2013.04.05 - Houseguest, not Sinbad

Madripoor.

Inside a sprawling villa owned by one Anastasia DeCobray located just outside of Lowtown skirting Hightown above the Victoria Harbor. A fine location that gives a nicely scenic viewpoint of the straits and river.

Ivan Kozlov finds himself waking up, his neck painfully stiff and sharp pangs constantly shooting through his skull. Each small movement makes the man groan audibly, "Da, ouch, where am I? I am not deads?" His clothes are not his own. He is wearing something simple, loose and casual, a shirt and pants with slip on shoes. Made of nice silks and in all reds and blacks. "Vat is dis?" His horribly Russian accent blurts out.

"Good morning Mr. Kozlov." A mechanical sounding voice chimes in. The Taskmaster, Kozlov had heard of this man. A known combat instructor who even worked for the Mossad and SPETZNAZ also a deadly mercenary who his older brother has even had the pleasure of working with once. That skull faced tactical helmet stares at him from across the room.

"There is some tea to your left and I left the channel on Cartoon Network." Lifting a hand Taskmaster depresses a hidden button attached to the under plating of his mask. "Baroness, your guest is awake now."

Ivan frowns and looks from left to right, "Why am I ghere? Where are my clothes? What happened to the tanker?" He is unbound and makes use of it, rushing to the window to look out it. Madripoor still, he can recognize the layout of the city sprawl along the island easy enough.

"You're here because I rescued you and our host had the good graces to have your wounds seen to. Just be thankful you're not dead or a cripple.

Minutes could tick by, Baroness was never in a rush, especially when the final repairs were being put on the AK-12 - the only weapon salvaged from the /deal/ that is now part of a Davey Jones collection. It still embroiled her and even as the weapon is handed back the skin under her left eye tics. The faces of -those two- ever etched in a bloody effigy in her mind.

Hearing Taskmaster ring in to the small fitted comm piece hidden within her ear she said nothing back, just shouldered the large weapon and left the makeshift 'barracks' to head into the villa. Passing the kitchen a maid poked her head out and then disappeared back within, only to briskly near chase the Baroness down and hand her a glass of wine. Not once did her eyes shift over the small Asian woman, nor was any praise given, she just took the glass and kept moving; never having stopped int he first place.

Opening the door to the room the door was left to close silently behind her, now clothed in -her- casual attire of the Kevlar enforced body suit, plating made in a mold able covering over thighs and legs, as if a part of those boots, where just over the knee the black went to silver to form a cobra with its hood splayed in venomous pose inlaid.

"Yeah. I like cartoons." Taskmaster grunts back at the woman. It is one of the rare channels he can watch without learning useless knowledge that could push out memories he clings to. Even the news was dangerous at times. Don't even get him started on the Food Network.

"Miss DeCobray... thanks you for saving me but I must go. My brother needs to hear back from me - if he gets worried bad things can uh happen." Ivan's eyes shoot from the woman to the man, not interested in their talk of what channel the TV is on. He just wanted out of here, he knows hes already in trouble. A lot of surplus went down with that ship and it didn't end up in Baroness' hands or back in their safe houses.

Baroness only smiled, something that did not show her teeth and only made her eyes narrow into slits. The 'hmph' she gave in a push of air mimicking /laughter/ said more then the gesture or words to follow. From the tac belt around her waist she un-clipped a phone and tossed it at Ivan. "I must insist you stay and enjoy more of the hospitality I have to offer. Call him, let him know what happened.."

Un-shouldering her AK-12 she held it up. "...If I have to wait, so does everyone else. I have my suspicions, but I am sure between my people, and yours, we can find out what happened, and I can get my shipment, that was agreed upon - not one weapon that jams at just the right moment."

Right now, Baroness was making it seem gentle, nice... Like he had a choice.

"I didn't save you, thank him." Gesturing to Taskmaster, Baroness moves over to the TV and shuts it off, remaining there for the time being. She was too busy trying to kill and albino and her pet. Pity the circus got away. Now, we have this situation. Hopefully it is more opportune.

"Huh? I really should just go." It takes a moment for it to sink in but it does and Ivan's face pales a bit as he looks from black clad femme fatale to armored up skull merc. His head on a swivel as the phone thumps in to his chest and he catches it before it hits the ground. "I see... perhaps we can bargain? I am much safer not being here. Many enemies, could be trouble for you."

Taskmaster's smile can't be seen but he is wearing one. "I think we can manage, best just make your phone call. Also, you're welcome."

A knitting of brows and Ivan nods his head in a glum fashion, his face pale as he tries to swallow around the lump in his throat. "Oh, yes, uh, yes, thank you." The phone's display lights up, indicating it has connected. "Da, I know it is secure line. It's me, Ivan. Get Trofim." Quickly his language switches from English to Russian. "It's me. I lived, something happened to all the shipment. This crazy bitch you sent me to work with has me captive now... you have to rescue me. I am still in Madripoor, yes, yes I know. It was only half not all of it, I left the rest at the safe house. Do they speak Russian? Oh... no. I... " Ivan stops and looks curiously at Baroness, "Potselui mou zhopy, pizda."

Baroness remained beside Taskmaster, setting the AK down on the table beside the TV. She kept the complacent look on her face, one that bespoke boredom, or darker things going on in her mind. It was a common look, even as she listened in on the conversation, the language switch doing nothing to hinder it. "Trouble en masse does not slow us down, nor bother us in the slightest...."

Pausing though she moved from Taskmaster side when Ivan looked at her and said what he did. The movement around him was something akin to a shark circling its prey before she rose her hand swiftly, only caressing Ivan's cheek and then gripping his chin roughly to keep his gaze pinned on her own that pierced through the glasses. "Ia tebya imeyu, prishju... Vrubatsa?" Baroness spoke calmly, with a smile, and just before the receiver of the phone so all parties could hear. "Tell your leetle brother to be a bit more respectful." The hand removed from Ivan's face then if he has yet to jerk free - only to follow through with a backhanded slap.

"This is what the criminal underworld is coming to? Tch." One hand adjusted the glove of the other that had struck out, casting a glance back to Taskmaster.

Taskmaster offers a small acceding shrug in response to Baroness. "No clue, ma'am. Blame MTV and rap music."

SMACK

Ivan's head rocks back and the phone almost falls from his grip. The shouting can be heard but not deciphered but it is clearly emotionally charged. "Ne beri v goluvu, ostyn..." The arms dealer hisses as his free hand rubs at his swelling jawline. "I am uh stupid, sorry, I was only joking. A joke is all."

The cell pushed back to his head, "Yes, she speaks Russian. Yes, you heard? Oh no. No, it is okay brother. It was just a slap, she uh, she didn't like what I say. No, no, don't tell Zosima."

Pausing Ivan listens while looking at Taskmaster and Baroness, his mouth opening and closing while he rubs it, like he was working out the soreness. "He wants to know if you want ransom or to meet and talk."

"A very rude joke. Taskmaster saves you, I have my household tend to you, and you call me /that/? Please." Baroness waves her hand dismissively and glances to Taskmaster, shaking her head. "I blame the family..." Let's not go into what she did to her own family for their apparent disrespect and the loathing it caused.

"Push the button on the side and put him on speaker." If he does so or not she doesn't hesitate to speak up.

"You are not ransom, you are my business, one I -need- for me and mine. I want what I wanted in the first place, but now, I want and itemized list of what you can bring when we talk. I don't want your money, I am not bartering here, we have a common enemy - one that tried to kill your brother as well as me and my men." Pausing she glances to Taskmaster and grins slyly. "You see, I want Madripoor and we have, apparently, a common enemy now. He rigged your shipments, unless you did it? Then that'd make you to blame for your little brother's near death? No?" Pausing now, she waited for response.

"It was joke, okay, I was just making a laugh." Ivan half pleads in apology even going so far as to add in an uneasy chuckle, his cheek still sore from the backhand. "Oh, yes, right away. Speaker. Trofim, I am placing you on the speaker."

"Itemized list of what? My services are rather expansive. You will have to be more specific, Miss DeCobray." The voice from the other side of the phone responds, very calm sounding now and with clear almost fluent English, unlike Ivan. Clearly Trofim Kozlov is the brains of the outfit. "My brother can be careless and rude, you have to understand how family is? Besides, it would not be /me/ so upset if he was come to harm but our dear sister, who I love very much and has a very bad temper. So you can understand my predicament. If you keep him safe and promise no harm to him then yes, we can do business. Please, tell me about these ones who sabotaged our rendezvous. I heard it was very ugly and some of my colleagues are all together not happy uh campers."

Baroness passed a solid glance at Taskmaster, one with the lightest tick of her brow to tell him if he desired to speak up[, he could, otherwise she would take it and tun with it. Picking up her wine, she sipped at it while she listened to Trofim, swirling the lass with the rotation of her wrist and seeming to find more interest in the red liquid then she did what he said. But she was perceptive enough.

"Every family is different, Trofim. I do, however, understand a woman's scorn. No harm is intended to him by us, as long as that goes both ways. I help you, you help me. I do not intend to trade your brother for goods, or keep him healthy for goods. I keep his interests as my own, and yours. I simply want what I ordered, and since we apparently need to have a tete-a-tete I want to see what you can arrive with *on top* of my initial order. Since there is obviously opposition to my interests I want more. I don't like opposition."

Pausing Baroness raises a hand upward to watch as she rubs thumb and forefinger together in gesture Trofim could not see. "Those I saw were an albino woman with a marking around her eye, black. Black hair, blue eyes, over five foot and a half. Knows her guns, gauging by her shot and what she took on exit. The other was man, red hair, pale, about same height as the woman, green eyes. Also a good shot. Professionals that obviously do not know what they have messed with. I would love to let them know, with your presence. Tell me Trofim. Do you have opposition here?"

Taskmaster has nothing to say. He is just hired help and really doing more than his contract told him to in regards to all of this, but the guys a sucker for a woman who can fill out a cat suit like she does and the whole, possibility for bigger pay off and thrills keep him on board.

Ivan fidgets with his neckline with one hand while the other keeps the cell held out, Trofim still speaking through it.

"More? You do realize this is costing me greatly already? I lost more than just your package in all of this. I can at best give you what promised and no more, no extra cost other than Ivan's safety. Surely that is fair enough." A shifting sound comes from the phone and quick fired off bits of Russian. The man seems to be ordering food. "NO, I did not want it with normal fries, I want curly fries." More shifting about, "Apologies, friends. I do not know these people you speak of. They could be anyone but I will make sure my men are on the look out. Names would be much more helpful."

"I am sure I can get names.." Baroness states, that or bodies would be enough. Preferably lacking breath. "You do realize I am not wanting it for free. I know it costs greatly, I intend to pay for it, and this is not a new hobby I picked up last week Mr. Koslov. My numbers are growing and I see to their being armed for my desires. If you can only fulfill your part so be it."

Stopping as she hears him ordering food her head shakes slowly and she drains the glass of wine in one tilt back, setting the glass aside. "Your brother is safe, has been safe, and will be safe. Be seeing you. Real soon." Looking to Ivan now. ""Hang it up."

Meeting adjourned.