Finding Answers (Juliet&Angel)

[Juliet Harwood]

Juliet ducked her head and turned to Victoria, looking up through her lashes. Her hair fell a bit over her face, but she made no attempt to move it aside. Instead, she pulled her hands into the sleeves of her jacket until only the tips of her fingers showed and wrapped her arms around herself. "I just want to find something out," she whispered, making her voice a little higher than it normally was. "Please? I... I didn't think I'd need to pay or anything. I just need to ask a question."

She pushed the sleeves of her jacket back up and tucked her hair behind her ears again. "How was that?"

[Victoria Angel Paulsen]

Her mouth fell open. If she hadn't known Juliet already, she would have believed it. It was a flawless performance. Had she taken acting lessons from someone?
"I'm sold," she answered.
She leaned back in the chair now, wondering how, if she should go in with her friend. Just disarming her would take around ten minutes, and it would probably make the man very impatient. She didn't want to leave the girl by herself though.

[Juliet Harwood]

Juliet felt a little thrill of pride when Victoria gaped. She had used the same look on some of hands when she was younger to get sweets or a little coin, but it had been years since then and she hadn't been sure she would still be able to pull it off.

As time went on and the door still didn't open, Juliet grew a bit nervous. She rolled her shoulders a little and picked at the cuffs of her jacket but tried to keep her movements small. She was only going to pretend to be a child, not truly act like one. "Thanks for coming," she said impulsively. "I mean, I could have handled it on my own, I'm sure, but it's nice to have someone else here. You know..."

She glanced up at the door and back at Victoria. She was spared having to either leave or fill the silence, however, when the door slid open and the burly man appeared.

[Victoria Angel Paulsen]

She had used that look before, there was no question in her mind. A few moments passed and she then heard Juliet thank her.
"That's what I'm here for," she answered with a smile. She was more than happy to help.
"Whatever happens in there, I've got your back. If anything goes wrong, just stay low," she cautioned her.
She really hoped nothing would go wrong. It was a simple question they were going to ask. Then the door slid open, and she looked over to Juliet.
"Here goes," she smirked and shrugged.

[Juliet Harwood]

Juliet took a deep breath and got to her feet. The sleeves of her jacket slid to her fingertips, and she started chewing on her lower lip and looking at her feet. She glanced up at the burly man from time to time, but never for more than a second. The pistol felt strong and solid against her chest, and she wondered if it was weighing down that side and making her jacket uneven.

She walked up to the man, angling herself so her arm brushed lightly against his. In a split second, he had grabbed her arm and pushed her against the door. His hand was large enough to wrap entirely around her arm, and she had the chilling thought that he could break any one of her bones with his bare hands. "Who are you?" he growled.

"My name's Juliet," she squeaked. "I'm here to see Joel Rogers."

"What about her?" the man asked, gesturing his head toward Victoria. "Is she with you?"

[Victoria Angel Paulsen]

She didn't want to act hastily, but she knew the wrong answer would ruin things for Juliet, and this was a solid lead as best she could tell, but she couldn't watch him grab her friend like that. She moved quickly, drawing the blade from the sheathe on her back under her coat. She slipped behind the man and put the blade at one of the rolls of the man's neck.
"Bodyguard," she answered the man's question. "Let her go or I'll cut."
The man let Juliet go and pointed into the room. Victoria hated that she had to do that, but there was no way she could just let that stand.
"Are you ok?" she asked as the two entered the room, Victoria watching her back the entire way.

[Juliet Harwood]

"I'm fine," Juliet said. "Just a bit shaken." She hadn't expected the man to attack her like that, and Victoria's knife seemed to come out of nowhere. She wrapped her arms around herself for a moment before sticking her hands in her pockets. This wasn't what she had expected when leaving Whitefall. She hadn't thought she would be so out of her depth.

Joel Rogers was a lean man with graying hair and a hint of a mustache. He smiled at the two women as they entered and addressed Victoria. "Good morning, ma'am. I hope Abraham didn't frighten your friend too much. He can be a little twitchy at times." He gestured to a chair before the table. "I'm afraid I only have one seat at the moment, but I'll provide another shortly." His placid demeanor dropped, and he raised his voice. "Abraham! Another chair for our guests!"

The burly man went to the antechamber and returned with another chair, which he set before the desk.

"Thank you," Joel Rogers said. "Please, have a seat. What brings you to me?"

"I'm looking for a man," Juliet said, settling into the chair.

Joel Rogers cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so, little lady? I wasn't aware you were the one in charge."

[Victoria Angel Paulsen]

She waited as the man brought the chair in and narrowed her eyes at him. She sat in the chair as Juliet announced her intentions. Joel's comment made her raise her brow though. He was posturing. He wanted coin. There was not a question in her mind.
"Coin, Juliet. Money is always the one in charge," she whispered to her friend.
She reached down to her belt pouch and counted out what she had left. It wasn't much, and she doubted that the man would find that it was enough. They could likely do a job for him in return for the information as well. She decided to leave that up to Juliet. It would be her decision, and she would help her friend in whatever came up.

[Juliet Harwood]

"I'm the one who wanted to see you," Juliet said. "Even if I'm not in charge, it was still my decision to see you." She tried to remember how much money she had. It might not be enough, but she hoped it would at least entice a little something from the man.

"And why did you want to come see me? Looking to start a life of crime? I'm sure a sweet young thing like you would have no problem walking into any place she pleased." Joel leaned forward slightly. "I have no doubt we can make some kind of deal."

"I've already got a life," Juliet said. "I'm looking for a man."

Joel laughed. "There are plenty of those working for me. I'm sure there's one who'd be pleased to have you. I could even include him in your contract."

Juliet's cheeks grew hot. "I want to find my husband," she said, forcing each word through her teeth. "I heard that he might have come here."

"Well, that changes things, doesn't it?" Joel leaned back in his chair. "Information doesn't come cheap, girl, and I might not even have what you want. You must be fairly determined to come all the way to Haven for him." He glanced at Victoria. "Maybe you really are her bodyguard, like you said. Did she buy your services, or are you doing this out of the goodness of your own heart?"

[Victoria Angel Paulsen]

She listened closely to everything the man was saying, searching for some hidden meaning. A lot of these 'high class' men knew just how to double talk, but she was hearing nothing. As she noticed Juliet getting angry she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to calm her.
Then he looked at her, and her skin began to crawl a bit. She knew his type, and his voice was grating on her nerves.
"I hurt people," she said, posturing back at the man. "And I enjoy it, don't need to get paid to do it. 'Specially when someone is stalling like you are right now. We pay you, you tell us what you know about her husband, we leave. Simple as that."
She didn't really like to hurt people, she hated fighting really, but she knew she had to show some strength in this situation, or he would eat them alive.

[Juliet Harwood]

Juliet was a bit grateful for Victoria's hand on her shoulder. It reminded her that she couldn't simply jump to her feet and start shouting at Joel as she wished to.

"You hurt people," he murmured. "Such an odd traveling companion for a sweet-looking child to have. And a married child, at that. But you're right. I'm stalling. It's a terrible habit of mine when I'm intrigued. Because you two are just so interesting, I'll tell you whether I know your man without charge. What's his name?"

"Preston McPherson," Juliet said. She expected the man to shake his head and apologize as smoothly as he could for taking up so much of their time, but instead a smile spread over his face and he lifted both eyebrows.

"Is that so? You're Preston's girl? I must admit, I hadn't expected him to go for someone so young. Each to his own, though."

Juliet clenched her fists. "You know him?" she asked, caught between surprise and anger.

"Know him? My dear girl, your Preston works for me."

[Victoria Angel Paulsen]

Victoria's eyes closed tightly at that last statement. Gorrammit, this was going to be very, very difficult. She kept her hand on Juliet's shoulder though.
She shook her head and opened her eyes back up.
"Can she speak to him? She has come a long way to do that."
She half expected the man to say no way, but she hoped that he had at least a sliver of compassion for her friend. Her husband had disappeared in the night, there had to be some reason. The girl needed some kind of closure. She was owed a damned good reason.

[Juliet Harwood]

Joel shook his head. "I'm afraid that's just not possible. It isn't that I don't have a heart, you understand. Coming all the way from Whitefall just to find him is sweet, but I'm afraid he isn't on Haven any longer."

Juliet bit her lip. He couldn't mean that Preston was dead. If Preston had died, she would hunt down everyone who had even indirectly brought it about. "Then where is he?" she asked.

"He's on a job for me. I'll tell you more for a little money, or your friend could barter her services." He paused, tapping a finger against his lips. "You know, that just might work out. I'm afraid I wasn't entirely truthful with you earlier. Preston doesn't work for me, or he didn't until recently. He borrowed some money, and I decided to call in the favor he owed me sooner rather than later."

"I'm not sure I'm following you," Juliet said. "Do you want Victoria to do Preston's job?"

"Or at least give the young man a hand. He had an odd reason for borrowing the money, and I would rather like to see him come out of this alive. It's odd, you know. I've never met anyone willing to deal with one of mine just for enough money to buy a ranch."

[Victoria Angel Paulsen]

She had a feeling this was where it was going. She had seen this kind of dealing before, and it never ended well. But she said she would stick with Juliet until it was over, and she was going to fulfill her promise to her friend. Then he mentioned buying the ranch, and she knew he had left for a good reason. He wanted to buy that ranch that Juliet wanted and give her her dreams. It was a beautiful gesture, if not carried out the right way.
"What was his job?" she asked, exasperated.

[Juliet Harwood]

"I'm sure you understand, miss, that in a line of work like mine, one makes many enemies," Joel said. "I sent him after one of the less dangerous but more annoying ones, on Ariel. All he has to do is give the man a warning not to bother me, and then I'll stop pestering him about when he'll pay me back. Now, you two ladies don't have to help him, but if you don't pay me in some way, I'll have Abraham beat the money out of the little girl."

Juliet shuddered but maintained her composure. "I'm not a little girl," she said, "and I'll go to Ariel. I'll help give your warning, and then if I ever see you again, I'll 'warn' you." She got to her feet. She had no intention of harming the man or his enemy, but she was perfectly willing to scare both of them if that's what it would take.

Joel smiled. "You've got a spine, girl. I wish you'd been the one to come to me instead of him. Your Preston looked rather too sweet to get the job done." He cleared his throat and took on a more businesslike tone. "The man you're going after is named Christopher Owen. You can probably find him easily enough by asking around. Good luck." Joel got to his feet and opened a little back door. "If you'd prefer, you can leave this way. I find that many of my visitors prefer a discreet escape."