Re: The Capital of Brazil is not Buenos Aires. (Closed to Ember)

by Guest April 3rd 2012, 1:09 am

Before she made it to Meera and the other Mankars, Gracie heard a voice yell 'Oy, Gracie!' and then saw an Indian comic book writer running toward her before giving her a great big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." he said simply before rushing back to Andree.

"I take it that you knew Elena? I see she's made a general impact on everyone." he said with a chuckle, walking along with her and acting as if his last interaction with Gracie hadn't just happened. "I hated that bitch so much. But now I can focus on my life again, like getting an apartment with lower rent, telling Gracie I really do love her, and oh, I dunno, saving my family from possibly being massacred brutally." He sighed. "You know, I could get along fine without the last bit." he said, looking down at his stun gun. "Good gun here. Damn good gun. Can probably knock out any organic creature and maybe even robots, but that last bit is just the comic nerd in me talking." he paused.

"I knew it! I knew I knew you from somewhere! Back in Chicago, at the comic store! You were buying a t-shirt for yourself, I helped you buy one and we had ice cream after that!" he laughed. "Back then, I had no idea you actually were a goddamn heroine."
--------------------------
Meera was talking with a few other relatives. Unfortunately, one of them was a disgruntled Dharun Mankar.

"....So my bloody car just breaks down two minutes after I leave from the fucking airport, and I have to get some fucking Brazilian to help pick me up. Goddamn horrible day." Dharun was ranting in Hindi while Meera paid polite but bored attention.

"Oh, Gracie!" Meera remarked, clearly glad to have Dharun shut up. "How are you?"

Dharun smiled, switching to English quickly. "Yes, good to see you again, Ms. Daniels."

by **Ember_Fangs** April 3rd 2012, 4:10 am

Gracie smiled on seeing Meera, looking rather relieved to have found her as the house was a confusing maze of rooms and she was desperately trying to avoid confrontation with The Mother again. The woman scared the living shit out of her and Gracie was extremely keen to avoid her at all costs. Especially as she had called Gracie a 'friend'. She really didn't think Gracie was sticking round. Well, tough shit. Though when she noticed who Meera was she slowed her walk towards them. Sachin's older brother was what she'd call a Predator. He looked at her like she was a piece of meat on sale at a super market. She had hoped the car stunt would keep him even longer but apparently not. She did keep up her smile - though not just for Meera now. His furious rant made her want to squeal and jump up and down. Annoying people without their knowing was the best kind of mischief. She sat down on one of the chairs with the others and brushed a curl from her eyes.

"Hey Meera, Mr Mankar," her tone was polite but there was a difference in how she spoke to the two names. Feigning innocence she crossed one long slim leg over the other and raised a slight eyebrow, eyes widening in that way that one would think she was genuinely concerned.

"It took you a while to get here and we were in a beat up cab," Gracie smiled very slightly and then glanced to Meera.

"Sachin has gone to help out a friend, do you mind if I sit with you?"

by **Mockingbird** April 3rd 2012, 6:54 pm

""Unfortunately, I did. She and I got closer than I would like to admit. NOT in the way you are thinking." Andree quickly added at the end. "I'm glad that she's out of my head, stupid bitch." Her hand ran through her brown hair as she finished her statement. The tangle of hair fell down past her shoulders but not too far that it would become a hazard. "Anyone could do without that last part. I'll do my best to help you with that one but I know I can help you with the first one. I'm getting the boot at my apartment soon, can't pay the rent anymore, you could move in there." Andree offered him as her hands had made their way down to untuck her plaid shirt from her jeans.

After hearing what Sachin had to say next, she replied with a chuckle before responding. "Oh, yeah, you're right." Her bags dragged along behind her as she walked over to the car that they were going to ride in. Once her bags were in the car, she slid into the passengers seat. After pulling her phone out of her pocket, she clicked the plastic feeling on button and waited for the home screen to appear. Once it had lit up with the home screen, she flicked over to the GPS and entered the address that the man resided at. She set it up on a small stand she had brought along with her in her bag that stuck to the windshield with a suction cup. "I'm not sure where that is but it'll tell you the way."

by Guest April 4th 2012, 1:09 am

Dharun blustered a bit. "It isn't my fight. I was trying to fix my car, but the damn thing wasn't working. It's in the garage here now, and we got some Brazilian idiot mechanic who barely speaks any English to try and fix it. Something went wrong in the battery." he said. "I'm not sure, I'm not a mechanic." he was cooling down a bit now, but Meera seemed to have had enough of his company.

"Alright, let's go walk and talk." she told Gracie as they started walking away from Dharun. "Can't stand him." she confided in a low whisper. "But what can you do, eh?"
----------------------------------------
Sachin looked like he was considering the idea. "Moving in? Not a bad idea. Hell, I'll ask Gracie if she's willing to join, but I'll move in with you. It'd save me money." Sitting in the driver's seat, they started the drive. "So...how long have you been a hero? How long have you been doing this sort of thing?"

by **Ember_Fangs** April 4th 2012, 8:54 am

Gracie tried not to laugh and made sure her face was a mirror of concern as Sachin's brother began to get worked up over the fact his fancy car was out done by a cab. A sly smile crept over her lips and she stood up, happy to be leaving the rather creepy man behind.

"Nice talking to you Sir," she smile politely. "I hope your car is fixed soon," she smiled and then hurried off with Meera. Poor Brazilian guy was going to get shouted out if it wasn't fixed properly. She looped her arm through Meera's to appear like they were getting along rather well as Gracie began to hurriedly talk to her, her cheeks going pink.

"I don't like him either and I kinda messed up his car..." she ducked out of the door and headed for the garage she had seen when they pulled in. "He tried to make Sachin look bad and it just got me really worked up so I kinda... messed with the battery of the car," she hummed slightly, cheeks getting redder by the minute. "And the guy won't be able to fix it unless I get my hands on it and I have a horrible feeling he's the kind of person who would shout at the underdog if it's not done right," she glanced to Meera and rubbed the back of her neck looking rather sheepish. "Promise not to tell?"

by **Mockingbird** April 5th 2012, 8:12 pm

"Yes, definitely ask Gracie. It'd be extremely awkward without her there." Came Andree's reply. After replying to Sachin, Andree's mind began to wander. She thought of what it would feel like to have her family threatened or worse, killed. It was a thought that she despised, no matter who's family it was. All she knew for certain right now was that she was going to make sure that Sachin's family wasn't massacred. Focus on the task a head for now. She thought after being brought back to reality by the GPS talking. "In three hundred meters turn right." The annoying, mechanical, female voice echoed through her head as she waited for the ride to finish. I hope they do move in, that would be fun. She thought to herself.

by Guest April 6th 2012, 12:50 am

Sachin and Andree demonstrated this awkwardness by not speaking again until they reached the destination. "Who is the guy giving you these suits? Did you just meet him off the Internet or something?" he asked, stopping the guy behind a massive tower. He noted a shady looking guy in a hoodie and jacket leaning against a wall, smoking a cigar. "Is that your contact?" he asked Andree quietly.
-------------------------
Meera laughed. "Alright, I won't tell, though most of us younger generation members would love you for it. We all just dislike Dharun, or outright hate him in some cases. You can tell Sachin really does not like him, and he annoys most of us too. But he's a favourite of the elders, so what can you do?" she asked. That phrase of 'what can you do?' seemed to be a popular one among Indians.

by **Ember_Fangs** April 6th 2012, 3:40 am

Gracie smiled slightly at the question 'what could you do'. Gracie could do a lot of things to the Older Brother which would probably scar him for life and ruin his perfect façade. She could arrange for a group of her gang to corner him and ruff him up, take his car perhaps. She'd like to see him deal with Highway robbers like Sachin had had too. She could also probably tune the car to only stop working at his touch if she had two hours under the hood. She could also probably challenge him to a wrestling match and beat him but she had a feeling he wouldn't accept her challenge. In answer to the question however she said,

"I can think of a few things."

At that point they had managed to make it to the garage and she let go of Meera and ducked inside. The poor Brazilian man was staring at the battery with a dumbstruck expression. Everything was working fine according to him. Nothing seemed wrong. Gracie grabbed a spanner and made her way over to the popped bonnet.

"Hey, it's okay I said I'd look at it for him. I'm a car... scientist," she paused when thinking of the word in Spanish. The man nodded gratefully and backed off when Gracie paid him as well. Only once he was gone did she glance up to Meera and begin her tweaking.

"Sachin doesn't seem to fit in very well here, he really wasn't looking forward to it on the plane."

by **Mockingbird** April 6th 2012, 4:23 am

"Internet? Of course. Where else do you meet weirdos?" Andree joked with Sachin before turning her attention back to looking out the window. Where is he? Is that him? She questioned, seeing the man in the jacket and the hoodie. "A jacket and a hoodie? What is the point of that?" She asked Sachin, confused at the pointless extra layer. "I'll just go out there, get it and come back. No need for you to get out." As the words rolled off her tongue, she popped open her door. There was a small sound of her foot tapping against the concrete as she stepped out.

"You have it?" She asked after walking towards him. Hoping that this really was the guy she was looking for, she relaxed a bit when he nodded and pulled up a bag. It was thrown through the air back to her. After grabbing it in mid air, she checked the inside of the bag and saw the suit. "Perfect." Was the word that came out of her mouth as she pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket and tossed it towards him. The door was still open so she just had to slide in and shut it behind her. "Let's get out of here."

by Guest April 7th 2012, 2:01 am

"That's all?" Sachin asked. "No big conversation, no threats, no face off? God, you're raping the established pattern set by comic book writers. Raping it. Of course, a normal comic book would have my whole family die at the end, so I'm good right now." They began the awkward drive back. Awkward.
-----------------------------
Meera sighed. "Most of us younger ones don't. There are so many expectations for each one of us on what we should do. We leave home to be independent, but when we get back here we get lectured on what we did wrong. It's a really competitive family, too competitive and too demanding. One of our cousins actually committed suicide because of it a while ago. So we don't really enjoy these reunions very much." she looked at the car. "You know your cars." she complimented. "Where did you learn how to work on them?"

(Ask her about the bloody note already.)

by **Ember_Fangs** April 7th 2012, 1:40 pm

"Cars and guns are my specialities sweetheart," she chuckled in her southern drawl. Of course southerners were known for their love of shooting things and the like but cars.. Well Gracie had been fixing them up and taking them apart from when she was 10 years old. A blue spark of energy went from her fingers to the battery out of sight of her new friend causing the engine to purr to life. With a satisfied smile she checked the dipstick and then shut the bonnet of the car, running her fingers over the metal slowly.

"Such a sweet ride, it's so wasted on him," she sighed with a pout but took the keys out of the car and gave it to the waiting mechanic outside. When they had wondered back round to the gardens and away from the others, talking of Sachin as a baby and other embarassing tales she could use against him in future arguments, Gracie stopped and tugged out the bit of note.

"Hey... I know you said earlier about your family liking to scare off others with notes... Well does anyone write Mandarin in your family who would write a threat?" she handed over the note slowly. Maybe she'd recognise the handwriting if anything.

by **Mockingbird** April 7th 2012, 11:31 pm

"Well, what did you expect me to say? 'Hey, are you the guy who's supposed to sell me the probably stolen suit'?" Andree joked, flashing a small smile as the car turned on and began to back away. As they started to get closer to the house, she took a deep breath in before letting it out slowly. What exactly are we going to do to save his family? We don't even know what we're up against. We could be fighting aliens that can blow up the planet with a flick of their finger for all we know. I hope that it's just someone in the family joking around. Oh God, the family, I'm going to have to meet them. I hate meeting new people, especially when I'm the one intruding. This is going to be really, really awkward. She leaned back and blinked a few times as they approached the mansion. "Time to get ready."

by Guest April 8th 2012, 1:02 am

She looked at it with a frown. "I don't recongize the handwriting. I suppose it could be written by someone here. What does it say? I don't know any Mandarin at all, I don't think many people here do." she confessed. "So I'm a bit lost here."

They continued walking a bit. Meera looked moderately puzzled. "Hmm. It almost feels like there are more people here now. They usually don't get here so fast, we generally accumulate over several days." she said, waving to some people who passed by and greeted her with a nod or handshake.

The car carrying Sachin and Andree pulled back into the mansion's parking lot, Sachin jumping out of it. Meera waved to Sachin. "Someone's been sending your girlfriend threats."

Brief surprise was on Sachin's face. Gracie had trusted Meera with the information? Well OK then. "Yeah, we still can't see who threatened to kill the whole family. It doesn't make sense."

Meera's face looked stunned. "Wait...what?"

by **Ember_Fangs** April 8th 2012, 3:41 am

If there was a desk Gracie would have hit her head repeatedly off of it. If there was a wall she probably would have done the same. Sachin's sudden appearance had blown her carefully thought out plan out of the water and then shot it to bits before putting it in an incinerator. So Gracie settled for face palming. She would need to teach Sachin that he didn't just reveal things like that without talking to her first. Laughing nervously Gracie looked to Meeka.

"Well... The threat is addressed to me, it says this family will suffer like my friends did in Arizona," she sighed, not really wanting to dwell on the images of her friends mutilated and empty bodies. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes just thinking of how her adopted sisters head lolled to one side when she scooped up her body. Alex's too... Swallowing she decided to shake out her hair, taking it out of it's bun and fluffing up her waves.

"I need to know who speaks Mandarin so I can tell them kindly to leave us the hell alone," she folded her arms over her chest, glancing to Sachin. "I don't exactly wish to fight in the middle of your parent's mansion. And I don't think you'd appreciate it if I zapped all of the power from your house and got my guns from my bag - yes I brought guns before you ask," she pouted at Sachin. "You know I don't leave them at home." her eyes moved to Birdie then.

"Did you get your suit?"

by **Mockingbird** April 9th 2012, 1:05 am

Once the car pulled up at the mansion and Sachin had jumped out and went over to Gracie, Andree popped open her door and went to grab her three bags from the back of the car. With the three bags awkwardly in tow, she made her way to Gracie, Sachin and a girl she didn't recognize. "How do you bring it up so casually?" Andree asked Sachin in a bewilderment as Sachin told the girl she didn't recognize the information about the threat to the family. Once hearing Gracie's comment about never leaving her guns at home, she smirked a little bit and responded to the question she asked soon after. "Yes, we picked up the suit." She told her, her eyes wandering to the person she didn't know just yet. After her eyes scanned her up and down for a little while, she sighed and held out her hand to her. "I don't believe we have been formally introduced. I'm Andree, what's your name?" Trying as much as possible to be polite to her despite the situation that they were all currently forced into.

by Guest April 9th 2012, 5:18 pm

Sachin sighed. "Oh. Sorry." he said, seeing Gracie's face. "I'm sorry." he repeated nervously.

Meera blinked again. "What happened at your friends in Arizona?" She saw the tears welling up in Gracie's eyes. "Never mind. I don't know too many people here who speak Mandarin or write it, though a few know Cantonese. None of them would probably attack anyone." She turned to Andree. "My name's Meera, Andree. Sachin's cousin. Good to see you."

by Sponsored content