drabbles by shell

lilith

A stern, very well put together businessman stood in a dimly lit alleyway. He seemed to be waiting for something, or someone, rather impatiently. His foot tapped insistently, while his eyes repeated a pattern of up, down, up, down, looking from his watch to the opening of the alley. Soon enough voices sounded from around the corner, and he stopped tapping his foot and folded his arms neatly across his chest.

"Really now? I thought I was the only one who thought he resembled a rat," said a woman's voice, followed by laughter.

The person from whom the voice came from rounded the corner to the alleyway. She was a fiery redhead, dressed in business attire similar to the waiting man. She was flanked by another man, who towered over her in size and held a blank, intimidating expression. Her hands worked to smooth out her coat and hair, and as she and her company neared the businessman, he could now clearly see how unkempt she was. Her hair was frazzled, her top spattered with something suspiciously red, and there was blood coming from one of her nostrils. However, as his assessment of her appearance ended at her eyes, he noticed they were alive with delight. She might have looked like a mess, but she was elated over something.

"Ah, Richard. Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a potential contract turn sour," the woman said as she came to a stop, running a hand under her nose to wipe off the blood there. "How did the meeting go?"

Richard's expression turned into annoyance, "The meeting you were supposed to attend?"

Warning flashed across her eyes, and she said, "Careful, I'm in a good mood now but it won't last long."

He instantly backed off, seeming to shrink under the gaze of her and the bulking man behind her.

"My apologies, Lilith. I just-"

"You just what?" Lilith interrupted, raising a challenging eyebrow.

Richard cleared his throat, straightening up a bit.

"The meeting went well. Everything that needed to be handled was dealt with, and the-"

Lilith cut him off again, "Perfect! See, it wasn't worth my attention anyways. You all did just fine without me." She grinned, giving him a miniature round of applause. "Is that all?"

He opened his mouth and raised his finger as if to say he had something more to discuss, but then stopped and shook his head.

"No, nothing of importance."

She clapped again, "Wonderful! Now, if you don't mind, I've got more important things to attend to."

She gave him a small pat on the arm, then abruptly spun on her heel and began to leave. Her partner was quick to follow.

Richard called out to her as she left, "What's got you in such a good mood, anyways?"

Lilith called back over her shoulder, "Murder always puts me in a good mood."

She turned around just long enough to flash him a wide smile, before exiting the alleyway, her laughter echoing as she walked away.