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Post by redtopaz on Mar 5, 2008 22:58:01 GMT -5
Mercedes wandered among the vendors, her face turned as if examining the wares while her eyes scanned the individuals. She wasn't on patrol. She wasn't supposed to be doing patrol work anymore, but she had a few spare hours and things at the office had been slow. Mercedes dealt with inactivity as well as she dealt with cold weather: poorly.
She paused by a hot dog stand and bought a large with onions and relish. Biting into the treat she kept her eyes locked on the crowd. This part of the mall was notorious for under-the-surface dealings. Mercedes was just fishing to catch someone in the act.
A flash of orange and black drew her eye like a homing beacon. If Mercedes had been looking for trouble, she could say with certainty that she'd just found him. Whatever that boy was up to it couldn't be legal. Cramming down the rest of her dog and grabbing a napkin, Mercedes approached her new 'suspect' and tried to look disapproving.
"Alexander. Having fun?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 5, 2008 23:11:04 GMT -5
The basement was a bit crowded, for a weekday. The area looked something like a vast cathedral. In the far right side, away from the shops and vendors, was the alleyway that led to the former dungeons. The worst part of the worst part of the mall. A few barrels were set up in the shadowy shelter of the alleyway, and the smoke that arose from their blazing pits tinged the air with a faint, pleasurable (in his opinion) scent.
He was dressed in all black, but what else was new? Though, for once, so was everyone else.
At the sound of his name, he turned, somewhat surprised. He recognized the face immediately, and a lazy grin stretched over his face. "Miss de Zorro. What a pleasure. Of course I'm having fun. I always am." He tilted his head at her in a regarding look. "And what brings Captain Do-Gooder into the underground? Not your usual crowd, is it?"
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Post by redtopaz on Mar 5, 2008 23:22:37 GMT -5
Mercedes frowned at him. He was up to something and she wasn't leaving until she found out. She crossed her arms over her red and gold-embroidered shirt. Although she usually wouldn't do red for undercover in this part of the castle a low-cut red shirt and black pants were practically the ladies uniform.
"Oh, protecting the innocent, keeping an eye on the local trouble makers," she drawled, giving him a pointed look. Really. How was this man a century and a half older than her? "What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes flicking to the stand he had been browsing. The proprietor leered at her, displaying a broken row of yellow and brown teeth. Mercedes let her gaze flick back to Alexander. He didn't look like he was doing anything illegal... yet.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 5, 2008 23:37:47 GMT -5
He noticed her look (perceptive as ever) and gave her his very best innocent smile. "I just had a feeling you'd show up, and you know I can never resist spending time with you,," he said sweetly, steering around the question.
He looped a hand around her waist and led her away from the vendor. "Want anything, sweetheart? A shrunken head? An apocalyptic curse? I've got money to spare." He glanced down at her outfit, as if noticing it for the first time, and smirked. "Nice shirt, by the way."
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Post by redtopaz on Mar 5, 2008 23:47:03 GMT -5
"Congratulacion," she quipped. "And if you really want to make me happy, Alexander, you can vaya a casa. Go home before I figure out why you're here," Mercedes said.
"Thank you," Mercedes said, preening slightly despite herself. No matter how much she disapproved of Alexander's mis-deeds she could never turn down a compliment. It was in her blood to enjoy feeling beautiful.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 6, 2008 0:01:19 GMT -5
"Vaya a casa?" he repeated vaguely. "Casa means like... house, right? Casablanca? Telling me to go home, babe? No dice."
"Oi-- princey!" A shifty looking vendor hissed.
Alexander turned, simultaneously releasing his hold on Mercedes. The vendor pulled out about four colorful incense sticks from his duster. Alexander took them, and gave the man several gold coins. The entire transaction took about two seconds and then Alexander stepped back beside Mercedes.
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Post by redtopaz on Mar 6, 2008 0:16:30 GMT -5
Mercedes felt a clammy set of fingers brush her backside. She turned and caught the perpetrators arm, twisting it behind his back and shoving him to the floor. "Excuse me. I'm working," she reprimanded, releasing him and allowing herself to take another scan of the crowd. Nothing particularly sinister. No more so than the average debauched miscreant. She might as well keep following Alexander. She was bound to find some sort of disruption if she remained in his company.
"Why I always seem to find you in such repulsive places is a matter of unending wonder," she drawled. Though she'd been distracted, she'd caught the brief exchange between vendor and Prince. Mercedes eyed the bag and reminded herself that she really wasn't allowed to pluck it out of his hands and examine the contents without his permission.
"So, 'Prince', buying incense on the black market? Rather tame, isn't it?" she said, hoping to bait him in to telling her they had the power to level a city block, or something like that.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 6, 2008 0:33:34 GMT -5
He 'tsked' with his tongue, sending her a sideways look of disappointment. "You didn't believe my innocence before, I see. Just normal incense. The best kind comes from down below." And maybe he failed to mention that they instantly paralyzed when smoking, but.... details, details.
He sent the guy she'd incapacitated behind them a half-concerned look. Mercedes was lethal. "Besides, sweetheart. You can't arrest me even I did do something. You're off duty."
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Post by redtopaz on Mar 6, 2008 0:43:06 GMT -5
Mercedes raised a sculpted dark eyebrow.
"What makes you think I'm off duty, muchacho?" she asked, drawing the last part out with facetious disdain.
"With you're track record I could probably arrest you for just being here," she added. It was complete bull, but she felt obligated to make some sort of a threat.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 6, 2008 0:56:56 GMT -5
He eyed her head to toe, raising an eyebrow. "Ah, silly me. Cleverly disguised as a sexy Nightmare perusing the black magics. Obviously. But where are you keeping your badge?" he had to ask, lips twitching. "No place I want to know about. Well, okay. That's a lie."
He didn't really believe her about the track record. Reputation, sure. But his official record was relatively small. The perks of being royalty.
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Post by redtopaz on Mar 6, 2008 1:12:23 GMT -5
"Hardly any of your business," Mercedes said. Alexander was impossible. She felt flattered and frustrated all in one fell swoop.
"I'm undercover. That requires fitting in," she said, going for a business-like tone. "What's your excuse?" she said. Why would anyone dress in monochrome black of their own volition? Obviously something was wrong with the guy.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 6, 2008 1:20:46 GMT -5
He glanced down at himself, and then back at her, glaring half-heartedly. "I need an excuse?" he said. "What's wrong with black? Tch."
His walk slowed somewhat as they passed a mini-shop containing clothes of the leather, spikes and netting variety. "Undercover, hm? Sounds important."
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Post by redtopaz on Mar 6, 2008 1:43:27 GMT -5
"Black is a wonderful, all-purpose base color. It offsets just about anything. It's when you don't wear anything else that the problem arises," Mercedes said, sounding a bit more like her fab-fashion mother and sister than she realized.
"It's very important," Mercedes said in a manner that attempted to imply that everything she did was important. "I'm... preserving the peace," she said, because 'killing time' didn't sound nearly as officious. Mercedes noticed as Alexander's pace slackened. She eyed the stand. Some potential for punk-style accessories, but not much else.
"See, this is your problem. If you shop at places like this you'll never develop any personal style that's not completely overdone." A bad guy in black. Oh, original.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 6, 2008 1:54:07 GMT -5
"Of course it is," he said with a small smirk. And maybe it was. It probably was, actually, Mercedes being who she was. But generally uninteresting to him.
He chuckled gruffly. "Really, Mercedes. Sometimes its like you want me to think you don't like me." He nodded absently at the punk store. "I wouldn't wear a color. But I am hardly overdone." He flashed her a movie-star smile. "I'm one of a kind."
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Post by redtopaz on Mar 6, 2008 2:20:01 GMT -5
"Oh, you're a kind, all right. Dolor en el asno kind..." she muttered.
"And what would make you think I don't like you? Aside from the fact that you get away with just about anything. Children don't come more spoilt than you, diablo," she said, leaning forward to examine a large black bracelet with an odd design.
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