Entering the prison like city that was the Golden Sanctuary had not been the difficulty for someone that carried the weight of Medusa's reputation as Suna's leading Underground criminal. No, the issue was that criminals that operated within Suna were considered to be of a slightly lower caliber to some of the more unsavory members that ran their business through the large merchant city. The red haired woman could get by on certain merits, pulling favors and whispering half-hearted promises to those that decided to try their hand at taking the woman on, but bigger targets meant bigger gambles. Not many knew that the woman still had some kind of moral integrity, her contract to the Kage decreed that she at least would make "anonymous" citizen arrests to those that worked in drug smuggling and human trafficking almost ensured that. Those kind of things were at least still under wraps; she was incredibly good with her line of business.
Today though, her business led her into the city to make a small exchange with a new merchant that she had been eyeing for quite some time. She kept her eyes straight, blind to the on goings of those around her. Today she was a bit dressed down compared to what one might typically find her wearing. She wore a plain white button up, a black and white striped tie neatly around her neck, black slacks with attached suspenders, a shiny gold watch on her wrist, and a black newsboy cap sitting neatly on her fiery red locks. Hades was following her as she strolled through the shops, her other colleagues had scattered to resupply and purchase whatever they might have difficulty acquiring in town. Anyone could get anything for the right price around here, and most of it was off the record. Gray areas were the easiest to exploit after all. They brought the money, the caravans smuggled in her goods. Her group always paid the caravans that little bit extra for taking the risk. They weren't stupid, but they were greedy. Still, when you have the money, might as well guarantee your hands aren't all over the illicit goods.
Medusa finally reached an alleyway that led away from most of the hustle and bustle of the other shops. She casually turned and followed it until she reached a solid looking wall. To the unobservant eye, it would appear to be a dead end, but to those with the right kind of skills, it was a door. Her eyes slightly glanced to the ground, watching her shadow suddenly come to life. She smirked, watching it detach from her form, slowly slipping underneath the wall. A moment later, there was the distinct sound of shifting as a panel pressed inward and opened up. On the other side, Medusa saw a dark figure that matched her appearance without any real definition. A smirk adorned her face. "Much obliged." The shadow shifted again, appearing back on the ground naturally, reattaching itself to the edge of her body.
After entering, the door slipped closed behind her. Hades would be unable to follow, but he leaned against the wall, knowing his employer didn't like to have her business interrupted. Medusa continued through the low lit passageways, hearing hushed voices in the distance. "You idiots! She's going to be here any minute and you BROKE THEM?!?" The obvious sound of panic and anger that was in the man's voice had Medusa pausing. Her brows quirked in mild interest, stopping to listen. "It wasn't our fault! You try getting something that fragile across the desert!" There was another sound, something being thrown and smashing against a wall. "Hey, now! No need to get violent, we can probably fix them; she isn't here yet." Figuring she had heard enough, Medusa stepped out of the corridor shadows and into the light of the room where three members stood. One was a fairly large built man with a red mechanical eye and a mechanical arm, likely the merchant, given the angry expression on his face. The other man in the room, visibly younger and shorter than the previous, seemed to take a large gulp as his eyes zeroed in on her. The last member in the room was a woman that drew Medusa's curiosity. She looked rather....cat-like. Her mind didn't dwell long on them as the merchant turned to her. "You're early." Medusa flexed her wrist, glancing at her watch. Despite knowing exactly what time it was, this was more to prove a point than anything. "No, I don't think I am, 'captain'. I think I'm right on schedule. But, since you're so concerned with my time, perhaps we should move this along, shall we?" Her voice was dripping with threat, her eyes flashing green for a moment.
The merchant glanced to his companions, his glare ramping up nearly two-fold, hopefully unseen to the woman that was looking to do business with him. Instead of mincing words, he turned and picked up a solid black case. He presented the case to Medusa, popping two of the metal locks on it. The merchant opened it, displaying two custom made pistols, clearly broken. Medusa tutted, noting the poor state that they were in. "Well, well..." a small chuckle left her, making the others shift uncomfortably at the unexpected response from the woman. "I really must say, I feel quite distressed at not having been informed of such an unfortunate occurrence such as this. It would have saved me the trouble of traveling all the way here, wouldn't you agree? After all, my time is more valuable than my riches, yet you were paid in advance, quite handsomely I might add, to acquire these on my behalf. So now, my dear 'captain', I have lost my time, my money, and have no goods to show for it. How do you propose we rectify this, hmm?" By now, the other two members had ran, likely fearing from their life both from their boss and the woman who appeared oddly calm about the entire exchange. The merchant grumbled under his breath, clearly feeling backed into a corner, and by a woman no less! This would not sit with him. The man withdrew a large curved sword, pointing it directly at Medusa. "Perhaps your business isn't welcome here anymore. I've dealt with worse than the likes of you before, this doesn't need to get ugly. Cut your losses, girl." Waiting a moment, Medusa's expression flashed quickly to one of fear before pouting, giving the appearance that she might start to cry. The merchant saw this as a victory, happy to have bested the woman with the mere threat of violence. However, the man started to sweat when he noticed a sinister, toothy grin spread across Medusa's face, her eyes taking on that viridian green hue as her darker persona made it's presence known. A dark chuckle left her as she stepped closer into the man's space. "Oh dear, what an awkward situation you've just created."
She grabbed the man by the shirt, jerking him closer to her until he was near her face, she gazed into his eyes. The man struggled, but suddenly went limp as she assaulted his mind with vicious precision, locking onto him like he was nothing but simple prey. In that moment, her felt himself swell with fear, knowing he was at her mercy, unable to gain control over his own will. "Now, I'm going to take these, but I think I deserve a little compensation for the way this has been handled. I know you have a warehouse under this hovel you call a shop. You're going to let me in, and take whatever it is that I want, understand?" The merchant, compelled to agree with her, simply nodded. He turned and opened another panel, a secret set of stairs that led down several floors. Medusa dropped him suddenly, the man suddenly curled on the floor, unable to stave off the crushing pain that suddenly ripped through his skull. "If you try anything while I'm down there, my associates will know and things will get quite messy, and you don't want to see what happens when things get messy, 'captain'. This should only take but a moment." Before Medusa completely disappeared out of the view of the merchant, the man managed to whisper out something that caught her attention. "That's if you even manage to make it back at all. Some things down there aren't meant to see the light of day anymore." Curious, but not deterred, Medusa delved into the bowels of the warehouse.
Her black stilettoes clicked on the cold stone floor as she reached the bottom. The warehouse was large and expansive, much larger than she anticipated initially. It was dimly lit, like the rest, her she had adjusted to such lighting, having lived in the Underground for years. There were trinkets that lined shelves upon shelves, but nothing initially drew her attention. Most of the things down here were forgeries or worth very little, and did not serve any practical use to her. She wandered for several more moments, dragging her fingers lightly along the edges of the shelves. There was slight dust accumulation, a sign that most of these things had likely sat here for a while. Perhaps she really shouldn't have gone with this vendor if he couldn't even more his own merchandise quickly. Still, something of value was likely here. Making it nearly to the back of the warehouse, something in the distance caught her eye. A genuine smile tugged on the edges of her lips as she started to walk towards it. "Well, hello beautiful."
[Using Discovery of Contract of Your Choice - to find Snake]
[WC: 1,613]
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