The View in New Orleans

A Bottle of Red, a Bottle of White

The smell of freshly burnt incense ravaged the small, cozy backroom, the flames occasionally spurring up, before dipping down, dancing among the dark walls, illuminating the satin curtains hanging from the ceiling.

Flowering cactus. An odd scent, but one the woman cherished, the smells flourishing from the smokey waterfall, a small incense burner given to her by Lalo. It was fashioned out of stone, emphasizing the faux waterlines, the smoke from the lit sticks emitting the lightened water, then spilling out at the bottom, forming a pool. The sides were adorned with different flowers, though most decaying at this point.

Near the bottom of the fountain sat a small bird-house shaped contraction, being held up by a messy, work-occupied desk, the inside being lit up with dim candles, no bigger than a fingertip. Inside sat a plump rat, accompanied with a human-like sweater vest, made from silk that hung loosely at the animals sides. He sat, seeming to be reading a tiny newspaper, the picture on the front being different types of cheeses, sipping water from a mug. Above his bed-mat hung his name on a wooden plate, Sylvester, Edens' prized rat.

Near the small home was a canopy bed, large enough to fit multiple people, though the mess of blankets, pillows, stray papers, and books scattered the surface of the bed, as well as curtains sloppily draping over the sides, cascading down. The bed was also fit with fairy lights, ranging from every different color, and different hanging pieces of art, made of the prettiest cloth.

On top of the bed was Eden, laying idly and staring at the ceiling. She wore a loose shirt, with a pair of shorts that were a little too long for her, belonging to Lalo (that she claims she "doesn't know where they went").

She fiddled with a small, sharp object in her hands- a needle of sorts, yet it had a sharp jagged edge to it. She pressed on the side, making the blade grow in size, turning the strange object into a knife-like object. Liquids were stored in the base of the knife, containing a tranquilizer, a dark tint of purple making the object look especially foreboding to those that had the misfortune of crossing the woman.

She sat up, gently setting the object on her nightstand, before sliding off of her bed, stretching. She, unfortunately, had work to do. She quickly picked out an outfit for the day, one that disguised her. The only discernible feature would be the ominously white eye patch sitting on her eye. She went over her plans of action for the day, deciding an appropriate situation to orchestrate.

Though, her train of thought would be interrupted as a heavy knock banged against the door, with a certain anger behind it, though she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Who is it?"

"Hathoway. Bennedict sent me to talk to you about the girl."

"Come in." She said, turning towards the opening door. In came a raggedy looking man, his dark, bleak skin mixing with his jet black hair. He stood ominously at the door, like he waited for instruction.

"You look awful. Didn't your mother teach you about brushing your hair? Why are your clothes all torn? How am I supposed to keep a stealthy operation when everybody can tell who exactly you a-"Eden drilled, looking in her closet for new clothes for the man, his pungent smell seeping into her skull.

"I did not come here to discuss my current appearance. What I came to talk about is the job."

"We are not discussing anything until you look presentable. We need to be professionals. This is not a simple hit and run job. Here, put this on." She shoveled a large brown trench coat, with black slacks and a nice dress shirt into the mans arms. He groaned, before heading towards her bathroom to change.

"Clean up your hair as well. And please, wash up a bit. You smell like a swamp dweller." She yelled, before cleaning herself up more, putting her hair in a loose bun, and pulling a pair of woolen gloves over her hands. She rumpled her nose up, showing clear dislike for the mittens, but it would have to do.

A few minutes passed before Orion came back out, looking like an actual man, rather than a monster. He stepped toward her bed, before sitting down on it, and taking a small notepad out of his back pocket, black gloves rustling against the pants. He motioned his hands, gently tracing his own writing, his beady red eyes staring bullets into the paper.

"I have concerning news about this girl. It surely means trouble for the both of us.." He paused, flipping the papers over to the next page.

"I have reason to believe the girl might be a student of Headmaster Virgil-the head of Saint Vonn Clairs."

"And how do you know this?" Eden pushed, looking into his eyes as he stared back at her, his expression blank, before opening his mouth.

"I spoke with the professor. Business of my own, and questioned. Lightly, of course. But you must understand. If we go after the girl, we make powerful enemies. I do not know if that would be our best course of action." He stated, looking back down at his notepad, his eyes hanging deep.

"I understand. But this is necessary. If there are other problems, we will deal with them in due time. But, we need that girl. She is a threat to our whole... system of operations."

"We will make war over a peasant girl! How are you... agreeing with this? You're usually the one to discourage me on these actions, yet you charge headfirst into certain death!" Orion stood up, raising his voice.

"She will ruin us all. I don't care if we become enemies with a corrupted professor, I don't even know who the man is. All I know is that we have a job to do. Do not argue with me, Hathoway. You and I both know this is our only course of action." She fired back, matching his tone with her words, before standing up, and walking towards a bag.

"I have something for you. Contacts. Your eyes are a giveaway. Put these on, and meet me out near the back entrance. Lalo has an escort arranged for us. I will explain the rest in the vehicle." Eden finished, before leaving the room, shoes clicking upon the cold, concrete floors, before climbing a set of stairs, and exiting the building. The air was soupy, thick with moisture, the sun hanging diligently in the sky, beating down on the swampy land. Down the road sat a sleak, black car, as it shined in the sunlight.

She made her way to the car, before approaching the door, opening it swiftly, and sitting down in the backseat.

"Hello ma'am! Is it just you today or-"

"I have another."

"Alrighty. My name is Shrew, I'll be your driver today." The man said, a thin smile appearing on his face. He wore a 70's style suit, with a white blazer and a matching hat. A kind looking man. Eden sat, waiting a bit, before Orion came tumbling out of the door, before rushing to the car, swiftly getting in.

"Alright. We're good to go." Eden told the driver, before they set off.

..