Jade wasn't one to smile. But Sig's way of trying to get her to voluntarily offer him a story made a half smile emerge. A story about her? And Windigo? He was a much more well-known bounty hunter than she was. He was also much more skilled. Of course, he would be telling her that she's giving herself too little credit. There were plenty of stories that she could pick and choose from with him. It might just be easier to pick one from when they were partners. It was a rare occurrence for bounty hunters to partner up, in fact, it's pretty unheard of. So much so, that their partnering was pretty much a secret. There were plenty of times that they had done the impossible together, and Jade allowed him to take all the credit. It didn't matter to her if she gained the reputation, she just wanted the money involved. But maybe... there was a bit more to it than that.<br/><br/>"Seems you see more than the usual crowd," Jade took a look over her shoulder and noticed the other groups were settling down. "Alright... I will give a story. Just let me finish this-" Jade took up the next pint an downed it in one go. Oh, there were so many nights where she needed these. Chugging ale was no stranger to her. With that, she set the cup down again, feeling a bit more fuzzy after in-taking all that alcohol. "There we are. Now, a better question is, what story to choose..." She racked her brain to find some. "For starters, I am a bounty hunter. The man I was talking to is known as Windigo. He's a pretty well-known hunter as well. If you didn't know him already." Jade shrugged and crossed her legs as she sat in the stool. "The other guys he had with him? No clue who they were. Usually you can hire some guys to help you transport your bounties. And Windigo, well, he's not short on money." Jade spoke of him with the upmost respect. She learned so many things from him.<br/><br/>Jade mused to herself before leaning forward onto the bar counter, her arms resting now. The look on her face made it seem as if she was somewhere far away, as she delved into her memories. "I have so many stories... it's hard to choose<i>just</i>one." Maybe a more introductory story of Windigo into her life would suffice. "I started training to be a bounty hunter when I was about 15." Jade closed her eyes, the memory forming in her mind. "You have to take one of those tests in order to become one. Usually it's a bounty shared with someone else taking the test, or someone else who is also there to evaluate you." Jade took a breath before continuing on. "I was 18 when I could finally take my test. Was the first time I got to meet Windigo. There was a group of us who wanted to take the test to become bounty hunters. Wind was one of the guys who was there to evaluate one of us. He was young, around 23 at the time. Up and coming... there were already plenty of rumors about him already. Apparently he purposefully takes the bounty off those who he's evaluating. It was more of a test to see if he can make it past the phase of evaluating." Jade merely chuckled at that. "I could tell the bastard was ready to move on, yet the higher ups wouldn't allow him to because he was pulling that shit on those taking the test."<br/><br/>"So then, it became a competition on who people think will out-trick the trickster himself." Jade glanced over to Sig, who was listening intently. "Unfortunately, I was paired up with him in the end. The other's in the testing group were paired with each other and I was the odd one out. I remember seeing the smirk on his face..."<br/><br/>___________________________<br/><br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
<button class="bbCodeSpoiler-button button--longText button" data-xf-click="toggle" data-xf-init="tooltip" title="Click to reveal or hide spoiler" type="button"><span class="button-text">
<span>Spoiler: <span class="bbCodeSpoiler-button-title">OOC</span></span>
</span></button>
<div class="bbCodeSpoiler-content">
<div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--spoiler">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Jade refers to him as Windigo the whole time as she tells the story, this is before he gets the name 'Windigo' as a bounty name.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div><br/>"Hey, names Creed, I'm here to evaluate your execution of how you wish to obtain the bounty. Seems you were the odd one out," there was a smirk planted on his face. His eyes danced with mischievous intentions. Everything about him irritated Jade. She was always frowning, yet this guy seemed to make her frown more. It was just her luck to get stuck with him... But there was nothing else she could do about it. She wanted this job more than he can get in the way of. Who knows, maybe she could end his streak. The arrogance that wafted off of his aura was making her scrunch her face. This only seemed to entertain the cretin more.<br/><br/>Their mark was on a man named James Freely. Except that they didn't really need to take him in anywhere, they just needed the amulet that the man possessed. Seemed the client wanted the amulet, but had to put a mark on the man since he was the one who possessed it at the time. It was Creed who ended up finding out where James was hiding out at. This did irritate Jade more. It was one thing for someone to be arrogant, but he was also really<i>good</i>at what he was doing. If he wasn't stuck in the spot of assessing trainee's he would be making bank. Within their time together, Creed actually gave Jade some pointers in tracking. It seemed like when it was just them together, he was more helpful than when someone was watching them. The two of them spent about a week planning out their next step. There was a black tie party being held that their mark had to attend. Which means they needed to dress up. Creed wore the usual attire men wear to one of these events, a black and white suit. Surprisingly to Jade, it really fit him.<br/><br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
<button class="bbCodeSpoiler-button button--longText button" data-xf-click="toggle" data-xf-init="tooltip" title="Click to reveal or hide spoiler" type="button"><span class="button-text">
<span>Spoiler: <span class="bbCodeSpoiler-button-title">Jade's dress</span></span>
</span></button>
<div class="bbCodeSpoiler-content">
<div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--spoiler">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">
<div class="bbImageWrapper lazyload js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.simplydresses.com%2F_img%2FSDPRODUCTS%2F2131470%2F500%2Fblack-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg&amp;hash=f010e7f2af787aa36162458571cceca9" title="black-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg">
<img alt="black-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg" class="bbImage lazyload" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.simplydresses.com%2F_img%2FSDPRODUCTS%2F2131470%2F500%2Fblack-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg&amp;hash=f010e7f2af787aa36162458571cceca9" data-url="https://img.simplydresses.com/_img/SDPRODUCTS/2131470/500/black-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" style="" title="" width=""/>
<noscript><img alt="black-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg" class="bbImage" data-url="https://img.simplydresses.com/_img/SDPRODUCTS/2131470/500/black-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.simplydresses.com%2F_img%2FSDPRODUCTS%2F2131470%2F500%2Fblack-dress-PV-3010-a.jpg&amp;hash=f010e7f2af787aa36162458571cceca9" style="" title="" width=""/></noscript>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div><br/>Jade entered the room where Creed was waiting, her dress fit her well, and the slit helped with the leg room. When he looked over to where she came from, he looked stunned. Jade rolled her eyes at him. There was no wavering in her walk as she made her way over to him. "Ready? We need to sneak into that event." She asked briskly, just wanting to get the job done.<br/><br/>Creed smirked a bit, snapping out of his trance. "Just follow my lead, doll." He walked past her and made his way towards the building they needed to enter. Jade ground her teeth together at the fact he called her doll. There was no time to bicker over something like that though. They walked together, acting as if they were just like the rest, waiting to get into the event. There was someone with a list, looking up names of the guests. Creed decided to cause a diversion, stealthily setting alight the bushes beside the line. There was a mass of screams and exclamations as the fire got bigger. Jade looked to the fire, then Creed with a raised eyebrow. He rolled his eyes at her and guided her inside the house, his hand on her back. The guards and even the man checking the list were distracted by the fire.<br/><br/>"Another trick of yours, I presume." Jade didn't even look to Creed as she said that. She could already feel the smirk. He never answered her though, as their eyes were both set on their mark: James. The amulet was around his neck. Jade clicked her tongue softly, unhappy about how difficult this was going to be for them to get. At least, stealthily. They didn't need to be stealthy if they didn't wish to. This was a bounty after all. And yet... that extra cash granted to them on keeping things low profile called out to the both of them. When she glanced up to Creed, he seemed much more serious that she has seen him this whole time. It surprised her. So, it seemed the trickster does get serious in the heat of a hunt. But this wasn't his hunt to take, it was hers.<br/><br/>Jade moved away from Creed, over towards the stage. There was already people playing music up there, it was her intention to grab James attention with her singing. Whenever she did, Creed would take his time to slip that amulet off the man's neck. Once she walked up to the stage, there were quite a few eyes on her. One of which belonged to her mark. Another belonged to her partner in crime.<br/><br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
<button class="bbCodeSpoiler-button button--longText button" data-xf-click="toggle" data-xf-init="tooltip" title="Click to reveal or hide spoiler" type="button"><span class="button-text">
<span>Spoiler: <span class="bbCodeSpoiler-button-title">song</span></span>
</span></button>
<div class="bbCodeSpoiler-content">
<div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--spoiler">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-content"><div class="bbMediaWrapper">
<div class="bbMediaWrapper-inner">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/643mKHqdf8Q?wmode=opaque" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
</div></div>
</div>
</div>
</div><br/>As she sang, all eyes remained on her, except for one pair. Once the song finished, there was polite clapping and she returned off the stage to walk over to Creed, who smiled once she made her way to him. "You have more up your sleeve than I thought," he mused.<br/><br/>Jade only gave a half-smile. "As do you. Let's go." The couple left the place before anyone had noticed anything. The fire was settled outside and the two made it back to the place they were staying to change back into normal clothes. It was time for them to return to the bounty hunters training grounds but there was one issue: Creed had the amulet at hand. Jade eyed him before they started to leave. "So, Creed," she leaned forward and he looked over to her, the devious look dancing in his eyes.<br/><br/>"What is it, love?" His voice was deep and silky. It was as if he was playfully teasing her. This only made Jade frown.<br/><br/>"You have no intention of handing that amulet to me, are you?" She asked.<br/><br/>"I don't," he smiled a bit and continued forward. There was a soft growl from Jade as she followed. It wasn't but a few more hours before they were in front of the gates to the bounty hunters sanctum. Jade and Creed both looked tired. She eyed him again, a thought playing in her mind.<br/><br/>"Are you sure you won't give it to me?" She asked, this time, sounding a bit playful herself.<br/><br/>Creed chuckled and took the amulet out, it swung by his hand just out of her reach. "This? This is mine. You aren't dumb, you knew what I do when I 'evaluate' trainee's." He smiled a bit maliciously now. "No way I'll give it to you."<br/><br/>Jade was quick. With her left hand, she grabbed onto his shirt and pulled Creed closer to her, before she planted a kiss onto his lips. This took him by surprise, as he gawked at her. With her right hand, she plucked the amulet from his loosened grip before pulling away from the kiss and smiled widely to the stunned thief. One of the few times she's smiled so big. "Thank you," she said to him, in a sing-song voice before tucking the amulet away in her bag and walking through the gates. That shouldn't have worked. But it did. Creed straightened up once he realized what had happened. He was bested,  and in such a dirty way. He watched as Jade made her way over to turn in the bounty herself, a smile on his face. Jade was much more interesting to him than any other he had encountered before.<br/><br/>______________________________________________<br/><br/>Jade let out a breath, looking toward the bartender in front of her. "Was that a satisfactory story for you?" The alcohol was starting to wear off, and she really wanted some more, if she could.<br/><br/><br/>Mentions:<a class="username" data-user-id="5743" data-username="@Briker" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/5743/">@Briker</a>