Tarlo smiled softly, occasionally taking on the habit of dancing in the street. She would stop and look up before wandering off to the side of her mothers home that she had inherited and climbed up to the roof. Occasionally she would stand watching the rise and set. She would sing to herself and descend the fire escape from the roof. Walking down the street as the sun rose. 

One day she decided to take up a job having to head to the church many times before heading out on minor jobs. She would do odd jobs, selling drugs and escorting on occasion if it paid well. With that she would make quite the amount. Heading home and paying her dues to what was needed. She would end her day with her head resting on the table as she thought and sighed.

~*The following day*~

A letter came in from under her door as she woke up still sitting at the table. Unsure when she had fallen asleep she rubbed her eyes and looked around. Realizing she was home she stood up and walked to the door. Her head hurt faintly as she went and popped a pain pill and looked to the door. Walking over she picked up the white envelope and opened it as she pulled out the paper inside. Reading it carefully she sighed.

"Dear Tarlo,

     Sorry about the recent death you had to deal with. But this letter is nothing more then a job offer.

If you take this offer I would like to speak to you in person at this address:

2032 South river circle

Please come in accordance to the letter. The date will be listed below, come alone.

~L

Feb, 14"

Tarlo sighed trowing the letter down onto the counter before heading to get changed to start the day. Once dressed she headed out to the street and went for her mid morning stroll.

It was a beautiful day. Perfect you could say. Not too hot, not too cold. One of the many beauties of living in the City of Angels. Dhalsim was walking down the street, cigarette in hand. On his way to make a deposit at the bank he noticed TarloSzatana walking on the other side of the street.

"Tarlo!" Dhalsim yelled.

Tarlo noticed him and walked over to the other side to greet Dhalsim.

"Hey Tarlo. Great seeing you. What are you up to this beautiful morning?" Dhalsim asked.

"Well, i recieved a letter today about a job offer and was just heading there now" she said.

Dhalsim had gotten a weird feeling once Tarlo told him about the letter. He rarely had gotten this feeling but when he did, his instincts seemed to be proven right.

"Hey Tarlo, uh, you mind if I tag along?" Dhalsim asked, his eyes showing concern.

Tarlo gave a soft nod before realizing that he wasn't able to, so she shook her head and smiled polity. She looked up before speaking soft and put her hands behind her back rocking to and fro on her feet. "It said to come alone... but if you tag along you can possibly be at the end of the block?

She would wait for his answer before looking at the note. She would give a small sigh and look at the sun to tell the time. "I do have to get going."

Dhalsim understood. When a note said "Come Alone", your best interest was to go alone. As sketchy as it might feel. Dhalsim agreed and they walked for a good 20 minutes talking about family matters before they came to S. River Circle.

Dhalsim turned to Tarlo.

"Ill be here waiting for you. If I hear gunfire, Im rushing in. I wish you well."

Dhalsim gave Tarlo a warming smile as she walked off, hoping that his gut was wrong about this one.

Tarlo was serious when it came down to business. After twenty minutes she smiled and would smile at Dhalsim. Her blazing red eyes shining as she still had a soft air around her. She laughed small at what he said and smiled. 

"Glad to know you will have my back."

With that she nodded with a smile. Turning away as she moved with a straight face

~Short few minutes after leaving Dhalism at the corner.~

She stood waiting for the one who sent the letter. With that she watched as a door swung open and she was pulled inside. Shocked she looked around before a man wearing a black fedora and smoking a cigar spoke.

"Tarlo is it? I sent you that letter regarding your mothers unnecessary death. Though the job I have for you is quite simple and should be easy for you."

Tarlo tilted her head to the side but before she could speak there was the sound of a man looking out the door for anyone coming close.

"What kind of job?" tarlo asked.

"One of your ancestors stole something from me a long time ago. Need you to bring it back without being caught by those they sold it to." The man spoke.

With that she was done. She glared at the men and stood up, pale face visible in the dark and framed by black hair she took herself to the door. "I am not going to fall for that lame ass trick."

The sound of a pistol being locked and loaded aimed at her head the man standing behind the one known as "L" spoke in a gruff voice,

"Come back here, or I will shoot."

"Make me." Tarlo spoke quickly and opened the door. Just then a shot was fired and she left the door jumping back away as the bullet lodged itself in the wooden frame. She herself drew out her pistol and raised it up aiming it at the man who fired towards her. She grumbled under her breath and fired two shots, missing the first but shooting the fedora off of the man sitting. The second hit the goons shoulder before he fired and shot nicking her right cheek with the bullet. She could keep her stance and fired again as the man who called her there got up and hurried out. "Till next time if you survive... Tarlo" With that there was a slam of the back door and the sound of more shots being fired. She ducked for cover behind a over turned table as the man hid spoke "Come out girly." Just then a shot was fired from outside the sound of the back window breaking as smoke started filling the air. Tarlo covered her mouth and slowly stood up disorientated by the smoke and fired at the shape of a shadow that looked like the mans. She hit a plant and felt a searing pain as a bullet was fired from the mans gun, hitting her left side she staggered. Firing at the man and taking him down to his knees as the building caught a blaze. She stumbled back and leaned to the wall coughing up lung fulls of smoke. The room that was lit up first had crates of alcohol stored and combusted not long after taking the side of the building and rendering it unstable. A support from the ceiling fell, blocking the door with a burning piece of wood. She turned as once more shot was fired from the man. She moved her hip had took the bullet as she started to laugh. "Hope you and L.... are met... my my grandmother... in the afterlife." She tried pulling the trigger missing her last shot and hitting his wounded shoulder again before he threw the gun to knock her down to the ground where the fight became nothing but a painful tussle of punches.

Dhalsim sat at a bench on the corner, pretending to read the newspaper, roughly a half block away from where Tarlo was supposed to meet the one that sent the letter. He watched from afar as she walked up to the building.

His gut feeling hit him hard. Something was wrong. This just didnt feel right. And then it happened.

He watched as Tarlo was yanked inside the door. Taking a deep breathe, Dhalsim expeditiously got up from the bench and started towards the building. The back door seemed like the better idea as to try to attract less attention. Just as he was coming through to the back he heard the gunshots. Gun already drawn, Dhalsim ran towards the back door just as it opened a man with a black fedora rushed out. Dhalsim and the man locked eyes and both raised their guns at eachother. Dhalsim quickly ran behind a dumspter for cover while both men were firing shots at the other. One of the bullets connected with Dhalsims thigh. The pain. He had been shot before and knew what to expect, but you can never be prepared for the pain that comes with it.

The man with the fedora jumped in his car and started to speed off, Dhalsim firing the rest of his clip into the car. He noticed smoke pouring out of a busted window that had probably been from the gunfire. Pushing the pain of the gun shot wound out of his mind he quickly rushed to the door, opening it with such force it came off the hinges. "Shit" he said to himself as he layed eyes upon the fire. He quickly ran into the room with Tarlo, noticing her tussling with one of the thugs. Dhalsim swiftly moved upon the two,grabbing the man by the back of the head and lifting him as Tarlo gives a hard kick to the mans groin. Holding the back of the mans head, Dhalsim pushed the gun into the mans back and fired off 3 shots. He let go and the man fell to his knees as he took his last breath.

They had to get out. The smoke encompassed the rooms, the flames spreading, tearing away at the building. Dhalsim grabbed Tarlo and helped carry her out of the building just as the roof caved in. Dhalsim heard sirens and they werent far away. There was a car nearby and Dhalsim helped Tarlo get into the passenger side and quickly jumped in. Hotwiring cars was a piece of cake for him. Thats where he got his start in this thing of ours. Boosting cars.

Dhalsim floored the gas pedal, seeing the flashing lights in his rearview mirror as he pulled away. Turning to Tarlo he says "Sorry I couldnt make it sooner. Had a little trouble with a guy with a fedora. Were going to need to get you to see the Families doctor as soon as possible, and I should probably see him myself." Dhalsim drove on, thinking about what had just happened. Some days were tougher than others. Today was one of those days.

Tarlo tussled with the man, the smoke making it harder to breathe as her throat was clasped in his hand. The fire spread as another support beam fell not far. But the door being torn off, the hinges streaming feint light in. She could hardly make out the figure who approached their bodies. Her head cracked a few times off the floor in the tussle before the man was lifted up. 

Free from the mans grasp she sent a hard kick up into his groin before coughing and choking on the smoke. Her lungs felt as though they were on fire as she sat up hearing three shots and a drop of a dead body.

She stood leaning against him in pain and gagging from the smoke she moved, as quickly as she could even if she was dragged or carried out she would do her best. Once outside the building crumbled burning as they moved to a car and helped into it. She covered her mouth gagging and trying to make her lungs relax, shoulder slightly covered in ash with small burns and the cut on her cheek, and wound in her side she held her hand hard on it. Her side and hip bleeding she looked towards Dhalsim and gave a small laugh. 

"C..cant get enough excitement for a lifetime...." 

She watched quietly with a dull expression as he wired the car. When they sped off she stared at the windshield and looked at him when spoken to. She smiled and sighed, "Its okay, I could trust you to help my ass out." She coughed  and groaned softly from her throat becoming scratchy from the smoke. "Sounds good.." 

~Back at the base~

She had been with the family doctor for little over a few hours being treated for shock, and the bullet wounds in her side and hip. The bullets had been dug out during that time as she was put under morphine. A breathing treatment for the smoke she inhaled, Stitched up and told to take it easy after she came around and given some pain killers she limped out. Bandaged up tight wearing a short red dress as she made her way to the main room of the base. Normally she would hang out and talk but very few others would be around as she sat and waited. Softly shutting her eyes as she sighed from the pain her body was given. She would take a short nap sprawled out waiting and reminding herself to thank Dhalism and discuss what they should do about the man known as L. She needed answers... how far to find them was the question.

"Whe.." "Wheres..." "Wheres Tarlo?!" Dhalsim screamed, although no one was around, as he shot up from the cot that was layed along the HQ.. He slowly got up and stumbled. A mixture of pain and narcotic, he was slightly dizzy. He had no idea how long he had been out for. Limping down the hallway he searched for Tarlo. 

Why was nobody around? Normally he would find 2 or 3 thugs roaming the halls of the HQ but there was no one. Once again, Dhalsims gut instincts evoked that something wasnt right. He finally came upon the room that Tarlo was in, immediately upon seeing her, rushing towards her.

"Tarlo! Are you okay? What the hell happened?"

She was in rough shape. Bullet wounds, smoke inhalation, bruised ribs. Normally this would take a person months to heal. But as soon as he had walked in, he saw the fire in her eyes. This had hit deep with her. This wasnt something that would be brushed under the rug. She wanted revenge. Retribution.

""So where do we go from here?" Dhalsim asked.

She was staring off into space for hours on end thinking about what to do. The endless pain she wanted to inflict on the man. Fire alight in her eyes she did not notice Dhalsim rush into the room and asking questions. She leaned her head forward and looked at him speaking quietly as her throat felt like a fire was set in it.

"Feeling... better... and what do you mean what happened?"

The room was quiet as though everyone in the crew had gone out to someplace or doing jobs. But she seemed to space out before popping a few pain pills and giving a small sigh. Looking away she sighed small, "One hell of a job coming up.... and I think... I might just kill him."