money doesn't lie

“A ring,” she asked questioning, and it was more like a curiosity thing than something else. “Well, okay, thanks I guess.” She walked slowly to the room and stepped over a body as she shone the flashlight of her phone on the massacre.

“You work… efficiently.” she complimented (?) as she then started to go through the closets. Her fingers turning into water as to leave no trace of herself as she searched while talking to the lady-killer.

“Me? Just someone that is doing her work, like you.” Merry shot a smile at the other and nodded. “Just that,” Nothing else- even if her job was a lot about illegal substances and counterfeit items. She did not think the other would care much.

The corner of her mouth ticked upward at the compliment. "Thank you." The blonde had somewhat categorized the woman as somewhat of a non-threat, enemy of my enemy being my friend and all that, but the myrkr was still vigilant of any other sudden actions. You could never be too sure nowadays. She'll have to leave once the other does, watching her back the whole time.

Green eyes turned to the footprint in question, Jiwoo frowned. She wasn't one to be so sloppy. "No." But she does have a guess on who it could be. "I guess I'll need to hunt down a mouse tonight. I was unaware that some of them possessed abilities that could heal them faster than they could bleed out. My mistake."

Soo-ahn's lips curled into a patient smile as the woman spoke. The entire time, his ears listened, his eyes observed. Forge&Fury—it was a suitable name for a place so odd, but exquisite.

"Actually," though the warlock had no idea what would welcome him at the shop (even less did he know that he'd end up shoping for weapons), he responded to the woman a bit too soon after she'd asked her question.

Merely blinking at the question, the myrkr simply responded, "Last I've heard was that merfolk were guarding it. They have pretty tight security, so getting to it is pretty difficult. I haven't been able to wield it myself but I've seen what it can do."

As a vendor, though, Jiwoo liked visiting fairs. She often chose the stalls at the back where it was usually calmer, displaying her wares and often talking to people who stayed long enough to look at the different knives she had on display. This was exactly the case for the fall fair hosted this year, petting zoo and all.

She had expected a few sales, mostly signing up to be a vendor just to promote her shop a bit more. What she didn't expect, was to be a delegated goat wrangler, practically begged by one of the event organizers to help (and reassured that she'll be compensated later on).

Scowling as she hoisted a goat over her shoulder and trekking her way to the makeshift pen (since the first one was now currently crushed by a massive tree), Jiwoo turned to one of the "volunteers." Though she assumed that the man was probably cajoled into it too. "Do you know how many goats and piglets we still need to catch?"

The mention of death and documents made her inhale sharp- what a mess. She hated finding new people to work with and there was annoyance on her face. She did not like death but was not a stranger, and her brows twitched slightly. If she could get to the documents she could find out some more information about where he had his contacts… It could make her profit definitely larger…

Curiousity now took her over as she looked at the entrance of the room again and then at t he woman and the weapon in her hand. “No, just... annoying.” she admitted in all honesty and shrugged. She had wanted to have an easy day at work but she would not be so blessed today and took a step forward.

"I took all of them down." Her main task tonight was to kill the man, but she was also asked to look for a specific trinket that her client had described to her. She didn't really care much why they'd want a fucking ring back (people and their sentimentality), but since it was a paid request, Jiwoo raided the dingy office once her first order of business was done. She was able to find the golden band in the vault, and if she took it along with a few stacks of cash as well as some gold bars, well no one would have to know.

"It honestly seems like very poor management to me," she said almost petulantly. Jiwoo had planned to do some of her commissions at the shop tonight, and with this whole thing happening, it was safe to say that everything would have to be pushed back. Seeing as this would no doubt affect her plans (though she was mostly peeved at how it would affect her finances), it was safe to say that the myrkr was more than a little annoyed at whoever managed the mall.

On the inside, he was fighting a battle of his mind and body. Like he had been taught during his time with the mafia, he was calm and collected on the outside. On the inside, whenever his previous situation was brought up, everything went haywire and it was difficult to convince his body to be as heavy as led so he wouldn't move a muscle and reveal how he felt. Holding himself back from fidgeting was a job and a half. "The mafia has already lost some- probably why they're reaching out. You'll have your hands full if they ever find out we sit at the same table," he finally stood up, walking over to the open kitchen. "Coffee?"

It was his excuse to get up and move to release some of that conflicting energy within. He deflected the fact that sentence fit him more than the mafia; he didn't want to think about how he had always had one and only one thing to cling to at a time and every time that thing disappeared somewhere. Instead, he would drown those thoughts into the process of coffee making. "They have many supernatural connections so I would say yes," he said as he began, "they are smart- for human standards. But I have my doubts they know how to strategize against supernatural they're not well acquainted with."

At the mention of coffee, Jiwoo nodded and followed the other's lead, expecting that both of them would be heading to Koichi's kitchen. "Noted," she said with a hum, eyes tracking Koichi's movements as they prepared coffee. Jiwoo wasn't much of a fan of the drink, nor was she knowledgeable in beans and such, but she could appreciate the art form itself. The blonde liked to think that any other hobby or craft had similar base principles as blacksmithing, which was why she respected each and every one as much as she did.

Leaning back against the wall right next to the kitchen's doorway, Jiwoo crosses her arms in front of her chest. "The clan is planning to simply accept an x deal of sorts with the mafia after adjusting a a few of the terms involved." She paused, tilting her head, "I'm going to suggest that we dig a bit more about the mafia's background. I'm fairly sure they have a hidden motive of sorts, so they won't be content with an equivalent exchange."

Humans were inherently greedy, and even if the mafia agreed to a trade-off, she was pretty sure that it wouldn't be long for them to want more. After all, the clan would only be lending them a team of their fighters, and even then, their people would only defer to the head that would eventually be assigned for the task. And if they didn't, well, humans were always easy to tempt and provoke.

"... Yeah you got a training area? Don't tell me, that cost money too?" Lee Know was no stranger to being upcharged for even the simplest services, although in the past he had always had someone to pay for it on his behalf. He turned the knife over in his scarred hands, having another look at the blade and craftsmanship. It was a pretty blade for sure, it could definitely do more damage than some mirror shards. It got Lee Know wondering what sort of blade he could get if he was rich. He glanced at the Mykr and then at the blade.

Batting her eyelashes at Lee Know, the myrkr leaned on her desk, placing a hand under her chin as she did so. "It's like you know me so well." Chuckling at her own antics as she observed the way that the other handled the knife, eyes clearly showing her distaste at the way the mirrorwalker handled the work of art she made, Jiwoo said, "Tell you what. Cover my meal for the day and consider the fact that you'll technically owe me a favor, and I'll show you a training area and teach you basic moves. What do you say?"

Nodding her head in satisfaction once she was done, Jiwoo turned her gaze on the other. "This should cover it. Though I'll be considering the extra as your tip for me and the blacksmith, of course" Flashing Lee Know a sharp smile that brooked no arguments, the myrkr eventually placed the payment in the money box she hid just beneath the front desk. She'd have to tell Al that he did a good job forging the weapon and that he deserved the tip.

“I said, speak up, who are you?” she asked as she had been standing half in the shadows. Wearing all black instead of her usual floral attire. Her ocean eyes on the other woman as she pressed her lips together in thought as she saw the knives. “I’ve never seen you here before.” she added as she felt a pang of nervosity in her- was this a set-up? Did someone try to get to her? Her eyes flicked to the filthy window as she wondered how quickly she could escape- she knew where the closest toilet and sink were to slink away as water (disgusting, but it would work).

Adjusting her grip on the weapons she had in her hand, the myrkr continued, "I'm not sure what your business here is, but if you need the guy, then he's long gone. The documents and whatever else he had in his office is fair game, though, so help yourself." Her words were succinct, giving nothing away with regards to who hired her and why she was tasked with this objective in the first place. She'd been doing this for far too long to make a rookie mistake of slipping up and leaking important information unprompted.

Jeongmin had never been good at guessing ages so he was wondering how old the other was and then rolled his eyes “it will be hours, they said the train is stuck so nothing can go in or out- don’t you have money for a hotel or a motel?” he asked as he got the uneasy feeling that you get when you know you can help someone but you don’t want to. Not an actual angel indeed. A sigh, a shrug and he pulled out a candy bar from his messenger bag and offered it to the girl as if she was a homeless person on the streets of the big city.

"I have," she said in a clipped tone, hand automatically reaching out for the food offered to her and pocketing it. She wasn't the biggest fan of sweets, but since she was out on a job currently, she liked to keep things that she could possibly use later. And although she wasn't fond of their taste, candy bars did offer a boost in energy.

He inhaled sharply again when she returned to him and moved the blade, gritting his teeth. His eyes moved to the blade and how his blood was seeping out now, thicker and darker than anyone's should be. He was used to the sight by now but the change was somewhat recent. "It amplifies, yes," his voice was more strained while he remained professional, throat tightening from the pain that coursed through him. Still, he was too stubborn to let it show much. He always was.

The scene the other was painting was probably as vivid in her mind as it was in his. Jiwoo may not be as experienced in information extraction as she was in hunting, but she could certainly appreciate other art forms. The grin she had on her face was heavily tinged with bloodlust as she wrote down notes on her little pad before setting it aside. Afterward, she placed her hand on Amos' cheek in a show of faux comfort as the other pulled out the knife from their arm. She'd long ago realized that providing people with any semblance of pleasure or comfort while they were in pain often made the line between the two blur even further.

Her thumb moved, across the other's soft skin as she murmured, "Our little play dates really are quite fun. You offer the best insights and reactions." In one quick motion, the blonde swiftly drove the weapon down to the space between the other's legs, just barely missing their thighs or crotch. She grinned when she heard the screeching sound of metal being cut. "Perfect. It's sharp enough to cut through metal, at least." Glancing up at Amos as she pulled out the weapon with a soft grunt, she trailed the blade over Amos' thighs. At first, it was light enough that the blade only cut through his clothes. But as she added more pressure, pale skin gave way to the thick blood that slowly welled up.

In her line of work, Jiwoo liked to think that having two hunters who were out for a single person's head on a platter was a rare occurrence— but never an impossible one. She'd only had it happen to her twice, making her current one her third.

Waving her knife at the other hitman as the CEO uselessly struggled against the restraints she placed on him, Jiwoo nodded at the other in greeting, "You out for his head too?"