Returning is never easy for anyone. Knowing their parents had fell in a war, or due to being a mafioso. The sky was lit up by the pale sun slowly setting and turning the sky red. The date was 4/16/1930. A young girl wearing a black dress with a red wrap around her waist bowed in the back. She headed into the church of Chicago and stood quietly with a horned mask she had created covering her face. Black hair pulled into high pigtails and her pale skin visible where it was not covered. She had no weapons to be seen on her in person. 

After a few hours she had left the church to walk down the street. The wind slowly picking up as she headed down the street, towards the nearest bar. In which she opened and entered sitting down at a table putting her bet down and playing a few hands before getting up and walking out the door with a bit of a profit. 

Once she left she followed the sidewalk down to the docks and stared at the dark sky thinking alone to herself. Taking a paper from her pocket she spoke quietly behind her mask to herself. "Just a few days before I head to Philly." 

She turned around and almost ran into someone as she kept her head down, she stumbled back. Her head snapping upwards as she grumbled. "Watch it!"

Conall was out practicing his purse snatching skills again. He was pretty experienced at it now, but still liked to keep his skills fresh just in case he needed them. The exercise never hurt either, keeping on top of his game both mentally and physically was the only way to stay ahead in the game he now found himself involved in. During one of his purse snatching events he grabbed a purse and bolted and just as he was about to reach the corner he had decided to turn on to make his grand escape he ran straight into someone. You clumsy oaf he thought to himself as he watched the girl stumble backwards a bit and then grumble at him. He had no time to talk to her just this moment, but wanted to apologize to her anyhow for some reason. He grabbed her hand and took off running dragging her back the way she had came and down an alleyway. Stopping about halfway down he looked over at the girl and with a somewhat sheepish grin said, "Sorry about that, didn't mean to almost run you over. Couldn't really just stop and apologize to you back there though, hope you don't mind"

She lurched forward when her hand was grabbed and pulled along. Not really resisting as she followed confused. Why the hell is he dragging me along? She thought to herself as she followed. Ending up in the back alley.

Once stopped she caught her breath quickly and fixed the mask she wore and stared at him as he spoke. "Why the hell did you drag me along?"

Conall looked at girl wondering how much he could tell her. He wasn't even sure why he had pulled her to be honest, maybe it was his upbringing getting the better of him. He should have just kept running and not sparing her a second though, but something about her made him grab her arm and drag her along with. Perhaps it was the oddness of a girl walking down the street wearing a mask. He continued to stare at the girl, not realizing the situation was probably getting a little awkward for both of them. After a few seconds he shook his head realizing what he had been doing. Clearing his throat he extended his hand, "Sorry, my name's Conall, nice to meet you."

She crossed her arms under her chest and stood quietly for close to thirty minutes as she waited. Answering she spoke. "The names Minarika... Nice to meet you Conall." She turned her head looking down the alley. "So why were you running?" She laughed a bit "Got someone trying to shoot you?"

Conall dropped his hand to his side since it looked like the girl wasn't going to shake it. After a second he shrugged at her and showed her the purse he had just snatched from a little old lady. Taking his eyes off her for a few second he found the cash in the purse and pocketed it before tossing the purse into a nearby dumpster. He smiled somewhat sheepishly at the Minarika wondering if she'd turn and run now knowing what he was.

She didnt seem shocked but she hid all expressions behind the mask. "Oh... just some purse grabbing?" She spoke quietly behind her mask. "Want to go to the bar?" She stayed quiet afterwords before speaking quietly. "It will be on me." She turned and headed towards the entrance of the alley.

Conall shrugged his shoulders, not one to turn his back on a free drink he fell in step with Minarika and walked down to the bar with her. Once there he helped her into a seat and took the seat next to her. As the bartender came over to them he ordered a whiskey on the rocks and then turned to his new acquaintance. "So, what brings you to LA?"

She stopped and spoke for a minute hiding the truth and sighed. "My plane landed here so Im stuck here for the next few days. That and my grandparents used to live here." She had was sitting beside him ordering a tall glass of whiskey. the bartended raised his eyebrows and she shooed him off. Not wanting the ice in her drink and looked at him from behind the mask. "Just visiting."

Conall nodded as Minarika spoke, "Ah, well hope you have a good time while you are here. This is a fun city to be in. I don't really remember my grandparents. My parents immigrated to the US when I was little." Conall takes a sip of his whiskey and wonders what his grandparents are like, or if they are even alive. He brings his glass up to eye level and looks through it while he was waiting for his new found friend to respond.

She nodded softly and slowly drank her whiskey. Staring off into space before speaking calmly. "Thanks, I hope so too. Though... I am not sure what there is to do around here as of yet." She looked at him and spoke again. "Any clue?"

"There is a lot to do in this town, it just depends on what interests you." Conall smiles over at Minarika wondering what she looks like behind that mask. Perhaps someday he will find out. He figures there must be a reason for it, so now is not the best time to ask since they just met. Looking around the bar he notices a bar fight break out across the room from them. Conall takes a drink of his whiskey while he watches the fight. A big muscular guy is trying to bully a young wiry irish lad. Conall's money is on the lad as he seems to be less intoxicated and a lot quicker on his feet. Just as he things this the muscular guy manages to land a punch that sends the irish lad flying into a table. Conall grimaces at the impact but know irish lads like himself are made of sturdy stuff and sure enough the lad gets up ready to return fire.

She nodded and spoke "I see" Turning her attention to the men in the fight she watched. When the young guy flew into the table she cocked her head. She was a little agitated recognizing a man at the bar. Adjusting the mask so she could drink but not showing any features. She sighed watching the fight. "I have to speak to someone really quick.... Ill be back." She adjusted the mask again and walked over to a man at the corner seat of the bar. Sitting beside the man with a seat between them. She started talking quietly.

Conall watched as the girl walked away from him and over to talk with another man. He found this rather odd, but didn't say anything. If it was any of his business she would have told him about it. Turning his attention back to the fight he noticed the bar's bouncer had got involved now and was breaking the two up. Not an easy feet considering the muscular man could easily have been the bouncer at this joint. It seems some of the irish lad's friends where helping with the fight break up though, so the bouncer just had to take care of the muscular guy. Both parties where being escorted out of the bar before they broke anything else naturally. He watched the group shuffled out of the bar and then turned back to see what his new found friend was doing.

She sat talking for a bit before the man gave a slight smirk. Grabbing Minarika by the wrist. He whispered something in her ear and pulled her to the back towards the door. Before they reached the door He started to open it and she pulled her hand back. With that they were out in the back alley finally free from his grasp she rubbed her reddened wrist staring at him from behind her mask. 

The man spoke, "Are you following me little las?"

She crossed her arms and spoke quietly. "Why would I follow some lowlife who wants any way to make a pretty penny without getting his hands dirty?"

The man got mad at her tone and clenched a fist. "Say that again to me and I will end your pathetic little life."

She cocked her head and lowered her arms. "Yes you are a low li....offph!" She felt the impact of his fist on the mask sending her to the ground as she stood up. Nose bleeding and groaning. She headed to the door opening it and walking in looking over her shoulder to speak. "Got a problem with me doing my buisness. Next hand you lay on me. Will be a bullet through your head." Thats when he grabbed her hair and pulled her back out. "Think that you want to take it inside. No little las... Its out here. I will admit. Being beat by a small girl in gambling made me come out here to find where you were hiding." She clenched her fist and adjusted the mask. 

"I warned you.." She threw a uppercut towards the man only to be hit upside the head by his fist.

As Conall turned to see what his friend was doing he saw her roughly dragged out the back door, he was on his feet in an instant but hesitated wondering if he should follow or if she wanted to go out there. When he saw her trying to re-enter the bar with a bloody nose he knew she hadn't intended to be pulled out of the place at all and immediately jumped into action. Conall hated people that abuse woman so even if he didn't know the girl he would have stepped in. He bolted towards the door and arrived at the fight just after Minarika took a blow to the side of her head sending her flying sideways into the wall where she slumped down. Conall's gun was out and he landed the butt of it against the side of this guys head with as much force as he could manage sending the guy stumbling sideways himselff. The man however stayed on his feet and shoot his head before looking at the new entrant to the fight.

Conall by this point had taken a step back but putting himself in between the assailant and Minarika with barrel of the gun pointed squarely at the man's head. "I think it's time for you to leave now." he growled at the man with menace in his eyes. If the man so much as took a step towards him he had every intentions of sending this asshole to an early grave. The man glared at him and said, "She cheated me out of my money. I just wan't it back" before taking a step towards him. That step was his last as Conall pulled the trigger sending a bullet straight between the man's eyes. He holstered his gun quickly and turned around to see if Minarika was conscious or not they needed to get out of here and fast before the cops showed up.

Minarika sat slumped against the wall behind the bar. Her mask she wore was unaligned due to the hit she took to the side of her head. she didnt move a inch when the two spoke and the shot was fired. the bleeding from her nose dripped from the mask. The wall had a darkened spot slick with some of her blood where her head had hit hard. When checked she was indeed out cold and softly breathing with a painful twitch of her finger against the ground. Though having drank a lot of whiskey before going out the pain in her body was numbed down. Slowly she started to regain her consciousness with very little focus, groaning.

Conall leaned down placing his arms under Minarika's armpits. From there he pulled her gently into a standing position and then looped an arm over his shoulders so he could help her walk. He quickly escorted the almost unconscious girl to a nearby abandoned building he sometimes used as his hideout when ducking law enforcement after one of his purse snatching adventures. Once inside the building he dragged her along to the bathroom and turned on the lights so he could get a look at her head. He noticed blood coming from under the mask as well as blood from a cut on the side of her head, he'd need to remove the mask to clean her wounds. He wasn't sure how out of it she was, but he thought it would go better if he told her what he was doing just to be safe. "Minarika, I'm going to take your mask off so I can clean up your face and patch you up. Ok?" he said to her before swiftly removing the mask. He didn't want to give her a chance to protest as he needed to make sure the bleeding stopped.

Having removed the mask he got his first look at the girl behind the mask. She probably wasn't bad looking at all when she wasn't all bloodied up, hard to tell in her current condition. He gently pushed the girl into a sitting position on the toilet seat and then grabbed a wash cloth to clean her face up. Running some warm water he soaked the cloth and then worked on cleaning up her face rinsing the cloth as he needed to. After cleaning up her face and the side of her head he pulled some gauze and tape out of the cupboard and taped up her cuts so the bleeding would stop.

Slowly lifted up from the spot she was slouched over in, she let out a small grunt as she was adjusted and escorted head bend lazily forward. It was not long till they were at the abandoned building. Dragged into the bathroom and put on the toilet lid sitting there. Minarika was barely awake from the way her head had hit off the wall. Slowly moving her hand she did not want her mask removed. But it was too late, her mask was removed revealing a pale face the blood from her nose clotting as she sat there. Her eyes barely open as though she was trying to focus and open them.

She lowered her hand and waited, the warm cloth being used to clean the blood off she leaned to the side until he had to wrap her head to keep her cut covered. Slowly opening her right eye and groaning from a headache. "H...hnn... where am I...." She turned her head looking around. Opening both eyes she looked up at Conall once she was able to focus and gave a soft sigh. "Thank god... I thought that bastard dragged me off somewhere at first..... Thank you Conall."

Conall smiled at Minarika and brushed the hair out of her face. "I can't stand men who hit girls, no way I let him get away with that. That guy won't bother you again." Conall picked up Minarika's masks and looked at it curiously and then back over at Minarika's face wondering why a pretty girl would hide her face behind a mask. After a few seconds he shrugged his shoulders and handed the mask back to her. "You're too pretty for this thing, but it is yours. There's a bed down the hall, you should get some rest" Conall left Minarika with her mask in the bathroom and went back towards the entrance checking out a window to see if anyone was about before settling into a chair to get some sleep himself.