A Wolf in the Jungle. (Silk)

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Marcus let out a thunderous snort as the flight attendant gently shook him awake. Pulling his headphones off of him, Marcus looked about with bleary eyes as the young woman calmly explained that they were just about to land the plane. Putting his seat upright, the man looked out the window and let out a small yawn.
Colombia. So he finally arrived. Another stop on his round the world Trip. He had heard alot of good and bad about the country over the years. With the Drug trade giving the place quite the bad rap, the man had taken it upon himself to see for himself whether or not the stories were true.

Normally Marcus would be rather blasé when it came to his personal safety, but even he knew a hundred guys with guns could catch him by surprise, especially in a place he was unfamiliar with. He suppressed a shudder as his misadventure in Africa immediately sprang to mind. He had expected Trumpets and Guitar strings the moment he had stepped off the plane and entered the terminal and so found himself alittle disappointed. He always did have a soft spot for Folk Latino music.

Or at least for anything that got his head bobbing and his hips shaking.

Wanting to rock the Tourist look, Marcus recollected Lady and quickly changed into a white dress shirt and a pair of white dress pants. His hair he left unbound as he slipped a pair of black rimmed sunglasses over his eyes and looked about himself.
He had to admit, with the nice weather and all, he was pretty impressed so far. The soft breeze was nice and the atmosphere was surprisingly festive. Turning on Lady's Radio, Marcus nearly squealed in delight as The music he came to expect with Latin America began to play. Cracking his neck with a swift tilt of his head, Marcus let his wolflike grin spread across his face as he set out to his first destination. The city of Santa Marta.

"Alright Colombia."
Marcus spoke aloud.
"Show me what you got!"

And show it did, the road to the popular tourists City had taken Marcus around the perimeter of the Jungle that coated the land. By the time the city began to roll into view, Marcus was positively giddy. Soon the roar of his machines Six cylinder engine would echo through the streets of Santa Marta as Marcus began to search for a place to stop for awhile and get his bearings, eventually pulling into a small restaurant that overlooked the Santa Marta Bay. Ordering just enough to take the edge off his hunger, knowing all to well how limited his funds were at the moment, Marcus relaxed (Or at least as much as he COULD relax in a new place) at his table and began to peruse his travel map of Colombia.

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Silk had been in Santa Marta buying some new seeds for the farmers of her village on the outskirts of the Tatacoa desert. Sasha was with her, carrying the bags. No one would have given Silk a second look in Colombia, people all looked like her. The women had the same curves though they were also a bit thicker as spanish culture kind of favored women of all kinds, but especially those that had a bit more meat to them. When the roar of a motorcycle entered the town, Silk peeked from over her sunglasses. Sasha stopped to look as they watched someone ride by on a bike. The man wore all white and had long-ish hair. Sasha giggled and spoke up.

"¿Por qué lleva tanto blanco?"
(Why is he wearing so much white?)
"Porque, él es claramente un turista idiota."
(Because he's a tourist you idiot.)

Silk replied with a bit of a laugh herself. She knew Sasha's confusion was with the man having brown skin. The two women continued their shopping. Sasha would occasionally hand the items she carried off to someone else from the gang who loaded it up into a pick up. Just as the group was about to leave, Silk spotted the motorcycle again and a devilish smirk crossed her lips. From far away it looked like any other motorcycle and Silk couldn't resist messing with anyone who was as ridiculously dressed as the man who had ridden it was.

"Sasha, chicos viaje de vuelta sin mí."
(Sasha, you guys ride back without me.)
"¿Por qué?"
(Why?)
"Porque yo voy a tener un poco de diversión. Asegúrese de que todos tienen lo que necesitan."
(Because I'm going to have a bit of fun. Make sure everyone gets what they need.)

Sasha shrugged but did as Silk said. The group loaded themselves into the pick up and they were off back to their village. She was dressed fairly normal as far as Silk was concerned. A red skirt that reached her ankles with some sort of colorful Hispanic floral design all over it and a Red halter top to match it. She had her dark hair pulled up into a pony tail and it swished behind her as she crossed the street to take a look at the motorcycle. It wasn't till she actually got close enough that she realized the bike was one she'd seen before. It belonged to Marcus. She looked around for a moment before spotting the man with long-ish hair sitting and relaxing. Quietly the woman came up behind him. She was torn between alerting him to her being there by saying something, or just doing something to startle him. Startling seemed like the better bet.

A wicked smirk crossed her lips and she would move quickly to nip her old friend on the neck. It was far too much fun to pass up and he no doubt would make a face Silk longed to see.

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The man was just about to take another sip of his coffee when he suddenly felt a sharp nip at his neck, which had the amusing result of sending Marcus rocketing out of his chair, whirling around with a look of shock! He wasn't even angry, just absolutely stunned that something managed to sneak up on him!

And his amazement went even further when he recognized who exactly managed to sneak attack him.

"SILK!"
The man would below before surging forward to bundle his oldest friend up in a mighty embrace, lifting her clear off the ground.

"What the HELL are you doing here!? Last I heard you were still in New York City!"

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"Oh geezus!"

Silk grumbled as she was hefted up into this bear like hug from the man. A few people looked at them but catching a mighty angry stare from the woman turned back to their own little musings. She laughed at him and patted his back a little till she was put down. Then she pushed her sunglasses up to reveal her natural brown eyes. The glasses rested on top of her head.

"Well, I was there for a little while. Then did a bit of traveling for some stories that I was reporting on."

She gave a little shrug.

"Now I'm here."

Silk wasn't too keen on going into all the details here. Especially since some of the other cartels that still remained in Colombia might be listening in.

"You are very lucky I was the one who spotted lady."

She said with a smirk forming as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"I almost rode off with her just to teach your touristy butt a lesson."

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Marcus had to admit, the thought of walking out of the restaurant and NOT seeing Lady where he left her nearly made him shudder.
"Ha! Yeah, good thing I know you know better."
Marcus replied with a smile that had a hidden edge to it. Lady was his lifeblood out on the road. Without her, Marcus would literally have nothing. Though he WOULD be able to manage, it certainly would be significantly harder to get around.

"So, what kind of Scoop you chasing 'round these parts?"
He asked amicably as he pulled a seat out at his table, a silent invitation for Silk to join him for lunch.

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"See... Define the word know. Like... I mean, I KNOW you would most likely shit bricks but... do I really KNOW better in such cases? C'mon. Think about it."

She smirked raising an eyebrow at him. When he pulled out his chair and asked her to sit with him she held up one finger and glanced back in the direction of his bike. She counted on her hand to four before shouting quite loudly.

"Hijo de puta mirar a mi moto tanto tiempo otra vez y te voy a cortar!"
(Mother fucker, stare at my bike that long again and I'll cut you!)

There came a rather loud reply back from a very angry sounding male who even lumbered over to glare at who ever had just shouted at him.

"Perra, voy a hacer lo que quiero hacer! Carajo vas a hacer al respecto-"
(Bitch, I'll do what I want to do! The fuck you going to do about- )

His words were cut off as Silk brushed the hair away from her shoulder with the bullet scar to reveal the tattoo that sat on her shoulder blade.

"You should really rethink those words..."

He put up his hands and backed up before bolting across the street. She'd sit down and crossed her legs with a happy little grin at Marcus.

"It's a very long, droll story. Better yet, why the hell are you here?"

The tattoo would indeed be new to Marcus. The silver shaded sword had a rose that curled around it. The stem of which was covered in thorns. A fairly apt tattoo for Silk though it hadn't been there before and she'd never mentioned getting one before.  A few people in the tabled near by glanced at her as she smiled at them. She gave a little wink and they stood up moving to tables a bit further away. She'd missed this. That fearful respect she used to have in school, it was back and she had missed it. Though it didn't quite fill what ever voids she had within herself, it was nice to have it again. Even out in Santa Marta which was fairly far from the Tatacoa it was nice to know her gang meant something out here and was capable of putting a little fear into people. It meant she was doing things right again.

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"I counter your evasion with another evasion!"
Marcus replied with a grin, hiding the sense of unease he had felt after watching that little display.
"Why do I suddenly have the feeling that I could park Lady in the middle of the Santa Marta with the keys in the ignition and still find her sitting right where I left her after a few days?"
What bothered Marcus the most was the fact that the man seemed scared of the Tattoo Silk had, a new addition, before he noticed the woman wearing it.

In Marcus' experience Most people Notice Silk herself first and last. Already he could guess at the significance of the Tattoo and it made him grow concerned that Silk might have gotten herself tangled up in something shady.

"Lemme guess, Local Gangs are your scoop yes?"
He asked as a waitress came by to refill his coffee and put down a plate full of meats, beans and a fried egg. The menu called the dish a Bandeja Paisa.

Marcus called it a decent start to lunch.

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She smirked at him when he countered her evasion with his own. The display had concerned him and she guessed, she could completely understand all things considered.

"Something like that..."

She said smirking. The woman who brought Marcus his lunch looked at Silk.

"El café, y otra ... cosa ..."

Silk said softly as she pointed at Marcus' lunch. The waitress nodded and walked off.

"I'm not writing much lately. Got a full plate as it is. Sanada Corp just merged with another company, I have people to look after mouths to feed. Doesn't really leave much time to write like I want to."

She leaned back in her seat as the waitress brought her a coffee and set it down before going away again.

"If it was just some little local gang... your bike wouldn't be safe. The little street gangs don't mean the same here as they do in Cali or New York."

She said as she drummed her nails on her arm rest a little. She took a small breath. Colombia was hot. Even on it's best days.

"Think bigger Marcus. It's making its name international. Or trying to. We are pushing up towards Long Beach, Cali. Also... they say the leader is batshit insane. She's a seriously nutty bitch who castrates men and eats their souls."

Her hand stopped drumming and a bit of a smirk crossed her lips. She'd just let it sink in and see if he could guess who she was talking about as the leader.

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"The cartel."
Marcus intoned darkly.
"This Steel Rose that seemed to crop up overnight if certain people are to be believed. Sounds like this Black Widow is a Chiquita after your own heart Silk."

Playful Marcus had vacated the building in a right fucking hurry. Serious Marcus now sat before Silk, his demeanor completely changed from just a moment ago. His eyes were hard and predatory sharp, his mouth set in a thin grimace. Taking a drink from his cup, the man regarded his oldest friend carefully.

"So she lets you pick on all the boys then huh? I remember back in my day Silk Velasquez didn't need anyone backing her up to be a terror. You never were any good at accepting authority either. Which means your either high rank, or top rank. Since when the hell did you ever have interest being tied down to a gang? You weren't fond of them back in school."
It helped that Silk was about as subtle as a dump truck through a china shop so it was easy to see what she was driving at. He didn't like it, but he could see it.
"So when the hell did someone like you become a criminal mastermind?"

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Well at least Marcus heard of them, even if he got the name wrong. She couldn't help but snicker at how serious he'd gotten. She even offered a bit of a pout as he accused her of being so hard to handle.

"Come now Marcus, I'm not that bad."

Though she couldn't keep the pout for long and a bit of a giggle passed her lips. She shook her head sighing at herself.

"First off... It's the Iron Rose. God... boy know the name at least please."

She took a sip of her coffee. He was being so serious, but perhaps because he thought the worst of what was going on. Even though Silk loved being a cheeky person and messing with her friends she could see he was worried. She didn't want to drag him around everything much longer and she figured he already guessed.

"A cartel though. There are multiple ones here in Columbia, but yes the Iron Rose is as the top. I wouldn't really say I answer to anyone. I make my own rules. You are being far too serious for this to be a fun game."

She huffed softly at him crossing her arms as the waitress set down the plate of food before her.

"I'm the leader."

She said as she sat up and started breaking up her food into small bites.

"I was originally on a job, so you got that bit right but... Marcus, man..."

She stopped a moment and looked at him with an actually hurt expression.

"Do you know what the cartels do to girls?"

She shook her head shaking out the images.

"It's terrible. On the front my gang seems like just another drug runners gang but... I made it more Marcus. I made it safe for the women who don't have any choice but this. I made it safe for their little girls... their little boys don't have to grow up watching mommy get hurt...I did a good thing. You can't tell me I haven't. I plan on getting it to grow. Taking all those girls out of the position of just being someone's little bitch. So don't look at me like you know everything gangs are about. You don't know..."

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Marcus let out a small sigh after Silk had finished explaining. Not so much a sigh of defeat, but more a sigh of relief.
"Alright, Alright, you made your point."
Marcus replied, his hands raised in a beseeching manner, with palms facing out.
"It's just REALLY surprising seeing you, I dunno......Reach out like this. Especially with a gang. ESPECIALLY with corporate backup, I mean that's some scary crafty shit right there Silk. I don't mean to sound patronizing or nothing but I'm actually pretty impressed with you. Impressed and........"
Marcus paused a moment, his smile returning to his lips, the serious tension in the room neatly evaporating like moldy air escaping a room after a window is opened.
".....Proud."

And he WAS proud! Silk never seemed to show much ambition in life besides drinking and fighting and he was glad to see that her Job as a Journalist, which to be honest he figured wouldn't last too long anyway, had blossomed into something the Latina could REALLY put her fiery energies towards. A Good life goal was really what she needed.

"So you don't REALLY eat peoples souls.....right?"
Marcus teased with mock apprehension in his voice.

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Marcus was proud of her? Well... she supposed that after years of watching her drink and fight seeing her take charge of something probably did make the man proud to be her friend. Silk had always been one of those women with no direction. She wandered aimlessly always needing other people to feel complete and for once... for once she didn't need that. Now mind you her work with Sanada corp and her work with the gang didn't quite fill all of the void but it took her mind off it at least.

"So... now you know what I've been up to..."

She looked at him and kicked his shin playfully.

"Your turn Mr. Evasive. What the hell are you doin in my part of town?"

She took a few more bites of lunch. She rather enjoyed the fact that no one was sitting to close. It allowed them to talk freely. It helped that most people here only spoke a little English so even if they wanted to understand what was being said they couldn't.

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Marcus shoveled the last of the baked beans on his plate and wiped his face with a napkin before leaning back comfortably in his chair.
"Just wanted to take in the sights really."
He replied with an almost dismissive wave of his hand.
"Haven't really been around South America before and I thought I'd finally fix that. Seeing you here though is a most definite bonus."
He added, smiling roguishly at Silk from behind his Coffee cup before knocking the rest back. Yeah she'd probably roll her eyes at it, but Marcus was a firm believer in the old adage that you always miss every shot you don't make.

And Silk was definitely a woman worth lining up and opening fire at. To Marcus, her devilish, almost mean spirited nature was part of her charm. Where others saw a brutally honest super bitch, Marcus saw a brutally honest woman who had grown up not taking shit from anyone.
And to be honest, he could relate and respect.

"Besides, I heard Colombia had something of a reputation around the world and I wanted to see first hand if it was true. I've sort of been running a circuit of places 'normal' people would find too dangerous to ever go near."

Places like War torn Africa, Iran, The Slums of India, Jakarta.....
Places the travel Brochure advise the weak of heart to stay away.

"Wanted to see if someone would have the balls to try and Kidnap a 'Tourist' like me. Hell I don't think anyone would offer to pay Ransom for me anyway. Folks would probably Deny them out of Spite and Assume I'd handle it. Heh."

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Marcus knew her pretty well for even as the words and roguish grin formed on his lips, she rolled her eyes at him. The slight smirk tugged at her lips and she finished her meal quietly before sipping at her coffee.

"Well, technically you are being kidnapped."

She grinned.

"I'm hijacking you and your bike for a ride back to my town."

He probably assumed it was just some town she lived in, not actually owned.

"How does Lady handle dirt roads?"

She asked a bit curiously.

"If she can't, I can always rent us a truck to head out there."

She put the coffee down and the waitress came over. Silk gave her quite a bit extra than normally would have been given for the bill and stood up. At the current moment she was able to do that. She'd had a trip to Japan recently that had been very lucrative.

"You can crash at my place before you travel around. I'll cook you something."

She smiled.

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"Woman."
Marcus answered with a laugh.
"You had me at Home cooked meal!"

As eager as he was, he did have to admit to feeling more than alittle suspicious at all the sudden generosity, even from as old a friend as Silk. The man had gone YEARS traveling mostly alone which had left him leery when it came to surprise hospitality, always expecting some sort of catch or hidden dagger.

"But what do you mean about 'renting' a truck? Don't tell me something happened to the Black Beast?"