1332/The Weapons of Gaius Marius

The Weapons of Gaius Marius
Date of Scene:	07 July 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Ares, Sublime

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Ares has posed:
    Along the grapevine word had come along. A muckety muck by the name of Berl had started to pay out serious ducats for a few contracts. Apparently some civilian had crossed the old man and caused all sorts of noise. It's rare for someone in the game to take a beef with someone out of it, but sometimes honor demands. It was something about an auction, the target had gotten his hands on something that shouldn't belong to him. It was wanted back and Mr. Berl didn't give a damn whose head got broken or what collateral damage might happen. The one that might have come to Sublime's attention was the snatch and grab. But it was flagged as dirty, when the buyer didn't care if corpses were left behind or even if the place survived the operation.
    But once it was accepted the intel that would come to the fore was pretty straight forward. John Aaron was the target, civilian with money, 10 year old kid, worked in construction. Somehow had some chunks of money, and a building used in part for storage. That was the location, an old mill that had been converted to storage. Three stories, minimal windows, skylight, basement. Standard fare. Security is electronic, but nothing beyond what's commercially available.
    But the main piece of intel is for the objective. It's a combination piece, stored in a six by six wooden crate somewhere in that storage facility. Within the crate is supposedly a short gladius and a large scutum from roughly 100 BC or so. It was important they be acquired intact and got clear as soon as possible.
    Time, apparently, was of the essence.

Sublime has posed:
    Time of the essence, and more important, RENT of the essence. Sublime has a certain level of comfort to maintain, both for herself and others, after all. Granted, her current home is a bit of a step down, but she's working up to something better. And more secure.

    But that takes money. Like that song goes, it's the green she needs, and this job seems simple enough. Normal guy with some money. Maybe some security systems, but nothing she figures she can't bypass. As long as she's careful.

    Which is why she spent a little time on a neighboring rooftop, just casing the place. Looking for cameras, or other security. By nightfall she's more or less figured out what looks like the best path in...a path that only someone like her could easily take.

    She slips up quietly to the door, wearing a sort of dark grey camo'd poncho that helps her to blend into the shadows, moving to one of the sturdy walls. Not as much security here..but then, most people would expect her to simply walk right through the wall, which she does as she disappears inside, then crouches, looking around to get an idea of her surroundings.

Ares has posed:
    There were cameras, though they seemed to be perhaps a decade old, the type which likely feeds to a dvd/rw or some such and must be maintained by a security guard or representative each morning. The windows and doors are wired to go off unless a keypad code is entered at one of three different points around the large warehouse-like room. There does not seem to be anything on site, no men walking perimenter and no hints of light within save for one static glimmer of a halogen bulb in one of the office areas on the top floor.
    From afar across the way she'll be able to peer inside some of the windows and will see that there are a fair number of crates inside. There's a skylight on the roof, other points of entry... but does she really need any? Of course not.
    For then she fades through the wall and suddenly is on the side of one of the larger industrial containers that in part creates lanes and paths in that large storage facility.
    Quiet.
    No sounds reach her ears save for the faint hum of distant traffic, perhaps a forlorn yowl of a hungry cat some distance off.
    But for now, nothing else.

Sublime has posed:
    Sublime straightens, then begins stalking forward, heel to toe to minimize the sounds she makes, her poncho making a soft swishing noise as she moves. She gets an annoyed look and pulls the hood down when she realizes it's getting in the way of her peripheral vision...maybe not the bed idea. Hell if she'll do a mask though. She reaches into the small messenger bag she wears, pulling out a piece of paper and looks it over, then starts checking the labels, looking for the correct box. If it's new, it's recent, right? Probably not stacked away. She hopes. That'll take a while otherwise...

Ares has posed:
    And that's the moment when she'll hear the first crack. There's a short /SNAP!/ of wood being strained and then surrendering to pressure and being broken sharply. It comes from across the warehouse, and she'll hear subtle almost silent footsteps along with the sound of paper and packing peanuts being strewn upon the ground.
    It would take her but a few steps to reach the end of that industrial container and to peer around it should she wish, but then she would see the source of the noise.
    Several men stand around several crates that have been placed upon the floor. One has a crow bar that he is using to wedge and force the tops open with more rumbling crackles of shattered wood. A closer look and she'll see that they are all clothed in a dark black that seems to absorb the color around them, hoods over their heads to hide their features. One has a sword in hand as he sweeps the room with his gaze, while the others have SMGs either in hand or slung over their shoulders.
    At first she might see what... three, four? No five. But then she might catch that slight shift of air pressure that perhaps gives a tell-tale hint that there might be more about.

Sublime has posed:
    Sublime rolls her eyes. Of COURSE someone is already here. They must be at least marginally competent if they got past security. And they're armed. THAT...is less bothersome that it might be for someone else. Bullets can sting her when she's dense, but they don't do much else.

    She crouches down, then ghosts again, moving into one of the larger containers as she quietly makes her way a bit closer to the men, using the boxes for cover. That's probably her box, she suspects. That was a REALLY good bounty that was offered...

    

Ares has posed:
    She'll hear voices then on the other side of her boxes. Muffled, low. Japanese? Yes, it only takes a moment to recognize it. A quick exchange between two of the men who are examining the contents of the crate they just burst open. One of them pushes around smaller containers, opening them. A vase of some age is withdrawn, brown and white and tan with imagery of men and women walking around the circumference of the vase. There's something almost Egyptian about it...
    But then she gets no longer a chance to observe for there's the sound of shattering ceramic as it's tossed aside. One of the men seems angry as he kicks one of the other unopened boxes, sending it skittering across the ground. Their voices raised as angry words are exchanged.
    Whatever it is they're looking for, they didn't find it there, and now they begin to fan out to start looking for other containers to tear apart.

Sublime has posed:
    Sublime winces at the shattering. Damn. That would have looked GREAT on her end table. That just sounded hella expensive. She pokes just her head out of the box once the men seem to have moved off, then sips up one of the boxes, climbing up on top of the stacks as quietly as she can. Better to get an idea of where the other intruders are. And if one of them finds the box first, well...saves her time.

Ares has posed:
    From her vantage point she can see them in part, perhaps a little higher into the old scaffolding in the ceiling that had been used when the building had been in use some time ago. But from there she can see... six so far. They're moving around clearly having split up the search and each taken a portion of the area, then searching in a clockwise pattern. At times she'll hear another crash or a crackle, but nothing that one of them feels the need to report.
    But it might be at that moment as she's peering over at another mass of debris when she might just /feel/ that sensation of being watched. If it's enough to get her to turn she might well see a seventh. A seventh who has a perch higher up and two rows from her on that old scaffolding.
    There's a moment where the tension hangs thick between them... and then he's reaching for the SMG over his shoulder.

Sublime has posed:
    ...well SHIT. Sublime reflexively moves to jump off the box, dropping to the floor as she tries to put one of the stacks of boxes between her and the gunman on the scaffold. She land smoothly and attempts to roll between two of the boxes, hoping to break line of sight. Well, she's going to have to take them out sooner than later, seems like!

Ares has posed:
    /Pfft-fft-fft/ is heard as suppressed rounds are heard that kick up off the ground behind her even as she leaps, lands, rolls. Yet even as the rounds are fired she'll hear the man's voice raised as he calls out sharply in Japanese, the sound echoing off the walls of the room. Then there are the clicks of rounds being chambered and squawkboxes keying in. Suddenly the place is hopping and she can hear people running.
    Above her she'll hear the one who took his shot at her dopping down onto the container where she was, then /leaping/ back down to where he saw her flee. Only now he has a long guardless blade in his hand as well as the SMG in the other.

Sublime has posed:
    Oh, that's it then. She stops, rising from her crouch as the man drops down. "...ninjas? Seriously. Lame." she notes, in her best mean girl sniff. Her hand reaches behind her back as she draws her three-section staff from its carrier, letting it unfold as she shrugs off the poncho, revealing her normal costume underneath as she increases her density. It's not obvious, other than an observant person might notice the floorboards creaking a bit more now as she shifts, spinning the staff then letting it rest over her shoulder, before she makes a 'c'mon' gesture with her free hand.

Ares has posed:
    Perhaps not exactly ninjas, though similar enough that really, if it walks like a ninja, and quacks like a ninja...
    But as that one who faces her now recovers, he snaps up his SMG and breaks all sorts of codes of Bushido by opening up on her with a pair of quick three round bursts as he /runs/ at her, his footsteps heavy and quick. Then he /leaps/ at the last moment to plant a foot on the container and use it to leap off of and down at her as he brings the suddenly crackling sword around and down at her. And should it come into contact with her there'll be a loud popping snap as the electricity discharges.

Sublime has posed:
    Okay, no one mentioned the lightning swords.

    Sublime is just a bit arrogant there, assuming she can't be hurt. The bullets certainly bounce and ricochet as they hit her, sending shards of wood spinning off boxes around them and whining off metal struts. But at the crackle she starts to shift, twisting so the blade strikes more of a glancing blow than a direct hit. Still, it definite pulls a yelp out of her as she backs up, then snaps out her staff, trying to wrap it around the sword arm as she extends into a high kick aimed at the man's face.

Ares has posed:
    The man is not entirely free of that sin of arrogance, though with her his might have more of a stronger repercussion. Perhaps he expected the bullets to cripple her and perhaps he expected that to open her up for that smoothly executed downward slice and allow him to end her threat instantly...
    Only for that to entirely back fire. The rounds bounce from her, and she slips past his sword as he finishes the movement. He spins around, the blade coming up but no longer crackling for the moment as he thrusts the tip towards her...
    Only for that staff to flash out and curl around his arm, pulling him forwards off balance into her raised boot to the side of his head. It's a clean strike that snaps his head to the side, causing his hood to twist and if he weren't unconscious he'd have devil of a time seeing out of it now.
    He hits the ground in a /whump/, and for the moment she's clear. But there are voices and footsteps hurrying her way.

Sublime has posed:
    The blonde warrior rolls her arm a bit where the blade caught, wincing. Bare skin at least, and dense muscles are a lot harder to electrocute, but still...as she hears the oncoming feet she fades again, stepping back into a nearby stack of boxes to conceal herself. She can't help but feel she'd be world class hide and seek if she could do this when she was a kid.

    The staff ends up slung over her shoulder again in a ready position, as she waits for the men to arrive. Either they'll move as a group, which will be harder, or they'll split up. Which helps with the numbers, at least.

Ares has posed:
    Perhaps not as bad yet not as good as it could be... for around the corner come two of them. They skid to a halt and one swings his SMG around to cover his partner while he brings up his squawkbox to his lips. A few quick words are murmured and the others begin to spread out again to search. Those two, however, remain there for the moment. One is kneeling by the fallen warrior that she took out and is slapping him back to consciousness. Or at least that's the idea, for the man isn't coming to immediately, she definitely did a number on him.

Sublime has posed:
    And she fully intends to do the same, peeking out suddenly at the other guy who's standing still. "Boo." she says graceful, then brings her staff spinning out of the box as she brings it back to full density, a quick stroke back and forth strike at the head as she extends her right leg and brings it down in an axe kick aimed at the man kneeling by his fallen companion.

    She doesn't do fair. Because ninjas.

Ares has posed:
    Her 'boo' earns another triple burst into her face... which ends up splintering the box she phases through even as the man reels from the shock of her emergence. He trips on the fallen quack ninja, hitting the ground as her sectional staff whirs over him, missing him only by the nature of that stumble.
    But the other one spins around, reaching for his blade to draw it only for there to be a boot in his face suddenly, clocking him severely and smacking him down and to the side, not quite knocking him out entirely, but removing him from the fight for the moment.
    She might have a moment of some satisfaction as she's in a good position, towering over them.
    But that is of course when the two drop from those containers, moving to bracket her as their blades are pointed at her, flickers of electricity lancing up and down the length of the weapons as they get ready to take her.

Sublime has posed:
    As the two other men plummet down to land in a crouch, Sublime realizes that the time for picking them off appears to have been ended. "Stalking is boring anyway..." she mutters as she shifts partially, making her foot and leg super dense as she aims a brutal stomp at the downed man before he can get up, then swings the three-piece staff in a wide arc to keep the men at bay...but mostly so it ends in a sharp stop about where the first man she missed is. She leaves her upper torso insubstantial in case of bullets, but has to make the arm guiding the staff dense again to keep it dense as well.

Ares has posed:
    One of those two bladesmen that dropped from on high seems to move much more effectively than the others. Even as she finishes off one of the downed men with that stomp, even as he had just been stirring only to sudden take that short sharp kick to the side of his head and he's out, and out for good.
    That newly arrived warrior gestures with a toss of his chin to his partner to bracket her and slip to her side so that she is more exposed to them. The other two fallen slide along the floor screaming at her in Japanese as they try to get enough room to recover even while another pair of hooded warriors can be heard closing in.
    Her staff strikes against the raised armored forearm of the one behind her as he tries to press the attack against her, but she's able to delay his strike as he's forced to pay respect to her skill.
    But that's the moment when the leader darts forwards, his blade coming up and around, a high crossing slash sweeping from shoulder towards hip as he spins... and then another crackling blade is in his off hand as he turns, drawing it in that same moment to try and strike cleanly and perhaps with surprise.

Sublime has posed:
    Sublime steps back, as she feels the strike, a glimmer of suprise in her eyes...but possibly more in the leader's as she ducks under the first one...then the second one passes right through her and out the other side. "Whoops." she says, bringing one end of her staff forward in a hard punch through his chest, shifting her arms back dense to put more force behind it, then spinning as she starts whirling the staff around her like nunchucks in a complex motion, lashing out at the other as she moves between them in a graceful, motion, up on her toes as she keeps herself moving.

Ares has posed:
    The air is sliced around her, the staff whirling dangerously fast about her even as she turns. With a resonant /THWOK!/ the end of the staff connects with the underside of one of those soldier's chins, sending him _flying_ back to crash into one of the broken and scattered crates, an old sculpture being crushed under his fallen form.
    The leader steps around to the side, bringing up his armored forearm guard to push that thrusting strike of the stave against his chest. It thuds home though not with as much strength as she'd like, but it buys her time, just enough time. Even though those gunman are beginning to converge on her position.
    The leader snaps out a few quick words, causing some of the warriors to swap out their clips even as another swordsman tries to flank her.
    But then as things start to look a touch grim, she'll hear a shriek as one of the ninjas goes flying past the aisle that they're fighting in, skidding to a halt and then lying unmoving. The next second she'll see a tall man with a large frame stepping into view and holding one of the swords the bladesmen have, its silvered length crackling with electricity. He's dressed normally, jeans, t-shirt, brown leather jacket... sneakers. Oh and also the same man as in the pictures, "The hell?"

Sublime has posed:
    She inwardly sighs. AND the target. Sure. Why not?!? This couldn't get much worse than ninjas and the guy she was trying to sneak around!
    As everyone is looking at John, however, she does take a sloooooow step to put herself slightly to the side, so the blademen are more between her and John than mixed."

    There's that moment where everyone is still, everyone looking at everyone else, waiting for the first move.

Ares has posed:
    But then the ninjas break it, as ninjas are wont to do. One screams angrily a loud, "SEEIE!" As he rushes forth towards the man, their two blades coming together with the loud ring of steel on steel. One of the others moves in to try and get an angle on John's side, while the other shifts back to bring his blade around whirring, the leader's stroke aimed no longer at her abdomen or chest, but instead to her arm.
    But it is the newly arrived pair that move to cut off her flight, bringing their weapons up and holding them forth in the traditional blade forward stance, their center of gravity held low as they each shift subtly to the side. It's only when she commits to a particular direction that they strike and strike hard.

Sublime has posed:
    Sublime snaps a part of her staff up against the back of her forearm, deflecting the strike as she skips back, her eyes flicking between the newcomers. She smirks a bit at the two waiting, then suddenly throws herself backwards at a stack of boxes, ghosting into it again to break contact. Not interested in letting them dictate the ground or the tempo of the fight.

    Instead, she slips out the other side, seeking more open ground where they can't pen her in as easily, then spins to face them as she finds a spot in one of the wider paths. She lazily starts to whirl her staff again, blue eyes sharp as she watches.

Ares has posed:
    She breaks line of sight from the larger group, her phasing into the boxes causes those two who had been trying to skewer her to check and then suddenly glares at each other as if it was their fault somehow. Then snarling something invective in Japanese one goes in one direction, the other goes in the other.
    When she emerges from that box she'll step right into the path of one of them, even as the other is still a few seconds away, rushing towards her with blade at the ready and murder in his eyes. The closest one shouts loudly, then charges her with blade raised, twisting it around in a murderous arc to try and cleave her in twain.
    But back in the other aisle she'll hear raised voices, and screams of pain. There's a short /FFT-FFT-FFT/ as an SMG fires and she'll hear the large man grunt even as there's a crash of more wood and packaging being shattered.

Sublime has posed:
    This time the staff whirls, but Sublime tucks one end under her left arm, letting it swing freeling with a good bit of force to lash out the oncoming blade, even as she steps in with a 'kiyaaah!', leading with her right hand in a open palm strike. At the same time she grounds herself, she goes dense again, that blow coming a lot harder than even a woman her size should be able to throw, as she attempts to knock the man flying, then spins around in a sweep of her staff at the legs of the other one, trying to tangle him and YANK to take him off his feet.

Ares has posed:
    That blade is fouled, snarled and swept to the side, forcing his posture off balance and out of angle. He would be better off releasing the weapon but old habits die hard and even as he realizes that he needs to twist, to turn. He's bringing up his arm to try and deflect, only for her strike to smack his arm out of the way as she crushes her palm heel into his chin. She can /feel/ the jounce of the impact lance up her arm, a perfect strike and if she had not pulled off ever so subtly she might well have taken his life. It sends him rocketing back, causing his partner to shriek in vengeance.
    That other bladesmen rushes in, swinging the electrical blade around... only for his legs to be sliced out form underneath him. He topples, skidding into one of those boxes face first. He turns around just in time to see her looming over him.

Sublime has posed:
    Others might pause for the witty repartee. Sublime, she believes in doing that AFTER the other person is down. Which she demonstrated by following up with a smooth sweep to pull the staff back even as she drops to her knee, bringing down her enhanced fist into the downed man's solar plexus, then when he's already wheezing pulling him into an chokehold to keep him from getting his air out. Until he's out, at least.

Ares has posed:
    The air bursts from him in a rush and then she pulls him back and twists him around to lock the chokehold into place. He struggles for a few moments, trying to resist and to get a hold on her arm even as she increases the density, locking the flow of blood from his brain. It only takes a few seconds, and then she'll feel him go limp in her grasp. A few more moments to make sure he doesn't come around, and then she's free to get clear.
    But from the next aisle over she'll hear more /CLANGS/ and /CRACKS/ as she'll see another ninja twisting in the air as he's hurled back. A loud deep baritone voice growls but then she'll hear another set of /fft-fft-fft/ as he staggers back and she'll see several rounds blossom crimson across his chest and jacket, knocking bim back into a pile of crates as they burst with short sharp cracks.

Sublime has posed:
    The woman comes up from her crouch at the sharp noises, but for once, they're not aimed at her! They're aimed at...the other guy."

    She winces. "...goddammit..." she mutters, then turns and picks up the guy she just knocked out, before dragging him around the corner where she can see, then hurling him bodily at the guy with a gun, going full density to up her strength. And basically tossing him one armed. "Stupid triggerhappy no style...." she's muttering as she charges after the body, trying to close before the gunman can get his aim back.

    Or expends his ammo on his friend flying at him. at this point, she just doesn't care!

Ares has posed:
    Only three remain now, the leader starting to walk towards the mass of crates that accepted the hurtling form of John Aaron. He was reloading the SMG, frowning behind that mask as he snapped a few sharp words to the remaining two ninjas at his sides. There's a click-cla-click as he swaps clips and rechambers a round...
    But then there's an angry Sublime bringing up and around that unconscious warrior and sending him winging across the distance, hurtling the fellow bodily to flail like some crash test dummy that'd been thrown clear. That gun in the leader's hand comes up and he fires several rounds at her, the barrel bursting with snaps of flame as he tracks her charge...
    Only for her to reach them before he can get the weapon in line. She's able to foul his aim, smacking the weapon out of his hand and sending it flying end over end. But she's there now amongst them, those three ninjas getting ready to face her.

Sublime has posed:
    Now the snark is missing, her eyes hard as she falls into a proper stance, whirling her staff like she's threshing wheat in a rapid, spinning, series of attacks, the long flail curling around to smash down at one of the still armed thugs while the leader is temporarily gun-less. She's not pulling punches now, expertly shifting her density to land impossibly hard blows as she tries to simply break arms and legs to disable the remaining fighters.

    She's totally going to have to call 911. How embarrassing.
    

Ares has posed:
    They come together in a balletic blur of motion, masters all who have trained and tested against true warriors who sought blood and death. She holds there in the middle, her three-sectioned-staff spinning so fast as to be but a blur to their eyes. One of her opponents spins his weapon around and reverses the trip as he sloooowly stalks to the side, the others seeming to crab-step around her, circling her like hyenas being held at bay by a lioness.
    The moment breaks and suddenly they all attack. Their movements each coming together with loud /cracks/ and /thuds/. Her staff is caught and knocked out of line as one of the warriors sacrifices himself and his weapon to her reprisal. She'll be able to catch him with a cat-pawed punch to his temple that has him unconscious even before he hits the ground.
    The other bladesmen tries to foul her legs, to force her closer towards the boxes even as he executes a clean double kick meant to shift her right in the way...
    For the leader to look somehow entirely smug and arrogant as he brings his two blades slicing around in a flurried movement as he twirls close to try and take her limbs...
    Only for suddenly a heavy shoulder is _SLAMMED_ into his back and sends him crashing into one of the crates, the tall man who had showed up charging straight into the fellow and causing them both to go down in a tangle of limbs. For a moment he rises on one knee and a heavy fist comes up, and then down to rob that fallen ninja of his consciousness.

Sublime has posed:
    They ARE good....the staff is knocked aside...the predicted cat fist slams into the first sacrifice, the plan working just as intended...just she cheats.

    She sees the double kick coming. And somehow, despite the fit hitting the first man, when the second arrives with his kick...he goes right through her as she rolls and through the startled man completely, spinning to bring her elbow into the back of his head to knock him senseless.

    The crash of the tackle as the leader goes down does draw a suprised brow. She kinda thought he wasn't getting up without major EMT support.

    The three part staff whirls absently, before she flick it over her right shoulder, resting it there comfortably. "...you okay there chief? That's a whole lotta holes..."

Ares has posed:
    The pictures of the man do not encompass his presence. He rises slowly, gaining his feet to stand at his considerable height. She can see the bullet holes and the blood stains upon his jacket, even as he grimaces, curling over as the pain of the wound lances through him. But he shakes his head and then rounds on her. His features are grim, haggard, and his brown eyes seem to be entirely too intense, as if there was some aspect of him that wished and growled in his thoughts to be set loose.
    He brings the sleeve of his jacket up to wipe a forearm over the small rivulet of blood that had been torn from the side of his mouth. Roughly, crudely, he spits to the side, then seems to take in a deep breath. She can recognize the technique, channeling oneself, focusing, drawing upon chi and focusing int inwards. Then releasing as he exhales slowly and murmurs. "You."
    That word hangs there for a time, and for some reason the moment seems to weigh heavy between them, as somewhere so far off the Fates collectively hold their breaths, Clotho's shears at the ready as the God of War tells her in that rumbling baritone of his. "Are you a hero?"
    And perhaps, in some way, some small way. She is.

Sublime has posed:
    She really can't help it. He asks that and she makes this...sound. That is pure snerk mixt with snort, all mixed with a faint edge of distain and disbelief.

    "Sure, I'm totally your fairy godmother. Now, if you wouldn't mind pointing me towards a particular box, and I can get 911 coming here before you bleed out on the floor...." she says after a moment.

    Even if she's acting casual, her stance isn't, centered and balanced, her hand having not left her staff where it hangs over her shoulder. She doesn't seem about to strike, but she's wary to say the least. This job is soooo not going as planned.

Ares has posed:
    A short snort comes from him, something akin to a laugh as he murmurs, "I'll be fine." He looks towards the fallen and then adds, "Though the police will be here soon." He looks at her again and then murmurs quietly, "What a big wand you have, fairy godmother." He looks her over and takes another deep breath as he meets her gaze and then adds, "What is it you came for?"
    He holds up his hands to the side, as if to show he is no threat, but then he turns and frowns as he steps towards one of the shattered boxes, picking up a plank and tossing it aside. A fragment of that vase is held in his hand and he shakes his head, "Such a pity."

Sublime has posed:
    "Yeah. Ninjas are kinda hard on the vases. I think it's a training thing. They're used to smashing them all day, they just can't resist when they see them anymore." Still pure snark. She frowns, then tugs out the list again. "...I just need this box." she says, flicking it to him. "I don't know what they were looking for, but bet it's the same thing. So...you want to avoid more trouble, give it to me, and that should keep people from bothering you."

Ares has posed:
    The snark amuses, enough to draw a small smirk of his own, but he shakes his head and moves along the aisle with calm steady footsteps. "The man who has hired you," He tilts his head as he looks to her, perhaps trying to gauge this woman before him. The snark does amuse, but his brow knits together as he looks to her. "He has sent assassins after me and my son."
    He stops beside the box and rests a hand on it, "This is what he seeks. It is something that... I have a connection to. I would appreciate if you do not steal it from me. And if you can help me find Mr. Berl, to stop him from trying to hurt my son." Not him, his son for some reason. "I will do what I can to perhaps aid you in your life. You are well trained and talented. You are above this."

Sublime has posed:
    Sublime taps a finger against her staff. "See, the problem with that is, like the song goes, I gots bills to pay and mouths to feed, and nothing in this world f'free..." she says. "I got nothing against your kid or you in particular. But that's a major payday I'd be giving up. And 'aid' doesn't exactly fill the bank account or pay the rent."

    There's definitely an air of wary distrust in her voice now. "And you're no construction guy with a kid. Not just one. Are you."

    Hmm. Is this worth it? She could maybe take him. But he took like half a clip and he's stil standing. That's...a bit concerning.

Ares has posed:
    The man shakes his head, "I cannot guarantee you that I can give you the money you would earn." He pulls off the lid of the crate with his bare hand, the wood crackling as he breaks the box free. Within is indeed the shield amongst some hay as packing material. The sword is in a smaller wooden box tucked underneath the curve of the scutum. "But I will not raise hand against you." He steps away and folds his arms over his chest, the blood somehow having stopped from those wounds that he had taken only moments ago.
    "But you are correct, I am no mortal. I cannot guarantee you that you will be gifted with great wealth, that you will be free from want. For such is not my dominion. What I can offer you is a future other than the one before you."

Sublime has posed:
    "Psshh. And what future is that, big, tall, and creepy?" Sublime shoots back, folding her arms under her chest now, one section of her staff still held under her arm to keep it in place hanging over her shoulder. "Because that future's a hell of a lot better than where I'm coming from."

    When he seems really going to stand back away from the shield, she drifts forward a bit. Just so she can see it. "I mean, so I sell out this guy who put out the contract. I kinda get a reputation if I do that. He's totally an asshole for trying to kill your kid, don't get me wrong, but that gets around I might not get much work..."

Ares has posed:
    "That is the gamble I imagine, for it's a future of your own design." When she moves towards the opened crate he makes no sign of interfering, he is a good ten feet back and away with his arms folded over his chest. "Take the weapons." He peers at her, eyes narrowing slightly. "Present them to the man who has tasked you and gain what you will from them. For if he is the man I know, your success will be almost as dangerous to you as your failure."
    "If all passes well, then enough. If it does not, then find me. All I would have from you in exchange for the blade and shield of Gaius Marius... is your name. Or what you would have me call you."
    His lip quirks, sardonic. "Though I suppose Hey You works."

Sublime has posed:
    The woman considers, her eyes narrowing as she glances up at the man across from her. This feels...okay, off. A bit. She's not sure quite what she thinks. It's not the first time she's had to bite down and do the job though. And at least...she didn't have to kill anyway.

    She shifts then, flipping the staff expertly back over her shoulder to catch it as it folds up into her hand. "Fine...I will. And if you're right and he fucks me over, I'll find you and tell you exactly where he is. Hell, I'll even help you get them back." she says, impulsively.

    She slides her staff into its holder, then reaches down and picks up the sword and shield, backing away a bit until she's back out of range. She doesn't seem someone inclined easily to trust. "...so...there." she says, then starts to turn, before she stops, frowning to herself. "...you can call me Sublime." she says after a moment of indecision. One she's castigating herself for afterwards. If her name gets out they'll find her, they'll find all of them....but...eh. He doesn't seem the type to know the people after her.

Ares has posed:
    "Be safe, Sublime." And he lowers his head towards her, a semblance of a bow. Then she is free to depart, with his blessing.