Fantasy FTK: Black Rose Detective Agency

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz gave her an awkward smile. "Piggy pig who?"

She turned in her chair, pushing a pencil into her bun.

 

[Jodyguru]

“The slapper with the makeup. The cop. Cops love to tattle. She’s trying to fuck with Lautrec, so I wanna bash her face in”
She growled. The woman had intense eyes looking around the room. She could hear movement in the back of the office.
“She’s here, isn’t she?”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz stared at her for a minute, "Um....no."

A loud curse was heard from the back office.

Rheitz blushed, "Th-that's the cleaning lady."

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida glared sharply at Reitz. There was a quick snapping of light between them.
“You’re lying. She’s in there. Your name is Rheitz Toccash... I never forget liars.” She scowled and cracked her knuckles.

Something had happened in that split second. Her thoughts had been invaded, and a piece of data was extracted from her memory.

Aida went up to Lautrec’s door and pounded on it. The door was locked.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"For the love of Mitra, what the hell do you want?!"

The door flew open and a very red-faced Delilah stared back at the dhampiress, her chest heaving.

"Oh great! The bastard sent the woman herself! What, does he want to taunt me now?!"

She walked back to the desk, throwing herself back into his chair.

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida approached the desk and looked at her angrily.
“Look, I don’t know what you did, but nobody makes my brother cry except me!”
She pulled out a leather riding glove and slapped Delilah across the face with it in hand.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah stared at the wall, the sting of leather against skin burning her cheek.
Her eyes watered at the pain but she wiped the tears away quickly, turning to face Aida again.

Rheitz rushed into the room, eyes wide.
"Don't fight! You guys should talk this out!"

Delilah chuckled, rubbing her raw skin.
"Talk? Oh, doll, we're way past talking."
She stood up from the seat, the chair falling back.
"So I made him cry huh? The vamp's a bigger baby than I thought! It's his fault for stealing files, why should I care?!"

She came out from around the desk, arms splayed.
"Come on! Hit me! Hit me for a mistake your bastard brother made!"

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida hollered back at her. “Nice try bitch! He wasn’t stealing anything. You porkies love to blame the Dhampir for everything. We can’t even defend ourselves or our pride without you ready with the crosses and fire. Come on and fight me, ruby red tramp!”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah snorted, hands resting on her hips.
"What? Too scared to face the facts? He stole a file and I'll sure as hell blame him for things he does wrong! What? Too scared too hit me?!"

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida smirked. “I challenged you to a duel. I’m not stupid. If I swing now you can press charges. If you swing, then play ball.” She held her fists up, not taking any crap.
“It’s some stupid papers, you uptight winge. Not like he stole your car. Get off his case and come fight me!”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah growled, lunging forward. Her fist collided with Aida's nose, nails scoring the skin on her cheek.
"I didn't do a damn thing besides yell at him and read the file. Don't blame me if your brother goes home and cries like a baby!"

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida kicked Waters in the knee and then grabbed her neck, pushing her against the desk and leaning her down over it. She started laying blows into her stomach and liver. The power of a Dhampir was more than Delilah could handle alone. She had the strength of two men behind each swing.

Meanwhile...

In a smoke filled bar across town where mobsters and drinkers frequent, Lautrec entered. The patrons looked up at him, who removed his hat and jacket before entering.
A pool table had a group of men playing a game. Lautrec set a silver piece on the pool table and ordered a drink.
The bartender rested an elbow on the counter near him.
“This bar ain’t for cops, buddy.”
Lautrec looked up at him and put another silver on the bar.
“Good thing I’m not a cop, then. I’ll take a brandy.”
The bartender looked at him hard for a moment then accepted the silver.
One of the pool players watched the Dhampir while his opponent was lining up a shot.
“Haven’t seen you in awhile, Gesswic.” The pool player said.
“I’ve been gone a hot minute. How’s the boss?” Lautrec asked.
“Roland’s out. Some elf named Venrir is in charge now. Me and the boys aren’t digging it.”
“Roland, is he...”
“The big sleep”
“Damn. I was hoping to see him.”
“Should’ve come to West District sooner.”
The eight ball sunk in the corner pocket.
“Games over. You remember how to play, Gesswic?”
Lautrec chuckled, “A little rusty, but I’ll manage.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah let out a strangled gasp for air, hands finding Aida's throat.
She squeezed her neck, attempting to choke her.
Blood dribbled from her nose, a bruise beginning to form on her forehead from the impact of being slammed against the sturdy, wooden desk.

Hooking a leg behind Aida's knees, she pulled it back, causing her to topple over. Delilah lunged forward, fist slamming into the side of her face.

Rheitz stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She rushed forward, trying to pry Delilah off of Aida, but she was pushed aside, her head bashing into the side of the desk.
She hissed in pain, brows furrowed in anger.
"Stop! Now!"
But the two women didn't stop. Instead they clawed at each other even more.

Rheitz stood up quickly, narrowly missing Aida's fist, rushing back to her office.
She pulled the phone to her ear, changing the plug to Lautrec's phone.
When she received no reply she let out a small groan, wincing at the sound of crashing boards in the background.
"I'll call Toby!"
She changed the plug again, ringing him up.

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida rolled over, sitting on Delilah and pulling her hair. She had a wide grin on her face.
“Ah, this is great! I love kicking pig asses.” She glared at Waters and another spark of light shot between their eyes.
“Especially pigs who kill the innocent. You’re gonna fry in hell, piggy.” She smirked knowingly at Delilah.

The line picked up. “Hello? Hey baby... Nah I’m off tonight why.... oh boy... okay I’m coming, just stay low and out of the way. I’ll be there soon.”

———
The balls clacked hard against each other and split in different directions across the pool table. A solid sunk in on Lautrec’s turn, so he went again.
“Why are you here, anyway?” The pool player asked. Lautrec was lining up his next shot.
“Thinking a lot about the old times lately. Thought I’d come back and try to find that feeling again.” He snapped the stick. The cue ball went the wrong way and sat between a couple stripes. He grimaced and backed off the table.
“If you wanna feel like losing at pool I can help with that.”
“I was thinking more like the moving a decent score kind of feeling.”
The pool baller glared at Lautrec, then relaxed into a smile.
“You’re a funny guy, Gesswic. We don’t play those games anymore though.” He lined up a shot and sunk a stripe into the side pocket.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah hissed in pain, fingers digging into the floor.
She...she couldn't be referring to that could she?

"It was a mistake," she spat, trying to pull her hair from Aida's grasp, "I thought he was gonna shoot me!"

Back then, when she was still a rookie cop, Delilah Waters made a terrible mistake.

She'd pulled over some dwarf for speeding and what she assumed to be drunk driving.
The guy was swerving around the road like he had one too many beers!
He was some shifty-looking guy, skittish and gnawing on his lip, his words slurred as she spoke to him.
He made a sudden move for his pocket and she thought he was gonna pull a gun on her and when he didn't put his hands up like she'd asked but instead turned quickly, the hand sliding out from his pocket, she shot him.

The guy died. His head lolled to the side and when Delilah had realized he was reaching for his wallet, she collapsed onto the ground next to his car, her head falling onto the door off the vehicle.

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida laughed. “Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that. I read your subconscious. He was gross and fat, stupid and reckless. All the things you hate. Your finger was touching the trigger before he rolled his window down. You wanted him to die. Good riddance. The world is better off. That’s how the church feels about me and my brother. You stupid sow!”

———-
Lautrec smirked and sunk another shot. He had one left before the eight ball, same as the pool man.
“What is Venrir doing that your boys don’t like?” Lautrec asked.
“He closed our favorite gambling hall for one. He brought in a lot of new faces that don’t sit well with the old members. Plus, there‘s there’s the church thing.”
Lautrec sunk his shot and moved around the table to make his attempt at the eight.
“Church thing?”
“Yeah. Venrir doesn’t go. His top men are forbidden from going on Sundays. He makes us take off our jewelry when we enter his building.”
“So he’s anti religious in general?”
“Yeah man. I mean we do bad stuff but we wash our hands and pray. Our moms taught us best they could.”
“I’m sure they did.” Lautrec took the shot, and won the game with eight in the corner pocket.
“Damn. I almost had it.” The pool guy said.
Lautrec shook his hand and nodded.
“It was a close game. Let me buy you a drink.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz listened, standing awkwardly at the door, the scene unfolding in front of her.
Detective Waters had killed an innocent man?!

Delilah growled, writhing under the dhampiress.
"You don't know me or what I was thinking! I don't hate your brother enough to kill him! Just because I work for the damn church doesn't mean I share their opinions!"

 

[Jodyguru]

Aida got off of her and barked at her some more. “LIAR! You locked him away! He’s going to die in that place!” She seemed like she was going to run at Waters and do some more harm, when the door opened.
Toby entered the office and was walking towards the back.
“Everything okay in here?” Toby asked, with his hand over the holster.
Aida looked towards him, and the color drained out of her face. Her eyes went wide.
She wasn’t seeing an off duty cop. She was seeing a dark hallway with light pouring in behind him. She saw him dressed in white and holding a needle in one hand and a restraining belt in the other.
“No.... No!” She yelled in fear, backing away, curling up in the corner of the office. “Stay away! I don’t need any more drugs! Please, No!” She was screaming at Toby with tears falling from her eyes.

Officer Tobias froze, looking around, and at Rheitz for instruction. He wasn’t sure what they needed from him.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah hacked like a cat, groaning on the ground, hands clutching her throbbing stomach and head.
Her head throbbed and she was sure that her face was decorated with bruises.
She curled up into a ball on the floor, the memory of the dwarf's blood staining his beige coat pounding in her head.

Rheitz glanced at Tobias, her mouth forming a confused "o" shape.
Cautiously, she edged closer to Aida, managing to wrap her arms around the shivering girl.

"Shhh, it's okay. He won't do anything to you. Nothing's gonna happen. He won't give you any drugs."

 

[Jodyguru]

The girl had bruises all over her from the fight. Her teeth were clenched together and she looked terrified at Rheitz.
“No...n-no. There’s nothing there.” She said softly, crying and embracing Rheitz.
Toby stuck his head in the room and saw Delilah beat up.
“Holy crap, Waters!” He said and looked around. “Do you need me to call someone? You need some ice for those bruises.” He helped her to her feet and moved her out of the office. He set her down in Rheitz’s chair and got some cubes from the icebox wrapped in a towel.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz cooed softly, walking the girl over to a chair and sitting her down.
"It's alright. Everything is gonna be alright."
She stroked her hair, wiping the tears from her face.

Delilah closed her eyes, leaning her head back.

"Damn."

She took the ice from Tobias, letting out a hiss when the coolness touched the heated skin under her shirt.
Unable to soothe the pain directly, she moved to pop open the buttons of her blouse.

"Hey, kid, I'm gonna take off my shirt, so you better leave," she muttered to Tobias, undoing the first button.

 

[Jodyguru]

He looked at her funny. “Kid? Unless you’ve got a bomb strapped to your chest you aren’t going to surprise me.” He turned his chair sideways so he wasn’t looking at her. He wanted to be ready to act in case Aida came back for round two.
“Who is she anyway, and why were you fighting her? You never fight the crazy ones. You’re lucky she didn’t bite you or something.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah managed to unbutton her shirt, revealing a large bruise on the entire expanse of her stomach.
It had begun to turn purple, the flesh looking like an abstract painting.
She pressed the ice to the heating skin, holding back a sigh of relief.

"It's none of your business, kid. I'm fine. Go help your girlfriend or something."

She didn't mean to come off as ungrateful. She appreciated that Tobias had helped her up and brought her ice.
But the sting of wounded pride and the resurfacing of painful memories made her stomach churn.
Acting like a weakling only made her feel worse.

 

[Jodyguru]

“If I go in there she could start screaming again.” He shrugged and stood up. He peered into the room where Aida was sobbing and holding herself.
“Everyone okay?” He asked carefully.
Aida looked up at him, then turned to Rheitz.
“Where am I?” She asked, rubbing her head. She didn’t seem as freaked out by Toby.
“You’re at the Black Rose agency.” He replied.
“Black... Lautrec. Where is Lautrec?” She asked with a worried tone in her voice.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz frowned.
"We...we were hoping you could answer that."
She glanced up at Tobias nervously, biting her lip.