opheliastjames

[opheliastjames]

dcntcluciano‌:

closed starter for @opheliastjames

They called her the Black Widow for a reason. When assigned a hit, the blonde completed the job with no issues, on time and always provided evidence of the hit. Her name was legend in the criminal underworld and had even caught the attention of one Dante Luciano. Being a former hitman himself, Dante was intrigued by her technique and even used his high ranking position to view the crime scenes first hand – when they were made available; he understood some murders were more than likely cleaned after by the Cleaner – another woman he admired. After a few spilled rumors about the Black Widow, Dante had to have a taste if only it was once. With his own power, Dante got the information on her whereabouts – a hit she was hired for.

 Walking up the stairs of the hotel she used, Dante’s hand grazed the glock strapped to his waist, hidden by his black suit jacket. Protection was always a necessity in his industry and even more so when face to face with a legendary professional killer. Walking through the door, Dante silently moved in the suite, spotting the woman as her target was on the ground, begging for his life. 

Without a sound, Dante stood, shoulder leaned against the wall while he watched in anticipation.  

Ophelia liked working alone, and she liked working in silence. Sometimes, she’d hum Marriage of Figaro under her breath, a habit her father left with her when he kicked the bucket. She kicked the body that lay writhing before her, finger on her lips as she stared with dead eyes into this man’s soul. “Shut up, or this will go in a very different direction.” She’s still new at the art of killing, still working the kinks of her system. A year into this job, and she found herself liking it, but not understanding it. It would have been so much easier to just bury lead into this guy’s brain and call it a night, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t paid to shoot. She was paid to create art on this tarp. 

There was a creak, like a door had just opened and closed. The hairs on the neck stood up, and Phe was frozen in fear. Who else would have known where she was unless...No, highly unlikely someone just guessed. Her employer had assured her that this was private. Maybe she had misheard something, because the man before her wouldn’t stop moving and making all of that sound. “Shut up!” She kicked him harder, anger on her features. 

After that, everything went quiet. Just the way Phe liked it. And she unfurled her tools of trade, admiring their pristine and imagining how beautiful they’ll look. “Now...where do we begin?” She knelt before the figure, a smile on her face. 

flashback

[opheliastjames]

[opheliastjames]

declan-garcia‌:

Declan should have known better than to think drinking at a casino bar would lend to drinking alone. People were always chatty when they were gambling, and he was just going to have to deal with that until his friend showed up. There was something about the blonde that was so familiar to him, but there was nowhere in his mind that could place her. As his mind continued to search, he decided to blame it on the drink he had already had, making him think that he might know her. “It’s basically another roulette, either the drinks are watered down or stronger than normal, depending on the casino. You looking to take the edge off or have something to enjoy?”

“Truth be told...” Ophelia started, leaning closer. “If they water down my drinks, I’ll be sending an angry email to the establishment’s manager.” This was good, if Declan didn’t remember her. She was better off being a ghost than a nightmare he would have had to face. She continued, pushing sentiments to the side. “I think I’m looking for something to enjoy. I have a fat stack of paperwork waiting for me, because in my all mighty judgement, I thought I’d have fun going through those, than doing anything else with my time. You feel?” 

[opheliastjames]

dcntcluciano‌:

There was a mutual understanding when it came to their similar extracurricular activities. Dante was one to dabble in it, and oh how he missed taking hits on a regular basis. While others were addicted to drugs, drinking, gambling, etc., Dante was addicted to watching the life drain from the eyes of other humans. There was no emotional capacity to tell him to stop his actions but instead a thirst which seemed to never quench. “People never look twice at a woman lifting a heavy bag, huh?” Dante smirked, quickly hiding it behind a scratching hand. Rubbing his beard, the man offered a shrug to her warning. “I got a gal who does a pretty slick job at getting rid of bodies and cleaning up messes.” Her was sure Ophelia knew exactly who he was talking about. “I’m not worried about someone finding her.”

Ophelia smirked, “I work out. It’s not too strange.” She tilted her head, smiling at Dante. It wasn’t all too strange to find someone with kinks like hers, but it was scary to see someone embody the role so well. It was unreal, and it worked on keeping Ophelia on her toes. “Better than me? I’m offended you have to call in someone else to clean up after my messes.” She moved in closer, something else on her mind besides a job well done. Of course she knew who was referring to, and she was good and great all on her own. “Well, I think I deserve something in return for a job so well done, don’t you think?” 

[opheliastjames]

mcntoya‌:

Rafe didn’t care about the fact that the woman was smoking where a sign prohibiting it was so clearly displayed; the Capo didn’t care about petty rules like the non-smoking rule. The only reason he stuck to them was that he was supposed to work at the casino as an actual employee and not as a cover job. Nothing could hide the bruises and the cuts on his knuckles from his actual work, however. “Just be sure to put it out properly. We wouldn’t want the casino to burn down.” Rafe spoke, still walking towards the blonde —– there was something familiar about her, yet not familiar enough to excuse the fact that she was on a floor she wasn’t supposed to be. “This is a private floor. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Taking a last long drag from it, Ophelia made a show of stubbing the half done cigarette into the nearest ashtray. She pushed the stick till it crumbled, before dropping it and wiping her fingers. “There we go. No harm, no foul.” An icy smile directed towards the security guard while the grip around her bag tightened. The smile didn’t leave, but she wasn’t enjoying his tone with her. “I’m waiting for Mister Luciano. I’m his assistant, Ophelia Saint James.” She fished out her work ID, a standard one from the office of the DA. She wasn’t a fan of the bangs or the terrible dye job on her employee ID, but it was her and she was going to show it to him. “You could ask him yourself, but I’m afraid he doesn’t like being interrupted.” She was afraid she had already given away information, but she really didn’t want to get into an altercation with someone just doing their job.

[opheliastjames]

nate-hollander‌:

Open Starter

“Strongest coffee you’ve got, black,” Nate said tiredly to the barista, handing over his card without a second thought. As thrilling as being an FBI agent leading a double life sounded thrilling, it was also exhausting. He would have thought that by now, the things he saw would no longer keep him up at night. However, he still had that gnawing feeling in the back of his mind that he needed to get out, and save himself while he still could. If it were even possible to do that. Stifling a yawn, he stepped over to the pick up area to wait for his coffee, mustering enough energy for a polite smile to the other person waiting. “Morning.”

“Morning to you too, chipper dude.” Ophelia was snarkier than usual; her last hit had given her some trouble and if there was anything that bothered the assassin, it was the fact that she couldn’t get her perfect eight hours of sleep. She had only had three, and that wouldn’t do. “What did you get? I think I’ll get for myself too.”

[opheliastjames]

“You interested in making a quick buck, big guy?” While Ophelia wasn’t in the habit of offering work to random strangers, her usual guy was stuck on another favour and she needed to procure her materials fast. Who better than an a recently released thief, and who better than the guy she was seated right beside? “It’s an easy job, and I’ll give half the cash right now, and the other right after.” @mateovicario

[opheliastjames]

dcntcluciano‌:

Ophelia had been the first person Dante had genuinely cared about in a very long time. Besides Michel, Ophelia was top priority. Sitting back in his office chair - at his private estate - Dante’s eyes fell upon the blonde who, expectedly, verbally reprimanded one of his men for questioning the woman’s competence. With a small proud smirk, Dante leaned forward in his seat, his elbows finding the cherry oak desk. Hands sliding together, the man waved the man to fetch the woman from the basement and place her in Dante’s own personal torture chamber. Once his man exited his office, Dante’s attention pulled to Ophelia. “Please excuse him, he’s been having a tough time at home apparently.” Getting to his feet, Dante rounded the desk, sitting on the corner. “I’ll be sure none of them question your ability to do your job again,” he promised with a nod.

With the last of her weaponry packed into her bag, Ophelia finally looked up to the man being dismissed. Underestimating her was one thing, but this wasn’t about her ego; Ophelia worked alone, and she worked better singularly. “He’s excused. There are worse things to hold grudges over, boss.” She tossed her hair back, looking at Dante. “I must warn you, people will look for her. After all, a politician making the rounds in the senate circles garners more attention than just another office lackey.” She stood there, letting her stiff limbs relax in his presence. After all, this was what Ophelia liked to do. There was a growing smirk on her lips. “It was so much fun lifting her in plain sight.”

[opheliastjames]

@declan-garcia

“honey, I love you”, that’s all she wrote

[opheliastjames]

Smoking was a bad habit, something she had known since she was in grade school. But in her line of work, there were worse habits to pick. Besides, she was bored at the door, sitting pretty and minding her own business in the case that Dante, on the other side, needed something from her. Ophelia didn’t daydream, but she let her mind drift along with the cacophony she could hear, albeit dull and so far away from her. Maybe she’d actually spend some time at the casino. She was sitting back faced towards the stairs that led to this less than clandestine floor, and the footsteps didn’t quite phase her, but that voice sure did. “I didn’t know this was a no-smoking floor. Thought everyone in the club did it.” @mcntoya

[opheliastjames]

“I cannot believe you would underestimate me like so. I told you, the drive wasn’t the least of my worries.” Ophelia worked best in the night, both at her desk job and her other proclivities. She was taking off her accoutrements and placing them carefully into her back as she rattled off details, much like a debrief. Whether Dante was listening or not was a whole other story. “...now she’s tied up in your basement, whatever you need to do. I finished my part of the job.” 

[opheliastjames]

Whoever said social interactions weren’t a cage were clearly never stuck in a place like Ophelia was. Seeing Declan again for the first time brought back memories; but sweetness laced with pain wasn’t her favourite pill to swallow, and feigning ignorance was something the blonde haired woman had gotten good at. But as she sat the casino’s bar, waiting for Dante to be done with his discussions, she couldn’t just ignore his presence. It was heat, and her heart wanting to gravitate towards safe havens. You lost that the day they killed your father. Maybe Declan didn’t even remember her anymore. “So...what do you think is going to keep me happily inebriated, but still sober enough to deal with the paperwork I left home, huh?” @declan-garcia

[opheliastjames]

Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

[opheliastjames]

MARGOT ROBBIE © Virgile Guinard | Vogue France, Cannes 2019

[opheliastjames]

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT (2016) dir. by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

[opheliastjames]

[opheliastjames]

You ever done this before? Let’s just say I don't have much practice.