Funtimes and a Murder date [Ruby]

The assassination went well, the guy that thought he could steal Ruby's car by hotwiring it found his doom today, though not by being ran over with the same vehicle. She wished she could have done that, but the car would need fixing, and only the creepy pigeons deserved such quick deaths. And after cornering the guy between two buildings, slicing his abdomen vertically and dumping him in the garbage container, Ruby was home again. Her knive was clean, at its place in a drawer, her latex gloves got thrown away three streets ahead of the murder scene, and her clothes didnt hide any blood stains luckily. As she got out of the shower, a quick buzzing filled her bedroom, coming from her phone. She wasnt in the mood for another task, her father better fuck off. Ruby held the towel around her body with a hand while reaching for her phone with the other, and unlocking the screen. Message from..unknown. Great. Though after viewing the text, she was more than certain that no one other than Jacob could send her a message about a murder date, and a creepy wink. Maybe he had another number she didnt know? But who else would text something like that, it was definitely Pierce. She added him to the contact list as Bunny Slicer, and proceeded to send him a reply. No more murder and chill, huh? I'll be there. ♦
In the next hour Ruby got ready, by browsing in her wardrobe for any fancy dress and then getting some matching shoes, maybe a little purse too. She got too busy with her business to look out for that charitable event, and as long as she had no targets there, she didnt care about it. But Ruby was curious on who Jacob wanted to kill, and why did he need her. Maybe as a back up? Or to create a diversion? Who knows?

Blackwood had no plans for the rest of the evening, or the rest of the week, or at least nothing already announced. She was at the location in about an hour and a half, hopefully looking formal enough , and habving had picked the right weapons and devices. Her purse contained two ear pieces, a few drugs under the shape of pills, a little squeez-able bottle with a watery liquid in case there needed to be done some sort of framing or cleaning of fingerprints and a few other items that could prove useful in any sort of mission. A tracking device in special. And if there was any sort of aeroport-level security, Ruby hoped that the guards wont be so daring to check her purse if nothing beeped. The things made of metal were isolated piece by piece anyway. And with a knife at her ankle, a gun to her knee, all should go well. Now, meeting Jacob. Whatever location for the meeting she had recieved, Ruby tried to make it there a bit sooner, so as to have enough time to plan stuff and get more details on what this murder date implied.



Jacob Pierce

After having a moment to check her phone for any more text, upon her arrival, and quickly throwing a glance around to get at least a superficial idea of what kind of people entered the building, what sorts of cars passed by (indicating the level of wealth thrown in this game) and if there were any guards to catch a random citizien's eye, her attention was caught by a very familiar voice adressing her. Putting her phone away in her purse, Ruby looked up at Jacob. He looked very handsome in that suit, it kind of fit him. "Not at all. " The woman returned with a smile, and gave a small nod as the mercenary wished to get going. "You look good, by the way." The woman in blue scanned Birdy from his head to toes and back before giving him those nice words. A compliment never hurt anyone, and Ruby figured that if this was such a fancy event, they might as well display their best behaviour.

Kill someone? Oh, the evening would be interesting indeed, exciting, to be more specific. Ruby's smile grew larger, though turning into a smirk, nothing surprising. "I'm starting to like it when you summon me." With a chuckle, the woman held the paper and scanned the whole plan quickly, taking mental notes on Jacob's alias, the target's name and the most interesting things about his routine. So it had to be an accident? Or at least look like it. It seemed like Jacob's pick when it came to murder parteners was not an unfortunate one."Very flattering, it looks like you skipped the whole proposing part." Ruby joked, with a soft chuckle, before getting serious again. "I could play fiancee, a man that affords to attend a charity event doesnt bring his girlfriend with him, with so many gorgeous and rich women around." Then she returned him the paper. if she needed an alias, she could make one up on the spot, being nervous or having her tongue tied in a knot were not Red's habits.

As Jacob seemed eager to get to the snob party, Blackwood thought it would be best for them to put those ear pieces in function sooner than too late. So she opened her purse, and retrieved the devices, handing Jacob his own gear. "If you raise your voice when you're closer than 2 meters, I'll kick you ass." Ruby warned him with a playful glare, the last thing they needed was for the gear to get them deaf in an ear. Ruby put her own ear piece in place, and flipped her hair to conceal it.

This might have been the first time Jacob actually complimented someone. As in, not a sarcastic compliment, and Ruby didnt actually see him telling people how nice thier jacket was or stuff like that. But it was a good type of 'surprising' . "Toda. (Thank you)" The woman let her accent slip through her lips this time, but for the rest of the night there shall be no place for it. Personal reasons.
If he did invite her on the best dates or not, one thing was certain: Jacob had great taste in missions, murders altogether. How he got his assignments? Ruby had no idea, probably the Bianchi delivered them in some fancy scroll, sealed with the blood of their enemies, with a tiger pattern. Or perhaps Pierce had his personal contacts too, or more like, ways to be contacted and reached, without jeopardizing his safety. Red chuckled, and was glad that he did not lose his humor by accident. It would have been disappointing. "Make sure to bend the right knee." The woman continued the tease, and kept that smirk on her face. However, Jacob didnt seem to be aware of the common men mistakes. Bringing your girlfriend, around many other fish in the sea, it was a move bound to backfire. Either your girl caught you checking the view, or mingling with the woman with the outrageous measurements- Ruby had witnessesed these fails when she went undercover with a team. There was always a male representant that just had to bring his real partener, these things never happened in Israel, or among Enigma members. "Maybe it doesnt for him, but she can feel intimidated. I've seen it happen." Jacob didnt need as many details, since those were useless anyway. It all depended on what kind of woman one put his hands around, though.

Shredding the paper was a smart move, Red subtly looked around as he did so, and was glad that only some ordinary guests were in sight. And once the mercenary / temporary fiancee had his ear piece all set, Ruby grabbed his arm graciously, giving him a hopeful glare. "I see you understand my point then." She chuckled.

Men and women, dressed in all colors and dress sizes, displaying their best gowns and the rented personalities- Blackwood thought that all rich people were snobs. Fake human beings, with selfish priorities and no virtues. Was it ironic that she belonged to somewhat of a family like so? She hoped that the fake act was never upon her, around the best of her friends, at least. The polite guard didnt check them for anything threatening, which was a great combo to their current mood. Moral support came from everywhere apparently. Once no one in charge of this place's security was close, Ruby would adress her new "fiancee". "I cant see your cousin." Yeah, well, she was not going to spell target with two couples right next to them, but the blonde did look around a bit.

Jacob Pierce

Ruby tried to picture Max reacting to Jacob and herself getting married, but it was a total fail. She could see the French freeze, or laugh like it was some joke and then go out the door and go to nope-land or something. It was funny enough, and she was glad that the murder date wasnt supposed to be all stiff-serious. "I'm sure he'll be honored." Chuckling, Ruby gave the man a smirk and gave up on trying to visualise Max next to Jacob, while she walked down the aisle- it was weird.
The blonde kept her gaze scanning the room, and replied to her 'fiancee' 's question with a neutral tone, almost unfazed by it. "Insecure? Not one of my traits." She liked to believe she was a professional after all, and really, maybe Ruby would even steal a glance or two from any 'pretty woman' that would happen to pass by. But she was focused on the task more than anything. "It's possible. I wonder if anyone saw him yet." Asking around was not an option, it would raise many suspicious questions. And even if they could probably pass as two of his friends waiting for the said target to come, that would end badly. If the police took witness statements and anyone slipped that there were a man and a woman looking for the soon-to-be-dead man, that was not good.

Accepting the champagne glass from Jacob, the blonde turned her head from his to the couple he was talking about, and adopted a more natural smile. Mingling sounded like a good way to find out more about the event, its purpose and the kind of guests that were attending. You could tell a lot from one's vocabulary, attitude or simply the aura they inspired. "Mingling is great." Not long after her response, the unknown couple appeared. Ruby greeted too, and did her best to appear as a fancy, rich person. The conversation was nice and innocent, until at some point the strangers became nosey. "Oh my, I've just realised we forgot to introduce ourselves! Can you imagine what a tragedy it would have been if we did not add such mannered youngsters to our friend list?" The voice of the man carried a Scottish accent, delightful for one's ears really. If Ruby was to say, the couple were not as young. Who uses the word 'youngsters' anyway? What were they, 50? 50 something? They were too talkative too. Ruby thought about shaking hands, but that was men's gesture, seeing as the gentleman raised his hand towards Jacob. What was Ruby supposed to do? Shake hands with the woman? Bow a little? God, it has been some time since her last 'formal' mission. Luckily the woman only nodded as the man introduced themselves, so Ruby did the same. This was so awkward, she thought. And when the Scotman was done shaking Jacob's hand, he kissed Red's. Pierce better return the favour or this was going to get even more awkward. "Mr and Mrs Murray. Pleased to meet you, ..?" And then there it was, the moment Jacob had to use his alias. Alas, Ruby wanted to get away from these two. No need to talk with someone for too long, they got useless details out of them and lost time very easily.

Jacob Pierce

What was this charity event's focus anyway? Feeding the poor? Helping the homeless? Donating to hospitals? Ruby was getting curious, since it looked like the snobs here had such expensive gowns, they could probably feed Africa's inhabitants with the money from one since pair of earrings. Ruby wasnt even exaggerating. Those people probably spent more on their suit than the check they wrote for whatever cause this event was dedicated to. Or maybe Ruby was just being a judgemental person right now? It remained to be seen.
The elders were nice, oddly enough yes. She could prpobably see them give away a big amout of money to save a cause. The man's shoes were shiny, though the leather had a few wrinkles, most certainly not made tonight. He looked so comfortable in his suit, this all made Red think that he did not waste a fortune for a one time only suit. It melted down her earlier accusations about the guests around. His wife too had the facial features of a wise and caring woman, the little lines of age only made her look innocent and pretty in her own way. Blackwood's favourite thing to do in a mission was to analyse others, and so that was what she was doing. Subtly, but efficiently. This couple made her feel bad for burning the outfits she used in missions. It seemed to spoiled of her, so selfish. But in reality Ruby couldnt afford to keep a gown that could carry evidence or leave some, perhaps even be evidence. The dress from the masquerade got burned, this one will too. Or at least that's what the people coming from her father to be her contacts in Chicago told her it would happen to those gowns. You could never be too sure though.

The blonde kept her smile, that only turned somewhat warm the longer the couples talked. She had to blend in and play her part, even if that mean to look less like she was expecting someone to appear in any second. "Eva, likewise." Ruby continued as Jacob used his alias and let her introduce herself, still keeping that glass of champagne in her hand. She took a sip of the liquid as the Scottish complimented 'Klein' , even though he most probably never actually heard of him before. "Eva! What a name! It reminds me of a time when I was a lad, and I lived at my grandparents' cottage..-" Then, the woman decided to speak. The old lady had a hand around her husband's arm as the two engaged couple, and used the other one to pat Mr Murray's arm as if to stop him from going on a rant. Ruby thought the two were cute, to be honest. "Now, now, dear, lets not monopolize this conversation." Red chuckled a bit at the woman's words and waved her hand a bit as if to say it was alright, but the gentleman's own laugh surprised her a bit. "No, it's fine, we would love to hear the story." She then gave Jacob a look to see if he agreed, much like two people that have known each other for a really long time, and were able to communicate by glances. It was close, no denial. "Come on, love, they're so young! They sure have time for a little memory." The Scottish continued with that joke, and stopped for a moment, looking at the two. "Ah, how old are you two, dear? You seem awfully young to be engaged if I might say. But what does the 'vintage' generation know, after all?" His laugh was present again, and the blonde chuckled too, looking at Jacob again. "We're really not that young.. And vintage? Well, they say old is gold, yes?" For the fancy act, Ruby let her accent come out and wrap itself around her and the mercenary, to make them seem a bit foreign, or at least really well travelled, as some said.

The old lady's humor was delicate, respectful too towards her husband, and probably that was what made the man be so fond of his wife, as it appeared. "They both want to hear the story, dear, let them have it." The Scottman commented, with yet another chuckle. He took a deep breath, as if waiting for his memory to come back for a second longer. Ruby didnt really care much for hearing any sort of childhood happenings, even less if they prevented her from being with her mind on the task. So she let the old man talk about some pastor, a religious person, that used to come to his family's cottage and tell made-up stories about the adamic couple. Childlish stuff, she thought. The blonde chuckled when the older couple did, not wanting to seem rude or like she wasnt paying attention.
Ruby guessed that old people being old had no need of excuses or any pretexts to hide their bluntness when it came to words or inquiries. They asked about the presumed engaged couple's age, and Jacob replied with 32. So Red's asssumptions were close. She always thought he looked young, somewhere around 29-35, but he acted too mature sometimes. No, mature was not the word, considering his sarcastic outbursts. Maybe detached? Yes, that suited him better. The Scottish's wife attempted to put him in his place, on a joking tone, hoping the younger due wouldnt get upset or feel offended. Which was really not the case probably. Blackwood shook her head and gave them a reasurring smile, before speaking. "Dont worry, it's not a crime." With a natural laugh, perhaps seeming to play her role too well, Ruby continued, and took another sip of the champagne afterwards. "I'll be 27 soon, which is a bit early for such "fame and fortune" , I guess." Not so much of the fame, if the blonde got asked what she was doing, she had no idea in the moment. But she would have to add to Jacob's alibi too. Would a story about a man going on a tour in Afghanistan and falling in love with his team's medic be too stretched? At this point, Ruby wasnt afraid of not finding the target, but of being questioned too much in not enough time. So she began to mentally prepare her arsenal. Medic, then sent home and loaded with money..sounds about right for a charity event. I'll need to talk with Birdy in private on this theme, sooner or later. We could say we opened a rehab clinic for the people returning from their tours, or that he did, since it doesnt really matter. Her thoughts ran freely, now that the old man finished his story and she had exchanged a few words about it.

May any god out there bless this Scottman's wife, for without her, Jacob and Ruby would have probably died on this spot from old age. "Dear, I think I see your brother there, chatting with that pair of ladies. Should we greet him? You'll have to excuse us for a moment. But congratulations for your engagement." She spoke at a calm tone, after motioning towards some man at a distance, that was caught up chatting with a much younger generation of bimbos. Rich men, all the same. Ruby nodded and greeted them, thanking politely for the 'story' and the woman's congratulations. She put her hand up and patted Jacob's cheek, wishing him good luck too, before she and her husband left the two alone. "Finally." The blonde sighed exasperated, and looked around for their target again, but also for a place to leave this glass of champagne. She didnt want to drink it all just because she was stuck in a situation and had nothing else to do, honestly. But from one glass, she wouldnt get tipsy anyway. "Do you want to split, to look for him? I think we lost enough time with the good Samaritans."


Jacob Pierce

Hm, yeah, maybe they were meant for such tasks. They had the fakeness required, so they could easily survive such events. Well, the people attending them, to be more specific. She only let out a silent giggle, agreeing to that.
Jacob accepted to get on separate ways, so their search would be more efficient. If each searched a different part of the building, they could cover more ground in less time. Once the man was no longer at her side, Ruby turned around, greeting some random people so as to look like she was heading towards a familiar group of people. The building lacked video cameras, that was her first surprise. It was a charity event after all, the hosts probably expected mannered, polite people to attend. The guards were at each set of stairs and entrance though.

Red's gaze analysed the ballroom, scanning for the target's frame but having no luck at identifying him. A man had approached her, initiating a conversation and all, but she managed to dodge a bullet by excusing herself with the pretext of not feeling well. It always worked. Blackwood eyed the bar, seeing none of their target. But then, Pierce gave her some news. She raised her hand to the earpiece, to make sure it was adjusted right and that she could hear the man talk, and turned around, picking up a champagne glass on the way towards the staircase. A staircase could only mean one thing, in Ruby's experience. It was either a VIP space, or a VIP space. No doubt there. But were there any people with VIP tags, hanging around their necks? The blonde looked around, pretending to be sipping from her champagne while fixing her gaze on a man. If Jacob was on the task, and succeeded to get up there, it was no need for her to hurry, she had to be an alibi in everyone's sight. But if he didnt, and those tags had a reason, Blackwood was just in time.

"In a minute." She spoke for the mercenary to hear, and applied a seductive smile on her face, advancing towards the guest with a vip tag tucked in his breast pocket. What made him pick this guy, was the fact that he was surrounded by women, and quite isolated from the rest of the guests. Perfect. "Hello. A nice evening, isnt it?" The blonde spoke slowly once she was near the man, and darted her gaze up and down him. The guy cleared his throat and excused himself from the other ladies, having them leave to mingle with others. "A nice evening indeed. Markus, to who do I own the pleasure?" Womenizers were the best targets. Ruby presented herself as Eva again, probably invading his personal space with cockiness. "Dont you think the mingling is a bit boring?" Her voice toned down, moving closer to the wall. Her plan was to get that tag somehow, and the only way that came to her mind was by seducing the guy. "I'm just waiting for a friend to come by, I could probably entertain you, Eva." The man's gaze was fixed on the woman's own, and she took advantage of the eye contact, to invade his space some more, by placing her free hand on his torso and sliding it up slowly. When it reached the pocket, she pressed gently against the edge of the tag that wasnt hidden in it, and covered it with her palm while moving it out of the pocket, towards the man's shoulder. "That sounds..great." She spoke to keep him distracted, while her hand reached the top of his shoulder, and let the card slide away, onto the floor. It took a nice turn, landing o the floor right next to the two's shoes, and Ruby balanced her weight from a leg to the other, stepping on the tag and allowing her dress to conceal it. The man leaned in to steal a kiss, but the blonde turned her head and looked over his shoulder. "I think there's someone calling for you. Later?" The man turned alarmed, and nodded to 'Eva', excusing himself. Once he was gone on a goosehunt, Ruby bent to pick up the tag and hurried towards Jacob.