Alpha Fox

Arietta wasn’t fully paying attention to what Notorius was saying, so much so she only snapped out of her thoughts when his hand left her own. Looking up at him, she nodded quietly. After a moment, she couldn’t help but feel the air around them grow uncomfortably still. She needed to say something, he did in fact pull her away from the crowds of people. As if reading his mind, she spoke solemnly. “I’ll be honest, I’m not very experienced. I know some things, but not everything. Like you said, we need to start making a plan.” She quietly sighed, “If I knew my life was at stake I would have never gotten online..” As soon as she finished, she quickly turned away from him in embarrassment. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to be here with you. If anything I’m really glad I found you again. I just kinda wish it was a different situation, you know?” She asked, swallowing dryly after her little ‘explanation’. Arietta leaned back against the base of the willow tree, her eyes drifting up to the branches above before closing. Slowly, she held her hand out to him once more, a dainty finger held up. More specifically, her pinky finger. “I’d be honored to accompany you again. I know it’s been a couple of years since we’ve last seen or spoken to each other. I hope I won’t let you down.” She sighed, locking her finger with his own. “Sorry to be quoting you, but that’s a promise.”

When asked about her reasoning for believing he was a regular, she stiffened slightly. She had truly believed it wasn't his first time on the boat.. where did she fail noticing that? It then occurred to her that she failed to notice his awareness to his surrounding. She seemed to have mistaken awareness with familiarity. It was a genuine rookie mistake, one she shouldn’t have made. Before she could answer, he continued speaking. She seemed to have fucked up more than simply that. She ended up being caught. Normally when confronted for lying, a person would be scared. Internally, Kennedy was terrified. However, instead of showing it she began laughing. It was a small giggle either, it was good hearty laugh. She smiled wholeheartedly, taking his hand firmly in her own. Her olive eyes met his dark ones. While she appeared to be perfectly fine, her eyes looked worried. If she told him her name, would he recognize it? She shook his hand twice, grinning up at him. He was after all, an inch or so taller than she was. He said his own name.. and in this state I’m only going to be caught up in more lies.. I can’t lie anymore to him, he’s picking up on it. “I wouldn’t call myself a stalker, I’m classier than that.” She laughed, her hand remaining in his own. “The name’s Kennedy.” She stated bluntly, finally retracting her hand from his. She leaned back against the rail of the boat, giving him another once over. “So, you say people here to.. ‘waste their money so they can forget the problems that haunt them’. That is what you said, if I’m not mistaken. Is that why you’re hear as well?” She asked coyly, tilting her head slightly. However, she knew it wouldn’t be easy for him to open up. He was a detective after all, there was no benefit of telling her — to him, a total stranger, the reason of him being aboard the ship. She just wanted to see if he’d bite the bullet. ”Is there something troubling you, Mister Richard?”

Kennedy could feel his eyes lingering over her body when she entered, but she knew his gaze wasn’t lustful. It was anything but that. When she turned to speak to him the first time, it was clear he was suspicious of her. She mental cursed herself and her drunken state, she knew he’d become on edge when she followed him out. He seemed to realize she wasn’t just another passenger either.. but he had to see her drinking, right? She tensed slightly when she heard him speak. The younger detective didn’t seem to be aware of the fact his eyes were still on her. She crumbled quietly, knowing fully well he was onto her. She needed to fix this, fast. Kennedy straightened, giving him a once over before meeting his eyes again. She didn’t bother to look long, she knew he’d pick up on that. She didn’t look afraid. After all, she had nothing to hurt him. Well.. him, anyways. She needed him to trust her, not to try and throw her off the ship.. However, she couldn’t say anything. So, ‘white-lies’ were her best bet. What was the harm in some harmless lies. After all, she was good at it. She offered him an almost guilty-looking smile, crossing her arms across her chest before she spoke again. “Looks like you caught me. I happened to spot you from the bar. You seem like a regular here, so I figured you know the best places here.” She gestured around the empty area of the bow. “It seems as though I’m correct, I’m not usually one for loud music myself. Something tells me you’re not here for that either.” She immediately cursed under her breath. She shouldn’t have said that, her passive-aggressive nature shining through only at her best moments. Kennedy was trying to get him to feel at ease, not more on edge! However, she wasn’t even that sorry. After all, his comments weren’t exactly kind either.

Kennedy found herself seated on the red velvet stools of the bar, an almost empty beer bottle in her hand. Five minutes later, a couple shots of tequila were downed. Eventually, more shots. And then more shots. And then a couple more.. and after a half hour, she found herself stumbling off the stool in an attempt to go get some fresh air. A passing man caught her as she struggled to stand up straight, turning to look up at him with a goofy grin. After helping her regain her balance, she thanked the young man before stumbling over to the other side of the bar. She grasped the edge of the wood, holding it as though she was holding on for dear life. She looked around for another bartender, sliding over some remaining coins as she asked for another drink. The detective wasn’t a drinker. Hell, she was the farthest thing from one. In fact, if it wasn’t for her husband she would’ve never had to touch a bottle, empty ones nonetheless. However, she found herself drinking more and more with little restraint. Was it because of the divorce? No.. it wasn’t that. She thought of it rather she was drinking away the years she’d spent hoping.. no, praying for something to change. However, she married too young and now she was paying the price. After downing another mixed drink, she managed to catch Richard’s eye as he left the main area of the ship. Remembering now the reason she was sent to this place, she stumbled after him. “Um.. ma’am?” She suddenly halted, spinning around to face a stocky bartender. The man looked at her wearily, noting her drunken state. “Your payment?” “Ah, right! Leave a tab open for me, I’ll be back!” She called, following her superior out onto secluded deck. Once she was hit with the cold air, she immediately stiffened. However, she didn’t realize no one else was out there besides him and her. They had never met before, so that gave her an advantage of keeping an eye on him. Her disadvantage? Well, that was simple. Her eyes locked with his, nodding her head towards him in greeting. She walked over to the railing of the deck, leaning against it as she glanced back at him with a smile. This could maybe work out in her favor, she would definitely keep an eye on him this way. “So.. what’s a man like yourself doing here?”

When the bodiless voice came, she practically jumped out of her skin. She wouldn’t call herself a ‘scaredy-cat’, but the poor girl startled easy. She quietly listened to the voice, stealing glances at the player beside her. He didn’t look any particular way, if anything he seemed almost.. bored? But his features changed when the voice advised against logging out, a worried look spreading over her own. Despite being told not to, Arietta found herself being one of those people who believed that they should log out. That’s what she always did when she didn’t like how things were heading. She could go back to that gaming store where she had eagerly logged on to try and join this event. However, something stopped her from doing so. It was him. Granted, she barely knew him but he seemed to make no attempt to log out in the beginning. So, she ignored the idea and waited along with him. It didn’t take long for her to realize her potential error, one that could have costed her life. Fear flashed over her eyes, her brown orbs never leaving the screen before her. She could barely believe what was happening. People being dragged out of their homes, dead as a door nail.. Her attention shifted to another screen, where a boy their age was found dead. A young girl was at his side, bawling her tiny eyes out at the sight of her dead man before her. She brought a hand to her mouth, trying to hold back a sob. She wanted to look away.. but she simply couldn’t. When she felt his hand grab her own, she didn’t jump. She didn’t pull away either, her mind was on nothing else. Stunned, she followed him when she was pulled into the courtyard she had previously spotted from afar. Once they reached the area, she met his eyes once again. Those people.. this isn’t a joke.. this is real. If I leave, I’ll die. What am I going to do? Am I going to have to stay.. here? She didn’t know what to say, blankly staring at him. Her hand tightened around his own, her body quivering in fear. She shouldn’t have been this scared, but the more she thought about it, the worse her state became. After a moment, she only had one question burning in her mind. Am I going to die here?

When she graduated college at the top of her class, she didn’t want to become a detective. When she said her vows in front of previous family and friends, she didn’t want a mid-life crisis at 25. And when she demanded do something, anything, she didn’t want to babysit another detective.. Granted, she needed any mission she could get. Although she had a steady income, sitting around in a dark, lonely office just wasn’t doing it anymore. Anyone could notice the sudden change in her behavior, but many believed the detective would simply get over it. However, you can only get over a divorce so quickly. It didn’t take long for her to realize that mourning the loss of a cheating son-of-a-bitch ex-husband wouldn’t get her anywhere. After a couple of months of doing nothing, she managed to find herself a job.. and she couldn’t have been happier about babysitting.. Turning in her chair, she read the file in hand. It seemed too simplified for her taste, but she couldn’t complain. Not when she had begged on her hands and knees for something to do. After reading some of the file, not much more was revealed on the mission itself. The angrier she got, the faster the swivel chair spun around. One thing she realized though was the fact she would be ‘protecting’ another detective. Who do they think I - Suddenly, the chair abruptly stopped, her ankle smashing into the leg of her desk. Hard. She gasped, falling back in her chair and swearing loudly. Kennedy knew she should’ve been more respectful, but fuck.. that bitch hurt.. Despite being told to dress nice, Kennedy never was one to follow order to a T. Her orders were to simply follow some detective and make sure he didn’t screw this up. Whatever ‘this’ meant, she wasn’t sure. When she read his personal file, he seemed very put-together and capable.. why would she need to watch over him? After much ‘consideration’, Kennedy Martin decided upon two things. One, she was simply to ‘take up space’ on the vessel. And two, she was a 26-year-old babysitter. She approached the casino ship much like how Richard did, but skipped the pleasantries of talking to the woman at the counter. She tugged at her overcoat as she approached the boat, the cold wind chilling her to the bone. She tried to look modest, but was now afraid she underdressed for the occasion. Once she stepped onto the vessel, her eyes drifted to the crowd of people before her. Everyone seemed to be in similar fashion to herself, stripping herself of the coat. she took notice of a certain detective only a couple of feet in front of her, olive eyes quickly scanning over his complexion. Like she had deducted, he was a capable, strong man.. she was utterly useless! Once Kennedy realized this, she turned on her heel and marched straight for the bar. She needed a drink. Fuck it, nothing is going to happen anyways.. or so she believed.

The first difference Arietta noticed about Notorius was how he looks, his appearance taking her almost by surprise. What shocked her the most was his eyes. Although they weren’t a very bright color, they still were unusual. She personally would never pick such a hue for herself, but it looked good on him. Very good, actually. Her appearance hadn’t changed much at all, her wavy, red hair stopping at her shoulders much like how it used to. The small freckles that displayed on her cheeks and nose still remained as well. Her eyes shone much brighter now, the previously dull eyes replaced with beautiful doe-like ones. She wore an amber-hued hoodie, as well as a mid-thigh black skirt. While her clothes had changed, nothing else had. She didn’t want to stick out, already feeling out of place from those around her. When he recalled the last time they spoke, a small frown adorned her features. It wasn’t that she disliked the memory of going on quests with him, rather, she disliked how it ended.. She couldn’t remember exactly how they met, instead, she remembered one peculiar moment. They were in a small group of three or four, the two of them included. While searching for some sort of special treasure, Arietta found herself separated from their group. Alone, she found herself becoming more lost than when she began. She ended up finding the treasure, but in the meantime found a strange powerful monster her group had yet to encounter. While fighting it off the best she could, she struggled immensely. If it wasn’t for Notorius finding her, she would have lost that treasure. In the end, the reward was worth it. However, after that event she began to distance herself from him. She didn’t want him to be associated with someone who couldn’t hold her own weight. After he spoke about him being a loner, her eyes shot to meet his own. A small look of regret flashed over her face, looking genuinely surprised. He seemed so calm and collected.. but a loner? ”A.. loner?” She questioned, looking a little stunned. Arietta opened her mouth to say something more, but stopped herself when she received a notification. She apologized quickly, frantically opening the message and reading its contents. Apparently, whatever was happening was going to happen.. and very soon.

Shoulders touching. Eyes meeting. Noise everywhere. Instead of being excited, she felt drained both physically and emotionally. Instead of being excited like the millions of other people gathered around, she felt almost sick. There was just simply too many people. The red head obviously wasn’t a big fan of crowds, evidently displayed on her features. Her brown eyes shifted frantically to those beside her, unconsciously brushing against those she had never seen or met before. Although this was technically a VR program, it was still usually odd how everything was so real. Maybe it was because of the jumps in technological advancements, but the thought never left her. Deciding it was enough, she pushed her way through the endless crowd before her. While she didn’t want to appear as cold or distant, she still wanted to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a beaten dirt path leading to a small pond just outside of the town. Feeling as though that would be a safe place to relax, she abruptly turned towards the path ahead. However, she managed to shoulder-check another player. Stumbling back, the red head looked up at the individual to apologize. Suddenly, she recognized the face before her. It was ages ago, but his face wasn’t one to forget. Oh.. What was his name.. ”Notorious?” She asked gently, a small grin forming on her face. Her name in this world was ‘Arietta’, deciding against using her actual name. Instead, she came up with something else. Apparently, so did he.