you got a way with words, you got away with murder

[heavyhitter]

Who: Ramir and you!
What: Shenanigans with a wanna-be villain, anyone?
Where: Anywhere through LA.
When: any time last month to next month man anything goes
Warnings: probably not!

i:

There's an art to this. You can't look like you're worried about being caught, that just ruins everything. You gotta play it cool. And not just cool, you gotta play it like you've barely even noticed anyone else on the street with you.

And you have to pick your target carefully, too.

Tourists are the best, the ones that haven't caught on yet. Tourists with a backpack hanging obliviously off a shoulder are the very best, but the square of a wallet in a back pocket is doable too. And if you get a golden opportunity with what's probably a local, well, you can't just pass it up.

Ramir has made her choice, and started an ambling walk closer in, hands pocketed. Maybe it's you she's drawing stealthily closer to, or maybe she's being a little less subtle than she'd hoped and is just working in sight of you — either way, she's aiming to be one wallet richer very shortly.

ii:

Okay, now she's got it, and it's genius. Genius, and surprisingly legal. Sort of.

She'd found a box somewhere, a crate, and set it up like a table. It had taken some doing, convincing people to arm wrestle for money. It's not much! Just a $10 entry fee, and if you win, $100 pay out. (Not that she'd had $100 when she started.) But eventually she'd gotten a crowd around her, which is the doing of her spirit of showmanship, and she's been able to keep her strength down to just above the person she's arm wrestling. Give them a show, make it seem real. Like maybe her opponent actually had a chance.

She's earned about $260 so far, and the day is still young. This? This is fun. She should've thought of this way sooner.

"Hey, come on! Check it out, I got an easy $100 for you!" comes her sing-songy tagline, directed at whoever may be headed down the street in her general direction, and her little crowd of amused onlookers provides the perfect backup.

iii:

Legality is fun, and she likes that she's pocketed a neat little $500 or so today, but Ramir never stays amused with any one thing for too long. Which is why she can be found strolling down an evening street now, eying the cars parked along the side. LA never really goes quiet, but evening gives a little cover. A little room to work with.

She won't keep the car, probably. She'll just take it for a little spin, see what it can do, maybe catcall any attractive people she sees... but she'll put it back where she got it.

Probably.

Her hand slides down the hood of a fancy red one as she passes it, and she eyes it speculatively. Yeah. Maybe this one.

iv:

Once in a while, in a great while, Ramir can be found doing something neither illegal nor shady. Sometimes she can be found doing something, like, say... relaxing on a park bench! Oh, the excitement. She sits with both legs folded under her and arms laid out along the back, looking pretty comfortable as she enjoys the breeze that's starting to pick up.

It's just an interlude, she'll be at something shifty again pretty soon... but for now, a quick break.

Comments

[heavyhitter]

Wait, is she onto her? Ramir can't tell. She's quick to slow down in turn, and busies herself with — aw, shit, she lost her temporary phone a few days ago, now what's she supposed to stop on the sidewalk to fiddle with? She ends up pulling a wad of paper out from her pocket instead (how did she even collect that much random crap, it's a mystery), scoots to the side out of the way of any foot traffic, and digs through it like she's looking for something in particular, with Rotorstorm kept firmly in her periphery.

You can keep moving again any time from now, lady. She just needs to get a liiiittle closer...

[wreckerscombine]

Out of the corner of her eye, Rotorstorm catches sight of someone moving to the side and there’s a pretty good chance that it’s her stalker. The reflections in the windows aren’t exactly crystal clear, so it takes a second for her to get a glimpse of anyone that’s stopped nearby. They’re still too far apart for it to really matter, except she can see that the girl’s…doing what? Too many people passing by to tell.

After few more seconds, she starts walking again – slower now, and keeping close to the stretch of windows.

[heavyhitter]

There, alright. It's not ideal, but it could be the best chance she'll get -- and she wants to see if there really is any more to this than a usual hit. She sidles in close, taking care to stay casual, easy, and more or less in from a blind spot.

Closer, just a little closer still... and there, moment of truth, she's reaching out a snaking hand for that bump in a jacket pocket she'd noticed earlier.