ROLEPLAY HQ - on-the-run

“Mommy, I finished my supper.” Roselyn looked over at her daughter, Viola, who sat at her little table with an empty plate. Viola smiled brightly, showcasing the plate with a proud look. Roselyn stood up from her dining room table, walking over and kneeling down beside her daughter. “Good job, my love! Want some dessert? I have apple pie and ice cream!” Viola nodded her head excitedly, clapping her hands together. Roselyn gathered the dishes and began walking to the kitchen. “You can go play with your toys in the living room for now, dear. We’ll watch a movie while we have dessert.” Roselyn called out. She heard the little pitter patter of her 3 and a half year olds feet across the hardwood floor, immediately followed by the sounds of wooden blocks being dumped out on the carpeted living room floor. Roselyn smiled to herself as she put the dishes from supper in the dishwasher. Being a single mother was difficult, but it was so rewarding. Roselyn was lucky in one aspect though: money. Violas father, while he wasn’t present at all, did send money to help Roselyn care for Viola. The set up they had was easy to manage. Roselyn did care for Violas father, Cieran, but the life he led wasn’t suitable for her or Viola. It was dangerous, full of death and destruction. Once Roselyn had found out she was pregnant, she asked him to stay away. She wanted her daughter safe above all else, and he agreed. He stayed away, for almost four years. He did send money, which was a huge help, but still kept his distance. “Mommy? Are you almost done?” Violas voice pulled Roselyn out of her thoughts. Roselyn shook her head for a moment before she finished scooping the ice cream onto their plates. “Yes my love! Go sit in your chair!” Roselyn called out, putting the ice cream away. She walked into the living room with the plates of pie and ice cream, handing Viola the plate with the smaller helping.

17:46

“We’re just going to have a nice quiet night, just the two of us.” Roselyn smiled, pressing a kiss onto her daughters forehead.

The mans knees throbbed with pain against the cold concrete floor. His body was bruised and battered, blood and sweat dripping from his cut-up face. Cieran stood over him, pointing a handgun with a chrome body, the muzzle against the man's forehead. The mirror finish of the gun reflected Cieran's face, which held a smirk at finally having caught the mole in his organization. "Any last words?" Cieran said this with a monotone inflection that left no indication of his satisfaction. The only telltale sign was the slight angled curve on the edge of his lips. The room was dark, except for a bright white light outside which cast beams of light shining through the slits in the slats in the metal wall. A large fan was mounted near the ceiling, spinning slowly and making the light flicker as it passed through the blades. The man on his knees smiled and Cieran looked at him questioningly. "I've done my job. If I were you I'd give little Viola a call and tell her you love her." Cieran's face went pale for a moment, then red with rage. He smacked the man's forehead with the side of his gun, knocking him to the ground and causing him to groan in pain. Cieran kicked the man, causing him to cough up blood. He continued hitting the man with the gun, bright crimson blood spraying from his wound with each blow. In between beatings, Cieran spoke. "I was...going to let you go....quietly....but now...you've angered me." With the end of the sentence, Cieran brought the gun high above his head, knocking the man unconscious with his final blow. He pointed the weapon at the man, sending two shots into his skill to end his misery.

19:01

Cieran pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the blood from his weapon and restoring the mirror finish. He left the warehouse, where a car waited outside. The driver opened the door for Cieran, then ran around to let himself back in. "Sir?" "To the apartment. I'll need a change of clothes." He looked down, annoyed at the specks of blood that had sprayed onto his otherwise pristine white collared shirt. "We'll be paying Roselyn a visit this evening." For four years he had kept his promise. Supported their daughter from afar, only seeing pictures or video of his precious secret. One which was now in danger. "On second thought, the shirt can wait. Head to her house directly." Several hours later, the black towncar drove down a quiet suburban street, brick homes with large bay windows and wide front lawns flanking either side of the road. Cieran put a hand on the driver's shoulder. "Pull over here. I'll walk the rest of the way." Cieran stepped out of the car, covering the blood spatters on his shirt with a vest. He liy a cigarette, taking the smoke in deeply and blowing it out, watching it curl slowly around the dark lines of the tattoos that covered his arm. He walked down the street and turned the corner to Roselyn's house, staying in the shadows. And with good reason, as just a moment later a car pulled up to the house with two men inside. Cieran unlocked the safety on his handgun and waited to see what they would do.

Roselyn watched as her daughter quickly devoured the pie and ice cream. Roselyn herself finished her plate rather quickly as well, gathering the plates to put them away in the kitchen. “Viola, just a few more minutes of playing and then it’s time to go to bed.” Roselyn called from the kitchen before she continued to finish the last of the dishes. Her daughter called back out in reply, and Roselyn could hear her daughter continuing to play with her toys while the noise of the movie could still be heard. “Mommy? Someone’s here!” Viola called out, her voice cheerful as ever. Roselyn quickly put her dishes down and walked to the living room, seeing her small daughter standing on her tiptoes to look out the front window. Roselyn followed suite, her gaze falling on the black vehicle that was pulling into the driveway. She didn’t recognize the vehicle or the passengers seated within, and while there was a deep nagging thought that perhaps something bad was going to happen, Roselyn brushed it off as two people who were lost and parked in her driveway to look at directions. “Go to mommy’s bedroom, Viola. I will be right back, I promise.” Roselyn knelt down, placing a soft kiss on Violas forehead. She couldn’t ignore the sense of impending doom in her body, so she wanted to be extra safe. As she heard the bedroom door close, Roselyn grabbed her cardigan and walked outside, standing on her front porch. “Hey! Are you lost?” Roselyn called out, blocking the bright headlights with her hand so she could better see the passengers.

Cieran was across the street, witnessing the encounter from the shadows between a parked car and a large tree. The street light was an older style, and it cast a warm glow on the pavement, illuminating the parked vehicles in sharp lines of orange and black. Roselyn stepped out onto her front porch to address the men, and Cieran noted how his heart still paused for a moment whenever he spotted her. The men in the car saw Roselyn and then looked at something in the car - papers or a folder, maybe? They got out, and Cieran noticed that both were carrying. One held something in his hand. Cieran squinted, trying to determine what it was. A cloth hood - not good. He continued to watch from afar, hand on his weapon, as they walked up the path towards Roselyn on the porch. The men approached Roselyn. "Ms. Reynell? You'll need to come with us." They did not break their stride as they said these words, stepping closer to Roselyn with each step. Adrenaline flowed through Cieran, getting ready to make his move as soon as she was in danger. Suddenly, the man holding the hood lunged at her, throwing the hood over her head and trying to wrap his arms around her to restrain her. Cieran drew his gun and began walking briskly towards the scuffle - he'd have preferred not to have had to kill anyone, but it seemed like it wasnt in the the cards that night. He was just thankful that little Viola wasnt out there with her. Roselyn could handle herself, but he had never wanted his little angel to experience the world that he lived in - one that was now trying to drag Roselyn back into it, despite his best efforts.

R: Roselyn stood still on her front porch as she watched the men exit the vehicle. The feeling of fear deep in her core continued to grow with every step they took towards her, the sounds of their boots against the cement driveway filled the silence in an eerie manner. Roselyn herself stepped back onto the porch, though she found herself pushed up against the front door with nowhere to run. She didn’t want to go inside and risk Viola getting hurt, but her cell phone was also inside and Roselyn desperately needed to call someone. Within a moment, Roselyn found herself trapping underneath the grip of one of the men, a cloth hood covering her face so she could no longer see her surroundings. She flailed for a moment, shocked and taken by surprise by the developing situation. Her mind was going fast, but the woman tried her best to remember what she was taught if she was ever in a situation like this. The memories of her lessons in self defence were a little fogged, but Roselyn did what she could to maneuver herself away. By the time she ripped off the hood, Roselyn noticed the men had dragged her off the porch, which now gave Roselyn an opportunity to run inside. She bolted up the stairs, hearing the men yelling as they chased after her. Slamming the front door behind her and locked the deadbolt, Roselyn grabbed her cell phone from the living room and ran into her bedroom, where she saw her daughter fast asleep under the covers. A sense of ease came over her, but Roselyn knew the men where still outside, trying to find a way in. Unlocking her phone, Roselyn quickly tapped the Phone icon, staring blankly for a moment as she pondered the thought of calling Cieran. He had to know someone nearby her who could help, someone who could get here faster than the cops. It had been 4 years since Roselyn had any sort of contact with Cieran beyond sending him pictures of their daughter, but as she heard the sounds of the men trying to get into her house, Roselyn clicked his name, letting the number dial as she brought the phone up to her ear. “Please, Cieran, pick up.” Roselyn muttered to herself, going to lock the bedroom door as an extra measure of safety.

Cieran watched Roselyn escape the men and lock herself in the house. Good - it gave him a moment to prepare for the encounter he was about to face. He pulled a silencer out of his jacket and screwed it onto his rifle before stepping out from the bushes that surrounded the house, walking up the path to the front door. It was too easy - the men were so focused on trying to pick the front door, they didn't notice Cieran approach until he was right upon them. "Hey who a-" the first man asked, but his words were cut short by the whipping sound of silencer fire, dropping him to the ground. "Wh-" the other man called out, but it was already too late for him. Cieran dragged the two bodies out of sight behind some bushes. There was little struggle, and he hoped that Viola had not seen any of the violence that had unfolded outside. Cieran walked back to the front door. He pulled out his phone - there wasn't much point in knocking, at this point - and just as he was about to dial, the call screen came up with Roselyn & Viola's photo. He answered the phone. "Hey. I'm here. Let me in, we've gotta get out of here. I can fill you in on details once we're on the road." Cieran put the phone away and stood at the front door, looking at his reflection in the glass. He fixed his shirt and ran a hand through his thick black hair, coming down across his chin to rub at his stubble. It had been four years since he'd seen them face to face. He saw the anger in his face in the reflection and tried to control it before the door swung open. Anger because, despite his best efforts, the danger of his career had come to Roselyn's doorstep. He knew that someday this day might come, but now that it was there he realized how much was at stake. Cieran heard footsteps coming down the steps to the front door. He took a deep breath. Dealing with gangsters and assassins? No problem. But Roselyn's fury when her life, and Violas life, was at stake - that was a whole different ballgame.

The ringing ended almost as soon as Cieran answered, along with the noises at the front door. She didn’t even get a chance to get a word in before he told her what to do. Roselyn hung up the phone, glancing over at the sleeping Viola for a moment before going to the front door to let Cieran in. Roselyn was lucky that Viola was a heavy sleeper. Leaving the sleeping girl in the comically large bed, Roselyn tiptoed her way through the house and to the front door. Unlocking the deadbolt, Roselyn opened it to come face to face with the man she hadn’t seen in years. She only glanced at the bodies that laid on the porch, but her eyes were trained on Cieran. Her blood was still pumping adrenaline through her veins, her heart beating faster than she realized. There was a million questions running through her mind, but she could only vocalize one. “What the fuck is going on?” Roselyn thought she had gotten away from all of this. On her own, she put up with it. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but Roselyn did it for Cieran. But now? With their daughter here? She wanted nothing more than to get away from it. Yet, it seemed like it found her again. Her anger began to rise as she thought about what was happening. She knew that with Cieran being here, his lifestyle had found it’s way back to Roselyn. While she wasn’t mad at Cieran, she was still angry. Angry that her daughters life was at stake now.

Cieran's normally furrowed brow arched in shame as he studied the anger on Roselyn's face. He was supposed to keep her safe. Her location secret. However this had happened, the only way to be rid of it would be to go all the way to the top. The thoughts racing through Cieran's mind only lasted a split second, there in the doorway - he knew that is all the time that she would give him. "It's Mickey Dicks, we've had some bad blood. I donno how he found it but I only just found out a couple hours ago. If he hadn't run in to your lookout in the neighborhood when he was scoping things out, we never even woulda known." Cieran went to reach for his pack of cigarettes, but then thought twice and brought his hands to rest on his sides. "I'm sorry, but you need to come with me. At least until I get this all sorted out. It's not safe for you here anymore - we need to get you somewhere secure for the time being." As Cieran spoke, his eyes darted back and forth, looking down the street to make sure they were not being observed. "I'll help you pack. Can I come in?" Cieran looked at Roselyn, and then past her into the house. His daughter was in there somewhere, the daughter he hadnt seen face-to-face in years, the daughter he had to keep safe. He hadn't wanted to see her on these terms. Not like this. Suddenly, Cieran was overcome by a gut feeling. It was something he'd honed from his profession - the feeling when you were in someone's crosshairs. He didn't have time to wait for Roselyn's decision. Taking her shoulder, he pushed her back into the house, following behind her and closing the door.

Roselyn watched Cieran with anger-filled eyes as he explained the situation. They were still in the front doorway of the house, the front door wide open, Viola just a few rooms away- sound asleep. Roselyn knew this wasn’t Cierans fault. She knew that he didn’t set out to do this. It was just a series of unfortunate events. Roselyn was angry out of fear, though. Fear for her- their - daughters safety. Viola was just a four year old girl, she has a whole life ahead of her. Roselyn was scared it would be cut short. Just as Roselyn was about to agree to let Cieran inside, her thoughts and words were quickly cut off by him pushing her inside the house quickly. “Hey! What are you doing!” Roselyn said, stepped back as she watched Cieran lock the front door. Almost immediately, she knew there was someone else outside. Taking a deep breath, and with trembling hands, Roselyn pushed the stray strand of hair back and turned around.

10:00

“Follow me, I’ll show you to the rooms.” Roselyn said, making her way through the house, being sure to avoid the windows. She was happy she had closed the curtains earlier. Roselyn walked into her bedroom, with Viola still sound asleep in the bed, and opened the closet door. “Lucky for you, we don’t have to waste time packing.” Roselyn said, stepping on a small box to reach the top shelf of her closet. Since having Viola, Roselyn had become paranoid about things such as natural disasters, like Earthquakes and floods. Due to the fear of having to leave in a hurry because of something like that, Roselyn always kept two bags packed, one for her, and one for Viola. “You can thank my paranoia for this.” Roselyn said as she placed the two duffle bags on the ground.

Cieran followed Roselyn up to her bedroom nervously. Someone was out there, waiting for them. For the sake of his daughter, he hoped they would not try and enter the house and force him to make a scene. That it'd be something they could take care of without involving his family. That's what he'd wanted when he and Roselyn went their separate ways - to take care of his business and let his family live a happy life. One that was now on thin ice as he watched Roselyn fetch her go bags. Ostensibly, the bags were made for natural disasters, but Cieran couldnt help but wonder if Roselyn had expected for them to be used at a time like this. He turned around as Roselyn was packing, gazing down the hallway in the house. At the other end was a doorway covered in construction paper figures and crayon drawings. His heart sank as he realized that his daughter lay sleeping peacefully on the other side of the door. He started to take a step towards the door and hesitated. No, not like this. He didn't want her first encounter with him in four years to be blasting their way out of the only home she'd ever known.

10:00

Cieran reached down to his holster, taking out his weapon. He removed the clip and reloaded it, then screwed the silencer back onto the muzzle. "Roz." He looked to her, waiting for her to stop packing and look at him. "I need to take care of this. We can't risk Viola's safety until the coast is clear. Get her ready to go but stay upstairs until I come to get you." Cieran walked down the stairs and towards the front door, putting Roselyn and Viola out of his mind - to keep them in his thoughts would only be fatal distractions from the matter at hand. He walked out onto the porch of the house, scanning the scene. Seeing nothing suspicious, he started to walk down the steps to secure the perimeter. Bright red flashed across his vision, the telltale indicator of a laser scope focused on one's head. Cieran ducked behind a wooden post, just in time for it to burst into an explosion of spinters as it was struck by a bullet meant for him.

Roselyn continued to pack her and her daughters belongings, rushing around to be sure she grabbed everything she would need. Chargers, children's Tylenol for Viola in case she tripped, as Viola was a clumsy girl. Her mind was scattered, every scenario running through her head, every worry, every fear she's ever had came crashing down all at once. Roselyn knew she could take care of herself in the life that Cieran led, she had for a long time before she got pregnant. But with Viola, Roselyn was scared that something could happen and she wouldn't be able to protect her. She had grown used to the 'Single-Mother-Suburban-SUV' type of life. Roselyn was knelt down, looking at her suitcase as Cieran spoke. She snapped back into reality and turned to look at him, realizing she had zoned out as she thought about what was happening. "Uh, yeah. I'll take her and hide." Roselyn stood up, brushing back her hair before going to Violas room. "Hey sweetheart." Roselyn said quietly, her voice shaking slightly as she looked at her daughter. "We're going to go do something, but we have to be really quiet, okay?" Roselyn spoke, scooping her daughter into her arms. Viola rubbed her tired eyes, yawning as she looked up at her mother. "Okay mommy. Shhhh, quiet." Viola replied sleepily, leaning her head on Roselyns shoulder tiredly. Roselyn quickly made her way out of her daughters room, turning the corner to hide in the guest room closet. Just as Roselyn closed the closet door, the sound of a gunshot rang through. She remembered seeing Cieran put a silencer on his gun, which meant the sound was from someone else. Viola jostled quietly, waking up again to look at her mother, a scared look on her face. "What was that sound?"

19:57

Roselyn looked down, forcing a small smile. "You know, I think someone got a flat tire. Do you remember how loud our tire was when it popped that day we went to the park? That's it. It's okay, my love. Just relax." Roselyn explained, placing a kiss on her daughters forehead. Her daughter quickly accepted her answer, laying her head back down on her mother's shoulder and falling back asleep. Roselyn, anxious and scared, tried her best to stay calm. She was sat down, holding onto her daughter for dear life, in the far back corner of an empty walk in closet. This was not a situation that Roselyn thought she would find herself in, but she knew Cieran would keep them safe.

The post shattered into bits of wood, and in that moment Cieran's adrenaline kicked into overdrive and it was as if the entire scene had gone into slow motion. Much of the wood particles had turned into sawdust on impact, which gave Cieran an unexpected bonus: it acted like fog, illuminating the path of the laser that was pointed at him. As the fibers sprayed out from the site of the impact, Cieran brought up his weapon, taking a deep breath to steady his hand. The assailants shot had been noisy and ugly. Lights up and down the street turned on as people began to look and see what the noise they'd heard was all about. Certainly, someone was calling emergency services and the police would be here within minutes. Not the people Cieran wanted to see right now, even if he wasnt the aggressor. In sharp contrast to the attacker's shot, Cieran's silenced weapon produced a nearly-silent bullet. His adrenaline still rushing, Cieran could swear that he watched the bullet travel a path nearly parallel with the laser scope, sinking into the man's skull and killing him instantly. The man stood motionless for a moment before falling face first onto a hedge, a thin stream of blood beginning to leak from his forehead like syrup.

19:51

Cieran quickly made a path around the house, checking for more assailants. It was never just one. He turned the corner to see a car with no license plates idling. At the sight of him, the brakes screeched and the car took off. Cieran placed a well aimed shot that shattered the back windshield, but failed to take out the driver and allowed his escape. Satisfied that the scene was clear, Cieran walked briskly back into the house. The pool of blood had grown significantly, and he knew that if they were still here when the police arrived, it would be the end of the road for him. He walked into the house and put his gun away. He looked at himself in a mirror in the hallway. Sawdust speckled his outfit, and a smear of dirt was on his face from the encounter. He did his best to clean himself up, put his gun away and tried to muster his best smile. After all, if he saw Viola now, for the first time, and he scared her, that image would be burned in his mind forever. He wanted to believe that they could do this. That she and Roselyn could live their idyllic life despite the one he'd chosen. Now, that decision was being tested. He walked up to the bottom of the stairs and called out. It wasn't ideal, but he felt like he was as ready as he was ever going to be, to see Viola that night. "Ros?" he called from the bottom of the stairway. "It's time to go."

Roselyn stayed seated in the closet, covering her daughters ears as she waited for Cieran to come back. Her breathing was slightly laboured, anxiety taking over her mind, the minutes growing longer and longer as she waited. After what seemed like an hour, but was only a few moments, Roselyn heard Cieran voice from the bottom of the stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief, standing up from her spot and exiting the closet with her daughter in her arms. "Cieran, can you help me with the bags?" Roselyn called out, slowly walking to her bedroom with a very sleepy toddler in her arms. "Mommy, where are we going?" Viola asked, groaning slightly as Roselyn set her down on the bed. "We're going on a road trip with someone very special. I packed all of your stuff you need, including your bear and your colouring stuff." Roselyn said with a small smile, brushing aside her daughters hair. "Go grab a sweater from mommy's closet, it's a little cold outside." Roselyn began picking up the bags as she watched her daughter waddle into the closet. A few moments later, after hearing some shuffling around in the closet, Viola emerged from the closet in an oversized sweater that Roselyn had owned for years. In fact, it was the sweater that Roselyn had 'stolen' from Cieran while they were dating. "Perfect. You all ready to go?"

Cieran was getting impatient and anxious as he paced at the bottom of the staircase. It seemed like there were no more threats on the property, but he couldn't be sure - and on top of that, the police were almost certainly on the way. Cieran ran his organization like an efficient business, and he wasn't used to waiting on people. He hadn't been planning on becoming a family man again. "We don't have time for this," he mumbled to himself as he walked up the stairs to see what Roselyn was up to. "Ros, what's goin on, we gotta-" Cieran opened the door and froze. In front of him, wearing an old sweater of his, was a tiny human being. Part him, part Roselyn, and part....something new. She was looking up at Cieran and his heart was overflowing with love for Viola. Cieran kept his emotions locked away so often that when they were given the opportunity to come forth, they burst forward out of him. "Hey there," he said, coming down to his knees so that he was eye to eye with Viola, tears brimming in his eyes. "its me, daddy - do you remember me?" He approached carefully, worried that he would scare her with his gruff appearance. "I was going to surprise you in the daytime, but I had to end up coming now! Are you ready for the three of us to go on an adventure?" He looked to Viola and then to Roselyn - he was usually the boss, but when it came to parenting he looked to her to take the lead.

Roselyn watched the interaction for a moment, feeling her heartbeat quicken as Viola took a small step towards Cieran. There was a part of her that thought Viola would have been shy, and maybe even a bit scared, when she officially meet Cieran. Roz watched, though, as their small and bubbly child smiled her signature toothy grin and waved. "Yeah, but I'm sleepy." Viola said, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of the sweater she wore. Roselyn glanced at Cieran, smiling lightly as Viola let out another small yawn. Just as Roselyn went to comment about the calmness of the situation that was unfolding, Roselyn heard the faint sounds of sirens in the far distance. Suddenly, she remembered the gravity of the situation. This was no longer a cute family moment, but instead, now only a few minutes to make a break. "Come here, sleepy girl." Roselyn said softly as she scooped up her daughter. "You can talk with daddy more in the car, but I think we should go now." Roselyn spoke softly, letting her daughter rest her head against her shoulder. "We don't want to be late for our adventure now, do we?" Roz continued. She quickly turned around, pointing towards the remaining two duffel bags. "Can you grab those?" Roselyn whispered to Cieran before quickly leaving the bedroom. She made her way downstairs, a paranoid part of her forcing her to avoid the windows. "Okay, are you excited, Vy?" Roselyn asked with a smile, trying to keep her child calm and she rushed to put on her shoes.

Viola yawned sleepily and walked over to Roselyn sleepily. Cieran breathed a sigh of relief. Not exactly the waterworks he'd expected, but not horrible either. As the sirens began to sound in the distance, Cieran realized that it was probably for the best that he was not emotional quite yet. He grabbed Ros' bags and tossed them over his shoulder, taking one last look behind him at the crime scene before heading out to the car to join Roselyn and Viola. Cieran opened the doors and got everyone and their belongings in the car before hopping into the drivers seat. He took a fraction of a second to listen to the sirens approaching. Shit, those are close, he thought to himself with concern, even as he kept his face even and emotionless to Ros. This was just how life worked for Cieran, if it wasnt his ex and his daughter it'd have been just another day. Cieran backed out of the driveway and turned down the street, his eyes searching the houses that lined the block for something Ros could not identify. Suddenly, he found his target - a house with an unoccupied driveway. Cieran pulled in and turned off the car lights. "Sit back and scoot down," he directed Ros. Just as the car had cooled down, the sirens came roaring around the street, police car after car headed for the scene of the crime. The little family sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity but was really only a few minutes, before backing out and setting back on the road. Roselyn's neighborhood was a small gated community, specifically chosen by Cieran because it had security and a limited number of entrances to the area. Now that extra security threatened to work against them as they made their way out of town. Cieran hoped that they didn't run into trouble at the guard station, and if they did, Ros had a plan up her sleeve to take care of it. Otherwise things could get ugly, and Cieran was trying to avoid that as best he could, despite being very bad at it.