Post by NICOLE HALES on Nov 18, 2012 3:43:11 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style,background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/TSw4U.png); width: 380px; border: 10px solid #111111; padding: 10px; border-radius: 0 30 0 30;] Sicuro seemed to have entered its rain season, much to her chagrin. The sound of raindrops beating relentlessly against the large panel of glass almost drowned out the music in the room. Nicole sighed, snug in her armchair with a layer of blanket, and flipped onto the next page of her book. She read on, almost mechanically, before finally deciding that she wouldn't be even be able to remember what she had read on the next day with all the noises. Going to sleep wasn't an option either, regardless of the time. Nicole knew she would only wake up at the next creak of the window. [/style]It was fascinating how one single event could make a person change so much. Chicago was never really a quiet city, at least it wasn't when she still lived there. She doubted that there'd be much difference now, though. There were constant shooting on the streets, break-ins in the neighborhood, drug deals being made in the shady allies; all the darkness one would expect from a populated city and the recent war had only made the situation worse. Besides, let's not forget about the rustling wind the city was famous for. But despite all the blend of cacophony around her, she still remembered sleeping soundly as a child. Back in the good ol' days. Nicole scoffed at the memory. Now she startle at the slightest clatter. Good thing that she learned to get by with the minimum amount of rest. A scratching sound made its way to her bed, making the brunette quirk her brow in curiosity. It was faint, but out of place nonetheless for her to pick it up. She had a fairly good idea of who - or what, technically speaking - might be making that sound, and if her assumption was correct (which was usually the case, mind you) it would go away if she just ignore it long enough. ...... Scratch ...... Scratch scratch scratch ............Just ignore it- SCRAAAATCH Nicole sighed in defeat and jerked her wrist. The book snapped shut with a loud thump and was tossed on the wooden stand. She approached the window, locking eyes with a drenched calico cat standing on the sill and pressing its wet face against the glass. It was actually quite a comical sight. She retrieved a large white towel from the bathroom before coming back to slide up the window. Nicole greeted the cat with a small frown as she unfolded the towel in one arm. "What are you doing here Boots? A smart cat would be hiding from this bloody rain right now." The cat mewed in protest before making a leap towards the crook of her arm. She shifted on her spot to make sure it landed on the towel and not anywhere else, before shutting the window close with her free hand. It was a stray that could be seen around the small Italian town from time to time, and also a frequent guest at the boutique Nicole worked for. Her employer was rather fond of the calico, to the point of giving it a silly name like 'Sergeant Fuzzyboots' so they wouldn't keep referring to it as it, which, for the record, she had never approved of. Giving a feline a military rank was just ridiculous. Boots on the other hand was a much appropriate name for a cat. At first she was only tolerating the creature because, well, what kind girl didn't like animals? But after awhile Nicole found herself growing rather fond of the animal as much as she hated to admit it. A big surprise for her when she found that she didn't really mind the cat napping on her lap during her breaks, seeing that she never considered herself a cat person, nor a dog person. She wasn't even a people person for that matter. But this particular one had proven itself to be slightly more intelligent than the average felines. Just not right now though. "How about we go get us some warm milk, hmm?" Nicole cooed as she walked downstairs to the kitchen, hands continued to fluff its fur with one corner of the towel till she reached the bottom of the stairs. There was a knock on her door. Another sound that wasn't suppose to appear in the middle of the night. Her somewhat relaxed expression was suddenly replaced by a stoic vigilance. Nicole glanced at the kitchen timer from the corner of her eyes, noting that it was just quarter till midnight. She was wary. She rarely brought any guests into the small two-story house, despite being here for nearly ten months. Again, not a people person. It was the main reason she chose a spot near the edge of the town to start with. She made a point to meet the other rogues away from her residence to avoid suspicion, so it was unlikely that it was any of them. A lot of those people wouldn't know the use of a door anyways. An unscheduled visitor at this time of the day was definitely the first time. Or maybe she was just being paranoid, again. Maybe it was just a passerby who forgot to bring an umbrella and looking for shelter. She sighed, unfolding a fruit knife and slipped it carefully under the right sleeve of her cherry red pajama. The weapon was conveniently hidden from sight by the chubby feline. "Looks like the milk has to wait. We've got a visitor." She muttered to the calico in her arm before making her way to the front door, but felt a little silly as soon as the words left her lips. She cautiously avoided to be seen in all the windows as she walked silently, stopping just before the door and placed a palm against its surface. "Who is it?" Her voice was soft, warm, with just the right amount of curiosity, spite of the cold look in her eyes as she spoke. Wrapping her fingers tightly around the hilt of the fruit knife, Nicole glimpsed through the peephole on the door. It was fogged up from all the moisture. The only thing she could make out was the blurred outline of the small front porch attached to the house. Bloody rain. [style=text-align: right;]((NOTES: i have no idea how did this get so fuqing rambly im sorry-)) |