[center Onyx Lauristen sat comfortably on her couch, her laptop sitting open in her lap. It had been a few weeks since she'd checked the bounty list and she was beginning to grow bored. She'd been lucky that the last bounty had been enough to get her through the past few weeks, and though she still had plenty of money left over, she knew the funds wouldn't last forever. Not to mention, to a degree, she enjoyed the chase. It was always interesting seeing what criminals would do to get out of being arrested or what kind of excuse they would come up with. "Oh it wasn't me, it was my twin," or "Think of my family." They were enough to make her laugh. The stupidity never ceased to amaze her.]

[center Being so lost in thought, she almost skipped over a bounty that was both extremely interesting and paid very well. Pausing, she scrolled back up, opening it in a new tab. Reading over it, she couldn't help but frown. So the leader of the Kings was looking for the person who supposedly murdered some of their members? That was a bit strange to her. Since when did gang leaders put out bounties? Didn't they usually handle things themselves?]

[center Deciding not to question it further, she went ahead and signed her name. She figured this one should be fairly easy, considering the whole situation was local. If the target was smart, they would have left town by now, but if she was lucky, they would still be wandering about. Writing down the name, she began doing her research, paying attention to the places that they frequented. She couldn't help but smirk as the name of a bar kept popping up.]

[center Setting the laptop on the table, she shut it down before standing, making her way to her room. She was quick to throw on a pair of black pants, a green blouse, and a pair of boots. Not her usual attire of a black tank top, trench coat, and combat boots, but she was going to a bar. She needed to blend in the best she could. Reaching into the top drawer of her dresser, she pulled out a pair of handcuffs, hiding them in her back pocket, a gun, which she strapped to her right side, and a knife that she strapped to her left. Grabbing a black jacket, she threw it on, covering all of her toys before snagging her keys and leaving her apartment, locking everything behind her.]

[center The ride to the bar wasn't eventful, something that Onyx was grateful for. Once she signed on to a bounty, she was pretty focused on getting it completed. She didn't have time for distractions.]

[center Pulling into the parking lot a while later, she turned the car off and stepped out, stretching her arms over her head as she looked up at the bright neon sign. The Black Rose Tavern. How cute. Making her way up to the door, she ignored the line of people trying to get inside. She was quick to pull out her wallet, showing her ID and hunting license to the bouncer, who was quick to step aside. [b [i "Don't damage anything,"]] he said to her as she walked past him. She only nodded.]

[center She began looking around. If her target wasn't here yet, she would just wait. If they didn't show up at all, she would just keep coming back until they did. Lauristen was a stubborn woman, after all.]

[#e60f26 "You know I don't get personal with the guests. So I would back off there, Allen. I've told you a hundred times. Every girl on this stage has told you that. So unless you want Eric gotten AGAIN and us allowing him to 'kiss the bride'.. Then I suggest you take your ass back to your seat and enjoy the show."] The redhead said as she glared down the man in front of her. Unlike the other girls, Vyxen Rose, or as her dancer name was Rosey Rose was not scared to tell their guests off. It was probably why she was in a mess with the local gang. She had refused some special favours and had been warned that she would pay dearly for it. So far though it had not happened and she just put those thoughts to the back of her mind as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked to the other girls she was going to be dancing with with a smile. [#e60f26 "Ready girls?"] She asked, instantly changing and becoming perky.

When the looks of shock had disappeared from their faces and the others nodded, Vyx began walking up the steps and found her favourite pole towards the front of the stage. She wasn't shy and didn't mind being the center of attention. Besides, the tips were even better that way. She had been here for a few months but had learned the system quickly enough. Actually she had been taught by Gracelynn who had left them shortly after Vyx had joined.

Her mind wasn't on anything but the music and letting it course through her. It was always so easy for her to lose herself to a good beat and that was exactly what there was this night. Though she couldn't help getting the feeling that there was something off. Not that she knew the how or the why. It was just a gut feeling and one she could not shake. [#e60f26 "Thanks y'all for being a great audience for us. The girls and I really enjoyed dancin' for ya."] She said with her bright and flirty smile and winked before she hopped down from the stage to make her way through the crowded dance floor as the band took up the stage and the patrons could dance themselves. She was taking a side door to the dressing room so she could change back into her black tank top, tight leather pants and boots. It was too warm for her jacket and she had left it in her car anyway. Once she was changed, the redhead brushed her hair out and let it fall down her shoulders and back in soft waves and fixed her makeup. Now she could go and mingle and flirt if she wanted. Which was a usual thing for her.

Slowly she slipped from the side door again and let green eyes skim over the patrons. Everyone she had seen or flirted with before and wasn't fond on them. But then her eyes settled on a rather attractive woman she had not seen before. Lightly,Vyx licked over her bottom lip and slipped her way through the dance floor and soon was beside her. [#e60f26 "So what's a pretty girl like you doin' in a place like this, anyhow? And maybe a dance or drink could interest ya?"] She asked. She had NO idea this was the "paying" that she had been threatened with all that time ago.

[center Onyx was leaning against the bar, a bottle of water sitting beside her as her eyes landed on the women making their way up onto the stage. She raised a brow, almost letting out a laugh. She instantly recognized the woman who took the pole in the front. Why wouldn't she? Her picture had been plastered all over the bounty. For a moment, she was stunned. To an outsider, it would seem like she was entranced by the way the redhead's hips moved or the way she seemed to lose herself in the music.]

[center While the bounty hunter would admit she was attractive, it wasn't why she was staring.]

[center Onyx just simply couldn't believe her luck.]

[center In the past, she practically had to hunt down her targets, breaking down doors, chasing them through stores, etc. The possibilities had been endless. Yet this one? She couldn't have expected this if she'd tried. It was even more shocking when the girls were finally done and she found the redhead making her way towards her.]

[center Shifting, she crossed her arms over her chest, a small smirk gracing her lips at her words. [b "Pretty? That's a new one, so thank you,"] she said, meeting her eyes. A part of her thought it was unbelievable that a girl so small could pull of something as horrible as the contents of the bounty, but she also knew that pole dancing took a lot of strength to pull off, and she had to remind herself that she, too, was smaller, and yet she'd faced off with some pretty tough assholes.]

[center People were full of surprises.]

[center She looked the woman up and down, debating if she should take her up on her offer. If she could get her alone, she'd probably have a good chance of cuffing her and leading her out without much a fuss. She shrugged. [b "How much for a private dance?"] she asked, her accented voice soft.]

There were red flags going off the moment the woman had turned towards her and spoke her words. Why was it the ones she thought the most attractive or possibly even worth her time had those sirens in her head going off? If she were smart, which she wasn't, Vyx would have turned on her heel and got the hell out of there. And yet, the woman intrigued her and she did love to play with fire.

Green eyes again let themselves trail over the other woman who was easily as slight as she was. And good god was she gorgeous. Vyxen licked slowly over her bottom lip and brushed some of her red locks behind her shoulder as her eyes locked with the other woman's once more. [#e60f26 "Pretty is what you are and so I was only speaking the truth, doll. My momma taught me better than to tell a lie. Would have had my ass over her knee real fast."] Came soft, almost purred words.

The question that came her way had taken her back a bit. Usually she was good with being flirty but she wasn't always so good when the patrons were. And she was thoughtful for a moment, making a show of tapping the tip of her finger against her chin. [#e60f26 "How about you don't have to pay for it? Just be my companion for the night? You know drinks, talk, or whatever else may come."] It seemed easy enough to Vyx and she had to admit that she was rather enchanted by the woman whom she had decided to talk to this night.

[#e60f26 "That is if you are up for it, darlin'..?"] She asked as her head tilted and she motioned for a drink that almost immediately came sliding across the bar top and to her out reached hand. The ball was now in the other woman's court and she wondered just what she would do with it.

[center The way the redhead looked at her was almost enough to make Onyx blush. When was the last time someone had stared at her like that or even had such an interesting reaction? For a moment, her past came back to haunt her, memories tearing through her mind. It was enough to make her flinch, though only slightly. She's grown used to the constant attack on her mind. To the sudden reminders that she had something good.]


[center Once.]


[center A small smile crept across her lips. [b "Very rare to find a woman who was raised right,"] she said with a laugh. All she had to do was play the game. That wouldn't be too hard. If it worked, she'd have her alone in no time. Then she could cuff her and take her to the proper authorities. She'd get paid and it would be a done deal.]


[center Simple as that.]


[center Yeah, right. Finding the woman here was enough luck for a lifetime. If she got even luckier tonight, she'd start praying to a God she didn't believe in.]


[center As fast as she'd had the thought, the woman offered to give her the night for free. Onyx was shocked. This was beginning to feel a little too easy... She was doing far better than she thought, it would seem, when it came to getting this woman to let her guard down. Another hour or two like this and she'd be done for the night.]


[center She then shrugged and looked away for a moment, pushing some hair behind her ear. [b "I'm definitely up for it."] She smirked a little, hoping it would come off as playful. [b "Always a good night when spent in the company of a beautiful woman."] That wasn't a lie.]

Fire, she was definitely playing with fire. The longer she was around the dark haired beauty, the louder the sirens in her mind seemed to get. Should she be listening and getting the hell out of dodge? Probably. But Vyxen was never that smart. And she was even more dumb when it came to such a beautiful and intriguing woman such as Onyx.

[#e60f26 "You hardly find anyone who is raised right anymore, darlin'. It's a rare treat to say the very least."] Came thoughtful and almost chuckled words as she did toss her drink back, green eyes again trailing over the woman at her side.

The redhead knew that her days of freedom were numbered. She knew her name was out there and for something she did or didn't do. And because of that being the case, Vyx was going to live it up. Play with fire like she already doing.

[#e60f26 "Nice to know that we're on the same page. Makes this a lot better and should help it to be more fun."] And those words, Vyxen said with a wink as she stood and motioned to a back hall that would lead to the backrooms where only "special" guests were allowed. The only thing was, she hoped she would not regret the choice she was making. And if she did, well it was too late to go back now.

[center Smart and pretty. That was definitely rare.]


[center [b "That is no lie,"] she said with a laugh. It came out a little more bitter than she had intended, but she couldn't take it back. She had a bad habit of that, actually, letting her negative emotions show when she didn't want them to. One wrong word or move and Vyxen might decide to change her mind and leave.]


[center Not that Onyx would let her. She had her in her hands now. She wasn't about to let her get away too easy.]


[center Really, she'd prefer if she didn't get away at all.]


[center She didn't like to lose her targets. Not to say that it hadn't happened before, but yeah, she didn't like it one bit.]


[center Glancing up to the hall, a smirk fell upon her lips. She wasn't the kind for a bit of fun. Hadn't been since her ex. However...it didn't hurt to allow a little bit to slip in every once in a while.]


[center She froze for a moment. Was she really considering getting personal with a target? She'd never allowed that to happen before. What was it about this woman that had her attention so much?]


[center Despite the knot forming in her stomach, she stood, running a hand through her hair before she offered Vyxen a smile. [b "Lead the way,"] she said softly.]

Even with the bitter laugh that had slipped from the other young woman, Vyxen wasn't as alert as she probably should have been. It instead told the redhead that the other had been hurt and was struggling with whatever thoughts had been bouncing around in her head. But of course, the green-eyed woman could not speak those words. She didn't want for the other to think she was trying to psychoanalyze her or anything. Just she happened to be observant and pick up on the moods and emotions of those around her.

She was still standing before Onyx and studying her as the other again fell into silence after those soft words and bitter laugh. Again, she seemed pensive and calculating. Two red flags that SHOULD have been listened to and yet Vyx just brushed them off. If she was going to get in trouble, then she was going to get into trouble. Probably why her momma had always called her a stubborn girl and wondered why she even bothered to try and help her out messes she used to get into.

A shake of her head was given as she again heard the soft voice of the other speak and a smile slipped to plump pink lips. [#e60f26 "You know you really did make my night. Usually I have to spend the time alone nursing drinks and contemplating my life choices."] Vyx said with a laugh as she brushed some of her own hair back over her should. And once she had, the redhead led the dark haired beauty through the back and to the private rooms she had mentioned.

[#e60f26 "Room 418 is my favourite..."] Her words were soft as she spoke them and they had come to the door. The woman slipped her necklace off and slipped the small key into the lock, opening the door for Onyx before she stepped back to let the other in first. Somehow, the room 418 was more set like an [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/03/04/59/0304592fecf9a31e21ec6e5738e0b887.jpg Ancient Egyptian Queen's]. But Vyx didn't explain more as she wanted to let Onyx tell her what her own thoughts of the room were.

[center Verdant eyes darted to the redhead, a bit surprised. She kept catching her off guard, which was for sure throwing her off more than it should have been. She usually didn't make anyone's night. People who knew her knew what she was and what she had to do. Was the woman just oblivious or was she playing a game with her? If she was, she'd find out soon enough that Onyx knew how to play, too. [b "I'm glad I could make it better,"] she said with a smile.]


[center [i Just play along...]]


[center That was admittedly getting a little hard to do. The closer they got to the room, the more her anxiety started to screw with her. Memories tore through her mind, threatening to send her to her knees if she didn't shove them away. It was being alone in a room with someone, especially when it was for "intimate" reasons. Of course, Onyx knew that wasn't going to happen, but it still made her stomach knot up a little.]


[center She was hesitant to step into the room first, not liking the idea of the other woman behind her back, but she forced herself to move inside anyone, eyes widening in awe as she took in her surroundings. [b "I can see why,"] she said honestly. The room was beautiful and pleasing to look at. It was too bad that Onyx wasn't a material person. If she was, she could definitely see herself enjoying a room like this.]


[center She turned then to Vyxen, an almost mischievous smile on her face. [b "I feel lucky that I get to be shown a room almost as beautiful as the woman who led me here."] That was the easy part. The flirting, the sweet-talking. The sad thing, too, was that Onyx was starting to like the girl. She seemed sweet enough that she could almost forget why she was there and what the bounty on her head was for. It was going to make the next part of her job much harder now.]

It was almost funny and sad how much Vyxen was already starting to like Onyx. There was just something about the other woman that drew her in. A mystery that she wanted to try and solve? Or was it the fact that she had in a sense caught a glimpse of the pain that the other woman felt though she tried so hard to hide it? Truly, the redhead could not say. All she knew was that she had meant it when she said that the brunette beauty had made her night better. It was however hard for Vyxen to tell if Onyx had meant her own words.

Games...it almost seemed as if they were both playing head games with one another. In the back of her mind, the way she and Onyx behaved reminded her almost of playing cat and mouse. Who would be the one to slip up first? And it was the moment that thought had come to mind did a soft and almost humourless laugh slip from the young woman. Maybe she was overthinking? Or maybe the red flags she had sensed were FINALLY getting to her and she was contemplating trying to put more of her guard up...well if she had not royally fucked up already. Knowing Vyx though, she probably had and so had to as the saying goes "make the best of a bad sitaution".

[#e60f26 "The one who owned this room gave me free range of it when I first came here. Syn didn't stay much longer after that though. Never did find out what had happened to her.."] Words were soft as she let the door close behind them and instead of staying behind the other woman, Vyx moved to her side.

A soft laugh slipped from Vyxen when she caught the words that Onyx had said. And slowly she again moved her own long red locks over her shoulders and let her hair cascade down her back in soft waves. [#e60f26 "Now that darlin' is pure flattery. But think I'll take it as I don't always have such a gorgeous gal calling me a beauty. Or at least one that seems to be flirty and mean it at the same time."] Her words were soft and even had a light purr within them as she winked at Onyx.

After she had made her own little flirty gestures, Vyx moved to the bed, bright green eyes on the other. The hand that rested at her side moved up and down as she pat the spot beside her. [#e60f26 "Wouldn't hurt if you took a seat and stayed a little while. Like I said, not often I get the company of such a beauty back here."] Vyx said, teeth lightly drawing her bottom lip between them as she hoped to be giving the other a seductively inviting look. She may have been playing with fire again, but damn.. she hoped before whatever was coming that at least she would be able to have a good time first.

[center Onyx followed the red-headed woman’s movements as she passed by her, raising a brow for a moment. The way she spoke about this other person was interesting. She did hate to hear that she never knew what happened. It was always sad when someone just disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. The bounty hunter herself had gone through that once or twice in her short lifetime. Shit sucked each time. It was why she wasn’t close to anyone anymore. It hurt less when they inevitably left or passed away.]

[center That’s what she liked to tell herself, at least.]

[center In truth, it still hurt all the same.]

[center A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. [b “If I give a compliment, I definitely mean it. No point in lying to people. Makes things messy.”] No, the woman before her was beautiful. Unfortunately for her, that was going to keep Onyx from doing her job. It was, however, going to make it just a little harder. She hadn’t spent long with her, but she could already tell that Vyx was an easy woman to like. She was beautiful, seemed smart, and was nice enough on the surface.]

[center How sad that the bounty hunter was there on a job and knew the truth. [i What a shame…]]

[center She hesitated before a moment as she stared at the spot the other woman was now patting. She knew she needed to just get this over with. The longer she stalled, the easier it would be for her target to get away. Logic should have won out. Then she bit her lip and it took all Onyx had not to say fuck it and just let the woman go. Why was this so hard? She’d never had any issues in the past. So why now?]

[center With a sigh, she made her way over to the bed, sitting down before she offered her a smile. [b “I’ll stay, but [i only] for a short time. I’m afraid I’ll have other things I’ll have to do later that will require my attention.”] Damn this woman for making it this hard. If it wasn’t for the fact that Onyx was very much grounded in reality, she would think Vyx was some kind of sorceress or something.]

The reason she had told Onyx about Syn wasn't to make the other feel bad. Vyx only wanted the other woman to understand why she loved this particular room so much. But in doing so, the redhead had made even herself sad. Syn...Amelia had been a very good friend in the sort time she had known her. The other woman had taken her under her wing and even shown her the ropes so to speak. So when she had gone, it had crushed Vyxen. Maybe that was why she hated to get attached to people. Eventually, everyone she came to love or care about tended to leave her or be taken away.

A quick shake of the head was given to clear those thoughts and once more green eyes were upon the dark eyed beauty who had yet to move. Again, Vyx found herself studying Onyx. And the flashes of emotions that danced in the eyes of the other woman confused her. IF she wers reading her right, Vyx guessed that her special guest of the night was facing an internal battle all her own. One that seemed to be weighing on her rather heavily.

[#e60f26 "Ah yes, the truth would be much less complicated than a lie. At least with the truth, you are not bound to remember what was said and then have to go back over it and make sure the details are the same as the first time. Though, it can be just as messy when you think of it."] Her words were soft, thoughtful even as her hand still pat the spot at her side, eyes never leaving the other woman.

She honestly was still praying to whatever God out there that the other would take the seat she was being offered. Only when Onyx finally joined her was the breath she had not even realised she had been holding slip past rosy lips. [#e60f26 "That's a damn shame. I've come to like your company so very much already... I was hoping that you would stay for a spell."] And with those words, green eyes sparkled. She was half teasing the other woman but she was also serious. She really didn't know what it was about the brunette beauty but already she was so very drawn in.  Even now, the sirens in her head were going off loudly. And because of those sirens, she was hoping to hell she would not end up regretting this. But in all honesty, Vyx was used to her hopes and dreams being shattered. So the young women knew deep down that she would regret this. Knew that it could and most definitely would cost her. But at the moment, Vyx didn't give a damn. She was going to live in the moment. Because she had learned that was all she had.