Nathan Ford (nate_ford) wrote in omega_reality, @ 2013-01-19 22:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | *complete, 2013 01, dead: nathan ford |
RP: Nate
Who: Nate, NPCs
Where: Chicago
When:January 19, 2013
Summary:Nate is making plans
It was the third weekend in a row that Nate was visiting Chicago. Three weeks ago he'd been here to get a change of scenery, an escape from the routine that had become his life. Since then it was something else that had him coming back, a will to protect. Or maybe it was just some longing for excitement.
So far he'd been watching: The people, the bartenders (several of which he'd gotten to know a bit), the girl who kept coming every Friday. There was something about her, her behavior, a desperation about her that had nothing to do with sex or the wish for love. No she wasn't after love, that was anyone could see, but looking at her, Nate was certain that she wasn't after sex either. If it was just sex, she would be checking people out, looking at the men to size them up as partners, at the women to size them up as competition. This one watched, but it was more observation than checking out, more passive than a woman trying to find a man for the night. And yet it never failed that whomever tried to pick her up, got her to leave with them. She'd smile (though it never reached her eyes), play along and pretend to be drunker than she was, and then she'd leave with them.
Yesterday the desperation had struck him as deeper than the previous two weeks, but the real surprise came in seeing her back at the bar again tonight. Still watching, still pretending to drink more than she did, still not really interested. Getting up, Nate took his whiskey and headed over. The girl was young, in her mid to late twenties, and should not be the least bit interested in an old man's company, but when he offered to buy her a drink she still accepted and smile. Or pretended to smile rather.
They spoke for a while, she feigned interest, laughed a bit too loudly, and yet the more they spoke the more Nate knew he'd been right. She was not here to pick up a date, she was here looking for something else. Or someone else.
"Aren't you worried, being alone out when there is a serial killer on the loose?" She tensed immediately and for a blink of an eye the facade was down before she slipped into her role again, brushing away what he'd said, saying something about daring to live and how it had been so long he'd probably been caught for something else and wasn't still out there.
"But then you don't believe that, do you?" Nate answered, taking a sip of his own whiskey. "Or you wouldn't be trying to bait him."
She froze, and this time it lasted longer than a blink of an eyes. "It's what you're doing, isn't it?" he asked, watching her hand as she gripped her purse tighter. He kept his voice down, making sure no one could hear them.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who doesn't want to see you get hurt. It's been a long time since he killed the last one, he'll be on the prowl by now, that's why the two nights in a row isn't it? You're trying to stop him before he kills again?" He nodded towards her bag. "A gun? Knife? Mace?"
She swallowed. "A gun. If you-"
"I told you, I'm a friend. You won't need it with me, and it won't do you any good with him. He's killed how many women? He'd kill you before you get to use it, especially since you're not trained."
"How-"
"To start, the position of your hand," he said nodding down. "It's on top of the flap of the purse, making you feel safe because you know the gun is near, making him safer because it means you'll have to lift it and the flap to get to the gun, making it less accessible than if you had it in a holster or just in the pocket of your coat. That's not safe, that's the illusion of safe and he has plenty of time to get to you before you get to the gun." Add that the man had powers and she wouldn't stand a chance. "If you were trained you'd know that, which means you're not a cop and this is personal. Who was she? A sister, cousin, friend? Which victim?"
"Sister," she said, her voice horse, her eyes studying him nervously. "Third."
Nate rose an eyebrow. "You've been doing this since?" No wonder she looked worn and desperate. Each new murder would be a failure, someone she couldn't save. "Look, I know about the need for revenge, the feeling of guilt-"
"I was supposed to be with her, I-."
"You didn't kill her. You dying won't help her."
"Killing him will."
"No, it won't. She'll still be dead. Killing him will help others, but you won't do it this way not without some..." he paused, before smiling to himself. "Leverage."
"Leverage?"
"Leverage." Nate confirmed.
"You're not him, are you?"
He smiled. "No, I'm not, but I can help you catch him." He wasn't even sure that was true, but it felt right, and he knew he'd help her. It was why he'd been coming to Chicago, it was what he was missing, what he had been missing since his team disappeared. He didn't have her trust yet, he knew it would take time to get it, unlike back home, he didn't have a reputation to fall back on, and she wasn't seeking out his help. Never the less he'd convince her to accept his help. Convincing Eliot would be harder, or rather convincing April to not protest Eliot getting involved would be harder, but one way or another he'd find a way to do it.