#"jaques

The restaurant doors were unlocked, but it didn't matter. Whoever was inside knew their target wasn't going to use the front doors just as Nathanris himself did.  Which may or may not be why they sat at their table waiting for their guest to arrive. One by one bodies were being left behind in Stone's wake. First the snipers posted about the rooftops, silly of them to assume that Ramiaell didn't know the perfect vantage points to this place already so he didn't have to guess where a well trained sniper would lay in wait. The henchmen at the backdoor entryway he took out next. Followed by the two who came in through the kitchen. He knew it was a trap when gunfire wasn't ablaze by the time he got into a full out fist and knife fight with the three inside. But he pressed on anyway. He had too, this was his life. However messed up a moral code it now was, however silly it may be now after all these years passed, he'd treated everyone under the protection of the lure as being under his protection still to this day. Those who were still left and had no one else to turn to, they were still his priority. But as so many were no longer high value targets with how Suramar had changed and been opened to the world it did make it far easier to let go and move on. But an elf like Stone never let anything go, not when this had become his life. No matter who lived or died, or what had been demolished and rebuilt, he took his services to his death bed. And that was why he was so sought after. 

Was this a trap? Definitely. Were they fools to think he'd come so easily? Perhaps, these men were merely pawns to lure him inside and keep him busy while other things were in motion. He was not unaware of any of this but who else was going to ensure that Nathanris was safe? Who else was going to make sure that those who harmed him were dead? The two he knew he could count on were making sure Beaureve was safe and secured. And it was only because these two had already been committed to having his back in this that he knew he could entrust his safety with them. They were the worst kind of men, but fear was more powerful than anything and the only thing they really feared was each other. Which is why they were still allies, and in some small messed up way they would always have each other's backs so long as there would always be a way to satiate their lust for blood. Because that was what men like them longed for. Nevermind that one was a born sociopath and the other a serial killer, but Beaureve was safe from at least one of their victim profiles.

By the time Ramiaell had finally made it to the dining area where he knew his targets sat in wait, he had done so mostly unscathed. Mostly. It felt damn good to get that adrenaline pumping and his little warm up session which ended with a wake of dead bodies in very creative yet effective ways behind him. So when he pushed through the swinging doors into the dining room he had time to adjust his mask he wore and tug on his well tailored jacket as he walked in rather tense with his blades in each hand.  Two elves sat at a table with a full meal and wine before them, a meal they'd mostly eaten and enjoyed by now. Behind each of them were their main muscle, bodyguards and one of them was sporting a puffy eye and a bloodied lip already. It told Ramiaell that at least before Nathanris was taken he'd put up a fight. Good. He was proud of the kid for doing so as he'd taught him some self defense years ago now. But sitting in the third chair between the two at the table was Nathanris himself. Bloodied, bruised, gagged & tied to his chair in his bloodied chef's apron. Angry tears in his eyes with his comm device sitting on the table in front of him, a sure sign they'd forced him to lure Ramiaell there knowing he would or more, could.

"Mr. Stone, so glad you could join us. Please, si..." Before the elf on the left could even finish his statement Ramiaell had thrown with deadly accuracy and speed a smaller throwing knife which landed right in the throat of the muscle that stood behind the elf at the table. He grabbed at his throat as it bled out and before he had time to throw more he had a gun pointed at him from the other muscle as the two elves at the table were already revealing their trump cards screaming at him to, "WAIT OR HE DIES!". So typical... but effective enough to make even Stone pause. 

One gun on him from the henchman still standing. The two at the table showing trigger fingers both placed over the top of detonation devices. While at first he did not know what they were, he'd seen enough explosives and twisted situations in his life to know they were either bluffing or something he hadn't seen yet was about to go very wrong if he was too hasty. Seeing they had his attention, the two kept their trigger fingers pressed to the detonation devices still as they eased a bit in their chairs and smiled at Ramiaell pleased to see that they had his attention. Meanwhile Nathanris looked at Stone with a look that clearly read he was sorry and felt so guilty for this despite being so bound and gagged as tears welled in his eyes. The look hit a very very sore spot in Ramiaell's gut. Because he knew that this wasn't Nathanris's fault at all. They were here for HIM, and HE was guilty of getting him in this. Damn it all. 

They'd done their research, far better than the elf that last tried to get to him. Maybe he was getting too damn soft, and now they were paying the price. Was Beaureve next? He couldn't afford to think that way, one thing at a time. He had to trust his trump card would work. Both of them. 

After some petty small talk and gloating, they managed to force Stone to lower his blades as their one henchmen still alive stepped forward with the gun to Stone’s head and started to pat him down and disarm him. The impressive amount of weaponry on him made both the elves blink a bit in shock but like always they did not pat down his spine. The deadliest weapon he carried on him was still safely tucked along the sheath on his spine as he was motioned forward to 'sit and talk'. With explosives strapped to Nathanris's chair he now sat on, there was no way to effectively keep the men from killing him and all of them right where they stood. If their bluff was real. It certainly looked real enough and soon Stone was forced to have this conversation.  Unlike last time when he was 'asked' to join, this time it was a forced 'join us, work for us or die here along with your friend.' And as further incentive, his 'other friend' would be taken care of more civilly the more he cooperated. An attempt at a deal that so long as he worked for them faithfully, Beaureve would live a good life and they would not use him before delivering him to Cassious. But should he betray them, then Beaureve and Nathanris would suffer far far worse. And even if somehow he got away here and now with Nathanris, though how they could not imagine, well Beaureve would be taken tonight.

The entire time Stone heard them out he never said a word just staring from one to the other with his stony piercing gaze that never once showed fear or unease that he'd been had. It was off-setting to both of them as they were frustrated they did not get to delight in seeing his expressions. But Nathanris seemed to believe every word and he was truly terrified as he cried not just for himself, but for Stone. This was truly tearing him up.

After a much more lengthy conversation that Stone was not really letting go anywhere as he was only saying the bare minimum, the two elves were getting quite frustrated. But they still felt they had the upper hand. So when Stone was given his final ultimatum and still he refused, they decided to resort to violence. With a nod, the lone henchman was signaled to rough him up. It was sad how textbook this was but they were clever enough to not use magic. Thus Ramiaell was rather powerless or so he let them believe as he took the full brunt of a few punches and was soon sent to the floor with a bloodied lip and nose as they chastised him. Unknown by them of course, they were playing right into Stone's hand as he knew he had to make them feel they had him in order for this to work. So he played it out to make it look worse than he really was, leaving poor Nathanris crying harder as he watched Ramiaell beaten to the ground. Their first mistake, they hadn't bound him nor even tried too. So it was all too easy to wait for the perfect moment at the right punch to dodge just enough at the right moment to use that missed momentum to send the henchman down with a move he'd taught before. And with said move the final strike would cause his hand to turn just right to be wrong so when the gun fired it hit his own head instead of Ramiaell's. It happened so suddenly and so fast that none had time to react as they were so certain it was Ramiaell who had been shot. But when he came up revealing it was not, the henchman dropped and Ramiaell swiftly grabbed and unsheathed his hidden blade. With the swiftness of the Stoneblade name he managed two strikes faster than anything the men had seen before as suddenly both were now severed of their trigger hands. As both reeled back with bloodied arms crying out in shock, pain and trying to stop the bleeding limbs Ramiaell quickly grabbed both the bloodied hands to make certain their fingers remained on the triggers. With a kick to one's face both were on the floor now screaming as Stone went for Nathanris. 

He cut him free of the gag and then went for the chair bindings only to find they were at least smart enough to bind him with the explosive wiring too so it wasn't so easy as merely cutting him free. He had to be careful, DAMNIT! Nathanris was trying in a frenzy to help untangle himself while Stone was still doing what he could while keeping ahold of the two bloodied hands and making sure they didn't let up due to some reflex leftover in the severed limb. As good as Stone was, he wasn't above error. It was rare, and he took great pride in making sure whoever he put down was DEAD and not just maybe dead. But maybe luck just wasn't on his side. Maybe fate was finally catching up to him, or maybe... he was getting too soft and missed his mark. It was a fatal mistake and he knew it, but perhaps it was the urgency of trying to make sure the bombs didn't go off that tripped him up. Whatever the case was, Nathanris suddenly screamed for him to LOOK OUT!

Instead of trying to see where he was looking, Stone quickly ducked and rolled. It was probably what saved his life as the bullet that fired slugged into his hip instead of back where it would have hit a lung or worse. The elf he hadn't knocked out yet managed to crawl on one hand and knees to the gun of his fallen henchman, grabbing it and firing at the distracted Stone and Nathanris. In his duck and roll though Stone had managed to knock the chair over along with Nathanris who was on his back now with the chair and Ramiaell on top. Despite the sharp pain in his hip, he kicked the table with the full force of his foot towards the shooter but dropped one of the severed hands. Cursing he worked as fast as he could to finish freeing Nathanris as the two of them began running! 

Outside on the quiet streets of Suramar this late time of night, one lone restaurant that was favored by many locals suddenly went ablaze from an explosion within. Across the city, too far away to really hear the explosion much at all, three silenced shots were fired. Two bodies were dropped at the apartment door Beaureve was sleeping within. A third at the window as the body fell below. He didn't need to find out who or why, the timing was too perfect to not know without a doubt that they had come for their target with the threat neutralized or otherwise distracted. But they had not been expecting someone to be there waiting. No sooner than the big giant shadow was gathering the bodies to move them away than a portal opened as a greasy black haired elf that looked a bit disheveled and unkempt with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder stepped through a few blocks away. Stepping up in time to see his much larger comrade moving the bodies he sneered as he'd missed out on the fun. 

"Why are you here? Is the target en route?" The giant quietly inquired.

"Ch', no. Target's laying low and hiding. Stone said you needed backup."

There was a sudden silence for a moment as the two of them almost swore they heard something rumble in the distance. Something, like a distant explosion foreshadowing what was to come.

"Kids still inside, take the rear post." The giant said as he continued with disposing of the bodies. “Ch’ I just love babysitting.” The thinner elf grunted. They were a little tense with this foreboding air now, but they could both only lay in wait for more to come.