Le Silencieux

[blueeyeddevil]

Nikolai Tarasova

It had been a typical night at work for most of the night. A couple fights had broken out and he'd had to throw out those who were involved. A guy had tried to hold up the place at gunpoint but had been quick to discover that holding up the bar where an ex-Mafiya hitman worked was not the best idea in the world. IT was really all part of the day to day runnings of a bar in this said of town. It took a hardened person like him to keep everything running smoothly and to handle the type of people that found there way in here.

Things certainly got a little more interesting a little later in the night. Where most of the patrons of the place were the strong and silent type, they seemed to be quite interested in something. Whispers were going back and forth. It didn't take long for Nikolai to discover the source. A rather attractive woman sat at the end of the bar with a pad and paper, piquing his interest. As he approached to take her order, Nikolai hissed at a couple of men leering at her to move on and leave her alone. They'd been around for his earlier display of breaking up fights and knew exactly what he could do and quickly moved to booth in the corner.

"Scotch on the rocks please." she said politely with a sweet smile as she tossed that pretty hair of hers up in a ponytail. He honestly couldn't even remember the last time someone in this place had said please, let alone smiled. No wonder she'd caused such an uproar. They'd all probably sensed blood in the water.

"Scotch, huh?" he murmured with a wry grin, eyebrow raised. "I would have taken you for a white wine spritzer sort of girl." He turned and poured the drink for her, setting it down in front of her. "Any particular reason for someone like you would want to find themselves in a place like this or are you just lost?" It was a genuine question. From the looks of her, pretty and well dressed, she shouldn't belong her at all.

[RaeRae]

Rachel Scott

The whispers, the looks, none of them phased Rachel for even the slightest moment. This is what she lived for and if she got uncomfortable every time some creep, she eyed the two men the bartender scared off, gave her a look she would be getting absolutely no where. Quite a few intriguing characters were already scattered around the bar, Rachel was making mental notes for the moment, and was in the middle of writing down something when the bartender spoke.

"Scotch, huh? I would have taken you for a white wine spritzer sort of girl." A small smirk flashed across Rachel's features for a minute. "Looks can be deceiving can't they?" An amused little glint was in her eyes. "Besides, Scotch seems much more fitting for a place like this. Or maybe a cold beer...but scotch certainly sounds better tonight." She shrugged a bit and finished writing down her thought.

This bar was shady and had the air of danger to it, Rachel truly found it inspiring. A handful of article titles already running through her mind. "Any particular reason why someone like you would want to find themselves in a place like this? Or are you just lost?" Rachel laughed a bit at this. "I'm not lost, promise." She let her eyes wander again before focusing on the bartender once more. "Maybe I'm just hoping to see something interesting tonight.Rachel by the way, in case you were wondering."

[blueeyeddevil]

Nikolai Tarasova

To her credit the woman didn't seem the least bit phased by the goings-on around her. She seemed like she couldn't care less about the men who were leering at her or the hardened women who were whispering about her. Nikolai wasn't quite sure if that meant she was completely brave, completely stupid, completely naive or a mixture of all three. In any case, acting nonchalant about everything was probably the best she could do. The people in this bar were like wild dogs. They could smell fear and they acted on it.

"Looks can be deceiving can't they?" she replied, obviously amused by his mistaking her for a white wine girl. His felt his own lips twitch up a little. "Besides, Scotch seems much more fitting for a place like this. Or maybe a cold beer...but scotch certainly sounds better tonight." She was certainly a girl who knew what she wanted and the calm demeanor gave him his answer to the earlier question. Brave. Definitely brave. But she still looked completely out of place in this bar and only half jokingly asked if she were lost.

"I'm not lost, promise." she said with a laugh. "Maybe I'm just hoping to see something interesting tonight. Rachel by the way, in case you were wondering."

He gave a nod in reply, folding tattooed arms over his chest. "Nikolai," he introduced himself in returned. "Devushka, you stick around here long enough and you'll be sure to see something interesting. I just can't promise it'll be the kind of 'interesting' you want to see."

[RaeRae]

Rachel Scott

"Nikolai." Rachel thought for a moment. Nikolai wasn't French, it sounded...Russian?" Devushka, you stick around here long enough and you'll be sure to see something interesting..." Definitely Russian.

"Devushka.." She repeated the unfamiliar word, more to herself though, testing out how it sounded on her tongue. "What does that mean?" She truly was curious, she knew next to nothing about Russian and was always up for learning a new word or two in a different language.

"I just can't promise it'll be the kind of interesting you want to see." Another small smirk as she wrote again and then replied. "Now Nikolai...how do you know what kind of interesting I want to see?" Rachel shifted slightly, attempting to tune in on a conversation taking place somewhere behind her. The voices were low, but she could still pick out a few words. "Money...drop off...don't care...your idea not mine Hmm...that sounds like it would be an interesting article topic She thought, blinking a bit and scrawling out a quick article title.

[blueeyeddevil]

Nikolai Tarasova

"Devushka.." she said, caught up on the brief word of Russian he used. "What does that mean?" she wanted to know.

He smiled and shook his head. "Just a Russian word that means girl," he admitted. A small smirk turned up the corners of his lips. "It was meant to be patronizing."

He went on to warn her that the interesting things she would see around here might not be the kind of interesting things she wanted to see. She shot him a smirk in return. "Now Nikolai...how do you know what kind of interesting I want to see?"

He raised his hands in a defeated gesture, chuckling softly. "I suppose I don't. Just giving you a friendly suggestion, devushka," he said, tossing a wry grin over his shoulder.

He watched slightly as she listened to a conversation that was going on just a little ways down the bar...some drug deal. Rachel started to scribble something down in her journal. Suddenly pieces started to connect. The way she seemed so out of place here, but at the same time seemed so totally comfortable here. The was was listening in to the drug deal and taking notes...

He but a hand down on the bar in front of her. "Are you a cop or something," he said, leaning in close. He didn't want the others in the bar to hear. Ratting out a cop or even suspecting someone of being a cop in a place like this was basically signing their death certificate. "Honestly, I don't really care, but if you are, you should leave while you're still alive."

[RaeRae]

Rachel Scott

"Just a Russian word that means girl" Her eyebrow raised slightly and she chuckled. "It was meant to be patronizing."

"If you say so. However, I'll take it as more of an endearing term." Rachel nodded and smiled a bit. She set the pencil down as she finished listening in and jumped just a bit when he was suddenly so close to her. "Are you a cop or something?" She almost looked insulted, almost. Now being a cop wasn't a bad thing usually in Rachel's eyes, but to be thought one? Rachel wasn't too fond of the idea.

"Please." She picked up her glass and took a sip of her Scotch, savoring the flavor for a moment. It'd been awhile since she'd had a good Scotch. Her voice was hushed, not wanting to attract attention. "Honestly, I don't really care, but if you are, you should leave while you're still alive."

"I'm not a cop. I'm a journalist." Rachel set her glass down. "Besides, if I was a cop I wouldn't be so obviously out of place." She shrugged and picked up her pen again, twirling it between her fingers briefly and thought for a moment. She set it down and then took another sip. "I suppose I don't. Just giving you a friendly suggestion, devushka" He had said. She hadn't answered it because she was too distracted by his cop comment, and in the middle of finishing her sentence. "Why don't you teach me a couple more words while we wait on something interesting to come along, hm?"

[blueeyeddevil]

Nikolai Tarasova

He couldn't say that it would be the first time that the police had shown up at his bar. But usually they sent in big burly guys who would better fit in with the usual clientele. Even then Nikolai wasn't sure how many of them managed to make it back to the station once they were found out. He didn't know what the police were thinking, sending in a pretty young girl like this Rachel. She certainly stuck out in a place like this with her pad and paper. Somehow it only felt right to warn her before things got too out of hand.

"I'm not a cop. I'm a journalist." she told him firmly as she set the scotch glass down. "Besides, if I was a cop I wouldn't be so obviously out of place."

He watched as she went back to her notepad. He mentally cursed in his head. A journalist?! Hell, that was almost worse than police! For him anyway. Not to say that the other people in the bar would be perfectly okay with a reporter in their mist. But reporters had an annoying habit of finding out every last detail. He certainly didn't need her finding out his ties to the Mafiya and writing about it. He'd be a dead man if she did.

"Why don't you teach me a couple more words while we wait on something interesting to come along, hm?" she suggested.

Nikolai felt his jaw clench before slowly relaxing it enough to speak. "How about ubiraysya," he said. "It means 'get out'." His mahogany eyes waited for her to catch the meaning. "No offense to you, but in a place like this journalists are second only to cops. People around here aren't going to take too kindly to prying into their lives. Just another friendly suggestion."

[RaeRae]

OOC: Oo struck a chord! Fun stuff~ BiC:

Rachel Scott

"How about ubiraysya, it means get out." Rachel smirked as he spoke, studying him for a minute. Even if she didn't know a thing about reading people, she would know he had something to hide. Having something to hide...she idly wondered what his story was, what he was hiding behind that handsome face of his. "How about...no." She took a sip of her Scotch as she listened to him speak again.

"No offense to you, but in a place like this journalists are only second to cops. People around here aren't going to take too kindly to prying into their lives. Just another friendly suggestion."

"Who said anything about prying?" She raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I do like to pry, but tonight I'm merely here to observe." Rachel assured the bartender. "But if I were to pry, you'd probably be my first target. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hiding something." She thought this over a moment. "Then again, everyone has something to hide."

[blueeyeddevil]

Nikolai Tarasova

He mentally cursed himself for not being more careful. This woman was a reporter and he'd made the mistake already of giving her his name. The only thing keeping him calm right now was that she didn't have his last name. Granted there couldn't be all that many Nikolai's in the Paris area, but it was better than nothing. He wasn't quite sure what he would have done if he had given it out but he didn't exactly want to find out.

He told her to leave, warning her that people around here weren't going to like her prying into their lives. He knew he didn't. "Who said anything about prying?" she said coyly with a raised eyebrow. "Of course, I do like to pry, but tonight I'm merely here to observe."

Funny how he didn't quite believe her. She'd probably observe until something 'interesting' happened and then go about prying. "But if I were to pry, you'd probably be my first target. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hiding something. Then again, everyone has something to hide." she said, making his jaw clench again, more Russian swears coming to his mind.

"That may be true, devushka," he told her. "But there is a reason they keep it hidden. Trust me when I say you wouldn't like to know what I've got to hide. And listen when I tell you you'd be a lot better off if you back down." His eyes held a glint of warning, hoping she'd listen this time. He hadn't been successful with that so far.

[RaeRae]

Rachel could tell she was pissing him off, he was a dangerous man, she could see it in his eyes. Maybe she was stupid, but it didn't scare her. If she was scared easily she wouldn't have even ever set foot in La Périphérie or in this bar. She brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes as he spoke.

"That may be true, devushka, but there is a reason they keep it hidden. Trust me when I say you wouldn't like to know what I've got to hide. And listen when I tell you you'd be a lot better off if you back down." Oh yes, he was very mad but this just made Rachel even more curious about what he was hiding.

"Don't worry Nikolai, like I said, I'm not prying tonight." She shrugged. "And you don't know the first thing about me...maybe I like knowing what everyone has to hide. No matter how bad it might be." Rachel let her gaze settle for the briefest of moments on a couple of people sitting in a corner booth. This bar really was shady. How many drug deals and illegal trade offs took place in here or right outside? It was something to think about, maybe something to gather some more information on.

Rachel always tried to keep her stories somewhat anonymous when doing statistics or naming places. Sure she liked writing the truth, but she wasn't a rat. If people got caught, she wanted it to be due to their own stupidity, not because the cops got lucky and happened to gain some information by reading an article.

[blueeyeddevil]

Nikolai Tarasova

It was definitely not a good idea back him into a corner, make him feel threatened. If he felt threatened, he got defensive and when he got defensive, people had a tendency to end up getting hurt. It wasn't the girl herself that was making him feel threatened, but what she could possibly do. If she somehow figured out his secret she could write about it in her article. The Mafiya kept tabs on all kinds of media and if they figured out where he was then he had no doubt that they would come for him.

"Don't worry Nikolai, like I said, I'm not prying tonight." she said with a shrug and again, he found himself unconvinced. Prying was what journalists did. He'd taken care of more than a few of them for the Mafiya. "And you don't know the first thing about me...maybe I like knowing what everyone has to hide. No matter how bad it might be." She glanced around the room casually, obviously picking up on the kinds of dealings that went on around here. He wondered briefly what it was exactly she'd deem 'interesting'.

"You aren't getting it..." he told her. "It isn't the secret itself that's a danger to you. It's what knowing that secret can do to you that you need to be worried about. People will do anything to protect their darkest secrets and they don't exactly care who gets in the way." He shook his head with a sigh. "I'm not going to force you out. I can't control what you're going to write about. Do what you want. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

[RaeRae]

Rachel Scott

"You aren't getting it..." Rachel listened to him quietly as she finished off her drink. "It isn't the secret itself that's a danger to you. It's what knowing that secret can do to you that you need to be worried about. People will do anything to protect their darkest secrets and they don't exactly care who gets in the way." He shook his head and she set down her glass. "I'm not going to force you out. I can't control what you're going to write about. Do what you want. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Rachel stayed silent for a few minutes, processing everything he was saying. He was talking in generalizations but she was pretty sure he was referring to himself, at least about that first part...doing whatever it took to protect their secrets. "That's right. You can't control me or my writing. But I'm not stupid." She shrugged. "I wouldn't blow the top on something big if it would get me killed. I'm not that much of a thrill seeker." She pushed her empty glass towards him a bit more.

"Can I get a refill?" She tilted her head a bit, studying him again. What was he hiding? It was killing her inside, not to know. "And I won't ask any personal life questions." Rachel offered a smile. As she told him before, she wasn't dumb, and knew she didn't want to get on his bad side. "I am curious though, what's the most exciting thing that's happened in this place? Since you've been here at least." She arched a brow, after all...something really exciting had to happen every now and then at a place like this.

[blueeyeddevil]

Nikolai Tarasova

Nikolai wasn't the kind of person who got in other people's business. Odd coming from a man who had spent a decade doing the Mafiya's dirty work. He couldn't send this girl out on the street. She was a paying customer. He couldn't control what she wrote about in her article. All he could do was was offer the woman some advice about dealing with this side of town. If she chose not to take it, then that would be on her. It would be no skin off his back.

"That's right. You can't control me or my writing. But I'm not stupid." she said with a shrug. "I wouldn't blow the top on something big if it would get me killed. I'm not that much of a thrill seeker."

Amusement flickered in Nikolai's eyes. Thrill seeking would be putting it lightly. But really would have to be stupid to be seeking the kind of thrills they were talking about. At least she wasn't some desperate writer looking to be the next Woodward and Bernstein. That was what would get her killed.

"Can I get a refill?" she requested and with a cursory nod, he took the bottle of scotch and poured another round for her. "And I won't ask any personal life questions." she continued. "I am curious though, what's the most exciting thing that's happened in this place? Since you've been here at least."

A rueful grin pulled at his lips. His mahogany eyes fixed on her as he shook his head. "Not going to be that easy, devushka," he told her. "Talk to whoever you want, but you aren't getting any thing from me. This source is a dead end." He pointed at himself for clarification. If she had questions she could find someone else to talk to.

[blueeyeddevil]

OOC:Niko and Santiago kick butt!! ...or will eventually.

Nikolai Tarasova

Nikolai had been out of sorts all day. Honestly he hadn't even really wanted to leave his apartment, but he refused to hide away like some coward. If the Mafiya wanted him, they could take him down but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He'd seen too many men die that way; had killed too many that way. He'd made the decision when he came to Paris that if the Mafiya ever managed to track him down to Paris, he'd take down as many of them as he could before they took him out. And seeing the group of them last night on the street baring obvious Mafiya tattoos, he'd come to realize that they'd finally managed to find him. He been strategically planning his next move all day long.

He half wondered if the girl Rachel that had been in here the other night had anything to do with the sudden appearance of the Mafiya here in Paris. But other than giving his first name, he'd said nothing to her that might have raised flags for the Mafiya...he'd given her nothing to go on. His mind had been trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong in trying to keep a low profile and how to solve the problem at hand even as he went about his usual work at the bar. It was a fairly light crowd in there tonight. The curious man he'd had a conversation with a little while ago and his group were all there...minus the kid. Nikolai couldn't help but shake his head at the implication of this.

He made his way over to hand the shot of whiskey the man had ordered to the leader of the group. He was trying to keep his mind of the Mafiya being there in Paris and actually doing his job was a decent distraction. He made eye contact with the man briefly, raising an eyebrow as he began to speak. "So no fights tonight, right," he asked. He felt certain the man would know what he was really saying. A roundabout way of asking if the group's young troublemaker was still around. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed with just the smallest hint of a grin.

[The Exodus]

Santiago Ortiz

It was just another night at the bar with Las Gardunas. That’s what Santiago told himself, anyways. But without Andreas cracking wise and telling stories, there was a more somber air about the gang. They were quieter and less trigger happy, which Santiago liked. He preferred them this way. Santiago had never been much of a party animal. He barely qualified as a pack animal, come to think of it. But he was doing his best to lead his gang and to keep his men out of trouble. And there was no denying that without Andreas around, things had been going just as well – maybe even better – than before. Lines were more clearly drawn; no one f*cked with Las Gardunas. Not really, anyways. And anyone who did, was gunned down quickly, quietly.

They’d done remarkably few drive-bys in the last month or so. Instead, focus had been on upping revenue. They’d added new dealers to their circle and worked out an agreement with a local secondhand shop to sell their weapons out of the back. The Gardunas made for surprisingly good businessmen. Santiago wondered how many of them would have been successful in other lines of work, if given better opportunities. They were still ruthless killers under it all and you could feel it in the way some of them moved. It afforded them a wide berth at the bar tonight, which Santiago was grateful for. He was not a people person. He ordered a whisky – single malt scotch – and the Russian bartender ambled over with the drink in hand.

"So no fights tonight, right?" the Russian asked.

Santiago grinned lazily and took his drink.

“We’re on our best behavior tonight. Aren’t we?”

The last said in a low, biting manner that sent nods of agreements and murmurs of affirmation down the line. Santiago chuckled. Since Andreas had been disposed of, no one bothered to question Santiago any more. Yes, this was how he liked them. Santiago looked over to The Russian and leaned forward.

“You don’t have to worry about us,” he told him.

He took a swig from his whisky and set it down with a satisfied smile. But the moment of easy contentment was short lived as the door to the bar swung open. Santiago, who was sitting at the corner of the bar, back to the wall, saw the newcomers first. They were tall and unshaven, all three men. The one at the front, though, was made of knotted muscles and weathered scars. And the one at the front was a nasty son-of-a-b*tch. Santiago had seen him around increasingly in the last few weeks and he swore in Spanish under his breath. The guy’s name was Ivan and his French was probably the best. Santiago couldn’t tell if he naturally ought to be speaking Polish or Russian, but the Cyrillic tattoos said “Mafiya”. That much, Santiago knew. He looked over at the Russian bartender with slightly narrowed eyes. Le Silencieux was Garduna territory. Everyone in Le Peripherie knew that much.

“Them, though… I don’t speak for them,” he said darkly, nodding towards the door. Then, boldly, curiously, “Friends of yours?”