Heart of the Storm

[TheShammySocialist]

[b][OOC: Collaborative adventure RP between Sarah and I, please refrain from IC/OOC posting unless otherwise informed.][/b]

 

The sound of gulls cackling as they wheeled in the skies above, mixed with the light voices and shouts of people along the entire beach, the Atlantic stretching out like a twinkling blue blanket. The legendary beaches of Rio de Janiero were the focus of many a weary traveler who found themselves in his paradise, a place where they could escape from their mundane office cubicles and nine-to-five jobs. For the likes of Rhaemon Rhys'gar, Rio de Janiero was to be the first of many stops on his journey that he had been tasked to by the Stormlands' High Council.

 

As an Esteemed Executor, he was granted special tasks by the High Council, and in particular, the Lord Protector, to carry out. As one of the lesser well known Executors, it was expected that Rhaemon would not garner as much attention as a number of the other Esteemed Executors. He was youthful in appearance, one of the youngest members of the High Council, but also one of the most energetic, asking the important questions of those that needed their theories and thoughts tested. He was well-respected by the Lord Protector, but others on the Council thought significantly less of him, particularly because he had yet to have been handed a true assignment.

 

Now, standing on the legendary beaches of Rio, he had his first assignment, and it was one that the Esteemed Executor would need his wits, physicality, and smarts for. Recovering Dahromo's Gift, an ornate chest with an unknown treasure inside, which was purportedly given to mere mortals for their outstanding devotion to their great god, was going to be no easy task. Particularly because the chest had not been seen in well over four centuries, and it had last known to have been in the eastern reaches of the Stormlands. Summoning the High Priest of Dahromo to their chambers, the High Council had been informed, that the first steps towards finding the chest, would be in Rio.

 

The long, dark-haired Rhaemon now stood looking out at the waves, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he watched the waves crashing on the beach. Whatever the High Priest had said, he was very unsure of; the clue would present itself to the one who sought it out. It was with a great deal of skepticism, that Rhaemon would be handed his first task. How to carry that task out, that being actually finding the chest, no matter picking up a clue, was the real task at hand here. He smiled wistfully to himself, and uttered a few words to the pantheon of gods and goddesses who kept he and the country he loved safe.

 

On beaches covered by naked bodies, the fully clothed Rhaemon stood out. Rio de Janeiro existed in a precarious situation as the local goverment fought amongst themselves for control of the city, while the Imperial presence from Tianxia continued to grow. A pair of sunglasses shieled green eyes belonging to Ines Varejao. She stared at him from the boardwalk over the beach and smirked. Police filtered through the city like an army, desposing of degenerates who wandered into the wealthier quarters. There was a distinct class line in Rio and Ines was responsible for keeping that line intact.

 

She brushed a few brown strainds of hair from her forehead and watched him. Ines had duty along the beaches today, which meant standing out in the hot sun in a pair of jeans and a jacket. Hoping that he'd lead her somewhere cool, Ines decided to follow the long haired man for a bit, it would give her something to do, and who knows? He seemed suspicious enough, lost, and definitely foreign. Those were the types to look out for.

 

Unaccustomed to "missions" on foreign soil, Rhaemon was not as aware as others would be when they had gained a tail. Although he was aware of people trying to steal his valuables, he kept a hand in his pocket over his wallet most of the time, and as he turned to walk back to the boardwalk, he surveyed the line up of people standing there. He noted a woman in a jacket and jeans, which seemed a little out of place in the warm, humid weather, but thought nothing of it as he brushed past her.

 

His trip to the beach had been one of gathering some wits and solace about himself before trying to begin his search for the clue. He brought out his mobile phone and tapped on the screen to list off some nearby museums; it was clear that, like the chest, the clue would probably be old. Therefore, it was either in someones' mansion, or it was in a museum or another prominent accessible public location like a library. These were, of course, long shots, but the caveat still existed; the clue would make itself known to the one who sought it out.

 

He realized that Rio was deeply divided along class lines, but he was quite unaware that these class lines might also extend to foreigners as well. Either way, he was hoping that his rather mundane appearance was not going to garner too much attention. And furthermore, he was here on a journey, and it was unlikely that mischief was to ensue, what could anyone do to him if he was doing nothing wrong? Right?

 

After Rhaemon put some distance with Ines, the police officer took off her glasses and started to follow him down the streets. She walked slowly, casually and after a few blocks, took off her jacket and held it over her shoulder to keep him from glancing back and seeing the exat same figure. Her pistol sat snug in the back of her jeans as her white shirt concaved with the tightness of her belt. A badge, with the Rio de Janeiro coat of arms hung lazily by her side, she wore the look of a cop and people seemed to part as she walked down the sidewalk.

 

Rhaemon seemed to be studying storefronts and displays as he went along, looking down at his phone before looking back at the fronts of the buildings. He would stop every so often to look at various wares in the window, rubbing his chin as he thought about whether the clue might have ended up in some age-old shop like those that were seemingly popular in this relatively well-populated-by-tourist side of Rio. Although far from instinctual like some well-trained foreign agent, many people had a distinct feeling when they were being watched, and it would be that unease that would drive Rhaemon to consider one of the shops.

 

This one seemed to be full of old wares, and the shop was brightly-lit, Rhaemon entered and smiled wistfully at the man behind the counter. The storekeeper not exactly offering much in the way of assistance, especially when Rhaemon's presence had triggered an electronic bell that had woken him from a well-deserved doze-off at the register. Rhaemon seemed to be looking at some of wares in front of him, old vases, sea chests, and fine china, all hundreds of years old. To Rhaemon, pieces of history told a story, what he was looking for was no different, but he put that thought aside for a moment to almost press his nose against the glass in a corner of the shop to ogle an old Spanish naval cutlass that appeared to be in mint condition.

 

Ines moved slowly after he went into the shop. She smiled and crossed her arms, wondering if he had seen her, though not worrying all that much. It wasn't as though he had done anything wrong and now he helped her objective, find a cool place to relax. Walking into the shop, Ines nodded to the shopkeeper and then over at Rhaemon, they were the only two people in the store.

 

"Business good today, Joao?" she smiled at the older man.

 

"I can't complain Officer Varejao, and yourself?"

 

Ines shrugged, "Boring day actually, though I'm not in the slums on some purging mission for Senor Reyes, being on the board walk and in the city is kind of like having the day off."

 

"Of course," he laughed and then turned back to his newspaper as Ines began wandering the store.

 

If there was one thing that Rhaemon had a hobby for collecting, it was swords and knives, and the cutlass he was now looking at seemed too good to be true. There was only one way to truly find out if it was real or not, and that was to inspect it a lot more thoroughly, and he finally cleared his throat, and spoke up, his voice deep, yet polite, "Would it be possible to take a closer look at this piece, Senor?" he asked of Joao. He had seemed to have paid little attention to the exchange between Ines and Joao, the voices registering, but not the words themselves.

 

As Rhaemon looked around at Joao, he noticed Ines, and thought she appeared a little familiar, but with the officer's badge not in sight, he did not realize she was an officer of the law. He smiled politely over at the shopkeeper, who had just buried himself in his newspaper again.

 

Ines looked at Joao as he slept, "You have to be careful with that one," she said to Rhaemon, "He doesn't get much business, it's only when the big shots in the city come in that he makes many sells." She walked over to the cutlass and looked at it. "You buy weapons, stranger?"

 

Rhaemon looked her up and down as she approached, catching the flash of the badge that hung at her side, but he remained cool and receptive as she walked over to him. He smiled at the comment about business coming only from big shots; 'Perhaps if he was actually awake, he'd get more business', thought Rhaemon, as he looked at the female police officer.

 

"I have a soft spot for swords, knives and blades, I like to collect historical pieces when and where I can," he said, coolly, as the policewoman looked down at the cutlass.

 

"They're beautiful weapons, Joao!" Ines shouted as the old man awoke with a start. "This young man is looking to buy this cutlass, help him out."

 

"Oh, of course sir, I'm sorry," the old man said running over with a key chain to take the cutlass out of the glass box. "It's a beautiful weapon, very expensive. Here," he said laying the blade in Rhaemon's hands, "Take a feel."

 

"It is certainly a fine blade, very well balanced I must say," noted Rhaemon, as he smiled at the blade in his hand, holding it up. He let his hand grip the pommel and he took a very firm stance, slowly taking the sword through a relatively complicated choreographed swordplay display. His hand deftly arcing the blade, barely missing a few of the other goods in the shop as he swung it, the blade almost singing as he sliced it through the air with authority.

 

"The Western Europeans always knew how to make a fine blade," he said, shaking his head, as he slowly brought it back over to Joao. He set the blade down in the case again and smiled at the shopkeeper, "What are you looking for such a weapon right now?"

 

"Perhaps six thousand pesos would be sufficent for me, it is, as you know, a beautiful weapon."

 

"Six thousand seems fair to me," responded Rhaemon, after considering the man's words for a few moments. "Quite respectable for such an item, I musy say, it'll make a fine addition to my collection," he continued.

 

Ines smiled as she watched the transaction and leaned back on the display case. He commanded the weapon with a strength normally unseen by most. "You know how to use a blade, stranger? You seem to know your way around a blade and to be able to afford a weapon of that cost in these parts. "What's your name?"

 

Whilst Joao started putting together his bill, Rhaemon felt the woman cops' eyes on him for most of the exchange between he and the shopkeeper. He would exchange glances with her every so often, before she finally spoke up again, and asking him his name. "One that collects something, should know how to use it, or know everything there is to know about it. I have had lessons in the past, swordplay is quite useful for staying limber and loose," Rhaemon spoke, with a gentle chuckle.

 

"My name is Rhaemon, Officer...?" he responded, seemingly querying her about her own identity.

 

"Ines Varejao," she stuck out her hand to shake his with a smile. "I agree, I've never done swordplay, but it would be something I'd like to try some time in my life. I have my meditation though, the shooting range and sometimes there is even a strange meditation when you're on the clock. Though I still don't see many people who can afford Joao's weapons come through her regularly. Are you foreign, Rhaemon?"

 

"I find meditation early in the morning prepares me quite well for my day, I can certainly agree with you on that point," stated Rhaemon, taking her hand in his firm grasp and shaking it. "Swordplay is just a wonderful hobby to be honest, so much history and rich liveliness to it, and it makes you a better dancer as well."

 

He smiled wistfully, and his lips didn't waver from a smile when he responded, "Yes, I am a visitor to your wonderful country. The hospitality shown to me thus far has been impeccable."

 

"Good, Rio is a welcoming city, so long as you know where to go. I would avoid the slums however, things tend to get extremely bad there." Her eyes brightened when he mentioned dancing and she assumed he would be a capable dancer. "You dance, Rhaemon, my, you are a man of all trades. I may have to keep my eye on you while you're in the city, men such as yourself are always far between and they tend to make a big splash." She smiled and shook his hand again.

 

"Have a good afternoon, Joao, Rhaemon," Ines said and then walked out of the store. She turned to the left and waited at the corner of the street for Rhaemon to leave.  A wealthy foreign man who bought prized weapons and a dancer? She picked the most interesting person to follow, in addition to being handsome. Now she was waiting to see if he was simply sightseeing or is this interesting man had other purposes in Rio, wandreing the city alone.

 

"I'm simply here on business, and a little pleasure, I try to keep a low profile, rather than make a 'big splash' so to speak," nodded Rhaemon, with a smile on his face as she seemed to be showering him with compliments. Before he could ask her if she enjoyed dancing, having some thoughts developing in the last few minutes, she would depart from his presence. "Have a good afternoon of your own, Officer Varejao, stay safe," he said, a polite smile plastered on his face.

 

As Joao arranged the last bits of the sale, and Rhaemon organized payment for the piece of history, he would raise his eyebrows when the light hit something on the wall behind Joao. It appeared to be a rather ornate vase, with diamonds encrusted into the base of it, and he was able to see some sort of characters forming on the wall. It was then he looked down at the pendent, a symbol of his service within the High Council, deflecting the light onto the object. His eyes lit up suddenly, and Joao looked at him strangely, "Senor? Is there something wrong?"

 

"No, uh, is it possible to see that vase behind you?" he asked, almost blurting it out quickly.

 

Joao looked back and chuckled, "I'm sorry, but its not for sale, it will be going to a local museum soon, I'm receiving the last payment for it soon before it goes to them."

 

Rhaemon bit his lip, "Really, I can give you some extra on this sale?"

 

"No, senor, I cannot allow such things, I made a promise to the purchaser that only I would handle the vase. You must understand," responded Joao, a little more firmly.

 

Rhaemon frowned, but finally finished arranging the payment for the cutlass, that he would slide into the provided scabbard, and slip it down into the top of his pack. "Thank you Joao," he nodded, a little disappointed at the shopkeepers' stubborness, and now interested in what he had just seen. After a few good byes, the Stormlander would step out of the shop, and frown, as he looked back in at the vase for a good long few moments.

 

Ines watched him from the corner for a moment, putting on her jacket and sunglasses again. The crowd shielded her from Rhaemon's vision as she watched him look back into the shop for a moment before heading back out onto the sidewalk. She smiled and began to follow him again, then walked back into Joao's shop and found the old man trying to fall asleep at his chair.

 

"Joao!" she hollered out and he almost fell to the floor.

 

"What? What is it?" he said looking up at her.

 

"Who was that man, did he say anything else?"

 

"What, no, he just bought the cutlass, is he under investigation?"

 

"Everyone is under investigation here, you know that, and foreigners who aren't the average European tourist tend to be rare, he didn't say where he was from."

 

"He didn't seem suspicious, though he did want to see that vase up there," Joao pointed up at it and Ines raised her eyes. "He seemed very adament in fact about the vase, more interested in that than the cutlass. He wanted to buy it, even wanted to pay a bit more money for it, but it's going to the museum. So I told hi-"

 

Ines nodded and cut him off, "You'll be giving it to me then."

 

"What? No, I can't, it's going to the museum."

 

"Does it have some special significance? How much is it worth and where did you get it?"

 

"It was an archeological artifact from the Amazon rainforest, but I don't kn-"

 

"Hand it over Joao, I will make sure it gets to the museum but we can't have these priceless artifacts falling into the wrong hands, right?"

 

"But..."

 

"I said hand it over." Ines scowled, her hand falling to her gun.

 

"Yes," Joao said, "Of course," He reached up and grabbed the vase. "I don't know who he was, but please get it to the museum, it came into my hands after the dig, some older gentleman, he didn't list his name. He said that the museum would be contacting me that they'd pay a lot of money."

 

"Oh?"

 

"Yes, but that's all I know."

 

Ines chuckled and held it tightly, "That's all I need to know then, thank you Joao," she said and walked out with the vase.

[TheShammySocialist]

Following his encounter with Ines at the shop, and Joao's refusal to let him take a closer look at the vase, Rhaemon retired to his hotel for the rest of the afternoon. It was clear that the shopkeeper was not at all interested in he seeing that vase, or for that matter, anyone handling it. Even more so, putting it into a museum would make viewing it up close and personal that much more difficult. He was sure that after seeing the light bounce off his Executor's pendent, and onto the vase itself, which in turn produced characters around it, that the vase was a definite clue.

 

This would force Rhaemon to improvise, and he concluded that he would have to get some sleep that afternoon, before getting up that night for an evening jaunt. If Joao was not going to let him have a look at the vase willingly, well then the next best option was to have a look at the vase when he wasn't there at all. After examining the fine naval cutlass he had acquired for an hour or so, and dating it in a guide he had brought along, he would lay down for a nap.

 

When Rhaemon finally woke from his nap the sun had set and orange street lights lined the avenues of the city. He was not the only person making his way back to Joao's shop. After taking the vase to her district precinct for safe-keeping, Ines returned to the streets. She waited for Rhaemon to return to the shop and prover her suspicions correct that he was more than a simple weapons collector. He was a theif and he wanted that vase whether for money or other purposes.

 

She wore her uniform this time, a black button down shirt with black pants, armed with a gun, mace, and a night-stick. Ines waited at the corner for anything to happen. Unaware that other problems were surfacing down at the precinct. 

 

Unaware of Ines' renewed presence near the store, nor intending to sully towards violence, Rhaemon was unarmed, beyond a simple multitool that was clipped in his pocket. He wore a relatively lightweight zip-up sweatshirt, the zipper halfway down and his hood up, along with a simple ball cap and jeans. The outfit matched a fair number of guys who were roaming the street after the sun went down, the cool coastal air settling over Rio.

 

Moving quietly along the sidewalk, and keeping close to a group of laughing and relatively intoxicated teens, he approached the corner where Joao's shop was located. He would duck into the alley beside the store as the teens passed by it, moving to locate what he hoped to be another entrance than the front. Adjusting his eyes to the dark, he moved slowly along the alley, trying to watch his footing, as he snuck towards what he made out to be a back entrance.

 

When Rhaemon started moving toward the back entrance to the shop, Ines moved. She crept slowly across the street, reaching down to take out her pistol, holding it against her body. The shadows of the alley helped her blend in as she approached the entrance. Taking a deep breath, she tried to cancel out the sounds of the teens yelling and screaming, concentrating solely on Rhaemon's movements. Once he broke in, she'd follow him inside and at that point he was fair game to be arrested and taken away.

 

Rhaemon slipped the tool from his pocket relatively quickly and quietly, when he found the back entrance, and tried the door. Wearing thin gloves, the doorknob would not give, and he slowly pushed the tool into the keyhole, slowly working it inside as he produced a pin from his pocket to work the lock. He worked as silently as possible, and would finally, after a couple minutes, in which he got extremely warm from nerves, be rewarded with a simple *CLICK* that echoed down the alley.

 

He moved his hand to the doorknob and tried it again, the door knob turning this time, he pushed the door open quickly, then moved to close it back up as quickly as he had slipped inside.

 

When he closed the door, Ines walked up and laid her hand on the knob. She waited for a few seconds, tightened her grip on her gun, then slammed open the door with a loud bang. "Freeze Rhaemon!" she shouted and pointed her gun at him as he crossed the room. "I know what you're doing here, you're after that damn vase, huh? Get down on the ground! Now!"

 

"Shit," cursed Rhaemon, under his breath, when the door slammed open, but instead of staying still, he ran across the shop. The dim light in the shop itself would not afford the policewoman, whose voice he recognized as Ines' a clean shot at him. Nonetheless, she had a gun, he had little more than a pocketknife with tools on it, but that wouldn't deter him just yet.

 

As he ran across the shop, around a display, he grabbed a large silver platter from a rack and hurled it at the police officer. He ducked and weaved, hoping that the suddeness of his counter would unsteady her aim.

 

The plate smacked Ines in the face as she fell down and cussed, rolling on the floor, blood dripping out of her nose. She jumped back up and ran over toward him, unable to take a clear shot in the dark. Ines had no intention to kill him or ruin Joao's shop, for as much control as the police had in Rio, problems still surfaced if the police used too much force. Taking out her night-stick with her other hand she swung at Rhaemon's head, trying to knock him to the ground. 

 

"It's no use, I have the vase. Just give up, you're not getting out of here."

 

When Ines drew her night stick, it was apparent that her gun was clearly of last resort, and as Ines drew down on him, he would try to slip the blow to the head. He succeeded in that respect, but caught the night stick in the shoulder, and he let out a growl, as he lashed out with his other arm, his hand batting away the gun from her hand as he grasped at the other wrist, trying to keep the night stick at bay, as he pressed forward against her.

 

"I'm going to... urgh... get out of here, whether you like it or not..." he growled at her.

 

Ines pushed him up against the wall with both of her hands as her gun spiraled across the floor. Slowly, she began to overpower him, forcing Rhaemon down to the floor as she barred her teeth. With a last effort in tripping out his legs, Ines straddled him at the waist and held the stick over his neck, choking him.

 

"Give up Rhaemon, you're mine! You're coming with m--"

 

The window of the weaponshop exploded into a thousands shards of glass as gunmen from outside fired into the building. Ines howled in pain as one of the bullets hit her shoulder, knocking her off of Rhaemon. She laid on the floor, writhing as blood shot out from her arm. "Ahhhh! Fuck!" she cried out, holding the wound whild bullets continued to fly into the store.

 

Rhaemon had fought against a few lads before, but Ines was very determined to bring him in, and he was surprised when he found himself on the ground. His breaths had started to come in wheezing pants when her night stick pressed against his throat. At that point, it was becoming clear to him that he was probably going to have to face the prospect of being hauled into a police precinct.

 

The surprise arrival of gunfire and the blast that knocked Ines onto her back, wounding her, caused him to almost curl up in a ball. He quickly moved to gather his wits about him, cursing under his breath as he dove behind the counter, as shards of glass and splinters seemed to fly everywhere. Whoever these people were, they were not joking around, and they weren't friendly to his cause either. He looked over at Ines, thinking for a split second, before shaking his head and scuttling out to drag her behind the relative safety of the counter. It was then, after he had pulled her back behind the counter, that he rolled over it and onto the floor again, feeling around in the dark for her dropped pistol.

 

After Rhaemon dragged her behind the counter for safety, the gunfire ceased and silence returned to the streets of Rio. Splinters fluttered in the air as Rhaemon heard car doors open and close and then cars driving off. When looking over the ruined window, he saw nothing on the street except for some fresh tire marks.

 

"Ahhhhh...fuck!" Ines moaned as she held her wound, the blood soaking into her uniform. "The hell was all that?" she didn't get to say anything else before a booming sound, like a hundred fireworks went off at once, echoed through the city. Ines went silent then the sound of sirens and people screaming joined the din moving through the city. She looked at him, holding her arm. "Who are you?"

 

Rhaemon recovered her pistol as the car sped off, and had made it to the window in time to just see a pair of indistinct tail lights heading off onto a side street. The front of the store had been devestated by the gunfire, which had torn holes in the door and walls, shattered several displays, and of course, left him rattled. He flicked the safety on the pistol, and stuck it in the back of his pants, before going to stand over her.

 

"You owe me for that, you know that right?" he asked, as he grabbed hold under her good arm, and hauled her to her feet. "We need to get you some care for that shoulder of yours," he said, as he pulled her up to her feet.

 

"Rhaemon Rhys'gar, Esteemed Executor of the High Council of the Stormlands, if you really must know," he answered her, after considering her question for a moment. "Is it normal for your city to have random people shooting out storefronts... and then setting off a bomb?"

 

"No, not like this," she sighed in pain. Ines turned on the radio attached to her belt, "Captain, this is Officer Varejo, I--" The only sounds that came out of the radio were screaming and the occasional gunshot. "Oh my God! They're attacking the station. This...this is a planned attack on the entire city. But why would..." Ines turned back to Rhaemon and scowled, "Why is that vase important?!"

 

Rhaemon raised an eyebrow when he heard the gunshots ringing out of the radio, accompanied by screams and shouts. It was clear that this was a well-organized attack against public safety authorities within the city, but this was hardly his concern. What was his concern was securing that vase, no matter the cost associated, but he also had a moral twinge to see the officer cared for as well. He looked down at her, "It's an important cultural artifact that my people value very much. Where exactly did you say you put the vase?"

 

Ines clenched her fists and closed her eyes, "Back at the station...the station that is being attacked..."

 

"And who are the most likely people to perepetrate such an attack? In this city? You know this city much better than I do." He leaned up against one of the broken counters in the shop, helping her stand up straight. "We need to get that wound looked at, you're bleeding pretty good," he said, grabbing the arm of his shirt, and ripping one sleeves deftly. He wrapped it under her armpit and up over the wound, tightening it off quickly.

 

"I've never seen anything like this, nothing so perfectly planned. Most of the criminals are just after some loot, this is organized." Ines winced as he tied the sleeve around her wound. "I'll be alright," she looked down at the blood, "At least for now. I can get us to the station, but I don't know what we're going to face when we get there. Do you have anything more powerful than a dagger?" Ines walked toward the ruined front entrance, still holding her wound. "I have a feeling we're gonna need more firepower than a pistol and a knife."

 

Rhaemon grabbed the pistol he had taken from her and slid it back into her hand, as he walked beside her, watching her carefully. "It's hard to believe this city has no organized crime whatsoever, they seem like likely culprits to such an attack. Unless you've declawed all of them to minor operations?" he stated, with a grimace as he looked down at a splinter wound in his arm.

 

Rhaemon looked around the shop for a moment, and looked over at one of the glass cases in the armory section of the shop. He grabbed a broken cuckoo clock, which would sound off as he hurled it through the air, and it smashed through one of the display cases. Walking over, he grabbed a double-barreled shotgun from the now-ruined display case, the gun engraved with ornate gold trim, featuring mythical beasts around the breech. "Does your friend the shopkeeper keep any ammunition in his store?"

 

"It's different when the police function as one of the factions of organized crime." Ines sighed then watched as he destroyed the display case for the shotgun. "I don't know, I don't hang around here all that much, I just came in earlier because I was following you. You seemed interesting and well, dammit, look at all the problems you've caused since we've met. Those people are after your vase, Rhaemon." She walked over to Joao's counter and started rooting through it, there she found two shells for the gun.

 

"I have two, that's it, so use them wisely, until we can stock up better." She threw him the shells then walked onto the streets of the city. Screaming and gunfire echoed down the narrow streets of Rio. "Sounds like a damn battlefield down there. Are you ready?"

 

"I find it humorous that you actually admit that the police are a faction of organized crime. Not that its a rarity, one of my friends in the security forces once told me the only thing that seperates a cop from a criminal, is a badge. Sounds like your police department exemplifies that," chuckled Rhaemon, as he caught the shells and loaded them up, but not cocking the hammers back. "I didn't know that my coming would trigger mass assaults on your police friends, I think this was more than just my coming that brought this assault. There are others who know the value of that vase, few, but there are a fair number."

 

Rhaemon stepped out onto the streets with Ines, walking beside her as screams echoed and sirens wailed. The city had seemingly become a battlefield, and Ines' precinct could possibly be the epicenter of the violence. He looked over at Ines, "How far is it to the precinct from here? Where did you put the vase in the station? Could it still be secure there?"

 

"Do you peg me for a criminal, Rhaemon?" Ines said as they started walking down the street. "You have no idea how this city works, there are a lot of innocent people who are in the middle of a civil war that takes place behind closed doors and in back alleyways. In Rio, if you want to survive, you need to use every means at your disposal. For me," she tapped her side, "It's carrying this badge."

 

The precinct was not far off, but a series of dangerous road blocks prevented their route. The center city had become rife with conflict. When the police station fell under attack, news traveled fast through the underbelly of the city and with one of the factions creating stability in Rio out of commission the other factions went off on a rampage. Houses, stores, and tourists came under attack from the various gangs, while personal vendettas were sovled with quick and deadly force. In the middle of this maelstrom, Rhaemon and Ines wandered near the sides of buildings, trying not to draw attention from the riots in the streets. 

 

"Keep that gun ready," she said as they wandered toward the station, blood dripping from her arm. "It's not far off. I kept the vase in my office, we'll see what the damage is, find the vase and then..." she paused, "Well I'm not sure, but maybe find somewhere to take care of this wound. Fuck." The policewoman winced in pain and lifted up her eyes. The precinct stood in front of them, fire bellowing out of the windows as police officers in the building engaged black robed men with machine guns from their cars on the street.

 

"Damn."

 

"I take you for a member of the class where power rests its head," said Rhaemon. "I have an idea of how society works, power always finds a place to rest its head. When someone gets the ability to overpower that authority, another person will take their place at the seat, and the cycle goes on and on. That is the basic underlying principle everywhere in the world, its human nature, Ines. And right now, I'd not be carrying that badge around, the power that you hold is now under assault."

 

He let the advice he gave her sink in some, as they continued to walk through the streets, having to take multiple detours around checkpoints and roadblocks that had been set up. He stayed in the shadows with Ines, staying behind her and keeping a watch on her rear, watching everywhere, holding the shotgun at the ready, but trying not to draw the attention of any of the rioters or people who were taking out personal grudges on others. Given his appearance, he didn't give off the scent of rich or high society, or even a tourist.

 

"Did you at least lock the vase somewhere in your office? I'm not liking what I am seeing here," responded Rhaemon, looking at her. "Do you recognize these guys? In the black robes that is, you seen them before? They don't seem like they're messing around," he said, pulling her down behind a smoldering car so they could stay relatively concealed while reviewing the situation of the precinct.

 

"These guys are well armed...," remarked Rhaemon, raising an eyebrow, as he watched two police officers get torn down by gunfire.

 

Ines stayed quiet after Rhaemon told her about the dangers of holding her badge. The statement did more than simply sink in. She looked at him and evaluated their sudden relationship, a few moments ago, she had tried to kill him, now there was the potential that they would be working together for a very long time.

 

"Recognize them?" she looked at him, "They look like the same guys who shot up Joao's store. This is organized." Wiping her brow, she leaned back against the nearby building. "It's locked in my office, but the question is how we're supposed to get in there. Either way, we're going to get shot, unless we wait for the building to collapse from the fire, then I don't like our chances for finding the vase."

 

They watched the officers get killed then looked at each other. "You have a plan, cause right now, I don't give a damn about that vase."

 

"Well, its clear as day this is organized. I was wondering if you knew any creep factions in your city who liked wearing black robes and running around with machine guns," replied Rhaemon, with a bit of a snarky tone to his voice. The chance to be a bit of a smartass with his compatriot was not lost on him, despite the situation, and he found himself wearing a small smile when he looked at her. He frowned when she announced her true feelings about the vase, but held his tongue, knowing that he'd probably feel the same way in her positions.

 

"So, besides a gun and a nightstick, what else do you carry? Got any pepper spray? If so, I need to borrow it."

 

He looked at her a little more, the dancing flames from the fires around them softening her features a little bit. His eyes flicked to the wound in her shoulder, then back to her eyes. "You know, I would probably feel the same way about that vase if I were you, but those are your friends getting killed in there. Every body counts for your faction right now."

 

"Yeah," she reached into her belt, "I have mace, what do you need it for?" She handed it over and they looked at each other in the eyes, her lips trembling for a moment as the fire turned him into a large silhouette looming over her body. "I..." then she hardened her features back at him. "I know, I get that, but you're not the one suffering with a bullet wound right now. So give me a damn break. Now, what's your plan?"

 

"Thank you," he said, taking the mace and looking at the bottle a little bit, as he looked back at her. He softened his stare at her when he flicked his eyes to her shoulder again, and nodded, muttering a small apology. "Sorry," he mumbled, heaving a sigh, before looking her back in the eyes and nodding. "We're going to walk in the front door, we're going to cover each other as we move. I just hope my arm is as good as it was a few years back when I played pickup games of ball."