Slum Runner

[Guest]

”These are the slums?” Riding shotgun through the shanty town, he snorted. ”Even Amestris’ slums are terrible. Who’d of thought?”

”What’re you sayin’, Barra?” the driver, Wiseman, asks in Cretan.

”Tokyo’s downtrodden live better than this,” he says, his words taking on a xingese accent. ”Then again, I wouldn’t expect you to know that. Surprised you're even out of your house.” Dante gives a wide grin.

”Yeah, you’re welcome for the ride, too. Went outta my way to bring you here.”

”Come on, now, don’t get that upset. I’ll owe you one now. And you know how much I hate owing favors.”

”True,” he replies, grinning. Slowing the jeep down to a stop, Wiseman motions to Dante. ”This is it. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to be off before the feds catch me.”

”You’re really afraid of Amestris right now? They got their asses handed to them. They’re still licking their-“

”Yeah, just go on talking like that. We’ll see which one of us lasts longer.” Grabbing his briefcase and rifle from the back seat, Dante slides out of the vehicle, and watches as Wiseman speeds out of the town. Looking around, he finally realized how out of place he was. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he quickly started making his way around. He had to find this black market he’s kept hearing about. He was in the market for some new gear, and maybe some replacement parts as well. Couldn’t be too careful.

After a few minutes, he began to notice groups of people dressed similarly, sort of like a uniform but… knitted. ”Fucking wannabes,” he chuckles to himself. Still, they were armed, so he figured he’d keep his comments to a foreign language, and his rifle slung. He wasn’t here to cause trouble, only to make some illegal purchases.

Stopping at an intersection, his tail sways idly, his ears twitching subtly. Something… Something was close. He knew it.

[Jay Furor]

Ah, Jay LOVED this week! First she was given a promotion, and allowed to develop Amestris's minutemen, then she used her new rank to hire people to mass produce her uniforms, and now she was walking the streets of Kanama, glad to see so many gangsters and inmates on the sidewalks, armed to the teeth with deadly weapons. So beautiful... Jay was, for once, not the biggest slut in town, and was actually wearing CLOTHING. Not her normal tube top and miniskirt either, but a slightly shredded version of her uniform! And it was even complete with a bandage on her left forearm and five golden little stars on the right shoulder. Packing her katana and minigun quite visibly, as well as the Winchestor brandished in her right hand, she was every soldier's DREAM of awesomeness.

As she walked, she swayed her rifle to and fro, casually strolling and keeping a watch on everything. Thus far, unorganized crime had dropped to a measly 15% of its former glory, while organized crime- under Jay's nurturing rule- had risen to about 3 times the previous statistics. That really pleased Jay, who would ensure that her beloved home town would be safe for baby Janis-Ilona to grow up in. Ah, Janis... Jay's little adoptive daughter, who was now about six or seven months old, and ADORABLE. She'd even said her first word, "chicken" recently, reassuring Jay that her child would groww up to do many things, from destroying the cowardly people of Earth, to keeping the Colonel's recipe alive.

As these thoughts danced in the mind of Kanama's third-most successful citizen, following Roy de Royaume Murinyo and Jackwad, Jay noticed a new face in a town most familiar to her. She heard him mutter something in Aerugese, and decided to introduce herself. Approaching the man silently, she grinned and exteneded a hand for him to shake, even as she spoke; "Hey there, stranger~ What brings you to my little chunk of paradise?"

[Guest]

Damnit, maybe he should’ve listened to his mother instead of his father. At least he’d know Amestrian then, instead of Cretan. He doubted anyone spoke Aerugese anyway…

"Hey there, stranger~ What brings you to my little chunk of paradise?"

His ears perking up and his tail stiffening, he spins around, having not heard the woman approach him.
”Your little chunk of paradise?” he asks with a slight but noticeable esparian accent. Looking her over, she was obviously a militant of some sort. No way a normal civilian could get away with that ordinance. Unless she was the ruler of the underworld in this little strip of Amestris. ”I’m looking for something, actually,” he says, shaking her hand. ”Looks like you’re the kind of person that knows where it is. See, I’m in the market for some ordinance, and my connections tell me Kanama’s perfect for what I’m looking for. Small arms, really. Rifles, pistols, maybe an SMG of some sort.” Setting his briefcase down, he pulls out a carton of cigarettes and matches, lighting one up for himself.

”Got plenty of disposable income too,” he says nonchalantly, offering her a cigarette out of politeness.

[Jay Furor]

Jay noticed an Esparian accent on the guy, and figured he spoke the language. Smiling pleasantly, she nodded. " Yep, my little chunk of paradise. Kanama-girl, born and raised, and now I run things around here." Jay heard his request out, and nodded along, nonchalantly. So he was interested in the fine wares that Kanama had to offer, eh? Well, well, well... Regy most certainly knew what he was talking about when he advised her to spread some rumors around. Accepting the cigarette, she smiled and took a draw, before clasping her flesh-and-bone right hand on his shoulder. "Well, in that case, you heard right. And since you met me here, I'll cut you a deal, and we can skip the middleman, eh? Come on, follow me, I got a little place just a block or two up ahead. Everything your heart would desire in the ways of illegal merchandising!~" And with a little flourish of her arm, she wavbed him onward, to walk beside her, towards the storage unit hosting everything from AKs to Valium, and everything in between.

[Guest]

"Yep, my little chunk of paradise. Kanama-girl, born and raised, and now I run things around here."

”Giving back to your community, I see,” he replies playfully. Honestly, if she was in charge and showing him where the goods where, he didn’t give a damn about how she ran things. Unless someone hired him, but… Hypothetical details didn’t matter right now.

[color=purple]"Well, in that case, you heard right. And since you met me here, I'll cut you a deal, and we can skip the middleman, eh? Come on, follow me, I got a little place just a block or two up ahead. Everything your heart would desire in the ways of illegal merchandising!~"[/color[

Not discreet, not cautious… Just his kind of town. That is, until he let his guard down.

Taking one last drag outside the storage unit, he dropped the cigarette on the ground, crushing it under his boot. Slowly exhaling, he steps inside, looking over the merchandise.

”AK-47, AKS-74u, MP5, M4A1…” He wasn’t entirely sure of what he was looking for. He just needed something… Different. His M16 had treated him well, but she was old, outdated. He just needed something smaller, but just as accurate.

”Good selection, but would you happen to have anything a bit more… modern?” He tilts his head slightly, keeping a smile on his face. He wasn’t trying to insult her, just get to the better goods. You know, the fun stuff.

[Jay Furor]

Jay smiled. "Oh yeah. I figured that if it was Kanama that taught me to be street smart and how to make it in the world, I might as well teach what I was taught. Used to be a merc, actually, so that's another reason." She took another drag from the cig as they walked. Soon, the pair approached the unit, where Jay watched the guy take a draw before entering. He mumbled something in some language, before turning to Jay. As he spoke, Jay shook her head, grinning. Smart guy... "Well, well, well. I see you know what you want, and you know quality. I keep a lot of the old stuff up front, so people buy it more often, but I have some more top-notch stuff in the back shelves." Stepping towards a short hallway to the right, she entered gesturing for him to follow. Then she pointed out the various shelves and what each contained. "First shelf, you have assault rifles, carbine rifles, and any other rifle you may need. Second shelf, we have SMGs and automatic pistols. Third shelf would be a few heavy pieces, like grenade launchers and RPGs. Fourth shelf has your heavy machine guns, and if you look to your left, you'll see the fifth shelf- Knives, swords and supplementary bits, like silencers and ammo. Take your pick."

[Guest]

A black market was like a car dealership: all the stuff they want you to buy is shoved in the front, while what you want is hidden in the back.

"Well, well, well. I see you know what you want, and you know quality.”

”In my line of work, we live and die by our equipment, or our own stupidity.”

”I keep a lot of the old stuff up front, so people buy it more often, but I have some more top-notch stuff in the back shelves."

”Nothing’s wrong with that gear. Maybe scratched up, and a little worn, but they’re still around for a reason. Tried, proved, and reliable. Mostly, anyway.”

Looking into the area Jay had led him to, he couldn’t help but chuckle. ”Now this is what I’m talking about.”

”First shelf, you have assault rifles, carbine rifles, and any other rifle you may need. Second shelf, we have SMGs and automatic pistols. Third shelf would be a few heavy pieces, like…” He was already browsing by that point. Heavy weaponry wasn’t his thing. He needed small, light, compact, but accurate and packing a punch. Maybe a shotgun would do him good. [i]”… and if you look to your left, you'll see the fifth shelf- Knives, swords and supplementary bits, like silencers and ammo. Take your pick."

Dante nods, immediately putting down his briefcase and grabbing a combat knife to his left. Knives were always more intimidating than claws. Walking down the isle, he looked between the shelves. Some of the sniper rifles interested him, but there wasn’t a reason to retire Riza. Not just yet, anyway. He was more concerned with a sidearm and replacing his rifle. He’d taken its name away from it, the cheeky bastard.

Stopping, he notices an unassuming little package sitting on the shelf. ”What the hell is this?” he asks, picking it up. Looked like a large laptop battery with a handle and flashlight to it. Or, rather, a really old flashlight. ”Not as heavy as it should be,” he mutters, fiddling around with it. Finding a switch, he presses against it, surprised at how it slides open, his tail shooting straight out and ears perking up in surprise. ”No fucking way,” he says, folding it completely out and giving it a try. Wasn’t a proper weapon in his book, but…

”Quite a nasty surprise, if you can pull it off,” he comments to Jay. ”I like this little guy. I’ll name him… Cooper.”

[Jay Furor]

Jay grinned, and nodded slowly. Sounded like his kind of work was her kind of work... "Survival of the fittest, no? Heh, I get whatcha mean. Jay Furor, by the way." For a merc, or so Jay assumed, he was rather interesting. Lot nicer than Mr. Get Out Of My Business And Let Me Angst Jackwad, anyways. Jay then leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest, and one leg propped against the wall. There was no purpose in this, except that the pose looked rather shady, and thus it looked cool, like an action movie's epic gangster character. She began to study her client as he made his decisions.

He stayed by the rifles for a bit, and Jay kind offigured he would, seeing as rifles are rather popular for heavier jobs, and especially sniping. After rifles, she noticed he skipped right over to blades and picked up a combat knife. His next choice amused Jay; "The FMG9, eh? Good choice, good choice. Sneaky little crapper, that one. You can have it, and some ammo for just a hundred, cus I like yah." Jay gave a slight grin and flicked the embers from her cigarette.

[Reila Tsukino]

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