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[Logan Storm]

22nd of Spring, 55 AV

Logan knocked on a green metal door. He banged on it twice and waited for someone to answer. He waited three ticks before banging again.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" A muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

Logan heard and felt footsteps draw closer to him from the other side of the door. He heard the footsteps stop, then he heard locks on doors being unlocked. In total he heard three locks sound before the door finally opened.

Logan stiffened his shoulders as a man appeared in front of him. The man looked close to Logan's age. He was cleanly shaved and had golden hair that glittered to the back of his head. The mans hair was smooth and fell to his shoulders.

He was skinny and as tall as Logan was. He wore a beige shirt with pants that seemed a little too expensive for Sunberth citizens.

"Johnny?" Logan asked the man who seemed slightly terrified to see Logan.

"Who's asking?" he said.

"Your new bodyguard," Logan replied.

The man looked confused for a moment but allowed Logan to walk into his home. Logan moved into the building, taking a few glances at the decor.

An average Sunberth two story home, that is what Logan stood in. There was nothing fancy about it, except the unbelievable amount of room there was, and the fact that there was a back yard outside. Other than that, the walls were still shabby, the roof was still poorly done, and the building still looked like it would fall apart at the slightest touch.

Typical Sunberth hime, Logan thought.

"It's kinda weird that you are here," the man said. "I wasn't expecting- well- you."

Logan looked back at the man confused. "What do you mean?"

The man locked all the locks, a sharp sound of metal connecting with metal ringing in everyone's ears. "Well," the man answered. "When I asked for a protection service, I specifically asked for... Two women."

Logan walked further into the house. He could see the back yard from the large window that nearly covered one wall. The suns rays lit what looked to be a small land filled with dirt- more than grass- surrounded by a wooden fence.

"Why specifically two women?" Logan asked, almost already knowing the answer.

He looked at the man who gave a sly smile back to him. "They make great company," the man answered.

Well, Johnny's a freak, Logan thought to himself.

[Zoe Collins]

Zoe had a job to do today, and it was great. Jobs didn't exactly come by all that often in Sunberth for her to disregard the relief and happiness of landing one. She had come across the job from a contact in the Drunken Fish over a pair of drinks. "Oi! Over here! The shrewd-looking man had informed her of a certain person in the city who was looking for hired help, someone to help him survive throughout the night. "Listen up, got a new one for you today. Rich guy, of sorts. Kinda weird too. But more on that later. Heard that he was hiring anyone who could help him. Already sent one guy his way. The weird shyke's name is Johnny or something."

The man's eyes glistened as he continued, unable to contain what he was about to tell her, spilling it all out "No idea what he needs protecting. Might very well be for himself. So here's the interesting part, you'll probably love to hear. He is even willing to pay extra if the arranged help were female. That fella is known to love women like that." Zoe snorted at the revelation of the fact. "Of course he does. More money for me then." She was running really low on money, and could use the extra cash. She palmed a coin over to him across the wooden table, thanking him for his information, and for continued good favour. He gave her a satisfied grin at the sight of the coin. Armed with her newly-acquired information about her potential job, she exited the tavern; heading towards the location he had gave her.

Dressed in her black shirt with its accompanying brown leather corset, she was armed with her kukri in its sheath, as she navigated the streets with ease, looking for the place that would lead her to the job location. After searching around for several chimes, Zoe finally found the house she was supposed to find. In front of her lay an average looking two-storey Sunberth home with a green door. She approached the door, and gave it a series of hard knocks, before waiting several ticks for a response of any kind. Four ticks later, a muffled male voice announced behind the door. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" She ceased her knocking at once, waiting for the door to open. Zoe then heard footsteps approaching door before she heard the tell-tale sign of a series of locks being unlocked, before the door opened slightly. She was pretty sure; she heard three clicks which indicated that there were three locks on the door.

What she saw surprised her. She had guessed that her employer would be a middle-aged fat man, who could probably do nothing at all. But the head the poked out behind the door was that of a cleanly-shaved young man with glistening golden hair that followed all the way back to the back of his head. Her mouth must have been ajar; he snapped "What do you want?" She then answered "I'm here for the job. I heard you were hiring help?" The man broke into a wide smile, as he opened the door wider, revealing his lanky and skinny frame to her. His arms motioned into a wave "Yes, come in, come in." Yep, she thought to herself that was definitely that man she was told of. She swiftly got in, her eyes noticing the sparsely decorated interior, before landing on the sight of another young man. This one was well-built and muscular, a far-cry from the man she was supposed to protect. He had dark brown hair, tan skin, with a set of coffee brown eyes. Her gaze turned into a stare as she tried to figure out who this good-looking fella might be.

[Logan Storm]

There came a knock at the door.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Johnny said as he turned away from Logan and made a slow trek to the front door.

Logan stayed in place, but stretched his neck so that he could see who knocked. It was a bit hopeless, but Logan could make out some small strands of gold hair blowing in the breeze. Johnny blocked Logan from seeing the strangers form, but he could hear the strangers voice.

A female. She stated that she wished to be a bodyguard. Johnny, who sounded pretty beguiled by this female, happily invited her inside. "Yes, come in, come in," he said not hiding any form of glee for this woman's presence.

Logan moved to the nearest couch and slowly placed his dark coat on its handle, all the while keeping an eye on this woman. She looked incredibly young. The golden strands of hair Logan once saw now gathered into a mane that gracefully fell to her shoulders. Not a single word- nor beautiful, attractive, alluring, or prepossessing- could describe this woman's goddess-like appearance.

When Logan noticed that the woman was staring at him as much as he was staring at her, he raised a brow then smirked. "Like something you see?" He would say to her in a teasing manner.

"Alright," Johnny said as he neared the woman. "I guess we should start this day off with greetings."

"My name is Johnny! Last name you don't need to know." Johnny turned to the female of the room and offered his hand to her for a shake, or maybe a kiss on her back palm. "And who, my darling, are yo-"

"Logan Storm!" Logan would suddenly cut Johnny off before the man could even start flirting with the woman of the house. "And I don't think I would like to consider myself your darling. Your protector, yes. The guy who is going to risk his life to save yours, definitely."

[Zoe Collins]

Zoe was staring at the muscular young man, when she noticed that he had his eyes on her as well in a similar way. She had kept her eyes on him, trying to assess if he was hostile, and if he was a threat. Sensing no hostility nor malice from him, she relaxed her shoulders a little, reducing the tension slightly. The man proceeded to cock an eyebrow before giving off a smirk. "Like something you see?" He teased. She was slightly taken aback by the remark, but quickly recovered. She gave him a mischievous smile as she retorted "Oh, I see plenty that I like." before giving him a wink. She then dropped her gaze from him, as she walked further into the room, taking in once more the sparsely-decorated interior of the house. It seemed an odd and unfitting match, compared to the rich clothing the owner wore.

Zoe was unused to the emptiness of the room, but a job was a job. Houses in Sunberth, tend to be rather small and cramped, with their inhabitants trying to fit what they owned in the small place they owned, cramping their possessions in any spot they could find. All this room had was a single wooden bed, a hearth, a bookshelf, a table and two chairs. The rest of the house were typical Sunberth quality, built from shoddy craftsmanship and sub-par materials. What stood out from the rest of the homes in the area, was that the house came equipped with a backyard. She walked towards the yard, taking a quick glance around at its surroundings. The backyard was a simple affair as well, enclosed with a wooden fence. The ground was more dirt than grass, most probably from a lack of any care whatsoever. She strolled back into the room, looking up at her employer as he started talking.

"Alright,I guess we should start this day off with greetings." He got ever closer to her as he started talking, and by the time he was done, he was right in front of her. "My name is Johnny! Last name you don't need to know." But of course, Zoe knew that already. She didn't really care about what his last name would be. It was not like knowing it would change anything she thought to herself. He then stretched out his hand towards her, looking for a handshake, or petch knows what else. He then went on "And who, my darling, are yo-" Johnny was abruptly interrupted by the other mercenary,the young and muscular man who announced his name "Logan Storm!" She turned to look at him with a frown before he continued, taking Johnny's hand into his. "And I don't think I would like to consider myself your darling. Your protector, yes. The guy who is going to risk his life to save yours, definitely."

Zoe couldn't help but let out a chuckle at what this Logan had said. He was certainly a witty man, that was for sure. So, his name's Logan, she thought to herself. Not bad, he looked like a Logan to her, not that she even knew what Logan tends to look like. She gave a quick wave at the two men before introducing herself "Zoe Collins, at your service!" before giving them both a wink and a quick smile.

[Logan Storm]

"Alright!" Johnny clapped his hand then moved away from them both. In a smooth motion he sat on his couch, one that faced towards both Zoe and Logan, and stared at them both with a bright smile."Now, about the reason you are here."

He began digging into his pocket now in a vigorous search. After a while of searching he pulled out a small piece of paper. If Logan looked very carefully he could see the paper had a crease along the edges, signifying that the page had been folded before. The fact that the paper was bulky also signified that it was still folded.

Johnny did as Logan thought he would and unfolded the paper to reveal a sheet with color on it. He held it up for both Logan and Zoe to see it clearly.

"Nice picture," Logan said gesturing to the painting that Johnny held to them. It was a picture of a girl in a red dress. She had hair that fell to her waste, and small strands that rested around her arm that was leaning against a white pedestal. She had light green eyes and a wonderful half smile that made her look like she was embarrassed. Maybe blushing?

"This is my girlfriend," Johnny said then looked only at Zoe. "Ex," he said winking at her. "Recently, I broke up with her because we were having a few problems."

"Problems?," Logan asked.

"We- She was crazy. And when I broke up with her... She didn't take things sitting down. She ordered a hit on me by her brothers gang."

Johnny shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He seemed tired at that moment, like he had stayed up all night and had gotten little rest. He leaned his head to the couch and continued talking, "Well, I suppose knowing that she had horrible family connections was the first sign of what I was getting myself into.

"Now, she is sending her gang tonight to finish me off. I don't know how many, all I know is that the death letter said tonight. If I make it through the night, both of you will get payed, and I will get to leave this crazy city by the morning, since that's when my caravan leaves."

Logan looked towards the window. He could still see sunlight on the grass, but it was dim light. The greenery and the sand were both orange under the sun, so it was sundown, close to being night time.

He then looked at Zoe for her expression in the matter. How did she feel knowing that a gang was now probably gathering material to break into the house and kill them both. The time was nearing, but there was still enough to back out and leave. Would she?

Logan sighed. "You said the caravan leaves in the morning. Only one problem though, our payment is due in the morning. So, where will it be?"

To Logan's question Johnny smiled. "Both of your one hundred and eighty two GM are in my home, somewhere. Yes, they are hidden. If I make it through this I will give you the money," he said.

"We can just take it," Logan replied, folding his arms and looking very formidable. He stood straight, his muscles pumping out of his sleeves. "We can just kill you now and collect the money."

Johnny began to laugh. "Good luck finding it," he said with a cocky smile.

[Zoe Collins]

Their employer, Johnny clapped his hands and moved away from the pair as he announced their mission."Alright! Now, about the reason you are here." In theory, it was supposed to be a simple task, protect him from the hired-killers coming for him tonight and survive. But, reality was a different ball-game altogether. It was just the two of them protecting this Johnny against gods know how many assailants. They had their work cut out for them alright. She saw the man digging and fumbling for something in his pocket, before fishing out a folded and crumpled paper-like material. Upon unfolding it and displaying it for them to see, it was revealed to be a painting of a lady.

A beautifully dressed one as well. Her waist-length her fell gracefully around her shoulders as she leant against a white pedestal. The red dress she wore complemented her light green eyes perfectly. The bashful expression she wore made the painting look better than she thought it would be. Logan then spoke up as he added a comment of his own. "Nice picture." Zoe would only smirk at his remark. The woman in the painting was soon revealed to be Johnny's ex-girlfriend. "This is my girlfriend. Ex. Recently, I broke up with her because we were having a few problems." Logan couldn't wait to add in something else. "Problems?" She simply looked at him, before looking back at her employer as he continued.

"We- She was crazy. And when I broke up with her... She didn't take things sitting down. She ordered a hit on me by her brother’s gang."

The mood in the room significantly took a hit as Johnny shook his head as he sighed. "Well, I suppose knowing that she had horrible family connections was the first sign of what I was getting myself into. Now, she is sending her gang tonight to finish me off. I don't know how many, all I know is that the death letter said tonight. If I make it through the night, both of you will get paid, and I will get to leave this crazy city by the morning, since that's when my caravan leaves." Well, that was petched. A whole gang coming up against them? It certainly looks like they were in deep shyke. If they had any luck at all, the whole gang wouldn't be coming for them. If that was not the case, they all may very well die here tonight. Both of their skills would be put to the test tonight it seems. You win or you die, that was what it was looking to be.

Another option she had thought of would be to flee, but that wasn't really like her. Part of her personality ensured that she always saw things through and completed whichever tasks she had taken up. She saw Logan looking towards the window, staring outwards blankly. She wandered what was on his hand. If they wanted to have any success on this at all, they would have to work together and trust each other. That was no easy task for a pair of strangers who had just met, even so in a place like Sunberth. He then turned his view to her, his gaze now resting on hers. She hoped he wasn't going to back out now.

Zoe had been silent through this whole conversation so far, simply thinking and pondering over what in the petch they were going to do in order to survive the night assault. Logan then sighed. "You said the caravan leaves in the morning. Only one problem though, our payment is due in the morning. So, where will it be?" He was asking about their payment. Yes, that was very important. Their payment. The reason they were in this shyke of a situation right now. She hoped it was worth it.

Johnny smiled upon learning about the nature of the question. He confidently replied that they pay were safely hidden somewhere. Logan then made a quip. "We can just take it. We can just kill you now and collect the money." She swiftly gave him an elbow in the ribs. Simply smiling at Johnny, she told Johnny "Don't mind Logan, he's just being stupid." She shot Logan a death glare, pulling him aside as she chastised him. "We have enough odds stacked against us as it is, we don't need it to be even worst!"

She then stepped out of the house, walking around the perimeter, looking around, trying to see if there were any escape routes they could take if things turned nasty. After all, they just had to survive the night. What was most important was their lives. It was silly to just stay in one building and wait for their impending doom. Instead what they could do was look for an escape route if things turned sour.

[Logan Storm]

Before Logan could say more to his client, Zoe pulled him to the side to have their first team speak. He couldn't tell if she was scolding him or warning him to not say anything stupid anymore. But, it was hard to take her serious for even a second; and that was because she looked extremely hot when she was angry. If it meant keeping that face, then he was willing to say something stupid every two ticks.

However, Logan was also willing to put aside his selfish want for his job. So, when Zoe left the room, Logan apologized to Johnny. Johnny, who found all this funny, accepted his apology heartily. Logan couldn't stand to see that large grin on his face, so he left the house as well to get some fresh air.

It was another ordinary dusk in Sunberth. Many people were beginning to walk home from a long day of doing whatever. Some carried weapons, walked in a group, looked around worriedly for danger, or watched other people's coin purses. This was Sunberth- ordinary Sunberth. Logan wasn't afraid that a gang was readying to stalk the streets this night just to kill him. There was something wrong about that because he should be afraid. He should be as worried as Zoe right now and checking for escape routes, but he wasn't.

Logan stretched his muscles then walked back to the door to close it, ordering Johnny to lock it andto stay in one part of one room. He also told Johnny to yell as soon as he caught a hint of trouble. After doing this, Logan followed Zoe's footprints. When he found her he stopped just to stare at her. A perfect woman by appearance, it was odd to think that she could do any damage to anyone. However, Sunberth didn't raise weaklings, it raised killers.

"There is a backyard that could be used as an escape route. Its easy to hop the fence. Do you have any areas you would consider safe?"

Logan had a few obvious thoughts on where they could go if needed. The first was to Suns Berth territory, another gang that didn't do well with rivals stepping on their land. It was a dangerous thought because Suns Berth was an enigma to him, he didn't know if they were going to open their arms to him or shank him, Zoe, and Johnny the second they could.

The second option that played through his mind was to split up; Zoe taking Johnny and heading for the caravan while Logan distracted the attackers. This plan was even more dangerous for him, but at least there was an eighty-percent chance of Johnny living.

[Zoe Collins]

While Zoe was scolding him, Logan had a cheeky smile plastered on his face. She could not tell if he was taking her seriously or not. Crossing her arms, she stared at him furiously for several chimes before she stormed off. The way he stared at her surprised her, but she kept her cool. She did not want to misinterpreted matters, as that would lead to awkward things. Awkward things were bad right now, when their survival was on the very line tonight.

As she surveyed the backyard and its surroundings, she immediately took note of the one small obscure road leaning somewhere into the city. She had no idea where it led, and it was a big risk, but time was not on their side right now, and wouldn't allow her the luxury of scouting it out.

They would just have to take the risk and go with it, but only as a last resort. She definitely did not want to stay cooped up in the house. While her combat skills were decent enough, she was in no way a match for a gang, if that was what they really would be facing against tonight.

No, they would have to relocate, or simply move somewhere near the caravan Johnny would be leaving on the next morning. She was not going to die tonight, and she wasn't going to let Johnny or Logan die as well, if she could help it. She probably wouldn't be able to, but you'll be petching sure she'll try her hardest. Dusk was approaching rapidly, and soon enough, it'll be dark. When when darkness fall, so too did the danger. The gang would most probably be marching on to this house this very instant.

She moved to turn around, wanting to tell him that they should move and soon. There was no way the two of them could take out an entire group coming against them. Neither of them were expert fighters, not counting the fact that they would be greatly outnumbered, but she saw Logan standing there, staring at her. There, he was doing it again. She wondered how long he had been staring at her from behind. A blush rose to her face, and she walked up to him.

He then spoke."There is a backyard that could be used as an escape route. Its easy to hop the fence. Do you have any areas you would consider safe?" She replied him, her gaze affixed onto his own. "I was thinking about the backyard as well. I don't have any areas I consider safe, and I think we would just have to wing it , and play by the ear. I saw a small road leading somewhere into the city, though I have no idea where it leads." She turned to point at the general direction of the road she found earlier, her hair swaying in the breeze that had lent itself to the conversation. She brushed off her stray locks of her fringe, visibly amused by the sudden breeze, which seemed to have came out of nowhere.

She quickly walked back into the house to inform Johnny of her plans. She hoped he had the brains to see the logic in her plan. As soon as she saw Johnny, she said "Pack your things Johnny, we need to move as soon as we can. It's almost dark. They'll be here soon enough." Seeing confusion clearly written on his face, she explained further. "Based on what you have told us, a gang would be soon upon us. Logan and I would be no match for so many. This house would be nothing but a death-trap. I suggest you pack your things and we leave this house behind. Hopefully this way, we can get there in one piece."

Waving her hands around in an animated gesture she then sighed. "Of course, this is Sunberth, and things that go wrong will go wrong. They'll bound to have some people along the way."Zoe then point a finger towards Logan."I suggest we get ready as well."

[Logan Storm]

She blushed, and Logan held away a passion to kiss her. She was very attractive, and Logan couldn't help the way he felt around an attractive woman as her. The thought of grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into him would most likely race through his head for the rest of their time together. It would kill him, but that death would not be as brutal as one from a gang. If Logan had to choose whether to flirt with Zoe and die or work with Zoe and live, he would go with living.

"I was thinking about the backyard as well," Zoe said as they began speaking. It was good to know that they both thought the same. Teamwork was important with this job. Both had to think the same or at least agree on the same thing. The moment an argument started between them would be the moment they failed at their job.

"I don't have any areas I consider safe, and I think we would just have to wing it , and play by the ear," she continued, and Logan furrowed his brow. This was not a good idea. He never liked any plans involved in winging things. He wanted a detailed and wise scheme A, B, and C. That is why when she mentioned the road he said, "We'll take it until I recognize the landscape."

After their talk, Zoe walked into Johnny's home and began speaking with him. Logan stayed outside leaning against the front door. He was listening to everything she was saying while his eyes were looking all around him. She was right to believe that leaving now was a good plan, but there was still little to go by. What would they do once they left? Where would they go? They both needed to think before they acted, or while they acted.

When Zoe pointed to him and said that they needed to get ready. Logan stood up straight and stared at her with lazy eyes. "I am ready," he told her. "As soon as you and Johnny are, we are leaving. The doors will remain locked and all the fires in this place should go out. We will be heading to Sun's Birth territory. They don't attack citizens and see every gang as trouble. It is the perfect place to go, for now."

Logan moved from the front door, walked down the steps of the front patio and stood at the road where he would wait for Johnny to pack his bags and for Zoe to show him where that unknown route is.

[Zoe Collins]

"We'll take it until I recognize the landscape." That was Logan’s reply to her suggestion on taking the road. He too agreed on using that route to get the shyke out of here. Not like there were many options at all to begin with. She guessed that the two of them would just have to take the road until they see something they recognise.

She had no doubts that they would meet some of the gang somewhere along the road, as it was the only back road leading out of the house, and the gang had to know it.

Nevertheless, their numbers would be alot less, and that would balance the odds more towards their favour. She fingered the hilt of her kukri, no doubts in her mind, that by the end of the day, its thirst for blood would be well-quenched with thug blood. She couldn't help but grin at the thought of that.

When she had told him to get ready and prepare, he had told her with laziness in his eyes that he was ready. He had also said as soon as the two of them were ready, they would be leaving. He had also suggested locking the doors and putting out all the fires in the house.

They would then be heading to Sun's Birth territory. They didn’t seem to attack citizens and see every gang as trouble. It was the perfect place to go, for now. That was his opinion and suggestion.

That was the plan it seems. He wanted to lock the door and put out all the fires in the house and head towards the Sun's Birth territory as they were not as problematic as the other gangs as long as you did not step on their toes. She however disagreed on one point. Instead of putting out the fires, she wanted them to remain burning for as long as it could.

By covering the windows, but just leaving a gap big enough to let the bright orange light from the flames from the outside. Hopefully, that would simulate the fact that they would still be in the home, and the gang would waste precious time, trying to get through the locked door.

Otherwise, they might just decide to skip the house all together if they find it empty, and they would have them hot on their heels. In the time that she had thought this out, Logan had already moved out of the house towards miserable excuse of a patio that the house had.

She gathered more firewood from the pile beside the hearth, and kindled the fire for several ticks, before arranging several new pieces of firewood so that they were close enough to feed the fire, but far enough so that it was not being suffocated.

She readjusted the bare scraps of cloth acting as the curtains, so that they did not present the viewer a full view of the room, yet enough, so that they could see the fire. Satisfied with the state of the fire, she left the house, closing the back door, looking towards Johnny and Logan.

"I've kept the fire going, hopefully that should fool them into thinking that you are still home." After a few chimes, Johnny was done packing and the two of them started to move off towards the road they had talked about earlier.

The fence was low and plain. Actually, it was more of a wall than a fence. A non-descript low-stone wall. It came up to her waist, and was easily climbable, as least for her. Looking back at the two of them, she said "Let's get over this quick."

Stepping on a protruding stone on the wall, she used it as a boost to gain her footing, sliding one leg and her derrière across the wall, before bringing the other across. Now that she was across, it was their turn.