Relic Hunters! (closed)

[DrStein]

Jesse smiled at how smoothly she handled everything. He looked down at his arm, which now had been reduced to a dull ache. "I've felt worse."

The plane trip ran overnight. Jesse fell asleep before it was over with Drina resting against him. He woke up as they began their descent, finding his hand holding hers. He couldn't remember when he did that, but he must have at some point. Or had she taken his hand?

 

[haremfaery]

"First order of business in Mexico City is to get that looked at. We were in the jungle, we have to make sure there's no infection." Drina said. But it looked fine so far. That was good.

She felt Jesse move and and woke up immediately. She pulled her hand away from his and gave him a smile. She stretched and her joints popped. "Sleep well?" She leaned over him to take a look at his wounded arm.

 

[DrStein]

"What man doesn't like to wake up to the sight of a beautiful woman?" Jesse asked in his characteristic flirty tone. They touched down and on Drina's order made their way to a clinic. When the doctor asked how it had happened, Jesse just made up a quick story about a hunting accident, playing the part of the ignorant, tourist American to the hilt. The doctor rolled his eyes when he thought Jesse wasn't looking, but seemed to buy the story.

Out on the streets, everything was clogged with people. Church bells rang in the distance, showing it was noon. The two of them stood out noticeably. Drina's olive skin let her blend in more among the crowd, though a second glance would give her away instantly. Jesse on the other hand stuck out like a sore thumb. A tall, blond American with a large bandage on his arm.

"Alright, we need to find out where Petrovic's mansion is. And if we beat him to it." In the magazines, the detective always conveniently found some sort of clue. Jesse didn't think he'd be so lucky in this situation however. "Any idea where to start?"

 

[haremfaery]

"Would he be listed in the phone book? A wealthy man like him...people would know of him. He must be in one of the rich neighborhoods, perhaps outside the city, yes?" She looked at Jesse still thinking.

"A taxi driver might know...what if we said we had arrived, that Petrovic had hired us and was supposed to send a car, but didn't?" She smiled. "I thought you were the one with the plans. Perhaps you arm is worse than I thought. You are, what do you say? Off your game?"

 

[DrStein]

Jesse raised an eyebrow at Drina. "Me? Come up with plans? Perhaps you've been blinded by my roguish charms, but I work better when I make it up as I go. Always have. I leave planning to a smart cookie like you." To punctuate the statement, he playfully tapped her nose. It seemed he was back to his normal self.

"Let's go with your idea and see if a cab can get us to the mansion." He looked down the street and held up a finger. "Wait here..."

He strode off to a man stranding on the corner of the street and began talking with him, most likely in broken Spanish. A minute later he returned pocketing a packet of rolling papers and a small pouch with a rather distinctive and recognizable aroma. "Little hop for later," he said with a wink. Ever since Prohibition, Jesse had been using travel as another way of getting liquor, though he had also acquired a fondness for more exotic methods of achieving an altered state.

 

[haremfaery]

Drina was happy to see Jesse back to teasing and flirting. She had been disconcerted by the sudden introduction to his softer side. Not that she minded it, it simply took her by surprise.

She shook her head at Jesse. She thought he was getting them a cab. She had tried marijuana and a few other things, even opium. But she did not enjoy smoking very much. She did, however, like the results. Mushrooms were her preference, but they required a full day (or night) to enjoy and get out of one's system.

She put her arm out to flag down a cab. The cabbie seemed disappointed that she had a man with her, so she gave her one of her special smiles to ease his pain. She spoke to him in Spanish and explained thier situation. Surely, he must know the Ruso, Sr. Petrovic? The cabbie shakes his head, yes. She climbs into the back seat with Jesse and the cabbie takes off. She is still negotiating the cost of the trip with him.

 

[DrStein]

Jesse packed himself into the backseat of the cab and draped an arm across the back of the seat just over Drina's shoulders, apparently oblivious to the jealous looks the cabby was giving him. "Any chance I could get you to talk dirty to me in another language? Italian? Spanish? Mandarin, Swedish, Swahili, Tagalog? Irish Gaelic maybe?"

Twenty minutes later they found themselves in a very wealthy neighborhood. In contrast to the teeming apartments, tenements and townhouses of before, these were enormous, elegant affairs with stuccoed walls and metal gates separating them from the passes. The cabby stopped in front of one in particular and Jesse let Drina haggle for the fair as he looked at the house. Beyond the gate were beautiful gardens and white stone walls. The walls around the property were covered in ivy and the whole home seemed to have a quiet stateliness.

http://dixiedining.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/mansion-2.jpg

Jesse whistled, obviously impressed. "Talk about puttin' on the ritz... For a Bolshevic backstabber, he certainly knows how to live."

 

[haremfaery]

Drina laughed at Jesse then said in a sultry voice, "Podría recitar una lista de compras en español en el tono adecuado y no sé si se le invita a desnudarse o se pierden."* The cabbie snorted a laugh.

She did file away his request for another time. And it was true, she could simply recite what she saw in the room in a lascivious way and Jesse would not know the difference. However, she knew how to say very very naughty things in a variety of languages. It is what happens when you learn a language in bed.

Drina did her haggling by standing outside the cab and leaning on the opened window. It gave the cabbie a nice view of her cleavage and distracted him enough so that she was able to pay a reasonable about for their fare. This was the man's livelihood, she had no intention of cheating him. She added an appropriate, slightly generous tip and stepped away.

"So, do we just go up and knock?"


_____
* I could recite a shopping list in Spanish in the right tone and you would not know if I were inviting you to get naked or get lost.

 

[DrStein]

"I have no idea what you said, but I love the way you said it." Jesse only ever learned a smattering of words and phrases in the language of whatever country he was going to. He just didn't have patience to become a polyglot like Drina.

At her question, he looked around to see the street empty and with a jump, grabbed hold of the top of the wall and hoisted himself up. "Petrovic will know I'm here when he feels the barrel of a pistol pressed to the back of his head." He took a moment to look around and content that there were no guards or dogs about, he extended a hand to Drina to help her up. Naturally, he took advantage of his position to get a view down her top first.

The two of them dropped down on the opposite side of the wall and Jesse skulked around to the side. "Doors are probably locked. See if we can find a window we can open." They found one shortly and Jesse eased it open, once again sliding in first before giving Drina a hand in. They found themselves in a study with an antique writing desk and bookshelves filled with books both new and old. Several paintings adorned the walls, and a efw sculptures sat on the desk and sideboard. "Would you mind if I hocked some of this to the local antique dealers when we're done here? Not like Petrovic's gonna miss it."

 

[haremfaery]

Drina watched Jesse's ass as he went through the window.

Drina looked around the room. "None of these seem to be anything of great import, so I won't fight you about it." She walked over to the nearest shelf to look at the book titles. She would recommend to the Mexican government that they go through his possessions carefully to remove the wheat from the chaff. He mostly likely had more treasures here that a cursory glance would not discover.

"I am surprised your Russian has so little security, but then, I suspect he does not think he needs it." She went to the door and listened. The man surely had servants in the house. "Where is he keeping the other relics, I wonder."

 

[DrStein]

Jesse discreetly stuffed a small, jade figurine from the writing desk into his pack the moment Drina said she wouldn't fight him over the issue. He leaned in close to the door beside her, but heard nothing. "Only one way to find out, right?"

He cautiously opened the door and looked around. Seeing no one, he snuck out into the hallway and went to the closest door down the hall. He opened it to find a large patio with glass walls and ceilings. Aside from the furniture there was nothing of any interest. He closed the door and continued to creep through the hallway. He came to the second door and peered into it. He had just enough time to recognize the candlestick speeding toward his head before it walloped him upside his face and sent him crashing to the floor.

Drina went to his side only to find herself on the business end of two revolvers held by the servants. The room itself appeared to be a large den and trophy room lined with relics from around the world. And sitting by the hearth was Petrovic. He smiled at Drina as Jesse groaned and stirred. "Good day, Mister Moore. And your lovely companion. I do not believe I had the pleasure of learning her name?"

"Fuck... you," Jesse snarled as he struggled to lift himself up only to take a boot to the ribs from one of the gun-toting servants, both of whom appeared to be Russian.

"Search them," Petrovic ordered. A third servant stepped forward and grabbed Drina and Jesse's packs, taking them over to a desk while the men with guns took their weapons off of them. Petrovic motioned to have the rifle brought over to him and he looked it over. "Adriana... Is that your companion? Or is this one of those quaint American customs?"

Jesse managed a bitter laugh. "A gentleman never kisses and tells, Petrovic. Not that you'd know." The earned him another boot to the ribs. He violently coughed as he tried to suck in breath. "You know, that's getting really old!"

 

[haremfaery]

((Did Drina have the sense to hide the idol someplace? Like under the seat of the cab, or somewhere on the grounds?))

"That's MISS Fuck-You," Drina said to the Russian. She rarely used fowl language in anything but Rom, but this was a special case. She jerked away from the rough hands on her as they tried to cop a feel while removing her pistol and patting her down.

She glared at Petrovic, tell your dogs to keep their paws to themselves. Her hair was disheveled, some dark tendrils had escaped her top knot.

She looked at Jesse hoping they had not hurt him too badly.

 

[DrStein]

((I'll leave that up to you. For the climax though, it's important that Petrovic somehow get his hands on all six relics.))

Petrovic smirked at Drina's defiance. "Mister Moore has good taste in vomen it seems. A pity is his only redeeming quality."

"That still gives me one more than you," Jesse groaned with a smirk. Another hard kick in the chest.

Petrovic let out a sadistic, slow chuckle. "Mister Moore, you are hardly in a position to be cracking jokes. I vant the idol. Either you vill give it to me villingly or I vill take it from you. It vould be easier to do the former, yes?"

"What the hell do you want the damn things for anyway?" Jesse struggled to get up only to have the hard sole of the servant's leather shoe press down on his neck and pin him to the ground. He sneered up at the Russian holding him down with contempt.

"The goddess Ix Chel sought to usurp the sun god. Such vas beyond her power, naturally. But she could still control the veather." Petrovic stood from his chair and crossed the room to Jesse and Drina as he spoke. "Vhat good is the sun vhen it is perpetually hidden behind storm clouds? The lands vould flood, the sun vould never emerge to warm the soil, and she could destroy any who defied her vith lightning. Imagine if a man vere to have that power, Mister Moore."

"And you think some old knick-knacks are going to actually do that?" Jesse asked in a mocking tone.

Petrovic simply knelt down in front of Jesse and gave him a nasty, sinister grin. "Dah."

 

[haremfaery]

((Well then, let's say she stashed it on the grounds somewhere, so it will be closeby when they beat the information out of her.))

A chill ran thought Drina. He believed, and the way he said it made her believe too.

She knew Petrovic would not find the idol in either of their packs. She hoped that would buy them some time to figure out how to get out of here.

"Those are just old myths, they are not true. You must be mad! The relics belong in a museum, they are priceless, but they hold no magic." She was trying to convince herself as much as Petrovic.

 

[DrStein]

Petrovic turned to Drina with the slow, sinister movements like a panther about to spring on its prey. He stood to his full height and stepped closer to Drina. The man holding her at gunpoint grabbed hold of her arms. He was surprisingly strong, rendering her unable to move as Petrovic grabbed hold of her face by the jaw, squeezing her in a vise-like grip.

Jesse struggled to stand under the boot that still pinned him by his neck. "You hurt her Oi swear to God almighty Oi'll send you to Hell with moi bare hands!"

"The relics aren't in their packs," called the servant across the room. Jesse looked wide-eyed from the packs across the room to Drina.

Petrovic looked from the servant, to Drina to Jesse. "Clever. But it seems I've hit a nerve. One of you knows vhere the idol is. And I vill find it." He let go of Drina's jaw and slapped her hard across the face. Jesse violently jerked under his captor again.

Petrovic crossed over to Jesse and smirked down at him before delivering a brutal kick directly to Jesse's bandaged wound. Pain arced through his arm, up his shoulder, and directly into his brain. He couldn't even scream as all the air emptied from his lungs in a strained wheeze, his eyes wide but unfocused. After a moment, blood began to stain the bandage.

Petrovic crossed over to his desk and picked up an antique dagger, a Middle Eastern jambiya. He drew the blade with a dark smile. "I think ve vill start with the voman." He nodded to a chair and two of the servants dragged Drina over to it. Petrovic took a coil of rope from the desk drawer and tossed it to them. Jesse fought through the haze of pain and continued struggling to stand until the man pinning him knelt down and pistol whipped him in the head. It didn't knock him out, but it stunned him, causing his struggles to momentarily cease.

Petrovic slowly crossed to Drina as his men bound her wrists and ankles to the chair. "Ve can make this easy. Vhere... is... the idol?"

"Oi don't know!" Jesse screamed in desperation. "It musta gotten stolen when we traveled here. Oi haven't seen it since we left the temple. Jesus Chroist, Oi don't know!"

 

[haremfaery]

Drina wished Jesse would have kept his mouth shut. Now Petrovic knew she meant something to Jesse and he would use it against them.

She struggled against her bonds. she knew a few tricks on how to get out of ropes, but the Russian goons knew what they were doing. She would have to be left alone for some time before she would be able to get free.

She cringed when Petrovic hurt Jesse. She doubted she could stay silent about the idol for long. Then he said he would start with her and pulled out the knife. She was afraid she would not be quiet for a moment if he came at ehr with that knife.

She knew exactly where the idol was. She had hidden it while Jesse was looking for a way into the mansion. But she mirrored Jesse's protests. "It might have fallen out in the cab, or even in the plane." She easily looked and sounded sincere. She did not have to pretend to be frightened. but once Petrovic had the idol, there was no reason to keep them alive. not unless she could convince Petrovic that they were of more value alive.

 

[DrStein]

Petrovic looked back and forth between the two of them. "This one..." he said pointing the blade at Jesse, "needs to be taught some manners, yes? But he doesn't seem smart enough to lie."

"Go fuck yerself," Jesse hissed in reply.

Petrovic went on as if Jesse had said nothing. "I vonder if perhaps the young lady can be persuaded as easily he is?" With that he turned and began advancing on Jesse instead. A booted foot pressed down on Jesse's wrist, and struggle as he might he couldn't wrench his arm free. Petrovic knelt down and looked Jesse in the eye with a sadistic grin that soon turned into a feral scowl. With a sudden burst of speed and savagery, Petrovic raised the dagger over his head and brought it back down into Jesse's bullet wound.

Jesse let out a bloodcurdling, agonized scream as his face broke out in sweat and turned red. When there was no more air left in his lungs he drew in a ragged breath and tried to curse the Russian but only a strained whimper came out. Petrovic stood up, still keeping his boot on Jesse's wrist and leaving the dagger embedded in his flesh.

"Tell me the location of the idol," Petrovic sneered at Drina in a voice colder than a Siberian winter. "The next cut vill be to his face. But if you tell me now, I vill let you live long enough to see Ix Chel's power brought back to this vorld." He smirked once again. "Are you not curious to see that?"

 

[haremfaery]

"NO!" Drina cried out as the blade came down. She could not believe how fast it happened. "Stop it! Stop it now!" Tears sprang to her eyes. She let out a string of profanity at the man, Futu-ti) pastele si Dumnezeul mă-tii astăzi si mâine de nenorocitule."*

Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I will tell you." She said defeated. But if Petrivoc were telling the truth, perhaps they could still foil his plans. "Let me tend to him."

She kept her eyes on Jesse. She had to admit, she had more than academic curiosity about the Ix Chel relics. "I am very curious and I pray that Ix Chel will strike you dead for your impertinence. Now let me go, so I can help Jesse." She struggled at her bonds again.

______
*Romanian (since I can't find the proper Roma cursewords) "Fuck your mother's Easter and her God today and tomorrow, you asshole/motherfucker." Apparently they like nice long curses. And clearly Drina is very upset.

 

[DrStein]

Petrovic remained his predatory pose over Jesse who was taking in rasping breaths and writhing in pain. "Tell me vhere the idol is... and I vill let you tend to him." He nodded to the servant closest to Drina who holstered his revolver in his jacket and left the room.

"Don't tell this son of a hoo-er anythin'," Jesse managed to gasp through clenched teeth. All that earned him was a hard punch in the face from Petrovic who showed no more emotion in doing so than he would swatting a fly. Jesse's eye would be swollen shut within a minute. "I'll kill ye for this..." he hissed.

"I'm losing patience," the Russian said. "Tell me now or I vill take one of his eyes out." The servant from before came back with a silver tray with bandages, iodine, and cotton.

 

[haremfaery]

Drina felt her stomach churn at the thought of Jesse losing an eye.

She closed her eyes, "Don't hurt him." She said quietly, "I'll tell you where the idol is." She collected herself. "If you go outside from the library, on your left, I put Her amongst the azaleas. She's wrapped in oilcloth. Now untie me and let me go to him."

Petrovic jerked his head toward one of the servants who scurried off.

Drina glared at the Russian. "You said I could tend to him!" She spat. To hell with Jesse killing this man, she would do it, very slowly and very painfully.

Finally, as the servant return with the wrapped idol, one of the goons undid her ropes. She pulled away quickly and knelt by Jesse. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't let them hurt you any more." She bit her lip and readied a folded bandage. She pulled the knife out and kept it within reach. Perhaps Petrovic would be too preoccupied with his goddess to notice. She pressed the bandage against the wound. "You have lost a lot of blood, how do you feel?"

((If I went too far ahead, let me know and I'll edit it.))

 

[DrStein]

Jesse was sweating and pale as Drina bandaged his wound. His blood had soaked into the carpet and stained his shirt. "I look at every object that isn't nailed down... and think of how satisfying it'd be to wallop Dracula over there in the head with it."

Petrovic took advantage of their momentary distraction to snatch up the knife and cast a smug, condescending smirk at Drina. He wagged a finger at her and sheathed the blade, handing it to one of the servants. He turned to another servant with a shaved head and a mustache. "Ve go. Stay here and vatch them. Vhen the sign comes, take them out to the gardens to vatch the rise of the new master of the vorld." He then turned back to Drina and Jesse, that cold grin from before back on his face. "After giving so much grief, I think it only fitting you see how futile your efforts vere in the end. Vhen I return... I vill dispatch you both personally." With that he turned and left while holding the idol triumphantly. The door shut and the mustached servant stood alone with them, watching them like a hawk.

Jesse tried to calculate a plan in his head. He still didn't believe these relics did anything at all, but when Petrovic found that out, he'd probably come back and take it out on them. That's when a thought entered into his head.

He looked at the servant guarding. "This has been... rough on my nerves. Mind if I smoke?" He took the man's silent for consent and pulled out the pouch of marijuana and rolling papers. He just hoped the man was as straight-laced as he appeared. He rolled a cigarette, giving Drina a discreet wink. "Got a match?"

The servant went to the desk and retrieved a box of matches, which he threw to Jesse. Jesse lit up his cigarette, taking only tiny puffs. After a moment, he offered it to the servant, who looked at him skeptically. "It's an American thing. We're stuck in this room together, might as well share, right?"

Reluctantly, the servant accepted the offered cigarette and took a drag. Jesse took only small puffs, trying to avoid getting a lot of smoke and kept handing it back to the mustached malefactor. About 20 minutes later, the stone-faced man started trying to stifle a giggle. Jesse gave Drina a knowing look. He was in no shape to fight right now. But neither would their captor be in just another minute or two. That revolver wouldn't do him a lot of good momentarily, even less so when Drina got through with him.

 

[haremfaery]

((Wah, I had a nice long post and then the power went out and I lost it. I was so close to being finished I hate it when that happens.))

"Hush." Drina put a hand to Jesse's forehead. He would need another trip to the hospital. She just hoped his blood loss had not weakened him too severely. She did not know how she could get them both out of this without his help.

When they were left alone with just one man to guard them, she began formulating a plan and slowly unbuttoned the next button on her shirt showing more than a hint of the athletic undershirt she had on underneath. But Jesse had another plan.

She sighed inwardly with relief. It meant Jesse clearheaded even if he was weak and in great pain.

She stood up and walked slowly to the man letting her hips sway suggestively. When he indicated that she should stay back, she gave him a sultry smile. "I don't want to die." She stepped closer to him. "That's what your boss plans to do. You know it and I know it." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I really don't care what happens to him--I just can't stand to see anyone tortured."

She was close enough to touch him now. "I've always liked a man with a smooth head." She ran her hand over it and he giggled self-consciously. "Like marble. If you could get me out of here..." She leaned against him so her breasts pressed against his chest, her lips close to his ear. "I would be oh. So. Grateful." She whispered something lasciviously obscene into his ear in Russian.

He giggled again and tried to put his arms around her. She snatched his gun from him and in one swift moved cold cocked him. She rushed to Jesse. "Can you stand? We have very little time."

((As always if this doesn't fit with your plan, let me know and I'll edit.))

 

[DrStein]

Jesse rose to his feet, a little shaky. "I'm a little woozy, but I've been worse." That was the worst lie he had ever told. He and Drina had been through some nasty scrapes before, but this was the worst shape he'd ever been in. He was lightheaded and weak from blood loss and his arm just wouldn't stop hurting. If not for the iodine, infection would almost certainly set in.

He went to gather his pack and guns and handed Drina hers. He tried the door only to find it locked and he was too weak to bust it open. He gestured for Drina to do it for him and she kicked it in. Before leaving, Jesse swiped another antique figurine and stuffed it in his pack. He was going to come out of this with at least enough to pay for the hospital bills, damn it.

Once outside the mansion and in the sunlight, he shielded his eyes and winced. "Ohhh... Everything's so bright... Where do you think Petrovic's gone?"

 

[haremfaery]

Drina stayed close to Jesse. She was afraid he'd collapse and while she was much stronger than she looked, she did not think she would be able to carry him very far if he was dead weight.

"Petrovic needs water. And the rising of the moon. What phase is the moon in? Or...is it the New Moon he needs, in which case, Petrovic just needs full darkness. But the water...I think he will take all of the relics to Lake Texcoco." And how would they get there? Drina mind was spinning in circles. Her anxiety about Jesse was clouding her thoughts. She took a few deeps breaths to try and settle herself.

They were in a wealthy neighborhood, perhaps she could steal a car.

 

[DrStein]

"I don't think we can hail another cab with me looking like this," Jesse remarked, tugging at the blood stains on his shirt. He tried to stand up straighter so less of his weight was one Drina. He was only somewhat successful. He had seen knife fights in the slums he grew up in more than once, but had never actually been stabbed himself. The pain was horrible, and the look on Petrovic's face before he drove the blade in was something he'd be seeing in his nightmares.

Jesse spotted a small car sitting all by itself at the side of the road near the end of the street. "Think maybe we could borrow that?" muttered, pointing to it. He swallowed to steel himself and turned and begun walking slowly toward the car. The sun was starting to set. Magic hour had arrived and the whole sky seemed to be on fire as the world was bathed in vibrant pastel colors. For Jesse, what should have been a beautiful Mexican sunset felt more like a horn section blasting in his head.

It felt like forever before they finally reached it, but when they did Jesse managed a smile. "Oh, hey! Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Always wanted one of these. My luck's turning around already." Even in his own ears the attempt at being light-hearted sounded weak and forced. He would need to get to a hospital soon.