Post by Mikaela Holden on Jun 21, 2016 6:46:19 GMT
Location: The Dive
Characters: Cadence Fox, Mikaela Holden
paradise and sin: The day had been an absolute whirlwind. Opening for lunch had brought in more of a crowd than usual - but something like a shooting usually did. Morbid curiosity made the townfolks of Marathon want to see where it happened, where people had died, wanted to see bullet holes in the walls, wanted to see haunted looks on the staff there. Most were expecting Ben behind the bar, but found Molly and Mikaela instead -- an excuse at the ready, that Ben had just been spooked off by what had happened, and found himself a job out in California of all places. They would be disappointed too, the holes had been covered, pictures and memorabilia that had been destroyed was now replaced, and the bar fully restocked. It was business as usual, like it hadn't even happened. Haunted faces? Nope. Public eye meant they were smiling, even if Mikaela felt like she was going to throw up with every lie she told, with every smile she faked. Now? It was hours later, and the crowd was dwindling town to the regular cast of folks that sat around rectangular bar with seating on all sides. Ed Raines and two of his cronies occupied one corner, and Mikaela had sent all the rest of the staff home. The length of femme wore a simple black sundress and gladiator style tan sandals, and somewhere a few hours ago she'd pulled the thickness of mermaid waves up into a high set ponytail to get it off her neck. Currently? She was reading the daily paper. Scouring it really, damn near every article on the page she had open. Any little mention of any little thing that didn't seem right. But so far? Nada. -d-
virtues or vice: Despite having been told on more than one occasion to keep her head down and out of the Networks business by people on both sides of the line, Cadence still marched to her own beat. In time that beat may become the ominous tattoo of an executioner's drum if she's not careful. Still uncertain as to the entirety of officers on the Network's payroll, she'd taken matters to organizations whose jurisdiction far surpassed that of Sheriff Clark. Maybe because of that ace up her sleeve she felt confident enough to stroll back into the Dive for the first time in months, a place she had been explicitly asked (re: told) not to go. The detective walked in just as the crowd had begun to thin, her badge clearly displayed on her hip in gleaming gold plate. Less shiny but no less imposing was the handgun holstered on her other side. She was in plain clothes otherwise, no semblance of a uniform, just a gray t-shirt, dark jeans and a pair of boots. No doubt the Sheriff's department had done a "thorough" investigation of the grounds after the shooting, which Cadence "incidentally" had not been present for. Though the reports were woefully brief and she had been given the particulars by a few men while they were still handcuffed to hospital beds, she suspected there might be something more. She walked on up to the bar, spared a severe look to the men at the end of the bar before her attention landed on Mikaela. "It's a little brief, don't you think?" Was the unsolicited question, her finger tapping the headline. She's lead to wonder if there were crooked reporters as well or if they were just blissfully oblivious. -d-
paradise and sin: There was no real door to speak of for this area of the bar, all Kae had to do was board up around the bar to secure things at night and nothing else was really worth stealing unless you really liked patio lawn furniture and wooden signs made out of driftwood. It was safe to say that Kae's attention was soley on the paper spread out on the bar top at the opposite end of the bar from her patrons, leading to her missing the arrival of the detective entirely. Until the woman spoke up. Mikaela's head swung up; doe eyes widening from the bit of a startle she'd been given. "Oh. What? Oh." Articulate as a dictionary. Gaze fell to where the woman had tapped, and she frowned some, at said headline. That frown remained when she reintroduced her sights on the woman's face, and there was no missing the shine of that brilliant gold badge there on her hip. Managing to keep her brow from raising, she couldn't quite help but wonder what a detective was doing here -- and one she'd not yet seen. See, Mikaela seemed to be on the ``we don't need to tell this one there's a nosy cop poking around where she doesn't belong`` list, because neither Adam nor Tomas had told her to prepare for that. "The paper here has an uncanny knack for puff pieces. Gotta give the tourists what they want." Folding the pages together, and setting the print aside, Mikaela backed from the counter a schosh, with a gesture to the bottles. "What can I get for you?"
virtues or vice: To be fair, neither Adam nor Tomas probably expected her to need a reason to prepare for her little visit. Detective Fox's gaze strayed down to the paper for but a second longer after the reply she'd received. Puff pieces for tourists. "Water, please." She answered no sooner than the last syllable had left Mikaela's lips. Hazel eyes observed her critically, disregarded for now the assortment of bottles that beckoned. She's on duty. She drinks more than she ought to, sure, but not while she's on duty. "No lemon," Cadence added before Mikaela could either ask or assume. Yeah, she seems bitter enough as it is. No lemon. Only after having said as much did she give her immediate surroundings a closer look. No bullet holes, no broken furniture, no blood. "Got things cleaned up pretty quickly. That's good." Her tone of voice might be mistaken for condescension or maybe that's how she meant it to sound. "You own this place, from what I understand? Pretty young to own a business. Seems like it would be stressful." Yep, definitely being condescending now. [d]
paradise and sin: Official visit then. Unlike, let's say Adam, Mikaela wasn't the type to go on into some ages long annoying speech about why it was such a bad idea for the detective to be here, and then resort to violent dumb measures to prove to her why. No, Mikaela preferred to stay under the radar, which meant .. giving a little, as much as was needed, to not give them a reason to want to come back -- simply because there was no need. A nod was given to the order, and Kae proceeded to dump a scoop of ice into a glass, and use the soda gun to fill it. Just thinking about reaching for a lemon from the caddy, when the detective's voice piped up again, and changed her mind about it. Sliding a straw in, the glass set before her, and this time a brow did raise skyward. It was mostly the tone. "We only just reopened this morning. I can't stay closed for long .. there's bills to pay." And she'd go crazy if she had to just sit around and wait any longer. Idle hands meant the mind would wander, and the mind wandering took Kae into places too dark to see. She hated when it was too dark to see. The only negative reaction Cadence earned for the next slip of condensation was a little tension in Kae's jaw, but it was gone in a flash, and she nodded softly, allowing her mouth to curve into a half smile. "I do, and I am. It was my father's, and his before him. Been mine, unofficially since I was still in high school. Officially as soon as I turned eighteen. It's probably not as stressful as being a cop, I'd imagine." Light brown eyes refused to stray from watching the detectives face. Even if she had to tell herself as least twice not to look away -- or start nervously chewing her lip, which was the worst of all her habits. -d-
virtues or vice: Her gaze lowered to the glass though she made no move as yet to drink from it. Bills, yes, she nods, of course. She wonders how much a clean up crew must've cost. She wonders if Mikaela was expected to foot the bill for that or if the people who were really responsible chipped in. Her attention scours the young barmaid as one does an opponent in a game of poker. Looking for tells. The very corner of her mouth lifted in the merest of smirks at having her commented turned back on her. No mirth reaches her grayish eyes. "When I retire at least I'll be able to say it was worth it." The stress, the sleepless nights, thankless effort. At least she was doing some good in the world, even if ultimately she was barely making a dent in something far larger than herself. "Going to pass the Dive on to your own kids someday?" Her head canted a little to the side, her brow creased just slightly. It probably wasn't the sort of question Mikaela expected, or was accustomed to. Cadence knew quite a bit more about the place than what little the young woman might have fessed up to otherwise. May as well travel a different route. [d]
paradise and sin: One of the things Mikaela often prided herself on, and refused to let many take away from her, was that she could so easily look down on people from her height. And while Cadence looked her over, she did just that -- maintaining the fullness of her height, even if it wasn't much past the other woman's, it would be enough. Some people found it intimidating, even if it wasn't something Mikaela did on purpose -- some people it didn't faze at all. Hell, most people it didn't faze at all. But it made Kae feel better, and for her that was all that counted. The underhanded insult wasn't missed, but it only brought a smile to pulling at one corner of her mouth. "I'm sure you will. Good on you," all that was missing from that was the congrats slug on the arm, and ``champ.`` Fight the good fight, Cadence! The next question knit in her brow, and a dry sort of laugh escaped. "I'm not the .. motherly type. So no. I'm sure one day, I'll sell it for next to nothing, and retire to some white sandy beach .. well, some other white sandy beach." She finally stole a glance away, to look behind her out to the marina -- where a stretch of sand followed along side the inside docks, just as white as she'd said. Ed Raines was watching them, and barring the brief meet of eyes when Kae swung her attention back to Cadence, she ignored the man. All he probably wanted was another beer anyway. He could wait. "Are your kids going to be cops too, y'think?" -d-
virtues or vice: Go ahead an file Cadence under people it didn't phase at all when it came to Mikaela's height and how it was used. She gets stared down by bigger, meaner things than the woman behind the bar on a regular basis, what good would she be if such things cowed her? The sarcasm with which she was met didn't seem to take much effect either; that too was something she was familiar with. "I'm not the motherly type either." But if she was, she sincerely hoped her children would not join the force. Cadence was aware of the leathery old man at the other end of the bar, but it was Mikaela that had her attention. "Seems a pittance... Everything you do, all the trouble you go to," Shaking her head as she waxed sympathetic over Mikaela's plight. "And all you get out of it is selling a bar that's been in your family for generations. ...Just to go while away on another beach?" Her brow furrowed again, as if the math didn't quite add up right. She doesn't know the depth of her involvement here, doesn't know what ties her to the Network, what really keeps her here. "Why not just go now?" She was sure that Mikaela could fetch a decent price in a year or so, once the media coverage about the shooting died down.[d]
paradise and sin: A tilt of her head came, when Cadence began, and through the way the older woman mused, Kae leaned her lofty frame in and her forearms folded casually one over the other. Idle, thoughtless movements -- a lean she took constantly at this bar, thumbnail scratching at the nagging itch of the adhesive tan gauze wrapped around one wrist, that head tilt, and the way it began to shake when the detective seemed to get to her point ( or so Kae hoped ). "Seems like it'd be just that simple, doesn't it? Just the breaks, I guess. Only child of an only child, carrying on a legacy that's going to just die out. But damn, I've still got some life in me yet. Unless someone else comes in here and puts a gun to my forehead," her gaze shifted to the one on Cadence's hip, then back to meet the woman's own. "And pulls the trigger this time. Never know." Irritation was settling like tension between her shoulder blades, causing Mikaela to shift a little and make an attempt to push the conversation ahead, where she normally wouldn't have. "Is this part of the investigation going on? They caught the guys who did it, shouldn't you be questioning them instead of me?" -d-
virtues or vice: Cadence remained as stony and stoic as ever, if anything she seemed to take some sort of comfort in seeing Mikaela getting tense. All those seemingly benign questions were loaded and she'll walk away from this little chat with quite a bit of food for thought. She was quiet for a moment, let those questions simmer a little. No real need to inform her that she had been among those cuffing people that night. Ultimately she shook her head a little. Either as an answer, that no, this was not part of the investigation going on, or disdain. The safest bet is both. "It's ok to squirm, Mikaela," She said abruptly, before explaining, "You look like you want to. It's ok. You should." Cadence stepped closer to the bar, leaned over it some towards her and lowered her voice enough that ever regulars eavesdropping while they awaited their next round. "That's what worms do." Her eyes were nearly ablaze the way they were set upon the waif. That critical, hawk like gaze searched the young woman's face for a moment before she stood straighter. "That's all you are, isn't it? Just a worm in a little pond full of big fish." Cadence gave her a sort of fatalistic look. Everyone knows that worms get eaten. Even Mikaela could probably divine that much. You know what that makes Cadence? The fisher. She let that sink in before adding, "Don't think there are any correctional facilities on white, sandy beaches, but maybe you can pin some post cards up in your cell." She smiles, as if to show she was looking on the bright side for her. [d]
paradise and sin: It's okay to squirm. There were about a thousand and ten reasons for Kae to squirm, each one seemingly worse than the next as the last several weeks had gone one -- all culminating with a blown up bartender damn near directly above them. Standing here, talking to the detective? It was the least of Mikaela's actual worries -- but she wasn't going to tell her that. She had zero arrest record, not even a verbal warning to note. It'd be a safe bet to take that there wasn't even a file on Mikalea Holden that this detective hadn't made herself. She knew the inside and outside of the Sheriff's department, and had Clark on speed dial for the simple fact that her father was a frequent visitor to the drunk tank. Her brow lifted, more from the way Cadence leaned in to conspire more so than what she was saying. Good. The fox could go right on thinking Mikaela was only the bait on which the fish caught. "Huh," she hummed, just to show she was listening. While her belly knotted as it was wont to do these days, Kae let realization drift over her features, like the sun had just dawned on her. "There are a lot of big fish around. Have you been to the new casino? The place is liable to put me right outta business if my regulars start going there." Oh, but, oh, did her eyes go wide as saucers with the threat to lock her away, and Kae eased out of the lean she'd taken and her hands fell to the lip of the bar. Tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip some, and lashes came closer together in a thoughtful narrow. This bitch -- "Mick," the gruff baritone of the old fisherman at the end of the bar broke her thoughts but not her attention on Cadence. "Be with you in just a minute, Ed," she called out to the man, and for a moment a feline sort of close-lipped curve took over her features. Kae backed up, a step, another -- gave a tilt of her head to the way Cadence had come in, while still stepping blindly in Ed's direction. "Door's that way. Case you forgot yourself." -d-
virtues or vice: Mikaela's spotless record would count for naught when she finds herself standing before a judge facing either aiding and abetting, accessory charges or, if Cadence has any say in the matter, criminal conspiracy charges. Considering could be found on the grounds of her establishment with a warrant, there's a pretty solid case against her. Honestly though, the girl really is fooling herself if she thinks that Cadence is off in her estimation of her. Just a worm. The people that she was after were far more important. Maybe she's underestimating Mikaela, but as yet the detective didn't think a bubble-headed dipshit like her was one of the Network's founders. The interjection from the man at the end of the bar drew her attention and she eyed him curiously. People don't interrupt what looks to be an official investigation for another round unless they're pretty sloshed already. The man didn't look drunk at all, not so far as she could tell. The door, Mikaela says. Thought there was no door to speak of? Cadence was in no hurry to leave. It was then that she picked up the water that had been served to her and took a drink. Her hand slipped into her pocket and withdrew a crisp one dollar bill, which she laid down on the bar beside the glass a moment later. "Put it towards your bills," She suggests before finally taking her leave.[d]
Characters: Cadence Fox, Mikaela Holden
paradise and sin: The day had been an absolute whirlwind. Opening for lunch had brought in more of a crowd than usual - but something like a shooting usually did. Morbid curiosity made the townfolks of Marathon want to see where it happened, where people had died, wanted to see bullet holes in the walls, wanted to see haunted looks on the staff there. Most were expecting Ben behind the bar, but found Molly and Mikaela instead -- an excuse at the ready, that Ben had just been spooked off by what had happened, and found himself a job out in California of all places. They would be disappointed too, the holes had been covered, pictures and memorabilia that had been destroyed was now replaced, and the bar fully restocked. It was business as usual, like it hadn't even happened. Haunted faces? Nope. Public eye meant they were smiling, even if Mikaela felt like she was going to throw up with every lie she told, with every smile she faked. Now? It was hours later, and the crowd was dwindling town to the regular cast of folks that sat around rectangular bar with seating on all sides. Ed Raines and two of his cronies occupied one corner, and Mikaela had sent all the rest of the staff home. The length of femme wore a simple black sundress and gladiator style tan sandals, and somewhere a few hours ago she'd pulled the thickness of mermaid waves up into a high set ponytail to get it off her neck. Currently? She was reading the daily paper. Scouring it really, damn near every article on the page she had open. Any little mention of any little thing that didn't seem right. But so far? Nada. -d-
virtues or vice: Despite having been told on more than one occasion to keep her head down and out of the Networks business by people on both sides of the line, Cadence still marched to her own beat. In time that beat may become the ominous tattoo of an executioner's drum if she's not careful. Still uncertain as to the entirety of officers on the Network's payroll, she'd taken matters to organizations whose jurisdiction far surpassed that of Sheriff Clark. Maybe because of that ace up her sleeve she felt confident enough to stroll back into the Dive for the first time in months, a place she had been explicitly asked (re: told) not to go. The detective walked in just as the crowd had begun to thin, her badge clearly displayed on her hip in gleaming gold plate. Less shiny but no less imposing was the handgun holstered on her other side. She was in plain clothes otherwise, no semblance of a uniform, just a gray t-shirt, dark jeans and a pair of boots. No doubt the Sheriff's department had done a "thorough" investigation of the grounds after the shooting, which Cadence "incidentally" had not been present for. Though the reports were woefully brief and she had been given the particulars by a few men while they were still handcuffed to hospital beds, she suspected there might be something more. She walked on up to the bar, spared a severe look to the men at the end of the bar before her attention landed on Mikaela. "It's a little brief, don't you think?" Was the unsolicited question, her finger tapping the headline. She's lead to wonder if there were crooked reporters as well or if they were just blissfully oblivious. -d-
paradise and sin: There was no real door to speak of for this area of the bar, all Kae had to do was board up around the bar to secure things at night and nothing else was really worth stealing unless you really liked patio lawn furniture and wooden signs made out of driftwood. It was safe to say that Kae's attention was soley on the paper spread out on the bar top at the opposite end of the bar from her patrons, leading to her missing the arrival of the detective entirely. Until the woman spoke up. Mikaela's head swung up; doe eyes widening from the bit of a startle she'd been given. "Oh. What? Oh." Articulate as a dictionary. Gaze fell to where the woman had tapped, and she frowned some, at said headline. That frown remained when she reintroduced her sights on the woman's face, and there was no missing the shine of that brilliant gold badge there on her hip. Managing to keep her brow from raising, she couldn't quite help but wonder what a detective was doing here -- and one she'd not yet seen. See, Mikaela seemed to be on the ``we don't need to tell this one there's a nosy cop poking around where she doesn't belong`` list, because neither Adam nor Tomas had told her to prepare for that. "The paper here has an uncanny knack for puff pieces. Gotta give the tourists what they want." Folding the pages together, and setting the print aside, Mikaela backed from the counter a schosh, with a gesture to the bottles. "What can I get for you?"
virtues or vice: To be fair, neither Adam nor Tomas probably expected her to need a reason to prepare for her little visit. Detective Fox's gaze strayed down to the paper for but a second longer after the reply she'd received. Puff pieces for tourists. "Water, please." She answered no sooner than the last syllable had left Mikaela's lips. Hazel eyes observed her critically, disregarded for now the assortment of bottles that beckoned. She's on duty. She drinks more than she ought to, sure, but not while she's on duty. "No lemon," Cadence added before Mikaela could either ask or assume. Yeah, she seems bitter enough as it is. No lemon. Only after having said as much did she give her immediate surroundings a closer look. No bullet holes, no broken furniture, no blood. "Got things cleaned up pretty quickly. That's good." Her tone of voice might be mistaken for condescension or maybe that's how she meant it to sound. "You own this place, from what I understand? Pretty young to own a business. Seems like it would be stressful." Yep, definitely being condescending now. [d]
paradise and sin: Official visit then. Unlike, let's say Adam, Mikaela wasn't the type to go on into some ages long annoying speech about why it was such a bad idea for the detective to be here, and then resort to violent dumb measures to prove to her why. No, Mikaela preferred to stay under the radar, which meant .. giving a little, as much as was needed, to not give them a reason to want to come back -- simply because there was no need. A nod was given to the order, and Kae proceeded to dump a scoop of ice into a glass, and use the soda gun to fill it. Just thinking about reaching for a lemon from the caddy, when the detective's voice piped up again, and changed her mind about it. Sliding a straw in, the glass set before her, and this time a brow did raise skyward. It was mostly the tone. "We only just reopened this morning. I can't stay closed for long .. there's bills to pay." And she'd go crazy if she had to just sit around and wait any longer. Idle hands meant the mind would wander, and the mind wandering took Kae into places too dark to see. She hated when it was too dark to see. The only negative reaction Cadence earned for the next slip of condensation was a little tension in Kae's jaw, but it was gone in a flash, and she nodded softly, allowing her mouth to curve into a half smile. "I do, and I am. It was my father's, and his before him. Been mine, unofficially since I was still in high school. Officially as soon as I turned eighteen. It's probably not as stressful as being a cop, I'd imagine." Light brown eyes refused to stray from watching the detectives face. Even if she had to tell herself as least twice not to look away -- or start nervously chewing her lip, which was the worst of all her habits. -d-
virtues or vice: Her gaze lowered to the glass though she made no move as yet to drink from it. Bills, yes, she nods, of course. She wonders how much a clean up crew must've cost. She wonders if Mikaela was expected to foot the bill for that or if the people who were really responsible chipped in. Her attention scours the young barmaid as one does an opponent in a game of poker. Looking for tells. The very corner of her mouth lifted in the merest of smirks at having her commented turned back on her. No mirth reaches her grayish eyes. "When I retire at least I'll be able to say it was worth it." The stress, the sleepless nights, thankless effort. At least she was doing some good in the world, even if ultimately she was barely making a dent in something far larger than herself. "Going to pass the Dive on to your own kids someday?" Her head canted a little to the side, her brow creased just slightly. It probably wasn't the sort of question Mikaela expected, or was accustomed to. Cadence knew quite a bit more about the place than what little the young woman might have fessed up to otherwise. May as well travel a different route. [d]
paradise and sin: One of the things Mikaela often prided herself on, and refused to let many take away from her, was that she could so easily look down on people from her height. And while Cadence looked her over, she did just that -- maintaining the fullness of her height, even if it wasn't much past the other woman's, it would be enough. Some people found it intimidating, even if it wasn't something Mikaela did on purpose -- some people it didn't faze at all. Hell, most people it didn't faze at all. But it made Kae feel better, and for her that was all that counted. The underhanded insult wasn't missed, but it only brought a smile to pulling at one corner of her mouth. "I'm sure you will. Good on you," all that was missing from that was the congrats slug on the arm, and ``champ.`` Fight the good fight, Cadence! The next question knit in her brow, and a dry sort of laugh escaped. "I'm not the .. motherly type. So no. I'm sure one day, I'll sell it for next to nothing, and retire to some white sandy beach .. well, some other white sandy beach." She finally stole a glance away, to look behind her out to the marina -- where a stretch of sand followed along side the inside docks, just as white as she'd said. Ed Raines was watching them, and barring the brief meet of eyes when Kae swung her attention back to Cadence, she ignored the man. All he probably wanted was another beer anyway. He could wait. "Are your kids going to be cops too, y'think?" -d-
virtues or vice: Go ahead an file Cadence under people it didn't phase at all when it came to Mikaela's height and how it was used. She gets stared down by bigger, meaner things than the woman behind the bar on a regular basis, what good would she be if such things cowed her? The sarcasm with which she was met didn't seem to take much effect either; that too was something she was familiar with. "I'm not the motherly type either." But if she was, she sincerely hoped her children would not join the force. Cadence was aware of the leathery old man at the other end of the bar, but it was Mikaela that had her attention. "Seems a pittance... Everything you do, all the trouble you go to," Shaking her head as she waxed sympathetic over Mikaela's plight. "And all you get out of it is selling a bar that's been in your family for generations. ...Just to go while away on another beach?" Her brow furrowed again, as if the math didn't quite add up right. She doesn't know the depth of her involvement here, doesn't know what ties her to the Network, what really keeps her here. "Why not just go now?" She was sure that Mikaela could fetch a decent price in a year or so, once the media coverage about the shooting died down.[d]
paradise and sin: A tilt of her head came, when Cadence began, and through the way the older woman mused, Kae leaned her lofty frame in and her forearms folded casually one over the other. Idle, thoughtless movements -- a lean she took constantly at this bar, thumbnail scratching at the nagging itch of the adhesive tan gauze wrapped around one wrist, that head tilt, and the way it began to shake when the detective seemed to get to her point ( or so Kae hoped ). "Seems like it'd be just that simple, doesn't it? Just the breaks, I guess. Only child of an only child, carrying on a legacy that's going to just die out. But damn, I've still got some life in me yet. Unless someone else comes in here and puts a gun to my forehead," her gaze shifted to the one on Cadence's hip, then back to meet the woman's own. "And pulls the trigger this time. Never know." Irritation was settling like tension between her shoulder blades, causing Mikaela to shift a little and make an attempt to push the conversation ahead, where she normally wouldn't have. "Is this part of the investigation going on? They caught the guys who did it, shouldn't you be questioning them instead of me?" -d-
virtues or vice: Cadence remained as stony and stoic as ever, if anything she seemed to take some sort of comfort in seeing Mikaela getting tense. All those seemingly benign questions were loaded and she'll walk away from this little chat with quite a bit of food for thought. She was quiet for a moment, let those questions simmer a little. No real need to inform her that she had been among those cuffing people that night. Ultimately she shook her head a little. Either as an answer, that no, this was not part of the investigation going on, or disdain. The safest bet is both. "It's ok to squirm, Mikaela," She said abruptly, before explaining, "You look like you want to. It's ok. You should." Cadence stepped closer to the bar, leaned over it some towards her and lowered her voice enough that ever regulars eavesdropping while they awaited their next round. "That's what worms do." Her eyes were nearly ablaze the way they were set upon the waif. That critical, hawk like gaze searched the young woman's face for a moment before she stood straighter. "That's all you are, isn't it? Just a worm in a little pond full of big fish." Cadence gave her a sort of fatalistic look. Everyone knows that worms get eaten. Even Mikaela could probably divine that much. You know what that makes Cadence? The fisher. She let that sink in before adding, "Don't think there are any correctional facilities on white, sandy beaches, but maybe you can pin some post cards up in your cell." She smiles, as if to show she was looking on the bright side for her. [d]
paradise and sin: It's okay to squirm. There were about a thousand and ten reasons for Kae to squirm, each one seemingly worse than the next as the last several weeks had gone one -- all culminating with a blown up bartender damn near directly above them. Standing here, talking to the detective? It was the least of Mikaela's actual worries -- but she wasn't going to tell her that. She had zero arrest record, not even a verbal warning to note. It'd be a safe bet to take that there wasn't even a file on Mikalea Holden that this detective hadn't made herself. She knew the inside and outside of the Sheriff's department, and had Clark on speed dial for the simple fact that her father was a frequent visitor to the drunk tank. Her brow lifted, more from the way Cadence leaned in to conspire more so than what she was saying. Good. The fox could go right on thinking Mikaela was only the bait on which the fish caught. "Huh," she hummed, just to show she was listening. While her belly knotted as it was wont to do these days, Kae let realization drift over her features, like the sun had just dawned on her. "There are a lot of big fish around. Have you been to the new casino? The place is liable to put me right outta business if my regulars start going there." Oh, but, oh, did her eyes go wide as saucers with the threat to lock her away, and Kae eased out of the lean she'd taken and her hands fell to the lip of the bar. Tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip some, and lashes came closer together in a thoughtful narrow. This bitch -- "Mick," the gruff baritone of the old fisherman at the end of the bar broke her thoughts but not her attention on Cadence. "Be with you in just a minute, Ed," she called out to the man, and for a moment a feline sort of close-lipped curve took over her features. Kae backed up, a step, another -- gave a tilt of her head to the way Cadence had come in, while still stepping blindly in Ed's direction. "Door's that way. Case you forgot yourself." -d-
virtues or vice: Mikaela's spotless record would count for naught when she finds herself standing before a judge facing either aiding and abetting, accessory charges or, if Cadence has any say in the matter, criminal conspiracy charges. Considering could be found on the grounds of her establishment with a warrant, there's a pretty solid case against her. Honestly though, the girl really is fooling herself if she thinks that Cadence is off in her estimation of her. Just a worm. The people that she was after were far more important. Maybe she's underestimating Mikaela, but as yet the detective didn't think a bubble-headed dipshit like her was one of the Network's founders. The interjection from the man at the end of the bar drew her attention and she eyed him curiously. People don't interrupt what looks to be an official investigation for another round unless they're pretty sloshed already. The man didn't look drunk at all, not so far as she could tell. The door, Mikaela says. Thought there was no door to speak of? Cadence was in no hurry to leave. It was then that she picked up the water that had been served to her and took a drink. Her hand slipped into her pocket and withdrew a crisp one dollar bill, which she laid down on the bar beside the glass a moment later. "Put it towards your bills," She suggests before finally taking her leave.[d]
