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 Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 5:29 am
This was in no way, shape or form even remotely easy for Sailor Libra. Naturally, she wished to avoid Aquarius at all costs (unless the meeting involved Libra allowing to quash her rival with her superior knowledge, in which case, she relished such meetings, however, this was most definitely not one of those cases).
No matter the case, the blond had requested Aquarius meet her on a specific (and completely random) rooftop. Of course, Libra was beyond early, all but counting the seconds tick by as she waited for her ally. When the other Zodiac soldier finally decided to show up, she was greeted with an arched brow and a sniff. "You are late," she announced, as was becoming customary for her as both Libra and Giselle. "I said 8:30. It is now...8:31."
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two and the senshi of balance battled back the urge to shuffle. Instead, she took a step forward and gave Aquarius a once over, as though sizing up her rival would calm whatever it was stirring inside the soldier. "I wish to go on patrol tonight. As we are not allowed to go alone-" With good reason, she'd come to find. "-I would like to request you accompany me to the scene of a recent crime."
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:23 pm
It was like Barren Pines all over again. Giselle was in trouble, and Tara was called in to save the day. Except this time they weren't being systematically killed to become monster fodder, and this time, she wasn't being called on for her expertise, but... well, she wasn't sure why, honestly.
That didn't stop Aquarius from being smug as she arrived, almost on time. If she had to cooperate with Libra, at least it was because Libra admitted she couldn't hack it, if only indirectly. Aquarius was the go-to gal. She could live with that.
She ignored the comment on her timeliness, just shrugging carelessly. Libra's next statement, however, was too good to pass up. "Allowed, huh?" Aquarius snorted, conveniently forgetting that those directions applied to her as well. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help you out, I'd be happy to pitch in. Where are we off to?"
She didn't mind helping, really- as long as she held the upper hand. Her feeling of superiority was keeping her sane, but it was also clouding her judgement. If she'd been listening, she might have guessed the location Libra was suggesting, but she was too busy gloating to care.
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 1:02 pm
The blond bristled immediately, feeling a stab of regret as soon as Aquarius had joined her. Feeling the rising urge to just whirl on a heel and march out, Libra bit the inside of her check and took a deep breath, counting the first ten decimals of pi before addressing her fellow Zodiac. "Yes, allowed," she ground out, not willing to divulge why she suddenly decided orders sounded like a useful thing to follow.
"We are headed to the bank. I see you have not been keeping up with local news." Her voice was all but dripping with disapproval. One eyebrow still trying to make its way into her hairline (perhaps she'd raised it so much it was actually stuck there), the soldier shifted directions and began to run, not bothering to tell Aquarius which bank in which direction. She'd know when they got there (and what's more, she couldn't take the lead if she wasn't sure of their destination).
Bouncing from rooftop to rooftop, she glanced behind her, trying to gauge how much distance she could put between herself and her rival without losing her all together. She was still sore from her last encounter, but what as a few bruises in the face of bragging rights?
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:17 pm
Aquarius let out a "hmph" that showed that she wasn't submitting to Libra's will, but she did stop arguing the point. Libra's behavior was already totally weird, and she felt a bit like someone dealing with a madman. If she pushed too hard, who knew where the insanity would go? Aquarius was tempted to try, but decided it could wait until later.
"News, shmooze," she said scornfully, but something about what Libra said set alarm bells off in her head. Bank... now that she thought about it, wasn't there something about a bank robbery on the news the other day? A number of people were killed, she recalled, and the circumstances were still unclear. Apparently their mission was to clear things up.
While she was busy figuring that out, Libra had run off on her. Grinding her teeth, Aquarius spotted her in the distance and took off after her, putting extra effort into her sprint until she had caught up. She was too out of breath to speak, so she just focused on running, not willing to let Libra leave her in the dust again.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 4:29 am
Libra couldn't help the smirk as she listened to Aquarius struggle for breath. Served her right, trying to win out over Giselle. She should just admit defeat gracefully and step off to the side. There was no shame in retreating when you were truly outmatched, after all.
It didn't take long to reach the bank in question, Libra halting on a nearby rooftop. It was still surrounding by yellow tapes signifying it a crime scene (probably for those who did not watch the news like some certain Zodiac soldiers, the blond thought smugly) and it was crawling with police. Sighing, she finally glanced at her...ally, and she used to term incredibly loosely, and shifting the weight of her scales in her hand.
"We need to get through security without being noticed," she announced, in case Aquarius had actually lost all ability to think logically. "You never know who's side the police are on. Wild cards." Just as Aries had told her.
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 9:21 pm
Once or twice, Aquarius was tempted to use her powers to leave Libra behind. But that would have been catastrophic if they ran into trouble later. Moreover, she didn't want Libra to think that she needed magic to beat her. Aquarius could outrun her any day of the week. Just not when Libra cheated and took off first.
Her ego soothed by such thoughts, Aquarius jumped ahead when Libra suddenly stopped. Grumbling to herself, she leaped back to the previous rooftop. "Thanks for the warning. Remind me why I'm here again?"
The bank was the reminder that she needed. Aquarius remembered the footage of the aftermath she'd seen on the news. It was hardly surprising that they'd stepped up security after such carnage. She eyed the officers, starting to wonder if they were on a fool's errand.
No. While she disliked Libra, and knew their ideologies clashed fiercely, she couldn't call her a fool. And Aquarius knew she wasn't a fool, even though she acted like one sometimes. In the absence of true fools, it had to be worth it. Which meant that they had to break through.
"Is there another way in? Ventilation? Skylight? Boiler room?"
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Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 9:56 am
Deeming Aquarius' complaints unworthy of a reply, the blond only shot her a dirty look, sniffing a little. If her partner was too lost in her own little world to be observant, Libra wasn't about to fill her in and encourage the habit. (It would also be quite the lie to say the senshi of balance was not enjoying keeping her fellow Zodiac on her toes, almost like an exercise in humility.)
"That is what we are about to find out," Libra replied, trying to keep her voice down, lest someone spot her. After all, people lurking on rooftops in costume were the stereotypical image of a do-gooder. This soldier would rather not be shot in some sort of mistaken identity. "I suspect there must be some sort of vent system, but if not, perhaps we can help ourselves to a window."
A few bounds later found Libra on the rough, crouched down and waited for Aquarius to catch up one more time. They were in luck, there was a large vent towards the back corner. Scuttling over, Libra motioned for the other senshi to join her.
"Help me lift it," she hissed, "we cannot make too much noise."
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Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 11:29 am
Sighing heavily, Aquarius rolled her eyes as Libra left without her again. She briefly considered leaving then, but then shrugged and jumped over to the next roof. Any doubts she had at that point were mostly for show; she knew the mission was too important for her to cut out on. Even if the company she kept made it sorely tempting.
"I'm not an idiot," Aquarius hissed, louder than was probably advisable but still in a whisper. "So just shut up and pull." She eyed the vent, looking at the way it was fastened to the wall. There was a hinge on one side, so Aquarius went to one of the corners opposite the hinge and studied it. It wasn't welded down; the bank may has well have written them an invitation.
"On three, then. One, two, three." Aquarius yanked on her corner of the vent.
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 8:28 am
Bristling at the idea of being told to shut up, Libra considered letting Aquarius heft the heavy slab of metal on her own. However, revenge wouldn't be quite worth making themselves known, let alone be chased by the cops (because if colorfully dressed teenagers wasn't already suspicious, colorfully dressed teenagers trying to sneak into a crime scene definitely tipped the scale against their favor).
With a soft grunt, the blond lifted on her partner's queue, setting the vent next to the shaft as carefully as possible. Personally, she found it a bit odd that it was so easy, but perhaps that was why this particular bank had been robbed in the first place. Easy target.
"I have no idea how many are inside," she informed the other Zodiac, eying the opening they created warily, "if there are any at all. Clearly their security is not the effective." Libra paused to shrug and shake her head. How was it that the police so often seemed like complete idiots? "However, I do not suggest we take the risk. I will head down first and give you an all clear if it is safe. If not..." She shrugged. Libra was positive she could get herself out of almost anything.
Pulling off her heels, lest she make a racket in the vent, the teenager slipped in and disappeared from view.
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 1:03 am
It was hard for Aquarius to have sympathy for a bank with such lax security. Remembering the news story made her sober up significantly. Nobody deserved to be shot, not even if they failed to protect themselves. It was just a sign that the Guard was needed more than ever, if in a slightly different role.
"You'd think they'd've beefed it up after such a disaster," she said wryly. "Let's- wait, why are you going first?" Aquarius demanded angrily, but Libra had already slipped into the vent. Leaving her up on the roof, to do what, wait? Like that was going to happen.
Aquarius may have been a trained warrior, but she was irked, and she acted like any self-respecting teenager would have. After Libra disappeared from view, she took a deep breath, counted to ten- and slipped into the vent after her.
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Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 6:13 am
Libra didn't have the chance to warn Aquarius about the weak point in the vent, and the second Zodiac fell through into the lobby just like the first. Giving her partner no more than an exasperated raised of the eyebrow, and actually offered her a hand up before dusting herself off.
"Apparently," Libra said dryly, glancing around the empty lobby, "they did not expect to get anyone inside. No one has come to investigate all the noise." The blond shrugged, perhaps even less impressed with the police than she had been previously. Quite honestly, she hadn't expected to make it inside the actual bank, perhaps just observe from the shadows. Not sure if she'd call it a pleasant surprise, the Zodiac turned back to her fellow soldier.
"I find it strange they have already cleaned the crime scene," she said with a frown, hefting her scales over her should. "It looks like nothing ever happened here." There were no signs of a fight, nor of the many bloody deaths described on the reports. Libra paused. "If you have any theories, Aquarius, now would be a good time for one." After all, two heads were better than one.
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Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 4:24 pm
The vent was mildly interesting, for the entire five seconds that she was in it. Without warning, the bottom gave way, and Aquarius found herself sprawled on the floor of the bank's lobby. Ignoring Libra's expression, she grabbed the offered hand and lurched to her feet. "I could have done with that," she said, almost amiably. "How about you? It's not only their security that's terrible, but their maintenance too."
Aquarius hadn't expected to actually make it inside either, but was willing to take what she could get. "They can't have cleaned it already," she replied, looking around. "It's an ongoing investigation. They should still be looking for evidence. Otherwise they would've opened back up, and all this sneaking around wouldn't be necessary. The bank won't be closed any longer than it absolutely has to be. It's bad for business."
While she was confident in her statement, Aquarius frowned. If she was right- and she was pretty sure she was- that left a big puzzle to be solved. "Maybe the criminals came prepared. Maybe they brought things to help them take the evidence with them." Even as she said it, she knew it was a silly theory. "Or maybe the bullets were lodged in the wounds. Not all gunshots bleed profusely, and that would explain the lack of other evidence."
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Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 4:29 am
Libra listened to Aquarius quietly, hands folded behind her back as the blond nodded knowledgeably. While the Senshi of Science continued to spout of whatever came to mind, the other Zodiac began to trek around the lobby quietly, bare feet silent against the carpet. "I imagine the criminals did not have time to clean the entire bank," she retorted, snorting softly. "As ineffective as the police are in this city, even their response time is not so slow as to allow an entire cover up."
Having poked around the few plants littering the open room, the blond padded back to her companion and fixed her with a sharp blue gaze. "All the wounds?" She shook her head. "If everyone in the bank was shot to death and killed, I can hardly imagine that each and every one did not bleed out. The probability of such an event is..." Libra waved her hand and shook her head, unable to even begin calculating such complicated statistics in her head.
"An inside job is more likely. Perhaps we should investigate the vault. See if they robbers took everything. Perhaps what they claimed as their prize will shed some light on the goal of their endeavor," the blond decided, already heading in the direction she thought was correct. While money was the obvious reason, such a strange crime scene could only indicate two things: someone was covering up for the criminals, or the criminals themselves were quite the force to be reckoned with.
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Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 12:50 am
Having her theory tossed aside so casually was irritating, Aquarius thought, forgetting that she'd done the same thing only a minute before. "The probability may be minute, but the possibility still exists. I can't say it's the most likely answer, but we can't completely discard it."
Her ego salvaged, she considered Libra's idea. "An inside job. A sound theory. That would account for motive, means, and opportunity quite nicely. It's even possible that there was a disagreement among the conspirators; that would account for the high number of employee fatalities."
Aquarius followed Libra, not really liking where this train of thought was taking them. "If it was, in fact, an inside job..." She frowned. "What does that mean for us?"
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 6:50 am
Libra frowned, pausing as she eyed one of the doors leading out of the lobby. It took her only a moment to become disgusted with her own hesitation, grabbing the knob and opening the door. She was surprised that it offered no resistance; the door clearly wasn't damaged, but Libra had expected a door to the back to have been more, well, heavily guarded.
"How peculiar," she commented, giving the door another once over before heading further into the bank. Libra cast Aquarius a glance before heading further into the belly of the bank, reflecting on what the other Zodiac had said. "If you would elaborate on your previous comment. What are you implying this means for us?"
The blond halted, staring at the door as she tipped her head. "Is it just me?" she asked, squinting a little. "Or does the vault door look completely untouched? There was a robbery. How would they..." Libra trailed off, perplexed as she took another step into building, unaware she was right about to set of the alarm.
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