if he was the intended target or not.
~~
“Higgins,” Venti said with a frown. “That is the case you're working on that got you shot, then? I'm assuming, cause you're still hard at work this soon after getting shot. Well, and you said them both, you know, together and all.” He gave a quick smile over the man driving, then leaned against the window in a casual pose.
“Anyway, I'm okay with being quiet sometimes. It's possible. Not usual,” he snickered, “but it's not unheard of. Maybe more when we got something to do. It'd kinda suck if I was talking and missed something.”
Saying that, and fully unable to hold himself back, he reached down and drew his tee shirt up to his middle, then tapped his side. He was rail thin and as muscled and tan as a Cali swimmer under it all. Still, with the gold of his skin, it was that much more difficult to miss the obvious scar on the side of his stomach. “Got an innie and an outtie,” he grinned, turned his body slightly so that if James were looking, he could see the exit wound.
With a glance at James, he gave a comfortable shrug than let the shirt fall once more. “It only took once for me to figure that running my mouth when I'm not secure is sorta stupid. So I'm not gonna talk if there's work to be done.
“Anyway, you'll figure that out eventually. Amel doesn't talk at all, really. And Harper, he's a doll, but he's so serious all of the time. I gotta talk to keep up with the silence, really. You don't look much like a talker either. But you gotta. I mean, if you want us to know who might be dangerous and all. You'll have to tell one of us about this Higgins character. Well, and your case. We're not investigators and we got a strict confidentiality rule. We can't give anyone your info. Not even the person who hired us. It's up to us when you're safe and we gotta contract that states that. It also says that if we let anything slip to anyone, like even a priest or something, cause Amel's Catholic, then you can sue the pants off of us. But it's sort of our code, you know? We don't talk about work no where but in places we know is secure and over secure lines, so your information remains yours. That's part of being a bodyguard that a lot of folks don't get. The way we gotta keep things confidential. It's important.”
He scratched the side of his nose. “So what's up with Higgins?”
~~
James' eyes flickered over to rainbow head briefly before going back to the road. He sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Same case." Then the kid kept talking and James started to tune the kid out. So far a lot of his babble hadn't been relevant and he kind of wanted to stay sane.
James blinked as the kid lifted his shirt, then he saw the gun shot wound. James' hands tightened on the steering wheel. His mouth went dry and he wondered why the hell his brothers had even let a kid like rainbow head go into the protection business. He also was slightly angry at them too, truth be told. He had seen too many kids die during the war and it wasn't something he wanted to see back home. Ever. The fact the the kid was completely unconcerned by it bothered James even more. It was those who didn't worry that died the quickest. He was going to have to have a talk with the kid's brothers about this. Mainly taking the kid off the case, and if they wouldn't they were going to have a problem. A big one.
"...Higgins?"
James forced his fingers loose with the change of topic. He hadn't really heard much of what the kid was jabbering bout, but he didn't hear Higgins' name. The older man took a deep breath. "Higgins is dating a woman named Kara Smith who's dating a wealthy older man." James didn't say the man's name out of client confidentiality and all. "The guy's daughter came to me thinking Ms. Smith is conning her father out of his money. So far all signs are pretty much pointing in that direction. That Smith and Higgins are behind this."
James stopped talking as he pulled into Zero's parking lot. He turned off the truck before taking a deep breath and continuing. "As I dug into Ms. Smith I saw her most often with with Higgins here. But they weren't friendly, not like they were in public." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Nine times out of ten they'd end up in a screaming match that left Ms. Smith in tears. Not at all like the happy couple conning an old man out of his fortune. So I decided to pay Higgins a visit and got shot at." James shrugged. "All there is really. Until I was shot at I was willing to agree with the daughter." He shrugged and popped open the door.
~~
Venti cranked open his door on his side, again mentally noted the issue as being significant. He popped his bright head over the top of the hood and grinned across at the P.I. “This is cool!”
Whatever else he might have thought to say was lost as instead of continuing, he quickly made his way to the other side of the vehicle and tucked up near James. He smirked at the older man and sucking on his teeth, turned all the way around in a slow circle, looking a lot like a kid casing out a joint for whomever might have been interested in looking at him. Classic center of the universe.
Harper would have a field day, was enough of a thought without being too distracting. The nuances of the little bit the man had given him spoke to something a bit above and beyond a classic blackmail case. Not that Venti did any detective work, so maybe things like that were par for the course.
Venti skipped ahead with a small hop and jump to the door where he opened it for his “boss” and with a quick look inside, got out of James' way to allow the other man entry. He was rather close to James as they walked in and he did nothing to appear a day over the already too young age he already looked. Again, once the door was closed and he'd given the place a good, hard look, fixed his attention on potential trouble spots, he sucked in breath to let out an entire barrage of questions.
“So... then what is this place? If he's the one you are looking into, why not just go to his place again? You're probably thinking the whole deal will happen again, but it'd probably be a good thing for us to go by there too, just to get a GPS dot on our trackers. Should get you one too,” he paused as the bartender froze and Venti, like a deer sensing a lion, went still and silent.
Bar. Bright, multi-colored hair. The two things inevitably did not mix well. There was something about the man at the bar that screamed red warning lights at Venti in particular. No menace toward James, just a good deal toward a loud-mouthed kid walking into his establishment.
~~end of doc~~
The heat outside would have melted a popsicle in two minutes flat. Venti didn't seem to notice it much, despite having on jeans and a tee. Still, teens were good at hiding that kind of thing. He shoved a hand into his pocket and surreptitiously turned on the GPS tracker which was broadcast to both Amel and to Harper, then went around the truck and yanked on the door easily. When it popped open, he paused and looked at it for a moment with a slight frown on his face.
He opened his mouth, intending to say something, but at the last moment, chose instead to close his teeth around the words and get inside. With care, he pulled the strap and shoved it into the sun heated receptacle.
“All right,” he looked around them and then gave a grin back at James. “Off we go!”
To where, he didn't ask. It wasn't all that necessary to know where they went, so much as it was to know what things were supposed to look like and Venti's particular skills ran toward how any social setting was supposed to look. He was the “heart” in their triad and as such, was often the first on the scene to gauge the ways of things. Amel would be there when they settled in, just like Amel would probably also be in James' office as soon as the GPS proved to him that they weren't there any longer. It helped Amel not be so... loomy, if he knew he had the technology to back his own self up.
Venti just relied on his senses. He casually looked around them while they backed out of the parking space and hummed to himself, some variant on the latest hip hop song on the Top Forty music program.
~~
James started the car as soon as rainbow teen was inside. He didn't pull out right away, instead he left it idling while the AC kicked on. James had learned if he pressed the truck too fast with the AC, something would give. (And if it was the engine he was going to be out of a truck for the next three years saving desperately.) James shifted the car into gear and slowly backed out of the parking lot, then accelerated onto the road.
"I was surprised." James started slowly. "You can not say something." The older man turned and smiled at the teen before looking back on the road. "And we're going to Avery Higgins' place."
A sudden idea occurred to James that had him rethinking taking along the teen. What if the shooter was back, waiting for James and the kid got stuck in the crossfire. God. He'd never forgive himself if he got a kid killed. Even if said kid was supposed to be a bodyguard. He exhaled heavily and changed his mind. "Right, no. Zero's. We're going to Zero's." The bar wouldn't be open, not during the afternoon, but in his surveillance of Higgins and Kara he had become friends with the bar owner. The owner, a older woman named Alice, would be in her loft above the bar, and hopefully she had heard something about Higgins and why the hell someone had been waiting to shoot...
James drummed his fingers on the wheel. How did he know he was the target? What if it was Higgins, or someone else who lived in the complex. If it had been for Higgins, the man might be long gone. If it had been for him? Well, that was what paranoia was for. All this was thought and over in about three seconds. "We can get some information there about," He pulled a face. "Higgins and the shooting." He didn't bother to state that he was hoping Alice could tell him if he was the intended target or not.
~~
“Higgins,” Venti said with a frown. “That is the case you're working on that got you shot, then? I'm assuming, cause you're still hard at work this soon after getting shot. Well, and you said them both, you know, together and all.” He gave a quick smile over the man driving, then leaned against the window in a casual pose.
“Anyway, I'm okay with being quiet sometimes. It's possible. Not usual,” he snickered, “but it's not unheard of. Maybe more when we got something to do. It'd kinda suck if I was talking and missed something.”
Saying that, and fully unable to hold himself back, he reached down and drew his tee shirt up to his middle, then tapped his side. He was rail thin and as muscled and tan as a Cali swimmer under it all. Still, with the gold of his skin, it was that much more difficult to miss the obvious scar on the side of his stomach. “Got an innie and an outtie,” he grinned, turned his body slightly so that if James were looking, he could see the exit wound.
With a glance at James, he gave a comfortable shrug than let the shirt fall once more. “It only took once for me to figure that running my mouth when I'm not secure is sorta stupid. So I'm not gonna talk if there's work to be done.
“Anyway, you'll figure that out eventually. Amel doesn't talk at all, really. And Harper, he's a doll, but he's so serious all of the time. I gotta talk to keep up with the silence, really. You don't look much like a talker either. But you gotta. I mean, if you want us to know who might be dangerous and all. You'll have to tell one of us about this Higgins character. Well, and your case. We're not investigators and we got a strict confidentiality rule. We can't give anyone your info. Not even the person who hired us. It's up to us when you're safe and we gotta contract that states that. It also says that if we let anything slip to anyone, like even a priest or something, cause Amel's Catholic, then you can sue the pants off of us. But it's sort of our code, you know? We don't talk about work no where but in places we know is secure and over secure lines, so your information remains yours. That's part of being a bodyguard that a lot of folks don't get. The way we gotta keep things confidential. It's important.”
He scratched the side of his nose. “So what's up with Higgins?”
~~
James' eyes flickered over to rainbow head briefly before going back to the road. He sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Same case." Then the kid kept talking and James started to tune the kid out. So far a lot of his babble hadn't been relevant and he kind of wanted to stay sane.
James blinked as the kid lifted his shirt, then he saw the gun shot wound. James' hands tightened on the steering wheel. His mouth went dry and he wondered why the hell his brothers had even let a kid like rainbow head go into the protection business. He also was slightly angry at them too, truth be told. He had seen too many kids die during the war and it wasn't something he wanted to see back home. Ever. The fact the the kid was completely unconcerned by it bothered James even more. It was those who didn't worry that died the quickest. He was going to have to have a talk with the kid's brothers about this. Mainly taking the kid off the case, and if they wouldn't they were going to have a problem. A big one.
"...Higgins?"
James forced his fingers loose with the change of topic. He hadn't really heard much of what the kid was jabbering bout, but he didn't hear Higgins' name. The older man took a deep breath. "Higgins is dating a woman named Kara Smith who's dating a wealthy older man." James didn't say the man's name out of client confidentiality and all. "The guy's daughter came to me thinking Ms. Smith is conning her father out of his money. So far all signs are pretty much pointing in that direction. That Smith and Higgins are behind this."
James stopped talking as he pulled into Zero's parking lot. He turned off the truck before taking a deep breath and continuing. "As I dug into Ms. Smith I saw her most often with with Higgins here. But they weren't friendly, not like they were in public." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Nine times out of ten they'd end up in a screaming match that left Ms. Smith in tears. Not at all like the happy couple conning an old man out of his fortune. So I decided to pay Higgins a visit and got shot at." James shrugged. "All there is really. Until I was shot at I was willing to agree with the daughter." He shrugged and popped open the door.
~~
Venti cranked open his door on his side, again mentally noted the issue as being significant. He popped his bright head over the top of the hood and grinned across at the P.I. “This is cool!”
Whatever else he might have thought to say was lost as instead of continuing, he quickly made his way to the other side of the vehicle and tucked up near James. He smirked at the older man and sucking on his teeth, turned all the way around in a slow circle, looking a lot like a kid casing out a joint for whomever might have been interested in looking at him. Classic center of the universe.
Harper would have a field day, was enough of a thought without being too distracting. The nuances of the little bit the man had given him spoke to something a bit above and beyond a classic blackmail case. Not that Venti did any detective work, so maybe things like that were par for the course.
Venti skipped ahead with a small hop and jump to the door where he opened it for his “boss” and with a quick look inside, got out of James' way to allow the other man entry. He was rather close to James as they walked in and he did nothing to appear a day over the already too young age he already looked. Again, once the door was closed and he'd given the place a good, hard look, fixed his attention on potential trouble spots, he sucked in breath to let out an entire barrage of questions.
“So... then what is this place? If he's the one you are looking into, why not just go to his place again? You're probably thinking the whole deal will happen again, but it'd probably be a good thing for us to go by there too, just to get a GPS dot on our trackers. Should get you one too,” he paused as the bartender froze and Venti, like a deer sensing a lion, went still and silent.
Bar. Bright, multi-colored hair. The two things inevitably did not mix well. There was something about the man at the bar that screamed red warning lights at Venti in particular. No menace toward James, just a good deal toward a loud-mouthed kid walking into his establishment.
~~end of doc~~
ames could see very quickly that this was probably a loosing argument. The two brothers kind of just ignored him. He had no doubt that would be what they'd continue to do if he kept insisting they leave him alone. Great. Trust his mother to pick out the only honorable people in the world. They probably would even take his money to go away. James mentally swore. He didn't need to be watched over. He could handle himself. He didn't need a babysitter. He was twenty seven for crying out loud.
And you'll be at his place by midnight.
James blinked. "Wait." James said when the blonde stood up and left, but he either didn't hear or ignored him because the door closed. Then rainbow teen word vomited again. James however was still stuck on the earlier statement.
"Wait, wait wait." The former-Sergeant held up a hand to stop the teen if only for a moment. "Just stop for a second."
James took a deep breath. "Who's going where at midnight?" This was all too new. He wasn't used to dealing with this. Getting shot at he could handle, getting ordered around he could handle to an extent. This? This was so far out left field the umpire would have called it out yesterday.
~~
“Harper,” Venti said in confusion. “He'll be at your place at midnight, or wherever you are with Amel. Amel will coordinate the change, because we can't do our jobs if we're not close enough to know where you are and if you're okay. That kind of thing. It's a bodyguard deal,” he brushed his hand over his short hair and grinned at the private investigator.
Venti pulled one leg up until his knee was under his chin, then he grinned at James. “It'll take about three or four days to get used to it. Don't worry. We're used to the whole process. You'll be frustrated, then you'll get annoyed or pissed off. So long as you don't get all teary and start begging us for some private time. That gets weird. We don't get paid to judge your housekeeping skills or who you sleep with. We're just paid to stay close enough that if we're needed to protect you, we can. Make sense?” He tilted his head and looked the other man over.
“And if I can help while we're at it, I will. I mean, just 'cause I'm here and watching over you, doesn't mean I have to be all loomy. Amel is the loomy one. You'll see.”
~~
James found himself relaxing as rainbow teen, God he needed a shorter nickname, allowed that he'd be at home. Which was good because he heard it that he had to be somewhere else, basically where they wanted, at midnight. If that was going to be the case, James was going to have to pitch a fit. Which thankfully wasn't going to have to occur because it wouldn't have been pretty. James shifted a little as his leg started twinging again.
Thanks to rainbow teen, James was beginning to become slightly apprehensive about Amel. However he shrugged it off with his military training. No sense in worrying about what he couldn't change. If the past hour was any indication, he wasn't going to change any of their minds, even if he did throw a fit. Though, that just might make things worse for him. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When the teen mentioned sex he sighed even more.
"Alright kid, just stop. Stop. You're giving me a headache and I do not need one right now." James dropped his hand a graced rainbow teen with a look that said he had no problem shutting him up physically. He was too peppy and too talkative for a sour mood that James was in. If only he rewind time for a while. While the morning hadn't been the greatest, at least then he didn't have a bunch of bodyguards.
"God." James dropped his head into his hands. He needed to get back to the case. Unfortunately he couldn't do that since his leg still hurt to walk long distances. And his only leads were that someone shot at him, which meant the follow up would involve a lot of walking, but if slouched around for too long, the leads would vanish. He groaned, reached over and grabbed his crutches and wobbled to his feet.
"Are you going to come?" James asked rainbow teen. He needed to find out more about Avery Higgins. He had already wasted two days and sitting looking over the case file obviously wasn't helping.
~~
Either unaware, or perfectly comfortable with his impact on people (and considering the state of duct tape and how quickly it's gone through at their offices, one would think it was comfortable) Venti nodded and stood, brushing his hands down his tattered jeans. He looked everything not like a bodyguard, being small, skinny, and very, very adolescent. The only tells were the slick way he could transfer from one state to another, from sitting to standing, standing to crouching, crouching to hanging from a ceiling (though rarely was there someone around to see that) and the usual sweeping glances when entering a room, as if casing the place for hostiles, exits, entrances, and defensible spots. Common tells for those comfortable with covert ops and growing up as well as surviving on the streets.
“Wherever you go, I go also, boss!” Venti chirped and gave a mock salute with a cocky grin, then went to open the door. “You wanna explain or should I just keep quiet?” He'd cased the other side of the door with a quick, no-nonsense look even as he dug in his pocket and drew out a small, yellow, medicinal bottle. He thumbed the top and then palmed a pill from it, replacing the bottle without once looking at it.
As they stepped out, he turned and held out his hand. “Advil,” he said. “Swear it's not prescription, but the Advil bottles are a bitch to open when you need them. This is one of the adult only caps.” He nodded down at the leg. “It's probably swelling up and I didn't see any over-the-counter pills out on the desk and Advil shouldn't, yanno, get in the way of whatever you're taking. I think?” He almost went on about how he popped Advil whenever he got shot, but the look Mr. Parks had had earlier was looking more dour by the second and in lieu of having to dodge a fist to the back of his head, he chose silence.
~~
James watched the kid spring from the chair. No, spring wasn't the right word. More like teleported. One second he was sitting, then he was standing. The action had James reevaluating the motor mouth teen. It also had the older man wondering what had happened to the Daela family so it could produce a teen like rainbow hair. But he didn't have much time to muse on that because the teen was already on the next action. The kid was quick enough and annoying enough that James decided that he was going to get grey hair trying to keep the kid out of trouble, no nevermind it was supposed to be the opposite way around. Not the kid shut up while opening the door either.
Whatever James was going to say to rainbow's question if he should be quiet dies with the appearance of the pill bottle. The teen was taking drugs? Oh hell no. James wasn't going to be guarded by a drug addict.... He blinked as the kid shoved his hand towards James and offered him the pill.
Advil. Swear it's not prescription, but the Advil bottles are a bitch to open when you need them. This is one of the adult only caps. It's probably swelling up and I didn't see any over-the-counter pills out on the desk and Advil shouldn't, yanno, get in the way of whatever you're taking. I think?
James blinked again. "I'm not taking anything." Not one thing because he was so focused on the case and had totally blanked it. "Thanks." He took the pill, gave it a once over before dry swallowing it. It might actually make hobbling around Higgins' place tolerable. It also might control the kid induced headache. Thankfully his office was on the ground floor, or else he wouldn't be going anywhere. He locked up the place before getting out of the building that housed his office and into the parking lot. His truck sat happily in the handicapped parking space. Heat was coming off it in visible waves and the ex-Sargent mentally grimaced. Still, he pressed on. He opened the door and climbed in before leaning over and popping the lock on the passenger door.
"You're gonna have to yank it hard." James told rainbow hair. "It never wants to open." Not even after being oiled, or having it taken off and jimmied. It was a tick of his old truck and now it kind of amused him.
~~
And you'll be at his place by midnight.
James blinked. "Wait." James said when the blonde stood up and left, but he either didn't hear or ignored him because the door closed. Then rainbow teen word vomited again. James however was still stuck on the earlier statement.
"Wait, wait wait." The former-Sergeant held up a hand to stop the teen if only for a moment. "Just stop for a second."
James took a deep breath. "Who's going where at midnight?" This was all too new. He wasn't used to dealing with this. Getting shot at he could handle, getting ordered around he could handle to an extent. This? This was so far out left field the umpire would have called it out yesterday.
~~
“Harper,” Venti said in confusion. “He'll be at your place at midnight, or wherever you are with Amel. Amel will coordinate the change, because we can't do our jobs if we're not close enough to know where you are and if you're okay. That kind of thing. It's a bodyguard deal,” he brushed his hand over his short hair and grinned at the private investigator.
Venti pulled one leg up until his knee was under his chin, then he grinned at James. “It'll take about three or four days to get used to it. Don't worry. We're used to the whole process. You'll be frustrated, then you'll get annoyed or pissed off. So long as you don't get all teary and start begging us for some private time. That gets weird. We don't get paid to judge your housekeeping skills or who you sleep with. We're just paid to stay close enough that if we're needed to protect you, we can. Make sense?” He tilted his head and looked the other man over.
“And if I can help while we're at it, I will. I mean, just 'cause I'm here and watching over you, doesn't mean I have to be all loomy. Amel is the loomy one. You'll see.”
~~
James found himself relaxing as rainbow teen, God he needed a shorter nickname, allowed that he'd be at home. Which was good because he heard it that he had to be somewhere else, basically where they wanted, at midnight. If that was going to be the case, James was going to have to pitch a fit. Which thankfully wasn't going to have to occur because it wouldn't have been pretty. James shifted a little as his leg started twinging again.
Thanks to rainbow teen, James was beginning to become slightly apprehensive about Amel. However he shrugged it off with his military training. No sense in worrying about what he couldn't change. If the past hour was any indication, he wasn't going to change any of their minds, even if he did throw a fit. Though, that just might make things worse for him. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When the teen mentioned sex he sighed even more.
"Alright kid, just stop. Stop. You're giving me a headache and I do not need one right now." James dropped his hand a graced rainbow teen with a look that said he had no problem shutting him up physically. He was too peppy and too talkative for a sour mood that James was in. If only he rewind time for a while. While the morning hadn't been the greatest, at least then he didn't have a bunch of bodyguards.
"God." James dropped his head into his hands. He needed to get back to the case. Unfortunately he couldn't do that since his leg still hurt to walk long distances. And his only leads were that someone shot at him, which meant the follow up would involve a lot of walking, but if slouched around for too long, the leads would vanish. He groaned, reached over and grabbed his crutches and wobbled to his feet.
"Are you going to come?" James asked rainbow teen. He needed to find out more about Avery Higgins. He had already wasted two days and sitting looking over the case file obviously wasn't helping.
~~
Either unaware, or perfectly comfortable with his impact on people (and considering the state of duct tape and how quickly it's gone through at their offices, one would think it was comfortable) Venti nodded and stood, brushing his hands down his tattered jeans. He looked everything not like a bodyguard, being small, skinny, and very, very adolescent. The only tells were the slick way he could transfer from one state to another, from sitting to standing, standing to crouching, crouching to hanging from a ceiling (though rarely was there someone around to see that) and the usual sweeping glances when entering a room, as if casing the place for hostiles, exits, entrances, and defensible spots. Common tells for those comfortable with covert ops and growing up as well as surviving on the streets.
“Wherever you go, I go also, boss!” Venti chirped and gave a mock salute with a cocky grin, then went to open the door. “You wanna explain or should I just keep quiet?” He'd cased the other side of the door with a quick, no-nonsense look even as he dug in his pocket and drew out a small, yellow, medicinal bottle. He thumbed the top and then palmed a pill from it, replacing the bottle without once looking at it.
As they stepped out, he turned and held out his hand. “Advil,” he said. “Swear it's not prescription, but the Advil bottles are a bitch to open when you need them. This is one of the adult only caps.” He nodded down at the leg. “It's probably swelling up and I didn't see any over-the-counter pills out on the desk and Advil shouldn't, yanno, get in the way of whatever you're taking. I think?” He almost went on about how he popped Advil whenever he got shot, but the look Mr. Parks had had earlier was looking more dour by the second and in lieu of having to dodge a fist to the back of his head, he chose silence.
~~
James watched the kid spring from the chair. No, spring wasn't the right word. More like teleported. One second he was sitting, then he was standing. The action had James reevaluating the motor mouth teen. It also had the older man wondering what had happened to the Daela family so it could produce a teen like rainbow hair. But he didn't have much time to muse on that because the teen was already on the next action. The kid was quick enough and annoying enough that James decided that he was going to get grey hair trying to keep the kid out of trouble, no nevermind it was supposed to be the opposite way around. Not the kid shut up while opening the door either.
Whatever James was going to say to rainbow's question if he should be quiet dies with the appearance of the pill bottle. The teen was taking drugs? Oh hell no. James wasn't going to be guarded by a drug addict.... He blinked as the kid shoved his hand towards James and offered him the pill.
Advil. Swear it's not prescription, but the Advil bottles are a bitch to open when you need them. This is one of the adult only caps. It's probably swelling up and I didn't see any over-the-counter pills out on the desk and Advil shouldn't, yanno, get in the way of whatever you're taking. I think?
James blinked again. "I'm not taking anything." Not one thing because he was so focused on the case and had totally blanked it. "Thanks." He took the pill, gave it a once over before dry swallowing it. It might actually make hobbling around Higgins' place tolerable. It also might control the kid induced headache. Thankfully his office was on the ground floor, or else he wouldn't be going anywhere. He locked up the place before getting out of the building that housed his office and into the parking lot. His truck sat happily in the handicapped parking space. Heat was coming off it in visible waves and the ex-Sargent mentally grimaced. Still, he pressed on. He opened the door and climbed in before leaning over and popping the lock on the passenger door.
"You're gonna have to yank it hard." James told rainbow hair. "It never wants to open." Not even after being oiled, or having it taken off and jimmied. It was a tick of his old truck and now it kind of amused him.
~~
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