Let's Meet The Gang

[Devlin Tempest]

The sound of frantic life, bustling around to get to whatever it was that was so important to their existence in that moment, was starting to give me the mightiest of headaches. This is exactly why I preferred to drive, but with the wreck my car was currently in, the train was the next best option I had. Especially if I wanted to get back to inner city New York before nightfall. Who knew it would be this noisy? And good lord, what the hell is with the delay? I could've been married already.
Wait.
I frowned at that thought, rolling my eyes. Scratch that last; I could've been home already, sipping a bourbon and watching bad Tevo. That's what I really wanted.
I gave a low groan, hunching forward a little on the waiting bench. The shooting feeling in my right side might actually have a lot more to do with the humming pain in my head than Ive been giving it credit for, but the frenzy around me was an annoyance at least somewhat in my control.
I looked up at the carriages, who's doors still hadn't opened, and ground my teeth. My patience was disappearing faster than the blood out of my body at this point.
"Are you okay, young man?"
I gave a jolt and glanced up at a little plump woman dressed in a lot of colourful denim, peering at my stature from over her rounded glasses. By the concern in her eye, I must look worse than I thought. "I'm fine," I said, straightening up and flashing her a reassuring crooked smile. "Recent injury playing up, that's all."
"I have some aspirin, if you'd like it."
"No thanks. I'm intolerant of anything medicinal I didn't pull from my whiskey cabinet."
Surprisingly, the woman giggled. "You're funny." She smiled. "I'm serious though, if you need a painkiller I have a few spare."
"Thanks." I nodded with a grin, and watched her tread to a vacant seat nearby, beside an older man who as she sat handed her an IKEA shopping bag.
Me, I went back to hunching forward.
Twenty minutes, yes, TWENTY minutes passed by before I heard a 'ding!' and the swoosh of doors opening. Bloody hell, about figgin' time. I grabbed my belongings, which was really just a brown suede backpack carrying the bare minimum of essentials, and climbed aboard. My bag was the first to settle in a seat, before I plonked myself beside it with a satisfying thud.
"Ahhh, finally," I sighed, lifting my feet to rest on the butt space opposite mine. Throw in the window seat I'd managed to bag myself, and this day was looking better already. It's funny how fast a day can go downhill, like watching a small child try and walk up a steep mountain without help. The cherry on top of it all? Oh definitely the car. My very shiny, very expensive Chevrolet Volt, wrapped around a telephone pole like a lost stripper.
Shout out to cyclists everywhere who decide to swerve into oncoming traffic. Thanks.
Thanks a lot.
Apart from the car and a few ribs of mine, there were no fatalities. Although, after I crawled my damaged ass out of the wreck, the cyclist was no where to be seen. And why wasn't I in the back of an ambulance right now? Because before I started hiking to the train station it was unnecessary.
Here's where I insert my shout out to all those gang members I beat in poker. Thanks for carrying sharp objects around with you wherever you go, things that could turn bruised ribs into broken ones.
Thanks a lot.
I let my head settle back and relax against the rough cushioning of the seats, watching the scenery pass by as the train started to pick up speed. There wasn't much to see, really. Grey concrete, blotchy paint, and a hecka lot of graffiti mixed in amongst the unkempt foliage. Graffiti, the unappreciated talent that marks the lower ends of the city. There's only one reason why it's dubbed vandalism, because of the many wannabes out there spray painting rough looking dicks on every curb and corner. How gay. I will never be able to understand it.
I mean Congratulations boys, you know what you look like naked. Need I even ask the question why there's none of the opposite tainting the town walls? I've got to tell you, I'm not in the least surprised.
Another butt kissed the seat opposite mine, beside the one my feet were occupying. I glanced at the man via my peripherals, then suddenly turned my full attention to him. The first thing I saw was -- okay, admittedly -- his undeniable ginger hair, then the sweat that freaked from each follicle, each racing to his nose. He wore a business suit, which was unusual because he carried a very casual campers bag with him. His nose had healed poorly from whatever incident that'd left it broken once upon a time. Also, his eyes were unable to settle, watching everyone with calculation and bad anxiety. Like a deer searching for the headlights he didn't want to see. Those nerves were the kind a man carried when he's done something really, really daunting. Or even, if he was about to.
I took a mental image of him with me while I turned away to pretend he'd not caught my attention. It was probably nothing. Instinct though, told me otherwise, but honestly it was not my problem.
He shuffled, clutching his bag tightly. I let myself glance at him once more, noticing this time the penned symbol on his hand. A little black 'C', a faint 'N' in its centre curved to fit in a circular shape, and a black line with seven white dots spread evenly through it closing off entrance to the centre of the 'C'. My eyes widened.
Raadgen.
This man now had my full attention.
He looked at me, meeting my eyes. No break in eye contact on my part was definitely making him unsettled, because he tore away his gaze from mine not even a second later. I watched him shift in his seat, a little further from me, before turning back to the graffitied, cement scenery.
What the hell were the chances of this happening? I felt a slight smile form on my face, as I thought about the extensive apology I was going to expect from Lennox when I got back to Embers.
I was going to give him hell about doubting me, because I knew it.
I bloody knew it.

[Kestrel Savage.]

& BROKEN LOCKS WERE A WARNING
YOU GOT INSIDE MY HEAD
( I try my best to be guarded )

"Ana, don't!"
"I can't help it," She laughed, shaking the can in her hand with a chink chink chink. "What is it about male genitalia that teenage boys are so obsessed with?"
I uncapped my pink can as she was speaking, trying to think of an appropriate answer. "You know, I actually don't know. Considering most of them live by the motto 'no homo,' you'd wonder why they want to see dicks all the time." I sprayed the baby pink paint all over the concrete wall in front of us. "Anyway, I wanted to make this a flower mural."
"And I'm taking creative license by... Including the already existing artwork," she laughed, pointing to the phallic graffiti she was painting around. "If I add a little green to this part, it could totally look like a tulip. You know, this'll be the stem, that's the petals..."
"It's not exactly what I had in mind," I giggled, pulling my hood tighter around me. There were plenty of security cameras around that didn't need my face on their system. Admittedly grey weather wasn't the best condition for vandalizing the side of well used train station. It made us harder to see, alright, but it also made the paint harder to stick. Half the wall was now yellow, although I had wanted to deck the entire side of the station that colour, but Ana had gotten distracted by the work of artists before us.
I sneezed suddenly, and shivered as a drop of rainwater trickled down my forehead and off my nose. I didn't need a cold during the first week of the semester. I didn't need to get arrested for vandalism again either. I could see it now: Uncle Thomas calling dad, who would then call me, threaten to bring me home, remind me how ungrateful I am. I had gotten off with a warning the last three times I'd been brought to the station, but that was a direct result of the advantages of nepotism. Which, in this case, came in the form of my godfather's illustrious career in law enforcement. I was on thin ice though, and I knew that. A black youth vandalizing public agencies? I was lucky Uncle Thomas had managed to talk his supervisors out of putting me in court already.
"It'll look like a sunset when it's finished," I decided aloud. "A sunset silhouetting pink flowers."
"Is that a metaphor for peace or something? A brighter future?" Ana made a face.
"I guess it could be. I just really like flowers."
We worked in silence for a half hour after that, until my fingers ached from the cold and Ana began to whine about being hungry. Ana had a blessed body. She never seemed to stop eating, and yet maintained a body that was the epitome of conventional beauty. She was slender at the waist, generously curved at the hips and chest. For someone who never worked out she had a very impressive rear end. Myself, on the other hand... Well, I was all elbows and knees. I was skinny, bony, and an A cup bra was too big for me. And what was worse, was I couldn't even enjoy the comfort of food. Lennox had me on such a strict diet, I might as well have been a filter feeder.
As Ana carelessly threw the remaining cans back into my rucksack, I stood back to admire our work. The yellow faded nicely into orange and then dark blue, whilst poppies and sunflowers made an abstract skyline, all shapes and swirls. I flattered myself to be reminded of Van Gogh.
"Alright! I'm satisfied," I announced, smiling back at her.
"Great, lets go get some chocolate!"
"I can't."
"Let's get me some chocolate," She corrected. "And you some rabbit food."
"Sounds delicious," I muttered sarcastically, trudging through a puddle towards the front of the station, squinting against the rain.

WORDS,, word count
TAGGED,, booth
OUTFIT,, CLICK
MUSIC,, lighthouse broken
NOTES,, ohai
TEMPLATE,, by PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION

[Devlin Tempest]

A FIGHTER BY HIS TRADE
he carries the reminder, of every glove that laid him down
OR CUT HIM TILL HE CRIES OUT
in his anger and his shame

"I AM LEAVING, I AM LEAVING"
but the fighter still remains

[Devlin Tempest]

Raadgens have been a problem for me since the mid 1890's. No joke. They were anarchists, with the sort of agenda that has of yet been more an inconvenience to human existence than a threat. Depending on how you look at it, though, I mean they did adventitiously spark both world wars, which did a lot of damage to you guys on the surface. However, when you look at it in respect of what they were trying to accomplish, that last war they started was easily their biggest fail. That's not to say they didn't come close to succeeding, though. I remember once or twice when their antics crossed that line between minor and major, causing a lot of deaths and widespread panic, but even then -- they still didn't really effectuate their end goal.
Which of course, is now a mocked cliche in modern films. World domination.
I felt frustrated as I got off the train, not only because I was bleeding like a sliced artery under my leather jacket, but also because I was now being rained on while watching the crimson Raadgen scuttle away with his backpack firmly in hand. I was in no state to face another vampire, even if that vampire looked about as dangerous as a teenage schoolgirl.
But after all this time, I still felt like I had that old responsibility. Like I was still bound by duty.
Though, a large portion of that has been resurrected by my recent involvement with Lennox' ridiculous manhunt. I think it's safe to say, if he and I hadn't reached this stupid agreement, the ruby red anarchist walking away from me would probably only agitate me to the point where if I were to encounter a bucket of popcorn I would get over it quite instantly.
Not even the magic of popcorn could make me feel less fettered to this old fight right now. I was not really happily kind of retired! Jeez people.
I started walking through the mass of transiting people. All these faces were much too preoccupied with their own business to notice the limp in my step or bloodstained white shirt, which actually suited me quite fine. Hopefully I had a distracted taxi driver, too.
I made it about three metres away from the exit, when suddenly I felt a thud against my shoulder and a whirr of wind brush by as a man in a hoodie and baggy jeans sped away with my FUCKING WALLET.
"Hey!" I bellowed, running after him, dripping blood behind me as I released pressure to my side. If people hadn't noticed before, they were definitely gasping now. "HEY!"

[Kestrel Savage.]

& BROKEN LOCKS WERE A WARNING
YOU GOT INSIDE MY HEAD
( I try my best to be guarded )

"What do you suppose that's about?" Ana frowned at people parting as some guy shouted after him. I only caught bits and pieces, but from what I could gather someone had wronged someone else in some way. "I think it's his wallet."
"What?" My ears perked up as I struggled to get a look at what was causing the commotion. I was far from as tall as Anaximendes, and there were so many people! I felt like a child at the zoo, craning for a view. I could see the tops of heads, one hurrying away, the other bobbing a few yards behind, as if it was someone walking with a limp. Or a cane. Or... Oh my gosh, had they stolen from an old man? That was not okay! I probably should have thought more about my next move, but before I was fully aware of myself I was ducking under arms and around spectators, searching for a way through.
"Ooh, excuse me," I apologised as I tripped over an older woman's foot.
"Birdy-- Kestrel?? What are you doing??"
"Pardon-- oh!" I skidded into the path of the man running away, just in time for our bodies to collide and him to knock me right into the muddy gravel. His elbows dug into my ribs as he scrambled to get to his feet. "Ow!" I complained, "Hey, do you mind?"
"Move it, bitch!" His large clammy hand came down on my face suddenly, pushing my head down into the mud again. I felt the weight of his body lift off me abruptly as he yanked himself to his feet and staggered into a sprint, disappearing through the crowd. I grimaced at the uncomfortable texture of mud and tiny stones on my face, on my lips, and looked around dully. Nobody cared that I was down in the dirt. The attention was on the man pursuing the thief.
"Hey!" I called out to him as he dragged his feet past me. I hadn't seen his face, but he was bleeding. Had he been mugged?? Holy shit-- had he been stabbed?? I pulled myself up even more quickly than normal, resulting in a dizzy spell from my head. "Hey," I chased after him, tugging on his arm to turn him around.
Well.
That was a surprise.
He wasn't an old man. Well, I didn't think so. When I first saw his face, for some reason I thought he was middle aged, but as my eyes adjusted I realised he couldn't be too much older than me. His face was pale and creased, his eyes bloodshot. He didn't seem to register me, so I tugged at his arm again. "It's okay, I have it here," I held the wallet up, dangling it in front of his face to ensure his attention. "The pickpocket got pickpocketed," I laughed, but it was cut short when my eyes moved down. "Holy shit!" There was more blood than I had initially thought. I raised my eyes to his gaunt face again. A very strange, boney gaunt face. I wasn't sure if he was handsome-- I mean, he was handsome, very handsome, I just wasnt sure why. He looked kind of like a goblin with sex appeal, all crooked nose and pointy cheekbones and very big, fuzzy eyebrows. His face wasn't proportional, and didn't seem like it should be as attractive as it was. I'd bet it was even more attractive when it wasn't twisted in pain and panting. Which reminded me; "You need a doctor!"
"Birdy!" Ana caught up with me. "Jesus, look at you," she fretted, reaching to wipe the mud off my face.
"Do you have your phone? Call an ambulance!"
"What?" Her eyes fell to the man, and I felt her squeeze my arm. "Shit, okay."

WORDS,, word count
TAGGED,, booth
OUTFIT,, CLICK
MUSIC,, lighthouse broken
NOTES,, ohai
TEMPLATE,, by PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION

[Devlin Basilio]

I whipped my leather jacket closed around my torso, hiding the majority of visible damage. "Relax, alright," I cautioned, and knowing these strangers would have no comprehension as to why I didn't need medical attention, the retarded side to me blurted out, "it's not major." Because that trail of blood behind me really screamed paper cut. Neither woman looked convinced, because who the hell would be by that argument.
Nice improv there, Dev.
The blonde had already whipped her phone out from its jam packed prison, and the shorter brunette -- the one whose mocha skin and dark brown hair was currently coated in a layer of muddy gunk from the fall she took -- stood giving me a look that I've never been given before.
I didn't really like it. It made me feel like modern abstract art.
Not only that, people were starting to stare, to focus on the scene. A robbery, a chase, a pretty man with bright red gore on his shirt; throw in the muddy teenage girl and her sexy female friend, we have ourselves the finale to a top notch unrealistic action comedy flick. "Just give me my wallet, okay? I don't need an ambulance."

[Kestrel Savage.]

& BROKEN LOCKS WERE A WARNING
YOU GOT INSIDE MY HEAD
( I try my best to be guarded )

I frowned unsurely, holding the wallet a little closer to me. Why would he think he doesn't need an ambulance? Maybe he had a concussion and didn't know what he was saying.
Concussions are when people hit their heads, Birdy. Not get stabbed.
I glanced at Ana as I heard the words echo in my skull. Maybe he can't afford the hospital bill, then?
He's being rude, Ana put her phone away, watching the man carefully. I say we leave him to it.
"Oh!" An idea suddenly hit me, and I looked back to him. "The police then! We should call the police. There's a mad man running around stabbing people for their wallets-- you'd remember his face, right?" I asked, pulling my bag onto the weight of one shoulder as I rummaged around for something. "Here," I began to pull out several colourful handkerchiefs all connected at the edges-- the handkerchiefs magicians pull out of their thumbs during shows. "My friend Jinny is practicing magic, and she asked me to pick these up for her, but," I handed them to him expectantly, "I think they're long enough to fit around you; you can use them to keep pressure on the cut, so you don't lose too much blood. The first time I was stabbed I didn't have anything with me either-- it's okay, take them," I assured him, placing the bright fabrics in his confused hands. I opened my mouth to continue, when I suddenly felt the weight vanish from my shoulder and heard a long CLANG BANG POP on the ground, which turned several heads, including my own.
My bag strap had broken.
The contents of my bag spilled onto the ground: the paint cans, my notebooks, Lennox's assigned reading. "Les Gens du le Raag," came out face up, sliding into the muddy gravel.
Lennox is going to kill you, Ana grimaced internally.
"Hey!" The shout snapped us both out of our mental conversation as we stared up at a familiar security guard, who had been drawn by the noise.
"Eddy," I remembered his face.
"He's going to skin us alive," Ana grabbed my wrist.
"I warned you two!" He began moving towards us; I glanced down at the paint cans on the ground. Yeah, I'd say that was enough evidence to call the police. Again.
Ana yanked me into the path with her, pushing through the crowd to get away. "Wait!" I pulled free, scurrying back to the bleeding man. "This-- yours," I shoved the wallet into his hands, on top of the multicoloured handkerchiefs resting there, before darting back into the crowd again, Eddy bellowing after us.

WORDS,, word count
TAGGED,, booth
OUTFIT,, CLICK
MUSIC,, lighthouse broken
NOTES,, ohai
TEMPLATE,, by PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION