The Writing on the Wall

who: Ian and Laura
where: The Alexandrian Library
when: afternoon

Ian's day had started just like almost every other day. He'd spent the morning talking with guests, ensuring rooms where ready for guests checking in today and mostly overseeing the going-ons of his hotel. After lunch in the hotel dinning room, he finally sat down at his desk in the back office, intent on going over the books again and continuing to perfect the algorithm he used to ensure only he could read them.

Instead, sitting neatly on top of his desk he found a folded note, hand written and addressed to him. Curious, he opened it, reading it quickly and then once more slowly. The writer offered a promise of information he was craving, information regarding another one of the major players in town, but it wasn't specific. The note actually used the phrase "an offer that couldn't be refused." Ian was rather intrigued by the note, and it's request for him to meet his informant at the Alexandrian Library just after two. Glancing down at his watch he figured he had just enough time to get there if he left now and walked quickly.

Grabbing his coat, he stopped at the front desk and smiled his charming smile at the young girl he'd hired to work there. She wasn't too bright, but she was rather lovely and that was what he'd wanted. Someone intelligent would have wanted more work and might have realized that he'd left little opportunity for others to find their place at the hotel, but someone dull and pretty enough to please patrons? That was the ideal hostess. "Dolores, dear," Ian started, holding note out so she could see it. "Who left this on my desk?"

The girl squinted at the piece of paper briefly then shook her head, eyes big like a docile cow. " I dunno, sir. I didn't see anyone."

Ian nodded, tucking the note into his pocket nonetheless. "Don't worry about it. I'm headed out for a bit for a meeting. Don't burn the place down while I'm gone." Dolores laughed her sweet tinkling laugh and he smiled, despite not understanding what was so funny. Waving to her as he left the building he set out towards the library.

When he arrived, any question in his mind with regard to how he might recognize his contact was immediately answered. The scattered tables and chairs were taken by groups and individuals who were clearly there for the books, except one. A young woman sat in a chair near the door next to an empty table, just examining each person that walked by. She might as well have held a sign.

Laura was dime store elegant. At a glance, one only noticed carefully pinned up hair, stylish dress, and a pair of red heels. On closer inspection, though, it was clear that the dress was a cheap imitation of a popular designer, the bracelet was only costume jewelry and the shoes were a bit scuffed. She was still young and pretty, though.

The folded paper in her hand had been shoved under the door of the broom closet she called home by... someone. It promised something she spent most of her time trying to find. A way to ensure a little security. Laura had a job, a bed, and enough money to keep herself fed and clothed, which was more than a lot of girls had, but most girls didn't have to worry about being killed or sold without notice for a screw up they might not even know they made.

Her head was spinning with whatifs as she waited, turning now and then to check the clock over the help desk.

Ian was disgusted the moment he spotted her. She was so obvious and even more so she was merely a child dressed up as an adult. Annoyed he skirted around her a few times, picking up a book off a shelf, watching her from a distance before finally approaching her. "I believe I found the book you were looking for sis," he said quietly, but loud enough so that anyone who would be hell bent on overhearing their conversation would hear nothing of worth. "There's a few more over here." He took her arm gently enough, but giving off an air of a frustrated older sibling. "And next time let's not wander off alright?" Gently he tugged her along, leading her to a secluded corner of the stacks.

"Wander off? This is a library and I'm not a child." Laura went with the man willingly, giving only enough resistance to his tugs to be sure they would continue. It wasn't a conscious thing. The pressure of his touch made her feel a little more secure. Laura hadn't read a book in two years, but she slipped right into the conversation with him. No book smarts, but she did have street smarts. Laura even resisted the urge to imply that the books that interested her were raunchy romance novels.

She rolled her eyes and did a convincing little sister act until they were alone. Laura gave Ian a very thorough looking over while she waited for him to open the conversation. Rich guy. Not a thug just dressing up. The way he moved, the cut and fabric of his clothing, and the lack of cheap jewelry meant this wasn't just a rival O'Malley trying to get at her boss. He wasn't a Russian. Or a cop. Oh shit. There weren't a lot of choices left and the ones that were, they were pretty scary. Laura never flinched, though. This probably meant she was in over her head, but then she'd always had that problem.

Once he was sure they were away from curious eyes and ears Ian stopped, letting go of her immediately and giving her a reasonable amount of personal space. Even up close he wasn't impressed, but then again few did impress him. Her overall look just screamed that she was trying to be something she wasn't which Ian could understand but didn't respect; she didn't pass close inspection. "So what do you have for me?" What information could she have? She was a little girl. Probably in over her head. He really hoped she didn't expect him to adopt her or something worse. His expression was one of of mild annoyance as he smoothed out his vest and crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at her.

Laura was often trying to be something she wasn't. Ironically, this was not one of those times. Poor girl who likes to dress up is exactly what she was. She looked a little younger than her sixteen years, which added to the impression of a little girl playing dress up, and knowing she was sixteen and not fourteen would probably only make it worse for Ian. That's the age where children begin to think they are no longer children.

"What protection have you got for me?" In Ian's world maybe little girls didn't need to ask questions like that, but this girl was going to get what she was promised before she even made up her mind if she was going to spill anything. Joey and Mutt would kill her or worse for even meeting this guy. She knew where she stood with her current boss. She knew how to keep herself alive. If this guy couldn't make that easier for her, just finding out who he was and telling Joey he'd tried something might do it. Laura crossed her arms, looked him square in the eye and waited for him to make an offer or a threat so she knew where she stood.

Of course that'd be what she would want. He wondered what she had to offer, and considered if she was even worth his effort. If her information was good or she proved to be a good contact then she was worth protecting, but if she had nothing of use to offer, well there was no point in protecting her. "That would depend on what you have to offer. I'm not a cop who can fill your head with empty promises of safety. If I offer you safety you have it, but I won't make that offer until I learn if it's worth my time." Ian's voice was steady and calm, but with a hint of promise behind it.

"Look.. just being here could get me sold or dead by morning, and you expect me to just tell you stuff and maybe you'll keep me safe?" The reference to selling girls would tell him exactly who he was dealing with, though Laura had no way of knowing she was already giving him information. "Do I really look that dumb?" If they were in the lobby of the Drake, by comparison with the company he was used to keeping, she probably would look pretty dumb. She'd banked on that sort of impression enough times to realize it didn't go away when it was inconvenient. Aside from the fact that he was a man, and men did whatever the hell they wanted, he was a rich man. He'd take what he wanted and leave her to take the fall. She didn't mean anything to her own, and this man probably wouldn't lose any sleep if she ended up in one of his rich buddys' basements or face down in the river. She was about a heartbeat from walking out.

Sold. Ian considered this, curious about what it said about the little thing. Only the Walkers were keen on taking children, but they usually made sure their children didn't know, nor was it just an off hand threat. That meant another family or just another set of run of mill scum. But she'd given him an in that he needed. "I never said you were dumb," his voice was sweeter. "Dumb wouldn't have written this note and sent it my way." Ian pulled the note from his pocket, showing it to her. He'd play into her spiteful streak. She wanted to dress and try and act like an adult? Then he certainly could play with that.

Laura's brow lowered in confusion as she looked at the paper in his hand, then they shot up in alarm. She jerked, as her fight or flight instinct got cut off by her brain kicking in. She's got certain connections, but she's nobody. They could pick up any dirty little brat off the streets and feed and threaten him into doing her job. This guy, he's clearly somebody. Laura stepped closer to Ian, lowering her voice so that only he would hear her. She whispered to him... "Mister... do you know a back way out of here?" She offered her own note too him. "Don't go running out on me... we gotta think this out and be smart. I didn't send you any note and I guess you came because you think I did. Not because you sent for me." The wheels were turning. Surviving was what Laura did. "If we were set up to meet, there's probably someone out front and maybe someone inside." She dropped down to carefully move books about and check for feet beyond the shelves on either side of them.

Ian took the note out of her hand before she dropped down around his feet doing, God only knows what. Comparing the two notes he realized they were similar, both offering what the other person might want and then describing the time or place. "There are plenty of ways out of here, it's a large building." Ian finally noticed her scurrying on the ground. "What are you doing?"

Laura got back to her feet, smoothing her skirt as ladylike as any girl he'd ever met at a dinner party. "There's no one on either side of us listening in... I know it's a big building and I know where the exits are. I was asking if you did." She paused, taking in the expression on his face. Could he really be that dense? No wonder someone was setting him up. "Look. I don't know who you are, but I guess it would be really, really bad if you got caught chit chatting with the O'Malleys." The girl just waited, watching his face for some sign of understanding. Hopefully he wasn't too naive to get it.

Ian continued to look at her clam and impassively. "Is your last name O'Malley?" the question was simple. She was rather dense if she wasn't part of the family to run about dropping their name. "Or is that some sort of threat?" Ian wasn't too concerned about being set up, he wouldn't be, and he didn't get caught. It just meant there was something else going on.

Laura rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter what my last name is. Meeting with someone who promised me what that note says would get me killed or sold, but I'm not anybody that anybody would go to this kind of trouble to get rid of. It's gotta be you. If I disappear, nobody will bat an eye. Nobody will report it. And definitely nobody will think a rival set me up. I'm convenient and expendable to all sides. I'd be happy to talk to you about it, but not here. We have to get away from here. I already have my way out. You should go a different way than you came in. If you want to talk about it... name a different place. A safe one."

The kid is definitely paranoid. She must have done quite a bit of thinking about her place in the scheme of things to come up with something like that on such short notice.

Her paranoia wasn't catching on, but not because Ian was naive or oblivious, he just wasn't worried. He didn't worry about that sort of thing. The family didn't consider him of any worth and he knew full well he could talk himself out of any situation. "Talk about what?" This felt like a giant gimmick, like the girl had set him up hoping he'd see her panic and help her? He didn't have time for this nonsense. He had far better things to do with his time. "I'm not sure I have much more to say," he shouldered past her, back towards the way he came.

Laura grabbed his arm, trying to resist the urge to tackle him. "Let me get out first. If you're just going to walk out the door and right into whatever is there, go right ahead. Give me a chance to get out before you let anyone know we're done, though. I work too damn hard every day to stay alive for some rich fuck like you to mess it all up because he thinks he's nice and safe."

The girl wasn't panicked. She was becoming angry. She wrote herself off a long damn time ago and that was the end of fear. All that was left was determination, defiance and anger. At first her goal was to get them both out, but if he was going to fight it, screw him. The look she gave Ian was absolutely filthy, but about as intimidating as being hissed at by a kitten. Sort of cute, really.

That he didn't like. He didn't appreciate being called a "rich fuck," because he wasn't. Sure he dressed nice, but he was the Family's face at the Drake, nor did he want for much, but he wasn't throwing money around. He just lived more comfortably than others. "Fine," he tugged his arm, dragging her forward again. "If you insist, go this way." With a gentle voice that he managed to keep the hiss out of, he guided her towards the back of the library with a hand at the small of her back. Once along the back wall he opened a door that lead into another room. The room had been a meeting room at some point, but the overall neglect of everything in this town led to it's downgrading to just a mere oversized closet. But there was an exit on the opposite side of the room. Closing the door behind them, Ian felt along the wall for a switch and once he found it flicked it on. "Well that's certainly interesting," he commented casually looking at the opposite wall, which had giant letters scrawled across it in blood red paint.

Laura made a little noise when she was pulled forward, and opened her mouth for what was probably the start of an annoying protestation or backtalk, but then Ian had her moving. The mouthy little guttersnipe was mercifully cooperative as long as he was pushing her along. Once he removed his hand from her back to turn on the light in the meeting room, she turned on him and was about to start up again when his comment made her look over her shoulder, following his gaze. "What the hell?" Well dressed, charming, and eloquent. Who could ask for more?

"To be honest I'm not quite sure. The letters didn't spell much of anything, it seemed like mostly gibberish. Just punk kids I guess? Graffiti?" Ian crossed the room, sidestepping old bookcases and boxes of whatever lost articles that were floating about. Up close it was obvious the paint job was hurried, which didn't make sense, almost not one came into this room on a regular basis and the artist would have had plenty of time to put the letters up on the wall. Unless the artist was in a hurry to get the letters out. "Does it mean anything to you?"

The girl was just catching up as he asked the question. She had hung back, just staring at the jumble of letters from across the room. They did look oddly familiar, in a way. When he asked, it finally clicked. "It looks like those stupid word puzzles my mom likes. You know... the ones where they mix all the letters up and you have to sort out the words to get a dumb message." Laura had never seen the point in those puzzles. The message was never worth any more than the jumbled letters. They were all cliche bullshit that wasn't worth the time spent on them. She knew it was the feeling of accomplishing something that her mom was after, but to Laura, figuring out something useless wasn't much of an accomplishment. There were real problems that could use some attention.

"Possibly," Ian wondered, still studying the list of words. He patted his pockets until he found what he was looking for, a pencil and a small notebook. After working at the hotel he'd gotten in the habit of carrying both around, finding it useful for making notes some about the hotel, some about meetings that went on in the hotel and all in a special code that only he understood. He joted down the list of letters. With the girl as nervous as she was, Ian doubted she'd let him wait until he figured it out. "It seems pointless to just write a cryptogram on a wall in a used room though."

"Why? Seems perfect to me. If your message is for somebody that's going to be looking for it, they get it and everybody else just thinks it's random vandalism. That's what you thought at first, right?" She leaned forward, stretching her neck to see if he was copying the letters down as they were or if he'd actually solved any of it. She was curious about the message. This probably wouldn't be some crap Ben Franklin said two hundred years ago. Laura wasn't any good at cryptograms because she had no practice at it. It was almost enough to make her sorry she'd never bothered to work any of those things. Almost.

He was pleased with her answer, but it didn't show on his face. Little ever did show on his face. For the first time since he'd met her she was proving her worth. It was good to see she wasn't completely useless. "Valid point. Although it seems rather obvious still." Obvious was just stupid to Ian, it always backfired. Subtle on the other hand, did just the same work but your hands never got dirty. He studied the letters again, but the answer wasn't jumping out at him. Sadly word puzzles weren't his specialty either. "Door's over there," Iand pointed out with his pencil and then he went back to studying the wall.

Laura didn't move. She was looking at the wall too, but not really trying to figure out the message. " Doesn't have to say what it means for anyone to figure out if they can see it's a puzzle." That thought was a little disappointing because it meant the message might be some stupid thing a dead guy said a long time ago and it wouldn't mean anything to anyone except who it was meant for. She didn't move, or even look at the door when he gestured. "Oh.. I'm going out the men's room window." Laura did tell him she had a plan already. He just wasn't listening. You get used to that... people not listening. She sucked a little at her teeth, wishing she had some gum. Rich asshole probably didn't have any. Probably wouldn't share if he did.

"Climbing out a tiny window at the top of a room in a dress like that shouldn't look suspicious at all," he told her sarcastically. Ian really couldn't care one way or another how she planned on escaping, nor was he really concerned with his own. Granted he didn't need an escape now. Nor would he ever. The letters confused him, but it wasn't a standard scramble. No he would have figured it out by now. "Maybe a cipher? Sort of a letter substitution thing."

"Won't be wearing the dress." she half whispered, distractedly, still looking at the wall. Laura wasn't very intent on the discussion of her getaway. "If you're lucky it's a straight substitution. If you're not... it's indecipherable cipher. Is that a little number there on that A, or just a paint drip?"

Laura still thought she should get the hell out of there, and wasn't sure why either of them cared about the weird puzzle on the wall. It did feel better to be out of the main part of the building, though. Maybe if someone was waiting on them to come out, they'd think they had been given the slip already.

Ian ignored the comment about her dress, but he did lean in closer to the A, inspecting the spot she was talking about. "Doesn't look like much of anything, just a paint splatter. What do you think?" The look he gave her was pleasant and gave off the air of actually trusting her opinion. That might very well be what she did want, was for someone to trust her, think she was of worth. Still he tucked the pencil and his notepad back in his coat pocket.

Laura was chewing her lip a little, thoughtfully. She hadn't moved closer to the wall. He was the one most interested in the letters and he was already there. His question didn't bug her so much as the tone of it. She turned from looking over another letter for what might be a number to give him a slightly suspicious look. "I think you're sort of an asshole, but that's not going to solve your puzzle." Most of the people she knew were assholes. Now and then she told them so. Mainly when they were trying to pretend they weren't.

Laura didn't mind the way he'd treated her before because it was honest. She knew very well that the honesty was because he didn't think she was worth flattering with bullshit... and for some reason, he was doing that now. If he'd started off halfway nice, it might have been believable, but just about everything he'd said to her before that moment was condescending or sarcastic. "As for the paint splatter that looks like a seven... I think it's a paint splatter unless we find numbers on every letter. And if we find those, I think you're not going to figure out this message."

Inwardly Ian rolled his eyes, but made no outward expression of his continued annoyance. Whoever had set him up on this silly jaunt must be out to test every inch of his patience. "A seven eh?" he asked no one, moving down to inspect the next letter. From what he could tell though, there wasn't an indicator of another number. That didn't entirely rule out that the splatter on the A wasn't a seven. The seven could be a key to the cipher in general. Every cipher had a key of some sort. "Doesn't seem to be anything else," he told her. "Are you going out that way? Or back this way?" Ian asked motioning to either exit, the way out or the way back into the heart of the library.

"I don't see anything else that might be a number either. Lucky, I guess. You'd need the key word to solve it if there were numbers." Laura considered herself very patient when she had to say once again..."I'm going out the men's room window. My other clothes are hidden in there, so I need to go back even if I wasn't going out that way." He probably still wasn't listening to a damn thing. "You're one of those guys that does the crossword in the paper, aren't you?" She was just making small talk now, as she took a single step back toward the door, taking his question for her cue to leave.

Well if she was sticking with her original route, then he was headed out this way. Although tromping through the back alley wasn't his idea of a proper exit, he wasn't keen on people seeing him leave a dark room with the young girl. That could easily be interperted wrong. He'd been headed for the door that left the building when she asked about the crossword. "No, never have the time."

Laura backed another step, laughing. "You got time for me and graffiti... you got time for crosswords." She turned then and started back for the door to the library. She planned to stay in that room with the lights out for a few minutes after he was gone. Just in case there were gunshots or something.

Ian shrugged, then pushed open the door that led out of the back of the building. As he suspected, there was no one there, just the empty alley. He took one final look at her before stepping out into the afternoon.