Raining cats and dogs! {Liquidator+Open}

[miragedl]

She was already starting to have second thoughts about hiring any additional help, and her newest little puppet hadn't even shown up yet. The haughty enchantress huffed to herself, readjusting her position in the leather bound chair she was currently seated in; in one of the boring, plain little offices at the front of her downtown lair. The feline cast her gaze around the room boredly, detesting the very fact she was forced to keep it here.

Unlike the rest of her lair, this room was not decorated in ancient Egyptian architecture- nor were secret, sinister spells carved into the walls in an ancient language mere mortals couldn't even begin to comprehend. No, instead it was drab and grey- no pictures, no other colors. Just one door and a few windows, complete with a long table and several chairs set up around it. It was dreadfully boring, but it was unfortunately necessary. All in order to keep up appearances that this building was normal, by some stretch of the imagination. Something to keep the outside world from thinking there was more to this casino than met the eye. The ancient and evil creature wanted the rest of the city to think of this place as nothing more than fun themed place to throw away money.

They could not find out this was the lair of one of, if not the most powerful creature in this town. Perhaps the entire world, even.

"Of course I am," she snorted, scoffing at herself for any doubt. She was an arrogant thing; proud to a fault, though she would never admit this, or even care to think on the shortcomings she had faced in her extensive lifespan. Of course those snags weren't her fault, they were just...minor little setbacks. She would win in the end, one way or another. She had centuries, at the very least, left to thrive. She was a powerful and capable entity, endowed with incredible dark magic that most of the fools in this city couldn't imagine in their worst nightmares!

...Which was why the very thought of paying for help grated at her very last nerve. A century or so ago, if somebody had requested any kind of payment after she demanded a form of servitude, she'd have killed them in cold blood right on the spot- to serve as an example for others, as well as to whet her nearly insatiable lust for violence and destruction. Now? Well, she certainly had the power to do just that, but it would be more harm than good. It would draw unnecessary attention to her activities here, and in the city in general, and the last thing she needed was to be tempted by a slew of police officers questioning her night and day. Times sure had changed. Mirage wasn't so sure she was a fan of the direction many things had gone in, but the presence of more evil in the world was, admittedly, a fair bonus.

"He should be honored to serve me."

Her new little toy would be, if he had any worth to him. She had seen him on the news recently; heard about his exploits throughout the entire city. There were more criminals in town, others who could bloom into promising minions as well, but something about this one had been...more interesting, than the rest. Though he was a dog, and apparently a water-based one at that, Mirage had to admit- he had a certain charm to his own little criminal ploys. And from what she could sense, there was a certain seed of hatred buried somewhere within his being- bitterness against a hero of the town, she believed, though she wasn't certain which one.

Not that the little detail mattered, anyway. Goody two shoes popped up with as much frequency and resilience as cockroaches. If it wasn't one, it was another. All that mattered to her was the canine had the necessary traits within him to receive her gifts. Whoever had put such resentment within him, she didn't really care. The enchantress simply hoped that it was enough to convince this 'Liquidator' to work for her...if it meant being able to obtain new powers to help put that pesky hero or heroine in their place.

He would have to pass her tests to gain the power first, however. And, not only would he have to unknowingly obtain the very gift on his own strengths, he would have to demonstrate to her just how worthy he was to use such gifts- if he would use them in the 'proper' way. That test would be what counted the most, as it involved an unspeakable crime....Murder.

True, she could kill the troublemaker herself, but where was the fun in that? It would be far too simple for her, and besides, this way, she could potentially spread more chaos and help the forces of darkness against whatever dogooders would show their obnoxious heads. Multi-tasking, really. This course of action benefited chaos and destruction so much more, and at the end of the day, that was really all that mattered to her.

Although, if the Liquidator wasn't able to pass test one, then she would be forced to do this on her own. Another irritated huff escaped from the back of her throat, at the very thought. She had managed to contact him, told him the address of the building, and the very room in which to meet her- however..she hadn't given him any help beyond that, or even taken into consideration his unusual appearance or notoriety around town. But, then again, that was the point.

If he couldn't even manage to sneak in here for a meeting, then he really wasn't worth her time or energy, and she would find somebody else to help carry out her nefarious goal.

[The Liquidator]

The Liquidator had been delighted when he had gotten word that the owner of one of Epcot City’s local resort/casino had wanted to see him for an assignment. While used to working solo, he didn’t shun the idea of either working alongside fellow crooks or for someone else -- for the right price, of course. The more the merrier, right? Even though he had an ear out in the criminal underworld, he hadn’t heard much about this Mirage before, aside from a few whisperings.

When the date for the meeting had finally rolled around, the Liquidator hadn't wasted any time in getting to the meeting location via the pipelines, charged by excitement. True, it wasn’t very glamorous, but it was the easiest way for him to travel around without garnering any unwanted attention. And it wasn't like he couldn't easily clean himself off.

Once he had arrived at the large stylish building, it was no effort for him to sneak past the security guards. His transformation had by no means diminished his memory; he recalled that he had been to this place a few times before when he was still Bud Flood, and it wasn’t bad as far as casinos went, not bad at all. Before slipping beneath the office door in his more discreet puddle form, he had a quick peek at the room number to confirm that his was indeed the office he was to meet this Mirage in.

Once he was inside, the canine scanned his surroundings. A dull little office. His old ones had had much more pizazz then this. From his position on the floor, he sized up his potential employer, who was sitting at her desk. Needless to say, his interests were definitely piqued. Not wanting to keep her waiting any longer, the Liquidator suddenly coalesced into his usual form, that of a tallish hound-like figure composed of shimmering, flowing blue water. Hopefully his latest customer would appreciate this demonstration of his powers and stealthiness. The number one rule of a salesman that had been drilled into his head when he was just starting out in the biz: wow 'em and reel 'em in.

A broad grin on his muzzle, he winked at Mirage and flexed his watery arms. “Tired of your average, run-of the-mill criminal? Not getting enough gratification out of your hired guns? Then why not go with theeee Liquidator, the wizard of water!” His tone was loud and confident, as it typically tended to be.

[miragedl]

Mirage had quickly given up hope on her little minion ever showing up. While patience was something the feline was capable of every now and again, tonight she simply didn't have a copious amount of it. But, she still wasn't entirely willing to take her own problem on in its entirety, so the absence of the villain she had attempted to summon meant she had to find another willing subject. A task that could prove just as aggravating as the initial nuisance.

She had just risen from the chair and was about to take her leave of this drab little room, when her fine-tuned hearing picked up on the sound of something not quite normal, just outside the room. Arching a brow in wonder, Mirage kept a close watch on the door. A moment later, what looked to be a puddle of liquid slid underneath. It only took her a split second to realize that this was her client.

"About time," she muttered under her breath, before returning to her seated position where she could watch her ally reform himself in comfort...and not get too close to the water he was comprised of. It wasn't that she feared water- or anything, for that matter, she just...didn't quite like getting her fur wet. Unless there was no way around it, or it was her idea. She was part cat, after all.

Though, she didn't want her client to think he had anything within his powers capable of manipulating her in any way. So, she cast a bored glance at the back of her hand, before returning her attention to him. This time, maintaining a detached, almost emotionless expression- while he quickly resumed something of a 'solid' form, gave her office room the once over, and began trying to sell his services to her rather enthusiastically.

Mirage wasn't entirely sure what to think of his little performance. Was it a joke? Was he actually serious? His powers were impressive, but acting as the villain equivalent of a used car salesman? She didn't find it quite as enthralling as he did. It caused a smirk to tug at the corner of her lips, regardless. This personality of his seemed entirely exploitable, the kind she could see herself able to use on multiple occasions. Aggravating, and just a bit too reminiscent of a certain winged feline as it was, it was promising just the same. Unless of course, he was just as deadly serious as she was- and this was all just an act to fool her, so that he could turn around and attempt to stab her in the back somewhere in the future. Not that she thought he could get very far, if he dared try something so foolish. Still, she would keep a close eye on him just the same.

For now, he would absolutely do, and she would feign whatever amusement or interest in his little speeches that she had to in order to get what she wanted from him.

"That was quite a show," she nearly purred, chuckling a little as she propped her head up with one hand thoughtfully. "I do believe I'm interested in your services, Mr. Liquidator."

She looked him over in a calculating matter, trying to discern whether or not she thought he would be able to pull this off with a simple glance. Mirage found herself uncertain, and her smile grew wider as she looked back into what she assumed were his eyes. It was time for a test drive, to see if he was capable of keeping up with her schemes.

"And," she continued. "I do hope you'll be interested in my business proposition. Do well, and I can help give you an advantage in your cumbersome struggle with those good for nothing 'heroes'."

She still didn't know who specifically the liquidator hated the most, if his rage was targeted at one. She didn't even know if it really was one of these 'heroes' she'd heard about in passing, or if it was simply the police force. Either way, there were a lot of creatures in this town that would consider themselves noble- just as many as those who declared themselves evil, sadly. Her rewards would help the aquatic dog with anybody who crossed him, so she assumed he still would have interest.

[The Liquidator]

For a moment, the Liquidator wasn't quite sure what she had thought of his introduction. She had actually smirked at him -- it wasn't a beguiled smile or a grin, like what he had been hoping for, but a definite smirk -- and he should know, Bud had smirked at his own employees or anyone else who said something that he found amusing (like "But what about the FDA? Won't they get wise to what you're doing?"). Hmph, he rather liked his usage of advertising jargon himself. It was a part of the Liquidator's trademark, as much the Joker's usage of toys and gags was his, or reeking horribly of garlic was Stromboli's thing.

If the lady was going to be a hard sell, then that was fine by him. He enjoyed a good challenge, and he was confident that at least a part of the feline was interested in what he was selling. When she expressed an interest in his services the ex-businessman haughtily puffed himself up.

"Only the best for my future employer!" He performed a bow in her direction. He could tell when he was being sized up by somebody, and liked the attention. He bet she had never seen anyone quite like him before. The hound returned her toothy grin. "For the right price, stealing, spying, washing out the competition, as it were -- the Liquidator can do all that and more! So what will it be?"

The canine's ears perked up. So just what did she have in mind for his payment, anyways? It didn't quite sound like money, but if it was something that could give him an advantage over that stinking Dream League, then he was interested. "I always keep an ear out for a good deal. The Liquidator always wants to have a leg up on the competition!" He replied.

[miragedl]

"Now that's what I like to hear," Mirage replied only seconds after the first declaration had flown out of his mouth, and the liquid canine bowed. Confidence was a good thing from a potential ally, as far as the feline was concerned. Coming from a character like the Liquidator, it meant he would do as much showing off as possible; anything and everything to reap the biggest reward he could get. Which, in turn, meant he would do the job fabulously... or become more desperate and infuriated when the heroes inevitably stood in his way, making him an even better candidate for her 'gifts'. Either way, Mirage didn't see this ploy turning out badly for her just yet.

Finally, he asked the obvious question, and Mirage settled herself more comfortably in her chair. She did wonder which of them was going to be the first to bring it up, and was glad it had been him; the canine showing an eagerness to jump into the fray and get what was coming to him.

"I require your services to borrow something for me. An heirloom my family donated quite some time ago has been jumping from museum to museum, and as luck would have it...it's in town this week. But only this week. The curator is a stubborn fool, unmoved by my offers to repurchase. I need you to pick it up for me, it looks like this.."

She rose from the chair long enough to slide a small photo across the table, toward where he was standing. The picture would show an ornate, golden necklace; trimmed with jewels of all sorts, and quite obviously Egyptian in origin. There were markings, hieroglyphics in the middle- ones that bore her ancient name, but only somebody trained to read the old picture language could pick up on it; to others, it was just a bunch of random, illogical symbols.

"And, just to serve as some initial motivation...Should this seem a bit too passe, for your level of skill."

The feline sauntered over to a nearby counter, plucking a dark-colored briefcase that had been virtually invisible in the darkened room. She brought it back over to the table and placed it down gently, opening it so that the Liquidator could see a large sum of cash resting inside.

"This is only the first half of your payment, take it. The rewards will be far greater if you bring the heirloom to me; something better than money...that I can guarantee will make you a much more powerful villain."

Mirage knew there was always the chance he could take the money, and the item, and then decide to bail with both. But, hopefully he would take the bait she had just laid, and be more concerned with her other offer. After all, if he could become better, he could get more money. If that didn't interest him, it didn't matter that much though. Money was of little concern to Mirage, she could obtain it easily if she wanted; and if he took off with her enchantment without her 'blessing', he would come to regret it.

[The Liquidator]

Typically, the Liquidator was pretty good at reading the body language of others, a holdover from his "Bud" days. But for some strange reason, he was finding it really hard to read this woman. If people were like open books to him, then she was a book locked up in a safe with heavy-duty chains wrapped around it. His instincts warned him to be on guard with this one, even if she was a looker. But he chose not to let his mystification or wariness show, instead remaining still for once as he watched her with his beady eyes, eyebrows raised and arms folded over one another.

So this was a theft job, was it? Oh, this'd be easy as pie for him! When Mirage slid a photograph across the table, he inclined his head to peer down at it instead of reaching down to grab it, as he'd only end up with a soggy photo. It showed a fancy and expensive-looking necklace. He couldn't help but wonder if the story she fed him about the trinket being a family heirloom was true or not. Clearly it was expensive, and depending on it's age, the necklace could fetch a large amount...

Looking back up at the feline, he nodding and smirked. "Nothing like a visit to Epcot City's educational local museum to expand my cultural horizons! And might I add that you have exquisite taste in jewelery."

He wasn't sure if she would fall for his shameless flattery or not, but it wouldn't hurt anything, would it? He observed as she went to retrieve a briefcase from off a counter nearby and opened it slightly so that he could see the contents. Eyes widening slightly, he grinned once more, signaling his approval. Resisting the impulse to reach out and quickly grab the suitcase, he picked it up and set it down at his side, but not before doing a quick count of the bills inside. Not too bad at all...

Now Mirage was getting around to discussing the other half of his reward that she had bought up earlier. It sounded very intriguing. True, his powers and intelligence did make him quite the threat (even his detractors would acknowledge this), and he already was considered to be one of the more formidable villains around, but the thought of being even more powerful? Sign him up!

"You have a deal!" Unable to keep the large devious grin off his muzzle, the Liquidator held out a dripping hand to shake on their deal.

[Quiverwing Quack]

And elsewhere….



”And on your left, you’ll find the gold burial mask of Pussennese I^*, droned the museum guide, a skinny looking mutt with droopy ears and jowls. The occasional snort accompanied with his nasal tone of voice reminded Gosalyn Mallard very much of her dear friend Honker who was stuck at home with the flu.

“Wish I was in bed with the flu,” Gosalyn muttered for the millionth time, not caring to stifle a loud yawn which earned her a scathing look from her teacher. The school children from St Canard’s Duckybill Elementary were on a field trip to Epcot City’s largest museum to see ancient artifacts from Egypt; Goslayn’s class had just finished studying a unit on it and as usual the young duck slept through most of it. In her defense however, some of those naps were the result of exhaustion from being up all night fighting crime.

Yes, it was true; Gosalyn Mallard was the miniature masked mallard of St Canard- the quick-thinking, arrow-slinging, Quiverwing Quack! Of course if her dad ever found out that she’d fallen asleep in class because crime didn’t have a curfew, her quiver and mask would be hung up until college- by which point, she’d be too big for her costume. At the moment, Gosalyn considered the lecture about the Feline of the Nile to be the most painful form of torture imaginable, worse than any kind of pain encountered as Quiverwing, even worse than her dad’s tuna casserole- and that gunk really makes her stomach churn.

“There’s gotta be a way outta this,” Gosalyn mused quietly, glancing around to notice a bunch of other glossy-eyed stares from students forced to listen to the drooling inducing drivel. Not far from them was a custodian’s closet; the girl’s eyes darted left to right, ensuring that everyone was focused on the ornate looking necklace now being presented. Slipping her hands behind her back and looking nonchalant, Gosalyn took several cautious steps back before sneaking inside the closet and remerging in oversized coveralls moments later. Her disguise could not be complete without a mop and water bucket however and with a deft flip of the broom handle, Gosalyn concealed her face by holding the bundle of yarn up close to it, pushing the portable bucket in front of her.

Down the marbled corridor she went, easily making her way past the Gems and Fossils Exhibit where another tour had paused, even cutting through the Gallery of Greece with no problem. It seemed her disguise had fooled most people and Gosalyn darted into the darkened Space Exhibit filled with models that glowed in black light.

“Keen Gear,” she breathed, looking around at the display. The concept when designing this room was obviously to create an atmosphere of being in space. Tiny dots lit up the area from floor to ceiling to represent stars, while giant planets from their solar system were suspended from invisible wires. The room was mostly empty, everyone had gone to see the Egyptian Exhibit instead, and feeling a lot safer, Gosalyn plopped the mop back into the bucket of water.

“Guess I won’t be needing this anymore!”



_{*Pussennes I is a play on Psusennes I.}

[The Liquidator]

God bless the water pipes that ran through this city! It had been an easy matter, as usual, for the Liquidator to move through them and come out through the faucet of the museum's restroom. Oh, he could've come in through the front entrance disguised in his trench coat, but that might have been a touch too obvious. He was content to masquerade as a puddle of water and rely on the stealthiness his powers afforded him.

Now he glided easily down the immaculate halls, stopping every and then to see exactly where he was heading, or to either hide or remain motionless as visitors passed by. Thankfully, no one took any notice of him. The Liquidator's goal was the museum's Egyptian wing, where he knew the necklace would be waiting.

Finally arriving at his designation, the Liquidator came to a halt. He didn't dare to reform himself just yet, not wanting to loose the element of surprise. As fun as it was for him to startle people with his bizarre appearance, the art of stealing required a subtle touch. He could see a bunch of bored-looking brats in there, probably on some field trip if the person he guessed to be the kids' teacher and the incredibly dull museum guide was anything to go by. Bud would have been glad to pull that little geek aside to give him some pointers on how to spice up his oratory skills. Giving dynamic, exciting speeches were one of both his and the Liquidator's many fortes.

Focus! This wasn't the time to be thinking about making speeches!

Noticing someone dressed in the work clothes of a custodian exit a closet nearby, the hydrokinetic super waited for the janitor to leave before slipping under the door. In here, he would wait patiently for the class to move on so he could get what he came here for.

[Quiverwing Quack]

”When I find that impatient, trouble making little sneak, I’m going to-“

“Uh-oh!” Gosalyn gasped, hearing the voice of her unhappy teacher. Twirling the mop between two fingers, she cringed as the sopping yarn came flying up, splashing water everywhere, including the duckling’s face. But it was worth it! At that moment Mrs Waddletail turned into the space exhibit and nearly collided with her missing student.

”Gosalyn!” the instructor called shrilly, oblivious to the child before her as she squinted to see into the blacklit room. ”Gosalyn Mallard! Oh! Excuse me,” she asked, looking down at Gos, who shifted the yarn to further conceal her identity. ”Have you seen a little girl? She’s about your height and-“

“Nein, nein,” Gosalyn interrupted, adopting a German accent. “I hab not seen a mizzing girl.” She practically pushed her way past her teacher to avoid further questions and wheeled the bucket away as fast as she could, not caring that she was making a terrible mess as water sloshed over the sides.

”Peculiar,” the teacher commented, scratching her head. She promptly shrugged off the incident and continued to call out for her ‘lost’ pupil.

Impressed that she had managed to fool Mrs Waddletail yet knowing she’d be in serious trouble if she was discovered later, Gosalyn made a beeline for the Ancient Egyptian exhibit, hoping to rejoin her classmates and act like she had never disappeared. Unfortunately when she arrived, the slick duck discovered her class had moved on and the place was empty.

“Oh, great,” she commented, sounding highly annoyed. “What kind of teacher abandons her class?”

As Gosalyn looked around she noticed a door marked 'Security' and her face lit up as if a lightbulb had gone off within her. A security office meant cameras and all she’d have to do was slip in there, find her class and rejoin them before Mrs Waddletail did. It shouldn’t be any problem- she was getting pretty good at this disguising stuff after all. A quick check to make sure the coast was clear and Gosalyn abandoned her custodial mop and bucket to quietly enter the security room. The door shut behind her just as a patrolling guard came in to inspect the empty exhibit, making rounds to insure that everything was locked down tightly behind thick layers of glass, all alarms activated.

[miragedl]

((e__e I am so sorry how long this and all my other replies I'm getting around to took. I completely lost track of time with how busy things got for me and didn't realize how long it had actually been. If you guys don't want to post in this thread anymore I COMPLETELY understand. If you guys still want to, you're awesome and amazingly patient, and I am open to any edits you wish for me to make. I just desperately want to get in overdue posts.))
===

Unbeknownst to the young crime fighter and security, the ancient Egyptian exhibit was hardly as empty as it appeared to be. As soon as the sounds of idle chatter, history lessons, and footsteps had vanished from this particular wing- long enough to make it clear nobody but the odd guard on patrol would be stopping by- a pair of eerie, slitted eyes appeared on one of the many elaborate sarcophagus contained behind thick glass plating; jade in color, and most certainly not part of the exhibit.

"Finally that pack of brats is out of my way."

A light, but clearly exasperated sigh came from the golden, feminine burial mask. Almost as if the ancient casket itself were tired of having to deal with packs of small children, who were just as enthralled to be subjected to this sort of torture. It became clear this was not the case only a moment later, when the eyes vanished and a streak of green light passed through the glass like there was nothing there; flashing brightly and shaping into some kind of tall, willowy form right in the middle of the otherwise quiet exhibit. When the maelstrom of light dissipated, there was a figure standing where the unusual occurrence had just taken place- one who actually seemed quite at home in this part of the museum. Mirage.

The devious feline's lips parted in a sense of amusement as she thought about just how appropriate her true appearance was for this kind of place. If the security didn't know any better- which, she was sure they didn't- they would probably believe she was part of the Egyptian wing- considering how much she bore resemblance to two of the feline deities, coupled with the fact she had been regarding something of the sort at one point in time. The marks of that past were actually on some of the items here, which gave this long, dark corridor a very homey feel to her.

But, reminiscing about the past and digging up those old, glorious memories was not exactly why she was here. It all had to do with the task she had sent the Liquidator on- about stealing that 'precious' little bauble of hers that, in reality, she didn't care that much about. Had she actually held some sort of emotional investment in the necklace, there was absolutely no way she would consider allowing the liquid canine to hold onto it for even the most minor amount of time. It was all a test, a means of reaching out to other villains and manipulating them for her own gain.

She would play nice for the time being of course, but she wanted to partake in the game of spreading pain, suffering, and evil further throughout this city- and unfortunately, that was not something she could do alone. All part of serving the role of evil incarnate successfully. And there was no way she could launch a full-blown assault against those insufferable heroes running around town until she had seen more of what they were capable of, and subjected them to a few more tests. All in order to pry deeper into who they were and sniff out any potential weaknesses she could exploit in the future.

"Enjoy the limelight and success while it lasts, heroes." Mirage mused to herself, as she began sauntering her way over toward the case that contained the necklace her associate would soon be here to steal. "Because all good things must come to an end sooner or later."

She chuckled at that notion, she could hardly wait until the day those fools and their pedestals would come crashing down. In the meantime, however, she would offer them various manners of thorns in their side- starting with the Liquidator.

"He'd better be able to handle the rest of this on his own."

Though Mirage wanted to see what her fellow villain would be capable of with her necklace, to tell whether or not he could handle this sort of magic, she wasn't entirely opposed to making some of it a little easier. For instance, she needed to wave away that pesky little curse she had placed upon the jewelry herself. If she simply sat back and watched him tackle that particular problem on his own, the outcome would probably be incredibly unfavorable to the both of them. The curse was designed to inflict horrible damage to those who tried to use its magic, unless she removed it first. A safeguard Mirage had thought necessary, to ensure that meddlesome heroes would never be able to use her own magic against her.

Her eyes began to glow as she muttered an ancient incantation while waving her arms over the glass- careful not to actually touch it or set off the alarms. The beautiful, golden necklace emitted a powerful, red glow in response to her actions, which dimmed the more she spoke and gestured toward it until finally there wasn't even a speck of red left. Only once the light had completely vanished, did Mirage stop speaking. It was done, the curse was removed. As soon as the Liquidator came into contact with it and was angry enough, or in need of some kind of strength- the amulet at the center of the object would take care of the rest. He would find out about the magic then, or...she would explain it to him later, when it was time for part two of his trials.

"Now then Liquidator," Mirage purred as she slunk back into the shadows, molding her essence temporarily into a statue of one of the feline goddesses, from where she could keep an eye on things. "Let's see what you can do."

She was starting to toy with the idea of tripping the alarms on him, if he didn't set them on himself- all in order to watch him at work. But, she would wait until he had actually gotten the necklace before she went quite that far.